Qualcomm to Release Snapdragon SDK for Android Developers

[Edognights]

At this years annual Uplinq conference, Qualcomm announced that they plan to release their Snapdragon software development kit to Android developers later this year. The company's senior vice president of software strategy stated that "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". Qualcomm claims the SDK will provide developers with access to "next-generation technology and features" embedded in their Snapdragon chips. Check out the excerpt from Qualcomm's press release below.

Some of the new features and benefits of the Snapdragon APIs in the preview release of the SDK include:

• 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.

A preview release of the SDK is available now on their developer site here. The full SDK is expected within the next few months and will only support the S4 8960 wafer at first, but Qualcomm hopes to bring support for more chips in the future. Check out Qualcomm's full press release here.


Source: Engadget