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[Q] Best architecture for a standalone Windows 7 tablet

We need to develop a standalone application on a Windows 7 tablet (Motion Computing CL900). Initially Java was the language of choice to develop this application. One criteria is that the tablet is not going to be in Wi-Fi range and will have to be on its own in the field.
if I write it in J2EE/JSP, then I would need a servlet container like tomcat loaded on the device itself. Or I think I could go the Swing route to make it standalone.
But then another person thought, Java is an overkill and just plain HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (Webkit) will get the job done. The application consists of a form, a signature capture and an image capture using the inbuilt camera.
Since this is my first app on a tablet, I thought I would check around for ideas / pointers. Any feedback would be sincerely appreciated. Thanks.

Since you are doing it for W7, how about using Silverlight?

OndraSter said:
Since you are doing it for W7, how about using Silverlight?
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The management wants me to develop in a language that we already have the skillsets for. So there are people who know Java and then there are people who are familiar with HTML/CSS/JavaScript. We do not have any developers who are familiar with Silverlight

There is no difference between this and a standard desktop app. Pick the language based on the familiarity of your developers and the quality of the tools.
Can you do things like image captures in standard HTML5?

PG2G said:
There is no difference between this and a standard desktop app. Pick the language based on the familiarity of your developers and the quality of the tools.
Can you do things like image captures in standard HTML5?
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I don't know much about HTML5, but looks like HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript (library) will form a pretty powerful light-weight combo. I am googling to see if I can do an image capture using HTML5 / HTML & JavaScript

Android apps on windows phone

Hi guys,
I'm currently using an iPhone as my primary phone and android as a secondary one. I want to shift to windows phone (mango) but there are a few apps on the android not available on winmo which I can't live without. Is there any way to run android apps on the windows mobile the same way(or ANY way) its done on the blackberry play book?
Thanks

I don't think there's any. But there are alternate apps.

Android apps on WP7 would be incredibly difficult, though theoretically it could be done with enough effort.
Most Android apps use Dalvik (a dialect of Java). This is totally incompatible with the Silverlight/C# that WP7 apps use, but there are enough similarities between them that it might be possible to build a tool that either translates the Dalvik instructions to MSIL (the binary that compiling C# produces) at launch, or dynamically interprets it (the latter would be very slow, though).
However, even with purely Dalvik apps, there are other problems. WP7 apps are limited to a very restrictive sandbox, with no access to the vast majority of the filesystem (for example). Android apps, by comparison, have a great deal of access to the device they run on, so even a very simple app may expect to have permissions that wouldn't be available on WP7. Instead, attempts to access restricted parts of the filesystem would have to be "virtually" redirected within the sandbox. This is possible in many cases, but a *lot* of work to code and has all kinds of weird edge cases.
Additionally, Android apps have a very different runtime model from WP7 apps. The biggest change is in how they handle leaving the foreground; WP7 apps are either suspended or dehydrated, while Android apps often just keep running (they can elect to suspend, but aren't required to). WP7 does support background tasks (with strict limitations, at least if you stick to the official APIs), but moving the Android app runtime into those background tasks would be quite difficult.
Finally, there's the issue of hybrid apps (apps that use native code in addition to managed runtimes like Sliverlight or Dalvik). These are much more common on Android than on WP7 (at least, than on WP7 outside this webite). Android runs on a Linux kernel, using POSIX system calls and APIs. WP7 runs on a CE kernel, using win32 system calls and APIs. There's a very loose mapping from one to the other (see the Wine project for running Win32 apps on desktop Linux) but it adds a lot of overhead and would be another layer, at least as tricky as the managed part, to the difficulty of this project.
Short version: nope, sorry.

GoodDayToDie said:
Android apps on WP7 would be incredibly difficult, though theoretically it could be done with enough effort.
Most Android apps use Dalvik (a dialect of Java). This is totally incompatible with the Silverlight/C# that WP7 apps use, but there are enough similarities between them that it might be possible to build a tool that either translates the Dalvik instructions to MSIL (the binary that compiling C# produces) at launch, or dynamically interprets it (the latter would be very slow, though).
However, even with purely Dalvik apps, there are other problems. WP7 apps are limited to a very restrictive sandbox, with no access to the vast majority of the filesystem (for example). Android apps, by comparison, have a great deal of access to the device they run on, so even a very simple app may expect to have permissions that wouldn't be available on WP7. Instead, attempts to access restricted parts of the filesystem would have to be "virtually" redirected within the sandbox. This is possible in many cases, but a *lot* of work to code and has all kinds of weird edge cases.
Additionally, Android apps have a very different runtime model from WP7 apps. The biggest change is in how they handle leaving the foreground; WP7 apps are either suspended or dehydrated, while Android apps often just keep running (they can elect to suspend, but aren't required to). WP7 does support background tasks (with strict limitations, at least if you stick to the official APIs), but moving the Android app runtime into those background tasks would be quite difficult.
Finally, there's the issue of hybrid apps (apps that use native code in addition to managed runtimes like Sliverlight or Dalvik). These are much more common on Android than on WP7 (at least, than on WP7 outside this webite). Android runs on a Linux kernel, using POSIX system calls and APIs. WP7 runs on a CE kernel, using win32 system calls and APIs. There's a very loose mapping from one to the other (see the Wine project for running Win32 apps on desktop Linux) but it adds a lot of overhead and would be another layer, at least as tricky as the managed part, to the difficulty of this project.
Short version: nope, sorry.
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That was quite disheartening for the OP
But I liked the thorough explanation.

for curiosity, which apps are you looking for?

