Posts filed under 'Mobile OS'
Trolltech’s Qt for Windows CE
Trolltech’s Qt® cross-platform development framework is adding support for Microsoft®’s Windows® CE operating system. This means that applications developed using Qt on Windows, MacOS X®, and Linux® desktop and embedded platforms can now be easily deployed to a range of mobile devices running on the Windows CE and Windows Mobile operating systems.“Qt for Windows CE is another milestone in Trolltech’s vision of ‘Qt everywhere’. It will allow application providers to reach out to even more devices by enabling their applications to run across yet another operating system without rewriting the code,” said Haavard Nord, CEO and co-founder of Trolltech.
Qt for Windows CE enables developers to write rich, easy-to-use, platform-independent applications, using the intuitive API that Qt is known for. Rather than spending time rewriting their application for new platforms, developers are free to focus on value-adding innovations that can differentiate the user experience of their product.
The Windows CE version of Qt includes all the functions needed for end-to-end application development, and provides integrated developer tools, such as a powerful graphical user interface (GUI) and forms builder and robust features for translation of applications into new languages.
Cross-Platform Embedded: Companies that build similar devices running both embedded Linux and Windows CE can use Qt to create one application for deployment across both device types.
Desktop to Devices: Applications built with Qt on the desktop can now be extended to run on a variety of Windows CE-based devices such as tablets, mobile phones, and other mobile devices.
Unique approach to Windows development: Qt is unique in its ability to provide developers with a single, consistent API that works on a wide number of Microsoft Windows platforms, ranging from Windows 98 to Vista® to Windows CE and Windows Mobile®.
Enhanced speed and user experience
Qt for Windows CE helps developers to use the full capabilities of the hardware they are working with. It integrates Scalable Vector Graphics drawings with full support for multiple displays and supports OpenGL® ES. It comes with Qt GraphicsView, a powerful 2D graphics canvas that enables the creation of interactive applications that can handle thousands of 2D graphics objects. Qt Style Sheets customizes the look and feel of applications without changing the code enabling easy differentiation of the user interface with minimal efforts.
Qt includes a wide range of components needed to build rich and complex user interfaces, including data-aware item views, offering a high degree of customization. Qt for Windows CE is also integrated with Visual Studio® 2005, and Visual Studio 2008 support is planned for the upcoming Qt version 4.4 release.
Availability
Qt for Windows CE will be available as part of the upcoming Qt 4.4 release, which is scheduled to be released in May. Currently technical previews are available in the Qt release snapshots and the latest Qt 4.4 beta release, available on Trolltech.com. Qt for Windows CE will be available under Trolltech’s dual-licensing model, which includes both commercial licenses for commercial development and a GPL-licensed version for open source development
Add comment February 26, 2008
Android should succeed.. why?
Odds are very high in favor of Open Handset Alliance (OHA) Android to succeed. To explain & understand it, first we need to understand the wireless telecom industry business environment. Take a not of the picture below….
4 important parts of the environment are – Handset Industry, Operators & Media, Enterprises & CONSUMERS. The first 3 sections are in the business because of the last. This diagram also depicts the telecom industry value chain also. Android supported by OHA( led by Google) is due for commercial launch in mid 2008 and one noteworthy fact about OHA is that its member companies leader in their own businesses put together complete the entire mobile business value chain.
The 34 founding members of the Open Handset Alliance are:
| Mobile operators | Software companies | Commercialization companies | Semiconductor companies | Handset manufacturers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Now reasons Android can end Symbian’s dominance -
1. First & foremost of all it is brainchild of Google.
2. Supported by the entire mobile value chain – OHA has semiconductor companies, commercial software vendors, mobile handset manufacturers & last but not the least closest to the consumers ‘telecom operators’. Unlike mid nineties the telecom opetators have become more powerful now affecting handset manufactuer’s decision about what kind of handsets to develop. Operators want handset packed with applications & features which can maximize their revenues. Android with its open architecture & same API support even to application developers makes it easy to integrate & develop third party applications. Operators are at liberty to have ARPU maximizing features in the handsets, so they are going to push Android phones quite aggressively.
