Latest api
Android Gets Third Party Exchange Contact Sync
A lot of people count on Microsoft Exchange for their business and unfortunately, Android doesn’t offer much Exchange support. This seems like a negative for Android, right? Well, not quite!
A savvy third party developer has come up with a way to sync Exchange contacts to your Android device and is offering it for FREE. It’s still taking baby steps since their isn’t two way syncing yet (android device to server based contacts) but they promise to add it soon. This obviously isn’t the most ideal solution for Exchange but calendar syncing isn’t available in Android’s API and you can access Exchange E-Mail through IMAP, so it should do. for now.
Or until we get Mobile Outlook.
Android SDK for Developers Officially Released
Good news, developers, the SDK for developing applications for Android and their brand new app market is no longer a pre-release, but is official. Go check out the details at the developer’s blog:
Yes, that means we’re officially at 1.0. Of course the SDK won’t remain static—we’ll keep improving the tools by adding features and fixing bugs. But now developers can rely on the APIs in the SDK, and can update their applications to run on Android 1.0-compatible devices. The Android Market beta will also launch with the T-Mobile G1, providing developers an easy and open way to distribute their applications on that and later devices. I’ve already seen a lot of applications that have me stoked, and I can’t wait to see things really come together as developers cross that final mile to prepare their applications for Android 1.0
Hooray for stable APIs! Also exciting: you’ll be able to utilize true Copy and Paste on data fields:
T-Mobile’s App Store Won’t Be Available to Android
We caught word a month back that T-Mobile was planning to roll out an ‘App Store’ similar to that other App Store that would be available to all phones on T-Mobile. Well, that news has changed according to mocoNews, it looks like Android devices (and the Sidekick) won’t have the T-Mobile App Store when the app store goes live. But don’t fret, T-Mobile is still planning on eventually including Android just not when things are so green.
In any case, when the T-Mobile App Store launches it’ll probably feel more like a beta since T-Mobile won’t allow API Access or allow free apps to use advertisements. So I guess we won’t be missing much, it’s better to get all that trial and error out of the way before it reaches our Android handsets.
Android 1.0 to Lack Full Featured Bluetooth, Google Talk
Some sad news for those hoping for full featured Android Devices by the end of the year: Android 1.0, the version that will ship with the HTC Dream is going to be missing GoogleTalk and some key features regarding Bluetooth such as sending files between bluetooth devices.
In the Android Developers Blog, Dan Morrill explains why, citing an incomplete Bluetooth API that simply won’t be ready for Android 1.0. Regarding Google Talk, it lacks the security features to be seriously considered at this point. Luckily, the guys at Android are still working on implementing these features and we will probably see them in future Android iterations, just not 1.0.
Developers: First Android SDK, Not So Friendly
From Ars Technica, we have reports that Androids first SDK was severely limited and well, not that great. The foundation is “highly promising” but in its current shape, the Android SDK is not equipped to handle the scope of what Google wants Android to become.
Developers are facing basic issues such as the lack of documentation since the API doesn’t provide enough information, no public issue-tracking system, and even the User Interface had some quirks. Of course, we won’t even begin to mention the bugs. But either way, it’s still relatively early in the game for Android and the more important thing to note is that people are still getting familiar with it.
