Mobile phone operating systems are becoming increasingly advanced and capable of doing much more than helping you find directions, download a song, or make a phone call. The only problem is that the current operating systems on the market differ from one another significantly enough that developing applications for one does not necessarily mean they will work to their fullest potential on other platforms. For example, making Android charts (using the Android OS) for applications would be more difficult using Java chart software optimized for other platforms.

Simplifying the Process

If you need to add charts to your mobile application, most likely you'll want to make use of Java chart engines but most of these are designed to be used with non-Android operating systems or can be used on other systems but do not allow you to fully utilize the Android OS's potential.

There are options available. You could use a Java library created for another OS but you're likely to lose functionality when importing the charts into the Android operating system. Some developers opt for using Google Charts but this requires Internet access which is not available to all mobile phone users. Some end up creating their own libraries of Android charts but they will end up investing more time and energy than what their results will warrant.

A better solution would be choosing Java chart engines that have been created and optimized for use on a specific operating system, such as Android. Now that option is available for developers who want to include Android charts in their applications.

The Solution

With aiCharts for Android (http://www.artfulbits.com/android/aiCharts.aspx), developers have an entire library of Java charts at their disposal which can be used and customized in their applications. The charts have all been optimized specifically for the Android OS so they can take full advantage of all of its capabilities while not being bogged down by its limitations. All mobile platforms do have their limitations. With the optimization, the charts are created to be as efficient as possible given the processor and memory support of the mobile phones currently using the OS. No developer wants to use charts that crash the OS because they require more resources than what are available.

Additionally, aiCharts for Android (http://www.artfulbits.com/android/aiCharts.aspx) gives you plenty of options to choose from. Eighteen different chart types are supported and available as optimized Android charts. These charts include line, bubble, stack area, pyramid, funnel, pie, and more. Once you've chosen the chart style you want, you can use one that is pre-made or customize your own. If you run into any problems, the software comes with live technical support, as well as thorough online documentation and the forum where questions can be answered.

Of course, putting the charts in the application is only part of what you'll want to do. The charts also need to be interactive. With these Android charts, your end users can zoom, scroll, and use their touch screen to interact with the data as needed. Plus, the charts have been successfully tested in both Android 2.0 (known as DoNut) and in Cupcake 1.5 to guarantee ongoing functionality between the updated Android operating systems and the Java charts.