Programming with Android - First Experience

For those who are not aware, Android is the open source smart phone operating system developed by internet giant, Google. Being open source allows the operating system to be placed on any "smart" mobile device by any manufacturer for free, this being the reason in which it is now so widely adopted. I have had an Android device for over two years now and have just recently acquired a brand new Android mobile device...it is clear to see the progression in terms of capabilities.

The Android API in which developers use to program games and applications for Android features two main languages, Java and XML. XML is a web standard language that is humanly readable and is used to create structured data files. Using this, Android allows the separation from programming logic (Java) and the user interface design (defined in XML), making it more easily understood by programmers and making it easier to alter the design of an Application. This is different from the type of programming in which I am used to where design and content are tied together like in C# for Windows.

After browsing the internet for some books on Android application development, I read through one following an example of creating a Sodoku game to get the basic idea of how to create buttons, using the different view types available and how to link them to event listeners so that when a user presses it, a new screen is loaded. Looking at some Android applications available, it is clear that a high level of customization is needed in order to make the applications unique and have a generally nice looking UI. One of the issues is with the Android title bar, it is very simple and generic. The Twitter app for Android has a very nice title bar in which contains the logo and two buttons placed over a custom size and colour title bar, giving a professional look and feel to the app. Following this I learned how to create custom themes for elements within the application, altering the generic title bar into one that contains an image and a different colour by means of creating a test application. This test application was run directly on my Android 2.3 device at compile time successfully and is definately a way in which I will be using it to create a professional UI for my NFC application. I have kept the source code for future use. I will be continuing my learning process of the Android SDK through reading more books available online, creating backup source files for future use until a point where my tutor Geoff Lund is able to provide me with an NFC reader/writer in which I can then begin to use the Android NFC functionalities within some test applications.

Project has been allocated...

After handing in our preferences for honours projects last week, we have received our final honours project allocations. My project will be based on the very much current topic within mobile development of Near-Field Communication (NFC). NFC is a technology in which uses RFID chips, one with data on it to read and one to read/write (generally within a mobile device) to capture/write the data. This technology is by no means brand new, it was featured in an earlier Nokia device however it was deemed too costly to manufacture and phones did not have much use for them. 2010/11 is where NFC will come into play, with more mobile devices including the hardware and operating systems such as Android allowing developers to use an API to program the NFC chip. There are many uses for NFC in mobile devices today such as allowing for instant banking transfers, e-vouchers in shops and restaurants and providing advertisements.

One of the main considerations with NFC is security, thus being the reason in which the Android API currently only allows devices to read from NFC chips. Careful consideration is being taken to ensure that a developer cannot write an application in which will steal someones banking details from their phone just by walking past and placing their phone near another persons. It is the security aspect, UI design and uses in which my honours project will identify and address by developing applications using my new Nexus S device with NFC capabilities, testing different security methods and evaluating possible security flaws and advantages within.