This Week in Android #17 | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Google IO conference announced updates to Android including Froyo and Gingerbread, while developer David Wang discusses his port of Android to iPhone.

Key Insights

• 👶 Porting Android to the iPhone was a major undertaking, requiring deep knowledge of the iPhone's hardware and the development of new drivers.
• 🖤 The lack of documentation and guidance for porting Linux and Android to new hardware was a significant challenge for Wang.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: How did you come up with the idea to port Android to the iPhone?

The project initially started as a way to port Linux to the iPhone, but once Android was released, it was a natural choice for the userland portion of the operating system.

Q: How long did it take you to complete the port of Android to the iPhone?

The initial port to the 2G iPhone took around 8 months of spare time, while the port to the 3G model only took a few weeks.

Q: What were some of the surprises or challenges you encountered during the porting process?

The lack of documentation and inconsistent resources for porting Linux and Android to new hardware was a major challenge. Additionally, Wang had to write all the drivers himself, which required a deep understanding of the iPhone's hardware.

Q: Do you think Apple will become more open and transparent with their development process in the future?

Wang is skeptical, stating that Apple's current strategy of locking down their devices and only allowing development for their platform is unlikely to change as long as it continues to work for them.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Google IO conference announced updates to Android, including Froyo and Gingerbread, with improved speed and browsing performance.

• David Wang, developer also known as Planet Being, discusses his port of Android to iPhone, starting with the 2G model and recently completing the 3G model.

• Wang talks about the challenges and surprises he faced during the porting process, including the scarcity of documentation and the need to reverse engineer certain aspects of the iPhone.

• The interview concludes with discussion about the future of Android and iPhone development, with Wang expressing doubt about Apple's openness compared to Google's more transparent approach.