3. Cheaper high performance handsets packed with innovative features using Android- As one TI reports says the next 1 billion mobile users are going to come from emerging countries. The consumers in these countries demand handset packed with high multimedia features at rock bottom prices & are highly price sensitive. Android being free could help handset manufactuers to reduce handset prices further.
4. Value for all the stakeholders – I feel Android would add value to all the stakeholders involved, cheaper & feature packed handsets for consumers, higher ARPUs for operators & flexibility & ease for application developers.
Please comment, what do you think about Android. I am still not sure how Android would help chipmakers.
Add comment February 12, 2008
Will Android do the same to mobiles what Google did to search?
The first mobile phones fitted with Google’s Android software platform made their debut at an industry trade show on Monday, a milestone for the Internet giant as it looks to dominate the wireless world.A handful of chip makers — ARM, Marvell, Qualcomm, NEC, Texas Instruments and ST Microelectronics — showed off prototype handsets at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Internet use on mobile phones can currently be a frustrating experience, with clunky software and slow download speeds.
“There are few phones that provide a compelling web experience,” explained a spokesman for Google, Barry Schnitt. “As people use the web more, they’ll use Google more and we’ll be able to sell more relevant advertising.”
Android is being developed by a coalition of 30 handset manufacturers, chip makers and software groups and is based on open-source code, meaning programmers are able to build compatible applications for free.
“The future ability of Android is exciting because it’s open-source so it allows developers to come up with the next killer application,” said a spokesman for US chip maker Texas Instruments, which demonstrated Android software in a prototype phone.
The Apple iPhone, for example, runs on Apple software and uses Apple applications, while an Android-enabled phone would incorporate applications from any number of developers.
But Google software faces fierce competition from the world’s biggest mobile phone maker, Nokia, and its Symbian system.
US software giant Microsoft also has a Windows system for mobiles and a separate consortium is working on an open-source Linux solution.
Android was on display for the first time in only prototype phones. The first handset for consumers from either Taiwan’s HTC or US group Motorola is expected in the second half of this year.
Google announced the “Open Handset Alliance” in November last year to develop Android, including China Mobile, HTC, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, T-Mobile, Telefonica, LG and eBay.
Gartner’s Milanesi stressed that “the road between a prototype and commercial handset is a long one” and said the ultimate test of Android’s success would be how easily applications could be used.
“It should have everything that we see on the PC, not just shrunk down to work on a mobile phone, but really being optimised for a mobile phone,” she said.
The interest in a new software platform from Google also stems from the company’s desire to establish its brand in emerging markets.
“If you look at emerging markets, people are more likely to have their first browsing experience on a phone not a PC (personal computer),” said Milanesi.
Google surprised analysts when it unveiled Android last November. They had expected the Internet giant to announce the launch of its own Google-branded G-Phone to compete against Apple’s popular iPhone.
“Imagine not just a single Google phone, or G-phone, but thousands of G-phones made by a variety of manufacturers,” said Google chief executive Eric Schmidt at the time.
This could be Android’s weak spot, however.
HTC and ailing US manufacturer Motorola, which has announced it might break-up its businesses, are the two main handset manufacturers in the Open Handset Alliance.
“For it to become a worldwide platform and drive uptake, they need more manufacturers onboard,” said Milanesi.
Google launched Android last year, hoping to establish its software as the standard operating system for mobile phones and to improve the quality of web-browsing for handset users.
“It’s definitely very promising,” an analyst for technology research firm Gartner, Carolina Milanesi, told AFP. “This means that we should be on track to see commercial devices in the second half of 2008.”
The idea is that Android will lead to radically improved functionality, notably for web browsing, meaning more people will use their mobile phones for Internet surfing and other applications.
2 comments February 12, 2008
