Android Development Talk

To all Android app developers out there, wouldn’t you love to work with features such as facial processing, burst capture for photos, surround sound, hardware echo cancellation, and more? Thanks to Qualcomm, Android developers can use its Snapdragon Software development kit (SDK) to be able to use technologies at the system-on-the-chip.

The Snapdragon SDK is designed for the Snapdragon S4 8960 processor but additional processors would be added in time.

Rob Chandhok, president of Qualcomm Internet Services states “The most powerful applications in mobile are those that are tightly integrated with the underlying hardware. Qualcomm is always striving to enable developers and device makers to differentiate their offerings via the unique capabilities found in its industry-leading Snapdragon mobile processors. With the Snapdragon SDK for Android, developers and manufactures can now more easily utilize these features as they work to set their products apart in a crowded ecosystem.”

Some of the new features and benefits of the Snapdragon APIs in the preview release of the SDK include:

• facial processing, such as blink and smile detection, which makes it easier to take better pictures of people in groups;
• burst capture, which leverages zero shutter lag to photograph a stream of images at once to select the best shot;
• surround sound recording for better audio capture;
• hardware echo cancellation for better real-time audio experiences;
• sensor gestures (tap-left/tap-right, push/pull, face-up/face-down, tilt) that enable developers and device makers to push the envelope on new, differentiated user interfaces;
• low power always on geofencing capabilities; and
• indoor location that enables apps to continue providing accurate location information even when the user is indoors.

The SDK would be made available to Android developers and manufacturers in the coming months. For a preview, you can visit the Qualcomm’s Developer Site.