OS - Android

Android is a mobile OS commonly used on smartphones and tablet computers.

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Android OS programs are written in Java using the Android SDK and the Phidgets library.

Installing Libraries and Drivers

Development for your Android OS Phidget application can occur on Linux, Mac OSX, or Windows.

Setup

You will need the following:

1. The JDK and Java on your development system
2. The Android SDK package for your development system
   • See the download link at http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing.html
   • For 64-bit Linux, you will need the ia32-libs package as well
3. The Eclipse plug-in for Java development
   • http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/ for Windows or MacOS
   • sudo apt-get install eclipse (for Linux)

Step One: Install the Android SDK

Google's instructions for installing the Android SDK may be found here:

http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing.html

That link contains help and code for:

• Installing the SDK and platform emulators
• Connecting the SDK into Eclipse, which is useful for following the example descriptions later

Step Two: Run Google's Hello Android Application

To check that the JDK, the Android SDK, and Eclipse have all been configured correctly, use the Google HelloAndroid example:

http://developer.android.com/resources/tutorials/hello-world.html

Once you have confirmed that the Android SDK has been correctly installed, you are ready to begin developing applications with the Android Java libraries and language.

Common Problems and Solutions

If you are having trouble, ensure your Phidget libraries are up to date.

Limitations

Android 3.1 and later can run Phidgets directly plugged into a local USB port.

Other versions of Android can remotely control Phidgets via the Phidget Webservice. This has been tested down to Android version 2.1.