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Dec

Devs Clone The Google Now Card View UI, Plus A Bunch Of Other Awesome Interface Elements, Open Source Them All

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Development, News

While Android continues to get better about making its UI look gorgeous, there are still plenty of trends that have yet to be standardized in any meaningful way. Of course, part of that may be because they don't need to be. After all, Google doesn't want every app in the world to use the Google Now-style card view (though, so far, Google+, Search, and Currents are already among those that find inspiration from them). This leaves implementation up to developers, like those featured over at AndroidViews. Here are just a few samples of their work:

As you can see, it's not just the cards UI.

Dec

IntelliJ Releases IDEA 12, Brings Improved UI, New Compiler Mode, Android UI Designer, And More

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Development, News

I'm not going to pretend to be a developer here, and I'll openly admit that the bulk of what IDEA 12 does is over my head. However, I do understand its importance and relevance. Still, for the sake of correctness, we'll keep this one short and sweet.

When it comes to Android app development, there's Eclipse, then there's IDEA. IDEA 12 is, naturally, the newest incarnation of the application, and it brings a slew of new stuff that developers can make use of:

New interface and "Darcula" theme
New compiler mode
Support for Java 8, Spring Framework, and Play 2.0 for Java and Scala
Android UI designer
Database Development tools
...and more

Like I said - I'm no dev.

Nov

Amazon Releases Open Source Files For The 8.9" Kindle Fire HD

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Amazon, Android OS, Development, Kindle Fire HD, News

Amazon, "in accordance with certain free and open source software licenses," released today the open source code files for their 8.9" Kindle Fire HD, one of the latest tablets to join their wildly successful e-reader lineup.

The source code release comes about five days before the HD 8.9 was scheduled for official launch (though it actually began shipping today), giving those who want to tinker, develop with, or simply ogle the fresh batch of source a fair lead time.

If you've been waiting to get your hands on the HD 8.9's source code (or even if you haven't), just hit the link below to grab the full download.

Nov

Motorola Adds Electrify M To Bootloader Unlock Program - No Developer Edition Required

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, Electrify M, Motorola, News, US Cellular

Following the ATRIX HD, the recently announced Electrify M destined for U.S. Cellular is Motorola's newest member of the bootloader unlock program. The Electrify M is basically the RAZR M with minor visual tweaks but, unlike its Verizon sibling, won't come in a separate, more expensive developer-friendly flavor. Instead, like the Photon Q on Sprint and the RAZR i/HD outside of U.S., it's unlockable out of the box.

An unlocked bootloader means Electrify M owners will have full blessing of US Cellular and Motorola to customize software on their devices and flash custom ROMs, in exchange for losing the warranty, of course (in case there is any confusion, Motorola specifies: "Once you get the unlock code, your device is no longer covered by the Motorola warranty; in other words, please don't blame us if things go wrong, even if they appear unrelated to unlocking the bootloader.").

Oct

Samsung Releases Open Source Kernel Files For Note II On T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular, Plus AT&T's Galaxy Rugby Pro

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, AT&T, Development, Galaxy Note II, News, Samsung, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular

Now that we've seen Samsung's Galaxy Note II go up for grabs at T-Mo, Sprint, and US Cellular, it's time we began expecting to see Samsung drop kernel source code for the carriers' respective variants. That's just what Sammy has done, recently releasing the open source kernel files for SGH-T889, SCH-R950_USC, SPH-L900_SPR, and a bonus device – AT&T's Galaxy Rugby Pro, lovingly called SGH-I547_ATT.

Oct

Here's What's New In Android 4.1.2 At The Low Level [Developer Commit Logs]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, Jelly Bean 4.1, News

As a developer, I absolutely love days like today. If the high-level "improves performance and stability and fixes bugs" changelog of Android 4.1.2 isn't good enough for you, how about we dive into the actual low-level source code commit logs Android engineers made into AOSP since 4.1.1_r1.1 (JRO03D) all the way through today's release 4.1.2_r1 (JZO54K). These commit logs are spread over probably 100+ repositories, so hunting for all of them manually would probably take you days. However, thanks to Al Sutton, you can check them out all in one place.

Be prepared for lots of code jargon and incomplete git commit messages, which probably won't mean much to most of you.

Oct

Amazon Appstore Headed For Japan 'Later This Year'

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Amazon, Android OS, Applications, News

Amazon, in an effort to continue expanding its services globally, announced today that its Android app distribution service, the Amazon Appstore, is heading for Japan.

The shopping and media giant is now inviting developers to submit their apps and games for distribution in Japan, giving them the chance to participate in a new market with Amazon and "expand their business." Jim Adkins, VP of the Appstore, explained:

Opening our portal to app and game developers looking to reach Japanese customers is an important milestone as we strive to serve consumers and developers globally. Many of our existing developers are anxious to localize their apps and games for Japanese consumers, and we look forward to working with new developers that have been waiting for a chance to bring their Japanese content to the Amazon platform.

Oct

Google Working On New Android Build System To Replace, Unify Eclipse's ADT And Ant – Devs Can Try It Now

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Development, News

Looking to create a more versatile and powerful build system for Android developers, Google has been working on what is currently called "New Build System," a tool that aims to (one day) replace, unify, and build upon the functionality of Eclipse's ADT and Ant build systems.

While the new build system is still in very early stages (just reaching build 0.1 today) and not yet ready to build ship-able apps, it's already proving useful. Our own Artem cites the ability to build both dev and production versions of apps simultaneously and the ability to use the same build process between ADT and Linux as signs that the project is already showing great potential.

Sep

Developer Chainfire Fixes Long .apk Build Times In Eclipse With New FAAPT Tool - 10 Times Faster Than AAPT

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Tips & Tutorials

Are you a developer? No? Then why are you reading this? This is developer stuff. Heck, I really don't know why I'm writing it, I'm not a developer. I don't even have a beard.

But anyway, if you are an Android app developer, Chainfire has come up with a tool that should make your life slightly easier. Ever notice that even when making a minor change to your app in Eclipse that it takes forfreakingever to build the updated apk file? We're talking 30-35 seconds. Which, to be fair, is basically an hour in internet cat video time.

Chainfire got tired of this problem, and decided to fix it.

Aug

Samsung Releases S Pen SDK Version 2.2 With Hover Support, New Brush, And More

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Development, Galaxy Note II, News, Samsung

One of the highlights of Samsung's Galaxy Note II announcement at IFA yesterday was the increased functionality carried by the device's hallmark S Pen stylus. The Note II's version of the Pen, besides being "ergonomically designed for the perfect grip," allows users to quickly clip, crop, and edit screen content, adding further illustration and handwritten keyword recognition. The Pen now also features a unique "hover" functionality, whereby an app can recognize that the Pen is near the screen and react accordingly with contextual menus or other activities.

Looking to put the power of the S Pen to use in more than just Sammy's own apps, the manufacturer has posted the updated S Pen SDK version 2.2 with all of the Pen's new features.