The Open NFC for Android Edition content is similar to the Linux Edition, with in addition the Java bindings, services, and tools to support Android platform and applications. It is designed to be built within the Android build system.

Unlike the Linux Edition, the Android Edition’s archive only contains the Android SDK files and documentation. The source code of the Android porting, required to re-build an Android File System (AFS) image with Open NFC, must be retrieved separately. This process is described in the document MAN_NFC_1108-272 entitled “Quick Porting Guide“.

Here is what you can do with this Edition:

• Install the Open NFC Add-on in your Android SDK environment.
  • Using the new target provided in this Add-On, you can create a new Android Virtual Device (AVD) embedding Open NFC
  • and running the Android Emulator on this AVD, you can use NFC features in the emulator. The emulator actually connects to the Connection Center tool. You can use either the NFC Simulator or the MicroRead development kit driven by the Connection Center in this environment (Android porting includes both NFC HAL modules).
• Develop Android applications that use NFC (API) and test these applications with the NFC Simulator.
  • Including the NFC Demo application examples provided: here

If you retrieve the source code of the Android porting, as detailed in MAN_NFC_1108-272 (Quick Porting Guide), you can in addition:

• Regenerate the Android File System, including the Open NFC software stack with the NFC HAL for Simulator and NFC HAL for MicroRead modules.
• Start porting Open NFC to your platform running Android. Please refer to the Android Porting Guide document for more information. In particular:
  • The default Android porting of Open NFC will only work with the ‘generic’ target in Android build system (corresponding to the Android emulator).
  • The NFC HAL modules included in the default porting rely on the Connection Center software. Please refer to the Linux Porting Guide for information on how to address a local hardware NFC controller.

What you cannot do:

• You cannot install the support of Open NFC in a new target device without flashing the complete Android File System. This limitation is due to the fact that Open NFC replaces some parts of the Android system (without changing the API for applications).

Please read the document MAN_NFC_1108-272 entitled “Quick Porting Guide” for simple instructions on how to recompile the Android File System image with Open NFC.

If you are a new user of Android and intending to develop NFC applications for this platform, the following steps will get you started on Microsoft Windows environment. Note however that if you want to rebuild the Android File System, you will need a Linux machine for doing so.

1. Install the Android SDK from official home page. You will have to install the “SDK Platform Android 2.3.3, API10, revision N” package at least.
2. Extract the content of the Open NFC archive, then copy the Open NFC image (android_sdk/add-ons/addon_open_nfc) into the “add-ons” folder of the Android SDK you installed in previous step.
3. 4.3.1 specific: Use the UPDATED AVD image that can be found in the Downloads.
4. Open the “SDK Manager” application from the Android SDK.
5. Go to the “Virtual Devices” list item and select “New” (see here for more explanation)
6. Name your new AVD, then select the Open NFC target (“OpenNFC 2.3.5 Add-On”).
7. You can leave all other fields to default value, and click on “Create AVD”.
8. Now, in the AVD list, your new device appears. Select this device and click “Start”.
9. In parallel, on your machine, start the Connection Center application and configure to accept client connections from other machines (you have to restart the Connection Center after changing this option; don’t forget to allow connections through your firewall).
10. Start the NFC Simulator application on your machine.
11. Within the Android Emulator, go to the application panel, then select the “Settings Open NFC” application.
12. In the Connection Center IP address field, enter “10.0.2.2″ (see here for more information).
13. Select the Simulator as NFC HAL Implementation
14. Tap the “Enable/Disable NFC” checkbox. If everything goes as expected, your Android emulator is now connected to the Connection Center and NFC Simulator.
15. You can “present a tag” by double-clicking on a virtual card in the NFC Simulator application, and see the result in your Android Emulator window.

For more information on how to develop NFC applications with Android, please refer to the official Android documentation: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/nfc/index.html. The Open NFC for Android stack is fully compliant with the native Android API.

If you want to use extended NFC features not belonging to this standard API, you will have to re-compile the Android file system (please check with Google for the terms of the “anti-fragmentation policy”):

As always, device makers are free to modify Android to customize any range of features for Android devices. This enables device makers to support the unique and differentiating functionality of their products. If someone wishes to market a device as Android-compatible or include Google applications on the device, we do require the device to conform with some basic compatibility requirements. (After all, it would not be realistic to expect Google applications – or any applications for that matter – to operate flawlessly across incompatible devices). Our “anti-fragmentation” program has been in place since Android 1.0 and remains a priority for us to provide a great user experience for consumers and a consistent platform for developers. In fact, all of the founding members of the Open Handset Alliance agreed not to fragment Android when we first announced it in 2007. [source]

In order to develop applications for Android using Open NFC, you will have to comply to the requirements of the Android SDK. Please check on Android SDK home page for more information.

The requirements for running the Connection Center and NFC Simulator tools are listed here.

In order to re-compile the complete Android File System image with included Open NFC, you will need an environment compliant with the Android Build Environment described here.

A device that can run the Android operating system is necessarily powerful enough to run the Open NFC software stack, there is no additional requirements in this area.