Most Android apps used to be programmed in Java with the Eclipse IDE, then Google introduced Android Studio in 2013 which has now replaced the latter, and with the release of Android Studio 3.0 Canary 1 preview, the company is now offering developers to program apps using Kotlin language instead of Java.
Kotlin programming language is 100% compatible with Java language, and you can even mix Kotlin and Java in your code. Kotlin can make your code much more simple while declaring classes, and it has a few other improvements over Java. Android Studio also include a Java to Kotlin converter. The language has already been used by Expedia, Flipboard, Pinterest, Square, and others.
Android Studio 3.0 also brings many other improvement, such as performance profiling tools for the CPU, memory, and networks showing your app performance in real-time, and faster Gradle builds for large sized app projects.
Android Studio 3.0 also brings changes specific to the Android platform development such as:
- Support for Instant App development
- Inclusion of the Google Play Store in the Android O emulator system images
- Font resources management
- New wizards for Android O development, etc..
The video below gives a good overview of the many changes done in Android Studio 3.0.
You can download Android Studio 3.0 Canary 1 for Linux, Windows, or Mac to give it a try. It’s also a good way to try Android O, if you don’t own a recent Nexus or Pixel device, or don’t want to flash a beta image to your phone.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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