With all of the talk nowadays about moving from personal computers to smartphones and tablets, I wondered if I could have the best of both worlds. I wanted to know is if I could run a version of the Android OS on my netbook. Having set up both multi-boot computers and virtual machines, I thought that it might be possible. And with the Android-x86 Project, it is.

Android-x86 opening screen running inside of an Oracle VirtualBox

The Android-x86 Project is an Apache open-source project working on porting the Android operating system to the x86 hardware architecture. It's the same hardware architecture that is in almost all netbooks/laptops and personal computers. They have a couple of different builds for different systems (32-bit, 64-bit, and UEFI), mainly netbooks, laptops, and tablets.

Android-x86 main screen running inside of an Oracle VirtualBox

Android-x86 can be run from a cd, installed into a virtual machine like Oracle's VirtualBox, a USB drive, or your computer's hard drive as the primary operating system. You can even set it up to multi-boot with Windows. Here's a quote from the Android-x86 website:

This is a project to port Android open-source project to x86 platform, formerly known as "patch hosting for android x86 support". The original plan is to host different patches for android x86 support from the open-source community. A few months after we created the project, we found out that we could do much more than just hosting patches. So we decide to create our code base to provide support on different x86 platforms, and set up a git server to host it.

For more information on the Android-x86 Project, follow the links below:

Android-x86 Project - Run Android on Your PC

Note: Google turned this project over to MIT, so they are currently maintaining it. The links at the bottom of this article have been changed.

Have you ever had an idea for an Android app but didn't know how to go about creating it? Then MIT App Inventor for Android may be just what you're looking for. The MIT App Inventor for Android is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) based on Java. It consists of two different interfaces: Designer and Block Editor.

The Designer interface for MIT App Inventor for Android

The Designer interface is where you create the layout for the screen for your app. You drag and drop visual and non-visual components from the Palette to the Viewer (it looks like the display from an Android phone) to assemble the screen. For visualization purposes, a check box allows you to turn on or off the display of non-visible components. A Components list on the right will enable you to select and edit the properties of each of them.

The Blocks Editor interface for MIT App Inventor for Android

The Blocks Editor interface is where you add functionality (programming) to the components you created in the Designer. There are two columns to the left, Built-in and My Blocks, and a design area in the center. You drag and drop different functions from the Built-in and My Blocks to assemble strings of functions. They are color-coded and shaped so that certain functions can only go into relative functions (sort of like a jigsaw puzzle). It's an intuitive interface that is easy to learn. Here's a quote from the MIT App Inventor website:

App Inventor lets you develop applications for Android phones using a web browser and either a connected phone or emulator. The App Inventor servers store your work and help you keep track of your projects.

You build apps by working with:

• The App Inventor Designer, where you select the components for your app.
• The App Inventor Blocks Editor, where you assemble program blocks that specify how the components should behave. You assemble programs visually, fitting pieces together like pieces of a puzzle.

Your app appears on the phone step-by-step as you add pieces to it, so you can test your work as you build. When you're done, you can package your app and produce a stand-alone application to install.

If you don't have an Android phone, you can build your apps using the Android emulator, software that runs on your computer and behaves just like the phone.

The App Inventor development environment is supported for Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and Windows operating systems, and several popular Android phone models. Applications created with App Inventor can be installed on any Android phone. (See system requirements.)

Before you can use App Inventor, you need to set up your computer and install the App Inventor Setup package on your computer.

For more information on MIT App Inventor for Android, follow the links below:

MIT App Inventor for Android

Getting started with MIT App Inventor

If you haven't heard about Google Voice, let me be the first to tell you about it. Google Voice is a telephony service that can be used on any cellular phone and any carrier. Just a Gmail account is required.

The Google Voice web-based interface

Google Voice was designed to complement your existing cellular phone carrier. Recently, Google has added Phone Number Porting, which allows you to use Google as your primary carrier. The set of features are vibrant, with all of the usual stuff (personal greetings, voicemail, etc.). And when used inside a web browser, you can make calls from your computer (headphones/speakers and microphone required).

