Tag: Dalvik

In my previous post on this topic, A performance comparison between Java and C on the Nexus 5, I compared the performance of an audio low-pass filter in Java and C. The results were clear: The C version outperformed, and by a significant amount. This result brought more attention to the post than I was expecting; some of … Continue reading A performance comparison redux: Java, C, and Renderscript on the Nexus 5»

Android phones have been growing ever more powerful with time, with the Nexus 5 sporting a quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400; this is a very powerful CPU for a mobile phone. With most Android apps being written in Java, does Java allow us to access all of that power? Or, put another way, is Java … Continue reading A performance comparison between Java and C on the Nexus 5»

The following post is based on a paper generously contributed by Jerome Huck, a senior aerospace/defence engineer, scientist, and author. A link to figures and the code can be found at the bottom of this post. So you want to run some heavy-duty algorithms on your Android device, and you’re wondering what is the best environment … Continue reading How Powerful Is Your Nexus 7?»

In our last lesson, we learned how to use vertex buffer objects on Android. We learned about the difference between client-side memory and GPU-dedicated memory, and the difference between storing texture, position and normal data in separate buffers, or altogether in one buffer. We also learned how to work around Froyo’s broken OpenGL ES 2.0 … Continue reading Android Lesson Eight: An Introduction to Index Buffer Objects (IBOs)»

In this lesson, we’ll introduce vertex buffer objects (VBOs), how to define them, and how to use them. Here is what we are going to cover: How to define and render from vertex buffer objects. The difference between using a single buffer with all the data packed in, or multiple buffers. Problems and pitfalls, and what … Continue reading Android Lesson Seven: An Introduction to Vertex Buffer Objects (VBOs)»