Thanks a million for the detailed reply. I can give up on this now otherwise would have gone crazy searching. As for the apps I wanted to use Rako which basically controls the lighting in my house and creston media which controls my theatre. These I can't live without.
Additional ones would be anonymous email and sms bomb.( to bug my friends)

as for the lighting you got me..
but for media the xbox (if you have one) companion controls my whole xbox media experience from audio (zune), movies (integrated movie player streaming from my pc)..

What about this - http://wp7mapping.interoperabilitybridges.com/Library?source=Android
Can't this be used?!

buffalosolja42 said:
but for media the xbox (if you have one) companion controls my whole xbox media experience from audio (zune), movies (integrated movie player streaming from my pc)..
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Crestron controls my theater as a whole i.e lights, projector, blu ray etc. I just need to press 1 button and lights dim, screen comes down, blurry starts playing and so on. For the xbox controller its only for the xbox

buffalosolja42 said:
but for media the xbox (if you have one) companion controls my whole xbox media experience from audio (zune), movies (integrated movie player streaming from my pc)..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
drupad2drupad said:
What about this - http://wp7mapping.interoperabilitybridges.com/Library?source=Android
Can't this be used?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay im a noob and i have noooo idea what that is

drupad2drupad said:
What about this - http://wp7mapping.interoperabilitybridges.com/Library?source=Android
Can't this be used?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is just for developers who want to port their app.

jessenic said:
That is just for developers who want to port their app.
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Exactly! So yes, Android app can come to WP, only if developers are hard working to port it.
However, I haven't done more than making ROMs for WM, Themes for Android, but I am currently porting 2 apps from Android to WP. Honestly, all porting is made so dead easy that a little bit of English and Bing at hand, and you are off to a great start! It's slow process but anyone can port if they want to.

Android as an OS for non-phone devices

Hello,
First off, apologies if I have posted this in the incorrect forum.
The company I work for is looking to update one of it's product lines and has been toying with the idea of using Android as a development platform. Up until now the philosophy has always been to develop simple, bespoke embedded software that provides only the functionality that is needed at the time. The device itself will be a medical device, and as such will have no telephony requirements (and associated things like contacts, calander and the large majority of the pre-installed Android apps).
I have read, and understand it is possible to re-compile Android from source and remove all of these non-required functionality. My question is really if that is worth doing? i.e. stripping out all un-needed applications that get build into a stock ROM. Or would it be a more efficient to use some form of OTS embedded Linux platform?
Something in Android 4.0 that does seem to be useful is the support for Bluetooth HDP.
Kind Regards,
Simon

Well there are other devices that aren't phones that use Android. Take the motoactv for example. It's a fitness watch that runs a stripped version of Android, but it's still Android and applications can still be programmed and installed to it.

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?
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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).
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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][Discussion] What new feature should any next OS have in your opinion?

While Android provides many opportunities, I still feel it's quite limited. I'm interested in hearing what you'd like to see in any next operating system for mobile devices.
The thing I'd like to see with future operating systems (not exclusive to mobile OS's actually), is full integrating of app functions in the OS so that they can be shared between apps. Or rather, so you can actually perform every function from within the OS environment. An office app isn't a standalone app providing a new environment to work in, no, it provides its capabilities to the OS. Have a powerful calculator app? Have its functions integrate in the OS, available to you in any appropriate project you're working on with the office functions - all still from the OS. Games can still be standalone, I reckon, I'm not sure how these would add new functions.
A different way to look at it, is 'codecs': The OS is capable of handling everything there are codecs for. Want to edit an .mp3? An app provided you with the functions and code to have the OS create an appropriate 'app environment', with the style from the OS itself (which would provide truly universal theme support, too).
So, what ideas do you folks have?

Cusomization
I think more OSes need to be able to be modified without hacking. There should be more options to change colors, use custom pictures, or even be able to write your own "widgets", something like render script but even noobier. Quite a lot of people like to customize their devices, people like this devices to reflect themselves,we can see this from the large amount of jailbreak themes on iOS, or even theming on android.

Why DirectX is more powerful than OpenGL?...guys we need to see pretty graphics on ubuntu...why I can't use the full power of my geforce card on ubuntu OS? I think they should make some changes.
Also ubuntu drains battery too fast they should focus on this issue.
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better apps on Ubuntu! Gaming specifically.

For ubuntu os just app support
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definitely more ubuntu support