Gateway JUG

March 3 Meeting: Introducing Google Android

You're cordially invited to our next Gateway JUG meeting on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 at 6:00pm.

This presentation will be a general overview of the Android platform, given by Ryan Withers.  (See the Presenter page for more info on Ryan).

Android is a software platform and operating system for mobile devices, based on the Linux kernel, developed by Google and later the Open Handset Alliance.

It allows developers to write managed code in the Java language, controlling the device via Google-developed Java libraries.

The Android platform was announced on 5 November 2007 with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 48 hardware, software, and telecom companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. Google released most of the Android code under the Apache license, a free-software and open source license.

The Android platform is guided by 4 principles:

• Apps without borders: Apps on Android can access core mobile device functionality through standard APIs. Through intents, apps can announce their capabilities for other apps to use.
• Apps are created equal. Any app on the mobile device can be replaced or extended -- even core components such as the dialer or home.
• Apps can easily embed the web. Apps can easily embed HTML, Javascript, and style sheets. An app can render web content through a WebView.
• Apps can run in parallel. Android is a complete multitasking environment where apps can run in parallel. While running in the background, an app can produce notifications to get attention.

For more information on the development aspects of Android visit http://developer.android.com/.

The Android Market

Android application developers can market their creations through the Android Market. Android Market enables developers to easily publish and distribute their applications directly to users of Android-compatible phones including the T-Mobile G1.

About The Presentation

In this presentation, Ryan will discuss and demonstrate:

• Creating an application with Eclipse
• The activity lifecycle
• Memory management issues
• Various Android activities
• Common layouts and UI design issues

Be sure to RSVP using the instructions on our RSVP page. We hope to see you there!

Presented By: Ryan Withers
Sponsored By: Yoh IT
Meeting Slides: Google Docs Presentation

Ryan Withers

Ryan has been a software engineer professionally for 10 years.  He has worked in a variety of
industries including Health Care, Defense, and Financial Services.  While he has an interest in all aspects of software development, he considers his core competency to be in Java. 

He believes that by staying on the bleeding edge of technology and leading by innovation he can provide for, not only this generation, but the generations that come after us.

Yoh IT

 

Yoh IT is a business unit of Day & Zimmermann.  Operating from more than 150 worldwide locations with 1.3 billion USD in revenues, the Day & Zimmermann family of companies employs 20,000 professionals and is currently ranked in the top one percent of private US companies by Forbes. 

Our role is to deliver high-impact talent and outsourcing services to our customers. Yoh IT is a responsive recruiting service that provides on-demand professionals in a wide variety of capacities. We work with each customer on an individual basis to develop the staffing program that best suits their unique needs. Yoh's willingness to provide an immediate response to requirements allows our customers the highest degree of flexibility on both long- and short-term projects, with virtually seamless transitions.

With our staff of industry experts, we're one of the world's leading providers of talent and outsourcing support to knowledge-based companies. Our customers make significant investments in technology. New plants. New products. R&D. They require a return on those investments. As a result, our customers look to Yoh IT to supply the talent they need to help them leverage those investments.

Alex Miller

  Alex Miller is a Senior Engineer with Terracotta, Inc., the makers of the open-source Java clustering product Terracotta.  Prior to Terracotta, Alex worked at BEA Systems on the AquaLogic product line and was Chief Architect at MetaMatrix.

His interests include Java concurrency, distributed systems, query languages, and software design. 

Alex enjoys writing his blog at http://tech.puredanger.com and has spoken at a number of Java user group meetings and conferences.

Adaptive Solutions Group

 

Adaptive Solutions Group

(ASG) is a premiere resource provider of information technology personnel for local and regional clients. We provide a myriad of technical professionals available for contract, contract-to-hire and permanent placement positions. Our people-centric, quality of life employment approach provides our clients with IT professionals who have the knowledge, experience and personal satisfaction to contribute immediately in any work environment. Our desire is to create long-term partnerships with both our clients and consultants.

Founded in August of 2002, Adaptive Solutions Group has offices in St. Louis and Kansas City to serve both local and regional clients. Noticing a negative trend in the staffing industry, in which people were being treated more like a commodity and less like a valuable partner, the goal of the founding partners was – and is – to provide a higher level of service by focusing on the most important aspect of the industry… people.

Our streamlined business model is structured around the knowledge that every client need is unique and, therefore, not all companies should be serviced in the same manner. Our overall goal is to become a long-term, valued partner that provides cost effective, flexible solutions for every customer.