This really depends on whether you are talking about Android as a generic system, or Android and the current applications that run on it. If the latter:
- Some kind of 5-way is currently required, though it would be feasible to drop this in the future (with an ability to know if a particular app requires 5-way nav). - Home is completely handled by the system, so it isn't required so long as you can provide some other way for a user to navigate through the system. - The back key is required, insofar as there must be some way for the user to case a back key event to the current application in order to navigate through its UI. - The menu key is likewise required by applications, again only to the point of there being some way for the user to deliver a menu event to the application. - Given that we won't require a physical keyboard at all in cupcake, there isn't really much requirement for it. :) Fwiw, Android is not at all designed to be "as flexible as possible." We have tried to design things to be able to address a relatively wide range of devices, but we are perfectly happy to accept constraints on the hardware we run to avoid compromising other important things like usability and consistency. On Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 3:32 PM, RugBat <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi all, > > I'm looking for info on what kinds of hardware features are required > by Android. > > I realize Android is designed to be as flexible as possible, and > that's great, but: > > * Can it live (and be usable) without some kind of 5-way navigation > device? > * Can it live without home and back? > * Can it live without the menu key? > * What keys are required (if any) on the keyboard for it to be > functional? (e.g. sym, search, alt, ....) > > Thanks! > > > -- Dianne Hackborn Android framework engineer [email protected] Note: please don't send private questions to me, as I don't have time to provide private support, and so won't reply to such e-mails. All such questions should be posted on public forums, where I and others can see and answer them. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ unsubscribe: [email protected] website: http://groups.google.com/group/android-porting -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
