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Forthcoming Native Development Kit

A week ago Brian Swetland (of the Android team) posted to the g1-hackers mailing list this juicy little nugget:
It is possible to bundle native shared libs in apks, and specific details
about how to do this in a least-likely-to-break-later way will be documented
in the forthcoming Native Development Kit (NDK).
Work is on-going to improve the platform APIs and provide more and better
access to the OS and hardware (bluetooth, improved audio, etc, etc). Future
updates will increase the surface area of the APIs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trying to get some confirmation and additional details, I checked in with android-framework and received this reply from Dave Sparks:
Yes, we're planning a native SDK. There is no official release date
yet. The initial release will probably be very limited in scope, just
enough to add some JNI helpers. As we lock down native API's, more
functionality will be added.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"JNI helpers" sounds a bit underwhelming, like .so libraries for optimizing inner-loops. However, this looks like a good first step toward getting applications with performance-bound modules to shine on Android. Personally I'm crossing my fingers for this to be what the Mozilla Fennec team to invest the time in porting for Android.

I'd rather see C#/.NET bindings for Android. Java blows. When I have time, I'm going to look into cross compiling mono for ARM (it's been done for ARM PCs, but not for Android yet).

Koush said:
I'd rather see C#/.NET bindings for Android. Java blows. When I have time, I'm going to look into cross compiling mono for ARM (it's been done for ARM PCs, but not for Android yet).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At first I thought you meant to cross-compile C# to Java bytecode to run in Dalvik. Didn't seem to make much sense since you wouldn't benefit from the .NET framework itself at all.
As for getting Mono natively on ARM, would that work for a non-root G1? If not it would be of little help for developing applications for the general non-rooted public.

Why so few Android apps compiled for MIPS?

This is something that is driving me crazy, shouldt be MIPS Android SDK and NDK be compatible with any source maded for the ARM version?
First thing i noticed with this Ainol Novo 7 Basic was that, the small amount of compatible apps, none of the better apps are compatible.
No: Netflix, Skype, Android Terminal Emulator, MX video Player, Chainfire3D, any mame32/nes emu, a working barcode reader, connectbot, adosbox/qemu, opera or any other browser. and the list goes on.
I wonder why, i trought devs will want the larger amount of users as posible.
For the record, i just got Android Terminal Emulator working in my Novo 7 Basic, i had to:
1) Download Term source code
2) Download MIPS Android SDK, NDK, Apache ANT, Eclipse with ADL, cgywin (to compile NDK libs)
3) Import Term project to eclipse
4) change the target build to android-12
5) change Aplication.mk to "APP_ABI := mips mips-r2"
6) build ndk-libs for the app
7) build the project with eclipse
And i know nothing about programing for android, just c/c++

Best guess that anyone will probably give you is that the majority of devices out there running Android are ARM based, but as that changes, the number and quality of available apps should improve.
There is a HUGE obstacle to overcome however. Not many people are going to buy a device today based on what might run on it months from now, especially when there are devices out there that will run it now, and many of those that do purchase a MIPS based device consider it a mistake and end up returning it.

It is not possible to offer two different version on the market and i don't think it is possible to restrict the apps to a specific architecture.
Are the number of MIPS devices really rising? The android market doesn't really seem to be ready for that. It would mean even more app versions devs would have to consider.
Which apps work and which don't?
Maybe those using native code, compiled with NDK don't work, as those routines are compiled specificly for ARM.
Don't take my word for it though, just some thoughts.

its not possible to get 2 different versions on the market.

Rumor has it that the problem is frequently a development oversight and that it's related to omitting some important MIPS related files from the package build.
I imagine that it can also be related to poor programming practices and also programming for optimized code.
~~ Sent from my Velocity Micro Cruz PT701/T105 via Tapatalk ~~

As far as I know, Market supports device specific apk's nowadays, which would make it possible to have an mips apk...
http://developer.android.com/guide/market/publishing/multiple-apks.html
Altough the proccess is not trivial, it is not that difficult either, just minor changes to the manifest and filter the apk for Native Platform...
Also, it would be possible to compile it for all devices that the current NDK supports, by using the latest revision of NDK (as of November 2011):
http://developer.android.com/sdk/ndk/index.html#overview
You just need to add:
APP_ABI := all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to the makefile and it should now be compatible with all processor architectures that NDK supports....
So, now there are means to easily support different processor architectures, but, don't expect quick adoption of it, as, unfortunately, this depends entirely upon developer will to change some of its project settings and/or publishing way (it is entirely possible, now, to have a single apk for all platforms)...
Unfortunately, right now, and I would dare to say, in the next 6 - 8 Months, I would not expect this to change much... Altough the official NDK has support for multiple devices, it still doesn't incorporate the MIPS abi, which is not official, and thus, it is not possible to declare that an APK for a native MIPS device as well...
Hopefully MIPS devices will grab a nice piece of the Android devices and then "force" Google to officially support those devices. I believe that it is possible to grab the latest unoficial NDK and use it with APP_ABI all and publish it to the Market, but, as of today, is mostly something recent and that few (if any) developers support (remember, this possibility came with November's NDK, I'm not even sure if MIPs NDK is already up to date with Google's November NDK), so, I would dare to say, MIPS devices are not in a good position right now (even x86 devices, which have official support, are not...).

