db4objects Announces db4o Database As Android Ready
db4objects, Inc, creator of the leading open source object database for Java and .NET, announces that db4o runs seamlessly on the Android platform, a software stack for mobile devices introduced recently by the Google-backed Open Handset Alliance. Although Java programmers are delighted with Android's full object oriented platform they are frustrated by its bundling with a relational database, requiring cumbersome plumbing between objects and tables. db4o fills the gap by providing a fast and secure, native Java object database that makes storing objects and sharing of data between applications simple and easy.
Google revolutionized the wireless world by introducing Android through the Open Handset Alliance on November 5. Instead of introducing a widely anticipated gPhone, Google created an open software platform with the potential to change the wireless landscape. Android is shifting the emphasis from hardware to software, making Verizon's CEO McAdam remark in BusinessWeek on Dec 3 that he saw the industry entering an "inflection point."
The Android stack is complete with application framework, development environment, tools, debuggers and vital applications for developers to leverage and create powerful applications. Java is the predominant language used in the framework providing a clear path for object-oriented programming. Java developers can now create rich and exciting applications that run on any Android based phone.
Therefore it is surprising that Android is delivered with a relational database, the only element that does not fit into this object oriented picture. Fortunately, db4objects has the solution. db4o runs seamlessly on Android, enabling native storage and retrieval of objects of any complexity. Minutes after downloading the Android SDK db4objects engineers had Android running with db4o. Android with db4o is tested regularly against 3,500 test cases with no problems. Now db4o's device-grade software quality, as proven in mission-critical deployments in high-speed trains, aircrafts, and photocopiers, can be placed into the hands of every Android developer.
The gain in efficiency that db4o provides is demonstrated by db4objects' community manager German Viscuso who adapted PasswordSafe, one of the first generally available software packages for Android, to run with db4o. "This is really awesome," said Steven Osborn, the creator of PasswordSafe, who originally started off with relational SQLite. "The db4o code is much more elegant." Another sample application to show the great fit of db4o for Android is MapMe that displays 2D maps on Google Android and leverages db4o for storing and querying global navpoints in Google Maps.
There are many benefits to using an object database like db4o, including easier code maintenance, and the ability to create a variety of new, innovative applications based on more complex data models. Unlike in rigid, predefined SQL tables, db4o allows the storage of dynamic, free-form data, which can be changed or amended any time. In addition, db4o allows for efficient data replication with its db4o Replication System (dRS), another missing element in Android's software stack. As a result, developers can write software applications that enable the backup of user data to a back-end server or their home PC. A consumer use case could be to start a game on the phone, freeze it, and continue playing at home in the evening. Business use cases include field force automation, data acquisition such as with RFID, and complex navigation systems that use locally cached geodata.
For more information please read db4object's Chief Software Architect Carl Rosenberger's blog about why Android will start the mobile Tornado or visit the db4o Android Website at db4o.com/android.
About db4objects, Inc
db4objects, Inc provides db4o, the world's most popular object database, native to Java and .NET and available under open source and commercial licenses. With some 30,000 registered community members and well over one million downloads, db4o is used in a broad array of industries around the globe. Customers include the world's most innovative companies, including Boeing, Bosch, Ricoh, and Seagate. db4objects is based in San Mateo, California, and backed by noted Silicon Valley luminaries including Mark Leslie, founding CEO of Veritas; Jerry Fiddler, founding CEO of Wind River; Vinod Khosla, founding CEO of Sun Microsystems as well as Palo Alto-based Asset Management venture firm.
SOURCE: db4objects, Inc