LEARNING TASK 1

Legaspi, Mark Anthony A. BSIT-3A

Reminder. Read Module1: Introduction to Android first, before answering this section.

Instruction: Answer the following questions briefly, your

answer will be evaluated using the following rubric.

Holistic Rubric
Exceeding Meeting Approaching Below None
(10) (8) (6) (2) (0)
Substantial,
Content Clarity
specific, and/or
The presence of ideas Sufficient
illustrative
developed through developed Limited content Superficial
content No content
facts, examples, content with with inadequate and/or
demonstrating or answer
illustrations, details, adequate elaboration or minimal
strong provided.
opinions, statistics, elaboration or explanation content
development and
reasons, and/or explanation.
sophisticated
explanations.
ideas.

1. Among the Android APIs, which do you think is the best and the worst? Explain
your answer.

 For me, the best Android API would be the Cloud Storage API from CloudRail
because it allows us to manage, maintain and backup all our data whether
images, videos, databases, files, contacts, confidential documents and other
important data with complete security and no data loss threat. It allows us to
store files online, so that data can be access from anywhere and anytime.
The cloud storage API is an application program interface that connects a
locally-based application to a cloud-based storage system, so that a user can
send data to it and access and work with data stored in it. The benefits of
Cloud Storage include: a new level of security, it saves money, data transfer,
no need for server maintenance, broadened accessibility and it saves physical
space. Some of the clous providers are the Microsoft (OneDrive), Dropbox
and Google drive.

 The worst Android API would be the Camera2 API because its library is poorly
documented and there are so many callbacks that the developers have to
manage just to take one picture. Many of the devices (lollipop, marshmallow)
don't have support for camera 2 API so we need to use legacy API for those
devices. And it is very lag on others phones. The Camera2 API gives
developers access to certain features of the phone’s camera via the software.
It was first introduced by Google in Android 5.0 Lollipop, with the purpose to
 extend the camera quality by controlling aspects like the shutter speed (ISO),
auto-focus, RAW Capture, etc.

2. What do you think are the reasons why Android surpassed iOS even though it
only started recently as compared to Apple’s stable technology?

 For me, the reason why Android surpassed iOS is because the Android has an
affordable price compared to an iOS. The android phones have significantly
better hardware and more features than iPhones for less money. We can also do
some customization in Android phones that’s why many people like it. We can
change the themes, launcher, keyboard and etc. On the other hand, we cannot
do some customization on iPhones because the Apple likes to keep things simple
and user friendly. Another reason is that, Android phones are manufactured by
many different companies and have always been on top innovation. There are
new innovative features pushed out almost every time a major company
releases a new Android phone. From in-screen fingerprint sensors to modular
phones, mobile devices that run Android always seem to have a leg up on the
competition. Some of the reasons are the following: we can do some
multitasking, the majority of Android phones offer expandable memory,
hardware dependency, universal chargers, more free apps and games, better
integration with Google services and etc. In my conclusion, the Android is much
more versatile, and gives us much more flexibility, and freedom over iOS. Both
are winners, as long as people use them. We can’t just say one system is better
than another because of X. They’re both tools used by different people, and in
the end, the only thing that matters is that the customers are happy.

3. Choose one API, discuss the features it offers, and what areas you think it needs
improvements. Explain those areas in detail.

 The API that I chose is the Google Map’s API. Google Map’s API is a robust tool
that we can use to create a custom map, a searchable map, check-in functions,
display live data synching with location, plan routes, and etc. Some of the
features of the Google Maps are the following: It offers satellite imagery, aerial
photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets (Street
View), real-time traffic conditions, and route planning for traveling by foot, car,
bicycle, air (in beta) and public transportation.
 I think the improvements that Google Map’s API need is that there should be a
train or bus rating. Getting a review from other commuter will increases the trust
rather than predicting how crowded it is. They should also partner with Zomato
or similar platforms because Google Maps gives restaurants options around a
certain area but these options do not have restaurant menu and proper
customer ratings. And they should also partner with brands to provide relevant
location-based discount/coupon information. I also noticed that some of the
street view and street images are not updated, some are captured 2 years ago,
they should update it from time to time for more accuracy of the locations.
Overall, the Google Maps API is really powerful and useful to many of us.

Score Sheet
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