I have a MIPS based tablet named "MIDI Japan MD-785IP" that is quite nice but is making me sad with the lack of some softwares and in special, lack of ROMs to it. Apparently I am the only person in the internet that have one

shivansps said:
This is something that is driving me crazy, shouldt be MIPS Android SDK and NDK be compatible with any source maded for the ARM version?
...
For the record, i just got Android Terminal Emulator working in my Novo 7 Basic, i had to:
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
Have you shared that MIPS compatible Android Terminal Emulator?
Thank you

Sure... and here is connectbot too.
Ive attemped to recompile adosbox too but the source code and makefiles are just a big mess and no documentation provided.
And that is another problem, poor documentation in open source projects.
BTW, Market has to have some way to know if a app is for arm or mips, since market on basic only shows up compatible apps.
Also, its no enoght to just incluide the "mips" folder along with "armabi" with all mips compiled .so files inside the libs folder? because is that all what it takes, unless the app is using binaries.
And im agree that google has most of the fault for not incluiding mips supprt in his NDK, the mips one can compile for both.

I wonder what will happen when intel medfield will came out...

I am in an even worse position - I bought 2 NOVO7Paladins - one for the g/f. I had to get one for myself, because I know I will be 1st line support
So, I have a MIPS cpu (with reduced software availability) and also ICS which further reduces app compatibility.
Apps which I consider essential (Samba server, VNC Server, Angry Birds Seasons....) are not available, so l'm currently installing eclipse, JDK, SDK, NDK on a linux box to try to rebuild stuff - it has been many years since I last had to get my hands dirty with code.
I know I have a steep learning curve ahead, but I'm sure it will be many months before there is a significant increase in app availability. I understand though, that if developers have written native code for ARM, they won't be in a hurry to port that to a minority cpu. It is way easier for new apps to be built with different architectures in mind.
Thanks Shivansps, I had been looking for a terminal - I had given up and was trying to get telnet working - a last restort. It was either that or carry a laptop around with me to use ADB
Now, all I need is to get the MIPS ABI to appear in Eclipse AVD setup... (oh, and learn how to code for android )

i dont use Eclipse or SDK myselft any longer, what i do is just recompile shared libs with mips NDK and include the new "mips" folder intro the libs folder of the original .apk file, then re-sign the apk with one click signer.

MapsWithMe for MIPS and x86
maersi said:
I am in an even worse position - I bought 2 NOVO7Paladins - one for the g/f. I had to get one for myself, because I know I will be 1st line support
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! Do you still have MIPS android device?
Would you please test MapsWithMe on it? It's offline world maps based on OpenStreetMap.
We've built apk for mips and x86 architectures but doesn't have any devices to check if it works.
Apk is available here: dl.dropbox.com/u/24013616/MapsWithMe-203-mips-x86-120502.apk
Cheers,
Alex Zolotarev
MapsWithMe Team

AlexanderZolotarev said:
Hi! Do you still have MIPS android device?
Would you please test MapsWithMe on it? It's offline world maps based on OpenStreetMap.
We've built apk for mips and x86 architectures but doesn't have any devices to check if it works.
Apk is available here: dl.dropbox.com/u/24013616/MapsWithMe-203-mips-x86-120502.apk
Cheers,
Alex Zolotarev
MapsWithMe Team
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I still have a mips tablet, but it hasn't gps. Do you want me to check it?
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SDK Emulator or Android x86

I will be honest, I'm not an Android developer - at least not yet. That said, I'm looking for an environment to performance test apps. More or less, looking for a sandbox to test apps with. For this, it doesn't really make sense to use a real device. So I'm debating between the SDK emulator and using Android x86 in a virtual machine. Each seems to have strengths and weaknesses.
I think the main advantage of the SDK emulator over Android-x86 is that it can be used to test apps for different AVDs very easily. Plus, it natively supports NDK ARM code and can be used with x86 code with version 17 (right?). The downside, is that it is painfully slow.
On the otherhand, Android-x86 has much better performance itself, but currently (maybe not for too much longer) lacks support for ARM-specific code.
Another option is BlueStacks, but I haven't looked into it much yet and am not sure how well it will suit my goals.
I was hoping to get a little survey of opinions regarding the two from developers and folks more familiar with Android than myself.

