Java for mobile devices

How Java is Used in Android App Development

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Java is the technology of choice for building applications using managed code that can execute on mobile devices.

Android is an open source software platform and Linux-based operating system for mobile devices. The Android platform allows developers to write managed code using Java to manage and control the Android device. Android applications can be developed by using the Java programming language and the Android SDK. So, familiarity with the basics of the Java programming language is a prerequisite for programming on the Android platform. This article discusses where Java fits in mobile application development and how we can use Java and Android SDK to write applications that can work on Android devices.

The Choice of Java

What made Java be the technology of choice for mobile development for the Android platform? The Java Programming Language emerged in the mid-1990s; it was created by James Gosling of Sun Microsystems. Incidentally, Sun Microsystems was since bought by Oracle. Java has been widely popular the world over, primarily because of a vast array of features it provides. Java’s promise of “Write once and run anywhere” was one of the major factors for the success of Java over the past few decades.

Java even made inroads into embedded processors technology as well; the Java Mobile Edition was built for creating applications that can run on mobile devices. All these, added to Java’s meteoric rise, were the prime factors that attributed to the decision of adopting Java as the primary development language for building applications that run on Android. Java programs are secure because they run within a sandbox environment. Programs written in Java are compiled into intermediate code known as bytecode . This bytecode is then executed inside the context of the Java Virtual Machine. You can learn more about Java from this link.

Using Java for Building Mobile Applications

The mobile edition of Java is called Java ME. Java ME is based on Java SE and is supported by most smartphones and tablets. The Java Platform Micro Edition (Java ME) provides a flexible, secure environment for building and executing applications that are targeted at embedded and mobile devices. The applications that are built using Java ME are portable, secure, and can take advantage of the native capabilities of the device. Java ME addresses the constraints that are involved in building applications that are targeted at mobile devices. In essence, Java ME addresses the challenge of executing applications on devices that are low on available memory, display, and power.

There are various ways to build applications for Android devices, but the recommended approach is to leverage the Java programming language and the Android SDK. You can explore more about the Android SDK Manager from here.

The Dalvik Virtual Machine (Dalvik VM)

The Android platform leverages the Dalvik Virtual machine (Dalvik VM) for memory, security, device, and process management. Although the internal intricacies of how the Dalvik Virtual Machine works is not that important to an average developer, you can think of the Dalvik VM as a box that provides the necessary environment for you to execute an Android application sans the need of having to worry about the target device.

To get started using Java for Android, you should first download and install Android Studio. You then may want to take advantage of the SDK Manager to download and install the latest SDK tools and platforms.

Summary

Programs that are targeted at the Android platform are written in Java and executed by the Dalvik Virtual Machine (DVM). In this article, we have had a look at how and why Java fits in as far as the mobile application development industry is concerned. I will discuss more on how you can build applications using Java for Android devices in another article here. Happy reading!

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Benefits of Java for Mobile Application Development

Java mobile application development has long been on the rise since Java is a versatile and powerful programming language that enables developers to create robust, high-performing applications. Despite being over two decades old, Java is still the go-to choice for many developers to create mobile applications. No doubt that hiring a remote Java development team can complement your mobile development cycle. As for the language, Java can run on over 6 billion devices, but its focus on Android and iOS apps makes it an excellent pick for mobile development. Let’s dive deeper to understand why Java is a decent choice for developing mobile apps.

Why use Java for mobile development?

Java is a versatile and powerful programming language that can be used for developing a wide range of applications. It is platform-independent, which means it can be run on any platform, including Android and iOS. An important note regarding iOS is that there is no Java Virtual Machine running on iPhones. However, you can bypass this limitation by compiling the Java input to the Objective-C code.

Why would one prefer using Java? As a mobile app development language, Java has many benefits and reasons to stick to it. As of now, the main perks of Java for mobile app development range from cross-platform compatibility, constant updates, and open-source to community support and native mobile development tools. Below, let’s break down the benefits of developing Java applications for mobile phones.

Benefits of Java mobile application development

Before going any further and explaining why businesses should stick to Java, let’s highlight its primary benefits.

One of the main features of Java as a mobile application development tool is its approach to security. As a programming language, Java has a range of essential security features that guarantee its robustness. If you combine this perk with cross-compatibility, you’ll get a top-notch tool for developing a mission-critical application for your business.

Another great perk of using Java for mobile application development is its widespreadness in the coders’ community. It means that you have a chance to offshore the entire Java development team and have a great selection of specialists to choose from. On top of that, many Android apps run on Java, making it a prevalent platform for developing, releasing, and marketing your mobile app.

Compared to other programming languages, Java seems to be most suited for developing a top-notch mobile application. It has numerous features that affect app performance, such as Just-In-Time compilation and garbage collection. Because this programming language utilizes the resources efficiently, it’s the most well-rounded tool for mobile development purposes.

Remember we mentioned that Java is one of the most widespread programming languages in the field? And that there is a huge user base with billions of devices that can run mobile apps? These two statements translate into the fact that there are development teams that offer high-quality Java services at affordable rates. For your business, it translates into better hiring options, reduced recruitment costs, and better results for your application.

As we’ve briefly mentioned, the community of Java developers is huge. For your business, developers can cooperate, use public libraries, and make the most of community support when developing your mobile application. All these perks combined make Java’s community support something remarkable, which your developers would appreciate when starting to work on the project.

Mobile web application development in Java was regarded as the next big thing in the past. Currently, Java applications run on billions of devices, with tens of thousands of developers releasing and maintaining these projects. The mentioned earlier benefits make Java the best pick for creating your mobile application from scratch.

How to develop mobile applications using Java?

So, the next question is how to develop mobile applications in Java. There is no single silver bullet when it comes to coding practices for mobile development, but there are a few Java-specific tips that can help your development team:

1. Keep your code lean and mean. Mobile devices have limited resources, so your code needs to be as efficient as possible. It means avoiding unnecessary object creation, using object pools where appropriate, and so on.
2. Use lightweight frameworks. Many full-fledged Java frameworks are simply too heavy for mobile devices. Stick to lightweight alternatives that are designed specifically for mobile development.
3. Optimize your code for performance. This hint means paying attention to important things, including startup time, memory usage, and battery life.
4. Be mindful of platform differences. Not all mobile devices use the same version of Java or have the same capabilities, and you need to be aware of these differences and code accordingly.
5. Test, test, test. Thorough testing is essential for any software development project, but it’s absolutely vital for mobile apps where bugs can be difficult and expensive to fix at the company level.

Since mobile application development using Java is relatively straightforward, your business should mind the mentioned tips and pass them to the development team. Because picking Java as a whole is one of the best operations decisions your company should make, the tips we’ve mentioned are among the few that optimize the development process.

Conclusion

So, what’s the verdict? Java in mobile application development is your go-to option if your business needs to create a top-notch mobile app from scratch. Hiring a remote team of Java developers is also a great decision that can significantly cut costs and deliver the highest efficiency for your in-house team. Consider this option if you need a solid app that will outweigh all the market alternatives.

Since no other tools and programming languages can be as solid as Java in mobile development, looking at its direction is generally a wise decision. With all the advantages listed, take your time to consider hiring a remote Java development team to create the mobile app of your dreams.

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