Use Google Voice to make calls from your computer

For me, the two best features of Google Voice are the free calls within the U.S. and Canada and cheap international calls. Some of my family is in New England and France. Here's a complete list of features:

• Voicemail transcription to e-mail
• One phone number that can be ported to multiple phone numbers
• Personalized voice mail greetings
• Cheap international calls
• Block/screen callers
• Conference calling
• Mobile app (Android, iPhone, and Blackberry)
• SMS to e-mail

Here's a quote from the Google Voice website:

Teach your phone new tricks

Google Voice enhances the existing capabilities of your phone, regardless of which phone or carrier you have - for free. It also gives you:

One Number
Use a single number that rings you anywhere.

Online voicemail
Get transcribed messages delivered to your inbox.

Cheap calls
Free calls & text messages to the U.S. & Canada.
Super low rates everywhere else.

For more information on Google Voice, follow the link below:

Google Voice

Autodesk recently introduced the Autodesk SketchBook Mobile for Android app It's a painting and drawing app with professional grade power and features to match. Along with streamlined drawing tools, it also provides support for layers. And the tool palatte is comparable to Photoshop.

Autodesk SketchBook Mobile for Android on Google Play

You can also import photos from the gallery, place them on their own layer and then draw on top of them. It's a great visualization tool for designers. Here's a quote from Autodesk's website:

The Autodesk® SketchBook® Mobile painting and drawing app extends your digital sketchpad to your Apple® iPhone®, Apple iPod touch®, or Android powered devices. With the same paint engine as Autodesk® SketchBook® Pro software, SketchBook Mobile offers professional-grade painting and drawing tools in a streamlined and intuitive user interface. Use it to digitally capture your ideas as napkin sketches or produce artwork on-the-go.

The Autodesk SketchBook Mobile for Android app comes in a free version or a paid version (it's only $.99). With the paid version you get:

• can progressively save your work
• export to PSD, PNG and JPG format
• 40 extra brushes
• ability to customize the brushes
• a larger 1024 pixels canvas
• move, rotate and scale tools

For more information on the Autodesk SketchBook Mobile for Android app, check out the following links:

Autodesk SketchBook

SketchBook Mobile - Google Play

Recently, one of my clients asked me what the square barcode-looking graphic was in the back window of my car. I told him that it was a Quick Response (QR) code for Geeks in Phoenix on Google. The blank look on his face told me I needed to tell him more about them.

QR code for Geeks in Phoenix on Google

QR code for Geeks in Phoenix contact information

A QR code is a two-dimensional matrix barcode that is readable by barcode scanners in smartphones (Android, iPhone, etc.). It's a square pattern of black modules on a white background. It can be encoded with contact information, text, url, etc.. Here's a quote from Wikipedia on QR codes:

Although initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR codes are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users (known as mobile tagging). QR codes can be used to display text to the user, to add a vCard contact to the user's device, to open a URI or to compose an email or text message. Users can also generate and print their own QR codes for others to scan and use by visiting one of several free QR code generating sites.

QR codes storing addresses and URLs may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards, or on just about any object about which users might need information. Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader application can scan the image of the QR Code to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the phone's browser. This act of linking from physical world objects is known as a hardlink or physical world hyperlinks.

Google's mobile Android operating system supports QR codes by natively including the barcode scanner (ZXing) on some models, and the browser supports URI redirection, which allows QR Codes to send metadata to existing applications on the device. Nokia's Symbian operating system is also provided with a barcode scanner, which is able to read QR codes,[3] while mbarcode [4] is a QR code reader for the Maemo operating system. In the Apple iOS, a QR code reader is not natively included, but over 50 free Apps are available with reader and metadata browser URI redirection capability.

For more information about QR codes, follow the links below.

QR code - Wikipedia
Google ZXing QR Code Generator