CurlySpiral said:
I will be honest, I'm not an Android developer - at least not yet. That said, I'm looking for an environment to performance test apps. More or less, looking for a sandbox to test apps with. For this, it doesn't really make sense to use a real device. So I'm debating between the SDK emulator and using Android x86 in a virtual machine. Each seems to have strengths and weaknesses.
I think the main advantage of the SDK emulator over Android-x86 is that it can be used to test apps for different AVDs very easily. Plus, it natively supports NDK ARM code and can be used with x86 code with version 17 (right?). The downside, is that it is painfully slow.
On the otherhand, Android-x86 has much better performance itself, but currently (maybe not for too much longer) lacks support for ARM-specific code.
Another option is BlueStacks, but I haven't looked into it much yet and am not sure how well it will suit my goals.
I was hoping to get a little survey of opinions regarding the two from developers and folks more familiar with Android than myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always use the sdk emulator OK its a little on the slow side but quickly let's you test apps on a range of set ups. Plus having it integrated with eclipse makes the process even quicker
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framework for cross-platform development: Android + iOS

What is the best framework for cross-platform development: Android + iOS. Does it exist?

Sencha touch
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Artemidza777 said:
What is the best framework for cross-platform development: Android + iOS. Does it exist?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://phonegap.com/ ... pretty much the easiest and most amazing solution for cross-platform development. I use it along with Adobe Dreamweaver. Cheers.

There is also Corona SDK
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Someone else mentioned Corona SDK. I just started using it and am pleased with it. Initially wanted to just prototype with it (it is a bit slower than straight C++) but for simpler apps and games its good.

Damn this site is awsome,so many things to read!

I´ve tried PhoneGap and its quite good. You can do lot's of "programming" without having do kwon Java or Objective-C, you only have to use web tecnhologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Adobe AIR

Of cource, Unity3d. Best framework for game I ever seen. Deployment for Android and iOS is supported (also in free version).

If you are familiar with Java, Libgdx may be an option (it supports Android, Desktop, HTML5 and iOS is currently under heavy development).

Andrew1000000 said:
Of cource, Unity3d. Best framework for game I ever seen. Deployment for Android and iOS is supported (also in free version).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would also say Unity is the best cross plattform engine(!) for game development.

sencha touch with phone gap is the best solution. best in creating hybrid apps
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What? Nobody said Titanium/Appcelerator?
I've done a few apps with it and the new Alloy framework is the bee's-knee's.
I'd still rather do native java/objective-c.. but for quick app's i find it better then Phoegap.

There are some alternatives out of there:
- PhoneGap/Cordova (Web based, so performance are not enthusiastic)
- Corona SDK (Commercial, you will have to pay a annual fee. It's game oriented but works very well for 2d games.)
- Moai SDK (Free, pretty much like corona but maybe less advanced in terms of documentations, features etc)
- Titanium Appcelerator (Free, works better than the other for cross platform application frameworks)
- Sencha Touch
- Mono http://www.mono-project.com/Main_Page
- Adobe AIR
- Unity 3d
If I were you I will give a try to Titanium Appcelerator, in case you want to make a game now they also offer a payed game engine, Platino.
BTW a suggestion that I give to you, is to consider the complexity of the application that you have to make, because if it's very particular or resource intensive, you will be badly deluded by those frameworks, and you will spend 10x times fixing the issues other than coding 2 native applications for android and ios standalones.
So take that path only if the application let you do it, with few customization and pretty much straightforward.

LostByte said:
What? Nobody said Titanium/Appcelerator?
I've done a few apps with it and the new Alloy framework is the bee's-knee's.
I'd still rather do native java/objective-c.. but for quick app's i find it better then Phoegap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These two guys above me have the right idea, the tools they listed are amazing, along with everything else mentioned. I was going to bring up the Intel XDK (IDE as a Chrome Extension === mind blown ) but it's still pretty beta

Delphi XE5
I think that at the moment the best framework that is cross platforms including windows, android, iOs and so on is Firemonkey from Embarcadero

MonoTouch, the productivity gains from C# are huge, and the framework and APIs are just that much more thought out. Plus, async/await

Unity is fantastic. Titanium Studio is useles junk for me.

CocoonJS.
Fast html5 fraemwork ( javascript + canvas)
works with Box2d.
ludei.com

Use Qt. Nothing will have performance near that.

[Q] App for running eclipse on Andorid

Hi all,
Just inquiring if there is any app I could install on my android tab
and be able to do some java programming, like running Luna Eclipse
which does so well on windows.
Regards.

@faeiz747, despite its Linux roots, Android is far from capable of running Eclipse IDE as is. Not only is the hardware inadequate for supporting such a large application, but Android lacks a full Java SE JVM (Dalvik is a subset) and SWT (Eclipse UI framework) implementation for native Android UI controls does not exist. On Linux, SWT implementations exist only for GTK and Motif.
You may be interested in Project Orion, which is an effort at eclipse.org to create Eclipse-like experience in the browser. I understand that people have been able to use Orion from a mobile browser on devices such as the one on the iPad.