JAWAHARLAL NEHRU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY HYDERABAD B.Tech IV MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT Previous Question Paper (September - 2022 - R18)

The Android development framework is a layered architecture designed to provide a robust environment for application development. It consists of the following key layers:

• Linux Kernel: The foundation of Android, providing hardware abstraction, memory management, process management, and security. It includes drivers for display, camera, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.
• Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL): Provides standard interfaces that expose hardware capabilities to the higher-level Java API framework without requiring the framework to know about low-level driver implementations.
• Android Runtime (ART): Includes core libraries and the runtime environment that executes applications, utilizing ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation to improve performance.
• Native C/C++ Libraries: Includes libraries like WebKit for web browsing, SQLite for database management, and OpenGL for graphics, which are accessed through the Java API framework.
• Java API Framework: The set of tools and APIs used by developers to build applications, including the View System, Resource Manager, Notification Manager, and Activity Manager.
• System Apps: The top layer containing pre-installed applications like the dialer, browser, and contacts, which run on top of the framework.

Android applications are generally categorized based on their development approach, architecture, and deployment method:

• Native Applications: Developed specifically for the Android platform using Java or Kotlin with the Android SDK. They offer the best performance and full access to device hardware like the camera, GPS, and sensors.
• Web Applications: These are essentially websites optimized for mobile browsers. They are developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and do not require installation, but they have limited access to device hardware.
• Hybrid Applications: A combination of native and web technologies. They are built using web technologies (HTML/CSS/JS) and wrapped in a native container (like WebView) to run as an app. This allows for cross-platform development while maintaining access to some native device features.
• Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): Web applications that provide a native-like experience, including offline capabilities via service workers and the ability to be added to the home screen.