Cédric Berger wrote: > Hi, > Is the Android Maps application available somewhere ? > > I installed the Maps.apk I got from the Emulator. > It also needs /system/framework/com.google.android.maps.jar (I also > pulled it from Emulator) > > - are there legal issues to distribute them ?
IANAL, but the SDK license agreement says "Except to the extent required by applicable third party licenses, you may not load any part of the SDK onto a mobile handset or any other hardware device except a personal computer, combine any part of the SDK with other software, or distribute any software or device incorporating a part of the SDK." I would read that as prohibiting even installing anything from the SDK on your own phone, never mind distributing it. Since, as you noted, the Maps API jar is not included in the open source release, it's currently impossible to run any apps using the Maps API on a device running the open source distribution. A number of people (including me) have asked on the Android groups about Google's intentions, but I haven't seen any answers. Even if the API were available, Google's TOS are fairly restrictive (see http://code.google.com/android/maps-api-signup.html). In particular, you may not "use the Service or Content with any products, systems, or applications for or in connection with (a) real time navigation or route guidance based on position input from a sensor (including but not limited to any visual or audible turn-byturn route guidance)". That seems to prohibit even using the GPS to indicate the direction to your destination. To avoid all these issues, one alternative is OSMdroid, a reimplementation of the Maps API using Open Street Maps data. It's at: http://code.google.com/p/osmdroid/ It's not an exact clone of the Google API, so you will probably have to make some changes to your code to use it. It is GPL3 licensed and the OSM data is under a Creative Commons license, so you don't have to worry about Google's restrictions. Jim _______________________________________________ Openmoko community mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community
