The Embedded & Gadgets

Android Applications Fundamentals

While written in Java programming language, Android applications represent a compiled Java code that is packaged into an Android package known as an .apk file. Bundling application data in this way allows applications to be easily distributed for installation on mobile devices. Indeed, the .apk file is the file that users are required to download and all the code in an .apk is essentially one application. In some ways, it can be said that Android applications are isolated applications. For...

The Car Drived by Wire

By Ron Wilson, Executive Editor EDN Mag. I see from the morning news that Toyota’s adventure into the world of embedded software is going badly. The company’s second attempt to find a quick fix for unintended acceleration in its conventionally powered vehicles is barely under way, and evidence is already emerging that the underlying problem is likely in the engine controller, not in the pedal’s mechanical assembly. Now we hear from Japan that the Prius, Toyota’s golden child, has a...

Android, the Apanda A60 and China

One of the Chinese brands looking to capture a greater piece of the smart phone market is newcomer Apanda. Apanda has set its sights high with its release of the A60, an aggressively priced Android-based smart phone they hope to sell worldwide, including the American and European markets. The A60 has all the bells and whistles we would expect from a smart phone from one of the major suppliers and follows the basic iPhone form-factor. The large 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen is the...

Samsung, Broadcom snag multiple wins with iPad

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Apple iPad sports an unusually high processor-to-memory channel, an abundance of touch-screen silicon and a novel case design, according to a teardown report from UBM TechInsights, a sister division of EE Times. The report shows Samsung and Broadcom are among the major silicon suppliers in the system released to much fanfare Saturday (April 3). Apple's A4 processor is the most significant chip in the iPad, and holds the biggest surprise found in the teardown. The...

Use Android NDK on ARM

The Android platform is designed for and shipped on ARM® architecture. Growing consumer demands for a connected lifestyle, means Android developers need access to the best Android on ARM development solutions for designing digital consumer electronic devices. As a result, the Android on ARM ecosystem is becoming even more varied from both the perspective of devices and applications. With the recent launch of Android 2.0, learn how using the ARM platform while developing for Android using...