61 lines
3.2 KiB
Plaintext
61 lines
3.2 KiB
Plaintext
page.title=Android Compatibility
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doc.type=compatibility
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@jd:body
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<p>Android is an open source product, and anyone can use the source code to build
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devices. The purpose of the Android compatibility program is to help Android
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device implementations remain compatible with apps.</p>
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<p>A device is considered compatible if existing and new third-party
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applications run correctly on it. Poor device implementations that change APIs
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or alter behaviors will break these apps and so are not compatible. The
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Android Compatibility Program provides information and tools that device
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implementers use to ensure that their devices are Android-compatible.</p>
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<p>The latest version of the Android source code and compatibility program is
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2.1, which roughly corresponded to the Eclair branch.</p>
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<h2>Why build compatible Android devices?</h2>
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<h3>Users want a customizable device.</h3>
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<p>A mobile phone is a highly personal, always-on, always-present gateway to
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the Internet. We haven't met a user yet who didn't want to customize it by
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extending its functionality. That's why Android was designed as a robust
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platform for running after-market applications.</p>
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<h3>Developers outnumber us all.</h3>
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<p>No device manufacturer can hope to write all the software that a person could
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conceivably need. We need third-party developers to write the apps users want,
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so the Android Open Source Project aims to make it as easy and open as
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possible for developers to build apps.</p>
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<h3>Everyone needs a common ecosystem.</h3>
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<p>Every line of code developers write to work around a particular phone's bug
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is a line of code that didn't add a new feature. The more compatible phones
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there are, the more apps there will be. By building a fully compatible Android
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device, you benefit from the huge pool of apps written for Android, while
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increasing the incentive for developers to build more of those apps.</p>
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<h2>Android compatibility is free, and it's easy.</h2>
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<p>If you are building a mobile device, you can follow these steps to make
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sure your device is compatible with Android. For more details about the
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Android compatibility program in general, see <a
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href="{@docRoot}compatibility/overview.html">the program overview</a>.</p>
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<p>Building a compatible device is a four-step process:</p>
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<ol>
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<li><b>Obtain the Android software source code</b><p>This is the
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<a href="{@docRoot}source/index.html">source code for the Android
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platform</a>, that you port to your hardware.</p></li>
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<li><b>Comply with Android Compatibility Definition Document (CDD)</b><p>
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The CDD enumerates the software and hardware requirements of
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a compatible Android device.</p></li>
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<li><b>Pass the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS)</b><p>You can use the CTS
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(included in the Android source code) as an ongoing aid to compatibility
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during the development process.</p></li>
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</ol>
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<h2>Joining the Ecosystem</h2>
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<p>Once you've built a compatible device, you may wish to include Android
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Market to provide your users access to the third-party app ecosystem.
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Unfortunately, for a variety of legal and business reasons, we aren't able to
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automatically license Android Market to any compatible device. To inquire
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about access about Android Market, you can <a
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href="{@docRoot}compatibility/contact-us.html">contact us</a></p>
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