We asked developers to share what they like and would they would like to see more of from Android, Google’s mobile operating system.
In early 2008, Google held a contest to encourage young talent to develop applications for their new Android software.
We spoke to three of the top ten finalists to get their thoughts.
It’s easy to see why this is one of the most popular features of Android for everyone, not just developers. Andreas Berg (who incidentally developed a GPS-based app) said, “The GPS navigation capability with Google Maps is definitively one of my favorites. Even the integration of Google Maps was uncomplicated. Plus, the special features Digital Compass and Motion Sensor are very inspiring, and open up new perspectives to develop games.”
Ease-of-use has practical implications for the average user as well as developers. Laurent Pontier was impressed with how Google integrated Android and the rest of their products. “After the Mobile/PDA convergence, Google managed to make all its services converge in the Android G1. The user experience is amazing. The G1 transforms your Google ID into all the Google services – to go.”
Android’s creation as an open-source platform is obviously a huge advantage for developers. The Ecorio team echoed the others when they said, “The openness to features/settings that is given to people developing applications…you have a whole host of features with Android that most other developers can only dream about in most mobile environments.”
Laurent Pontier was a big fan of choosing Java, “Choosing Java as the programming language for the SDK is a wise choice if you plan on developing an application once and deploying it on multiple Android hardware devices in the future…Allowing developers to use the OpenGL ES API in Java in the SDK is a killer feature by itself…Google Maps as a specific Java object is awesome and opens endless possibilities in the device, the user and the developer in between.”
Gaming is another aspect of Android that has an obvious impact on both the average user - and developers. The Ecorio team had great things to say about Android’s gaming possibilities, “Android will be just as strong of a gaming platform as the iPhone…Android will be a huge source of innovation from creative developers armed with an idea, a computer and a phone...In the end, we’re going to see some polished, well-produced games taking off of these innovative ideas…Something for game developers and consumers to get excited about!”
Andreas Berg put it succinctly, “In my opinion the G1 still has to catch up in look and feel.” His opinion was echoed by almost all the other developers.
“Payment APIs native to the Android platform that can be used for the secure purchase of real-world and virtual goods within applications, and the ability to purchase things in the world (i.e. in combination with Google checkout),” is something the Ecorio team would like to see.
The majority of the developers we spoke with mentioned video recording as a must-have feature.
Multi-touch enabled games are gaining in popularity and can bring a unique approach to game design.
The Ecorio team felt better integration with Google Docs would be useful.
» Learn more about the award-winning Android developers
