The announcement was made at Uplinq - Qualcomm's annual developers conference.
Qualcomm believes that by releasing the SDK, that they can foster a developer’s ability to create specific applications or features which will work with their Snapdragon processors. The SDK will provide developers with access to next-generation technology and features via the Snapdragon Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Qualcomm believes that by giving access to the APIs, that developers will make Snapdragon enhanced apps, thus improving user experience.
The most powerful applications in mobile are those that are tightly integrated with the underlying hardware. Qualcomm is always striving to enable developers and device makers to differentiate their offerings via the unique capabilities found in its industry-leading Snapdragon mobile processors. With the Snapdragon SDK for Android, developers and manufactures can now more easily utilize these features as they work to set their products apart in a crowded ecosystem.
- Rob Chandhok, president of Qualcomm Internet Services and the company’s senior vice president for software strategy
While developers will have to wait for the full SDK, Qualcome has released a preview version. Mobile application developers can access the preview release of the SDK at the Qualcomm Developer Network. The preview release of the SDK will provide developers with access to the following features:
- Facial processing, such as blink and smile detection, which makes it easier to take better pictures of people in groups;
- Burst capture, which leverages zero shutter lag to photograph a stream of images at once to select the best shot;
- Surround sound recording for better audio capture;
- Hardware echo cancellation for better real-time audio experiences;
- Sensor gestures (tap-left/tap-right, push/pull, face-up/face-down, tilt) that enable developers and device makers to push the envelope on new, differentiated user interfaces;
- Low power always on geofencing capabilities; and
- Indoor location that enables apps to continue providing accurate location information even when the user is indoors.
Any application developers have an opinion regarding Qualcomm's release? We would love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment below in the comments section.
