It’s no secret that Apps are having a profound impact on consumer electronics devices. Thanks to popular new products like Apple’s iPhone and the Google-powered G1 phone, Apps — those relatively lightweight, Internet-enabled software programs optimized to perform a specific task — have revolutionized the way we think about mobile devices by transforming them into network-enabled computing platforms that are easily customizable and almost infinitely versatile.

But what about other kinds of gadgets? How can electronic products that aren’t used as mobile communications tools take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the proliferation of Apps?

Google’s Android operating system may be part of the answer. Although originally created for use on mobile phones, Android can be adapted to bring App functionality to a wide range of devices — from portable multimedia players, to home appliances, to telecom gear. It also has many advantages: it’s open-source, powerful, supported by a robust development community, and free of charge to use. For hardware manufacturers, then, the challenge comes in figuring out how to adapt Android quickly, reliably, and affordably for use beyond the cellphone.

MOTO’s Android Media Platform (AMP) makes that possible. Created by a team of MOTO engineers, AMP is a full-featured Android reference platform that makes it faster and easier for customers to bring app- enabled products to market. Put simply, AMP is a multimedia development environment for creating Android-enabled products that enjoy full interoperability with the complete library of Android apps.

For example, with AMP, a bedside clock radio could do double-duty as a network-enabled glucose monitor for diabetics. Or a simple dashboard accessory could provide detailed information about your car’s fuel consumption and operating history.

For device manufacturers, AMP provides a powerful set of tools to compress the product design and development process and focus on creating sophisticated technical architectures and user experiences.

For MOTO, AMP is an exciting way to enable innovation by making it easier to embed new capabilities in almost any consumer electronics item. AMP is designed to accelerate the shift from a stand-alone world of “dumb” products to a new, connected universe of “smart” devices.

What other kinds of things could AMP do?  If you have ideas, we’d love to hear about them.

Google developed Android explicitly to run on cell phones, but it is robust enough to run on other devices. Because Android is open source, and supported by a robust development community, it is a candidate to grow beyond its mobile device roots. 

The development of a USB driver brings Android operating system to the E Ink development kit. Now a new world of creative developers can extend the functionality of and write applications for this low-power screen technology.

Android Meets E Ink from MOTO Development on Vimeo.

Why E Ink?

E Ink is an electronic paper display technology with a paper-like, high contrast appearance, ultra low-power consumption, and a thin, light form. It is “bi-stable” – meaning it only uses power when it refreshes the screen. The advantages of this kind of low-power screen device updated via wireless internet access could bring this connected technology to wearable computing or other screen uses that demand long-term deployment before recharging.

Digging Deeper

MOTO labs is working towards customized solutions that employ not only Android but Ubuntu, Linux, and Adobe AIR platforms for custom web-connected application development.  We are actively extending our multi-touch and gestural interfaces expertise to these platforms. MOTO is also developing prototypes for better remote management of connected devices with a range of approaches from Mac & PC based device management applications to over-the-air wireless firmware and software updates. Stay tuned to labs.moto.com for more on this thread.

Building a Bridge

Picture below shows how the E Ink broadsheet development kit is connected to Beagle Board via USB. A custom E Ink driver acts as the bridge.

The E Ink screen image shows the signature Android clock-scape.

Components 

A diagrammatic view on how the application processor (Beagle Board) connects up to the display co-processor (E Ink Broadsheet) via USB.

Ideas for next generation connected devices? Email collaborate@labs.moto.com or leave a comment here.

Links

• TI Beagle Board development kit
• E Ink development kit