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I would find it incredibly handy to be able to run Android apps on KDE as if it were a regular program. The Android widgets could then perhaps also be run as Plasmoids.

Just as we can currently "Get new stuff!" from KDE, this could also hook into the Amazon Android market (I bet Google would block access to their market, but maybe not).

This intergration would instantly give KDE a plethora of newly available applications to use on the desktop/active/whatever interface. Spark would be even more inticing to the KDE community and probably more marketable to the wider world.

I'd imagine this would require a Java layer of some sort or an Android VM; maybe KDE isn't the place for this, not sure....

Thoughts?

A lot of Android stuff is written in Oracle's java which is not open any more - most if not all distros have therefore switched to openjdk.

Not that I know too much about it but the difference in versions will throw up all sorts of errors as I've just experienced with gmote...

Approved as it is a valid idea. If a developer offers a showstopper it will be closed.

toad wrote:A lot of Android stuff is written in Oracle's java which is not open any more - most if not all distros have therefore switched to openjdk.

Android uses a different JVM (based on Apache Harmony). The differences within the class library are minimal (mostly some OpenJDK/Oracle classes are missing, or minor behavioural differences). All the java.* or javax.* + org.apache.* classes should be available. The real problem is the android.* packages which are not available. I don't know how much effort it is to port them to a desktop linux userland, but I think it is quite some effort since Android is very highly customised.

I'd say possible, but probably a very big effort.

There is already the Icedrobot project (http://www.icedrobot.org) which aims at putting the Android stack on top of OpenJDK. But the project is far from being complete. In any case, I think this has little to do with KDE, as it would benefit the whole GNU/Linux (and even every OS where OpenJDK can run), regardless of the desktop environment.

It does pertain to KDE because KDE's interface and infrastructure is detached somewhat. Is this for Plasma Active? Is this for any Plasma Widget? Will it require a brand new Plasma desktop?

That sort of thing.

I can slightly imagine a phone widget on a desktop. But perhaps this is more a Plasma Active thing.

I think it will be too slow to be usable.
The emulator in Google'e android development tools for Eclipse prove that.

Great idea. Ubuntu has already demonstrated (at MWC 2012) something very similar -- and that it works great.

http://www.canonical.com/content/ubuntu ... smartphone

"Android applications such as contacts, telephony and SMS/MMS messaging are accessible from the Ubuntu interface. Indeed, all data on the smartphone can be accessed at any time, docked or not."

Android Apps can be considered in the same light as plasmoids. This will obviously rapidly increase the number and variety of tools available to the KDE plasma environment and will also boost the functionality people can get from just using the KDE desktop, whether it be on desktop PCs, laptops or even mobile devices. I certainly think that creating an Android operations layer will instantaneously add a huge, already existing, playground to a great desktop.

I don't think that creating an Android operations layer would be something a de would/could/should be expected to do, creating an interface to such a layer possibly.

There are ways to run Android apps on different platforms, mostly in beta and for Windows and Mac such as Bluestacks (you can post on their forum to request a Linux version https://getsatisfaction.com/bstk/topics ... port-uzu4d) and WindowsAndroid (though their site is down they recently got some press http://www.slashgear.com/windowsandroid ... -27266867/. You can also try AndroVM http://www.androvm.org under VirtualBox.

There's also the merging of Android kernel code back into the main line kernel which I would hope at some point make this functionality part of the kernel

The kernel merge will surely be great, and no, it's certainly not expected Just had the brain dump that having some of these apps as plasmoids will be nice. I will follow the kernel merge for more information, ty.

I am willing to start a bounty on a working solution for this by pledging $100. Kubuntu (and Linux) need a "native" solution equivalent to BlueStacks for Windows.

Can anyone who has tried this recommend the best of the current options?

I know of several current options including AndroVM (well-reviewed), IcedRobot (old?), Android X86 in Virtual Box, Bluestacks in wine (yuck), and Intel's native x86 Android 4.0 emulator in the SDK.

Are their other options? Which is the best?

Please, no guesses. Only reply to me if you have experience trying several of the current options and have a favorite to recommend. Thanks.

toad wrote:A lot of Android stuff is written in Oracle's java which is not open any more - most if not all distros have therefore switched to openjdk.

Not that I know too much about it but the difference in versions will throw up all sorts of errors as I've just experienced with gmote...

Android doesn't include, use or implement Java. Oracle tried to get money from Google by accusing it does but failed in court.

Applications for Android can be written with C, C++ or using Java language but they are compiled as Dalvik binaries.
Android doesn't use Java Virtual Machine (JVM) what is the key element on Java in the first place. Android Inc (before Google bought company) used a Dalvik what got start as one man project to make a clean room implementation.
Dalvik is a virtual machine what is located top of Linux operating system and separates all Android applications from each other, being located side of all other system software in Android.

And I would not take any Android applications for KDE environment as they would not look same and they are designed for touch screen devices.
I would not even take them if using KDE Plasma version for tablets because the style mismatch.

Although I could take some of the apps purposes from there, like if user has a tablet with GSM Voice functionality (like some of Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7" and 10" models) then it would be nice to have SMS and Call functions. Maybe as just QML interface or intergated features for KDE address book and messages with notifications etc.

well this would be interesting, Android in a browser http://www.slashgear.com/is-googles-new ... -31267578/