Google hasn’t yet released the source code for Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. But that hasn’t stopped independent developers from working to port Google’s latest operating system to run on existing hardware.

The Android 4.0 software developer kit includes an emulator that lets you explore Ice Cream Sandwich on a desktop computer. The idea is that app developers can see how their apps work before deploying them. But since Google never released the source code for Android 3.x Honeycomb, hackers got pretty good at taking the emulator image and modifying it to run on phones and tablets.

Now Android Central forum member beezy has started to port Ice Cream Sandwich to run on the Samsung Nexus S 4G smartphone.

Much of the hardware is still unsupported, but it’s pretty impressive to see the phone boot the operating system at all, considering the SDK was released just a few days ago.

Development of custom ROMs based on Ice Cream Sandwich will probably pick up even more steam when Google releases the source code — which is likely to happen in the coming weeks.

via Android Central

The good news is that as promised phone-maker HTC has launched a new web tool that you can use to unlock the bootloader on selected Android smartphones. The bad news is that right now selected smartphones means the European version of the HTC Sensation… and that’s it.

Soon HTC plans to add the HTC Evo 3D and HTC Sensation 4G phones from Sprint and T-Mobile in the US to the list, but for now US customers are going to have to stick with unofficial bootloader unlocking tools.

The bootloader is a program that loads the operating system on your device. By locking the bootloader HTC could tighten security on a smartphone. But by giving users the ability to unlock their own bootloaders, HTC is making it easier for customers to load custom software such as CynaogenMod or other complete operating system replacements onto their phones.

While HTC is making it easier for users to unlock their bootloaders, the company is not officially supporting phones once the bootloader is unlocked. In other words, if you use the HTC tool to unlock your device you’ll void your warranty.

The unlocking process is a little complicated, and requires you to have the Android software development kit installed, Java running, and HTC Sync software.

As promised, HTC has opened a developer portal that will allow third party developers to access a range of tools to write apps for HTC’s Android smartphones and tablets. The OpenSense platform includes support for digital pen input for devices such as the HTC Flyer or stereoscopic 3D for the HTC Evo 3D and other 3D devices.

The plan is to allow developers to create apps that integrated with the HTC Sense software that runs on top of Android. So in addition to support for HTC-specific hardware, the OpenSense SDK includes user interface widgets and components that allow developers to make their apps look like other HTC Sense widgets and apps.

Developers can also find kernel source code for most HTC devices at the HTCDev web site.

It looks like the developer portal is also where you’ll go to unlock the bootloader on your HTC phone or tablet once the company rolls out the web-based unlocking tool. There’s currently a “coming soon” placeholder page for bootloader unlocking.

Research in Motion is opening up some new tools for developers, namely BBM Social SDK 1.0 for BlackBery Java and BBM Social SDK 1.0 for BlackBerry WebWorks.

The new software developer kits give developers access to new API’s (application programming interface) so they can deeply integrate BBM’s new social features in their apps.

That means you’ll soon be able to access and update fields in your BBM profile such as your status, avatar and personal message when using certain third party apps. Developers can also add further BBM functionality, like BBM chat initiations, and the ability to transfer app info to others in your contacts list.

Foursquare’s upcoming update to its app for BlackBerry is expected to take advantage of the integration features that RIM is providing. Hopefully, they will start allowing users to create their own custom areas within the user’s BBM profile for promoting recent application activity or storing trophies and achievements.

You can download the final version of the BBM Social Platform SDK 1.0 for BlackBerry Java from the Developer Zone. BBM 6 will support applications that utilize the new BBM Social Platform.

via Crackberry

HP has started accepting webOS 3.0 apps designed for the upcoming HP TouchPad tablet. The company released an SDK (software developer kit) for the operating system in February, but now developers can submit apps for including in the webOS App Catalog which will allow TouchPad users to find and download apps using the on-device app store.

HP is also opening its in-app purchasing program. This makes it easier for developers to charge customers for additional content from within an app. For instance you could download a free app and then upgrade to a paid version to eliminate ads. Or you could sign up for subscription magazine or music content within the app or acquire special items in a game.

The HP TouchPad tablet is expected to ship this month, so it actually seems to be a bit on the late side for HP to start accepting webOS 3.0 apps. But hopefully there will be at least a handful of high quality apps available in the App Catalog on launch day.

via PreCentral

The HTC Magic (also known as the T-Mobile G1) was the first Android handset to hit the market. Smartphones have come a long way since the G1 launched in 2007. But you know what? While official support for the G1 is dwindling, every single time Google has released a major update to the Android operating system, someone has figured out a way to get it working on a G1.

Google Android 2.1 and 2.2 have both been ported to the phone. And now hackers are in the process of getting Google Android 3.0 up and running on the G1.

Google hasn’t yet released the source code for Honeycomb, so the project is based on the emulator image from the Android 3.0 software developer kit. Odds are we’ll see even more progress once Honeycomb goes open source. But the user interface, app launcher, keyboard, and multitouch features are all working.

The latest version of Honeycomb for the G1 still doesn’t support Bluetooth, WiFI, 3G, or SMS, and the screen resolution isn’t fully supported.

The developers plan to release an alpha version of Honeycomb for the G1 soon. In the meantime, you can check out a demo video after the break, showing that the operating system appears to be pretty responsive, even with the G1′s relatively slow processor.

via Engadget

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been about a month since Google released the first preview software developer kit for Android 3.0 Honeycomb. In that time we’ve seen people do some amazing things with it such as running the operating system on the NOOKcolor tablet or Google Nexus One smartphone. Of course, that’s not really what the SDK is for. Instead, it’s a platform that lets developers dig into the operating system so they can write apps to run on Android tablets. And now Google has released the full version of the SDK.

The full version has stepped up the rendering of layouts so that things should look more like they will on an actual Android tablet. The SDK also has tools for using the new Renderscript graphics engine.

I suspect it won’t be long before we start to see more custom ROMS based on the latest version of the SDK. But things will get even more exciting when Google releases the full source code for Android 3.0 and not just the software developer kit.

Google released the Software Developer Kit for Android 3.0 Honeycomb today, as well as some screenshots and details about the upcoming tablet-friendly version of the Android operating system. The SDK includes an emulator, which lets you run a test version of Honeycomb from a PC.

Right now the emulator is in the very early stages and it’s clunky and slow as all get-out, and therefore doesn’t provide a great sense of what the actual user experience will be like. It also seems to be stuck in portrait mode. But I decided to spend a few hours installing the SDK and tinkering with the emulator anyway to see if I could get a better sense of how Honeycomb will look and feel.

The first thing you’ll notice is that Google has replaced the hardware buttons and notification bar with a single bar at the bottom of the screen. From here you can always press the Back, Home, or Recent Apps button, as well as check the time, wireless signal, and battery life.

Read the rest of this entry »