HarmonyOS
2.0 Developer Beta for Smartphones was officially released at HUAWEI Developer
Day Beijing 2020, representing a milestone in the construction of the
all-encompassing HarmonyOS ecosystem. Smartphone app developers with interest
in the 2.0 beta can apply for it on the HUAWEI Developer official website.
Comprehensive
HarmonyOS system capabilities, a multitude of APIs, and powerful tools such as
the optimized DevEco Studio simulator, have all been made publicly available,
facilitating efficient HarmonyOS-compatible smartphone app development. Huawei
hopes to welcome more partners to the ecosystem, and give users access to the
full range of benefits offered by Seamless AI Life, with smart services that
interact with, entertain and educate them in new and profound ways, at home, in
the gym and in the office, on the go and on the road.
Wang
Chenglu, President of Huawei's Consumer Business Group Software Engineering
Department, remarked, "HarmonyOS is a true milestone, as it has redefined
how people and devices interact with each other in every facet of daily life.
Devices and services are no longer limited to specific life scenarios, now that
users can freely customize how their devices work to account for any setting.
HarmonyOS will create 'super devices' that come with more enriching apps than
ever, as well as life-altering 'super services'."
Unparalleled user experience, made
possible by "super devices" and seamless services
A
new era is upon us, brought about by the Internet of Everything and powered by
the rapid growth of 5G, AI and IoT technologies. The past decade has been
dominated by the rise of the smartphone and mobile internet, but over the next
decade, no single device offers similar breakthrough potential. Instead, it is
multi-device connections that will pave the way to the smart services of
tomorrow.
HarmonyOS
and its underlying distributed technology are designed for this futuristic
Internet of Everything paradigm. By helping create "super devices",
which are formed by pooling software and hardware resources from previously
physically-independent devices, the system has been making the lofty ambitions
in Seamless AI Life a full-blown reality. HarmonyOS helps ensure that all
devices are responsive to the user's every whim, and equipped to handle any
conceivable usage scenario.
A
good example of this principle in action is how HarmonyOS leverages phone-watch
collaboration to provide for next-level smart travel solutions. Ride hailing
has been made hands-free, with important information such as the taxi's
real-time location and license plate number, displayed on the watch screen.
Likewise, online shopping will soon be easier than ever, now that group-buyers
will be able to view eligible items in other buyers' shopping carts, and make
informed decisions with real-time post-discount pricing – or even initiate
MeeTime calls to share screens and discuss purchasing strategies.
HarmonyOS
encourages all developers to release their imagination and come up with
promising ideas on how to create Seamless AI Life services for all users.
Therefore it's no small wonder that over 120 mainstream app builders, including
JD.com, China UnionPay, Youku Video and iFlytek, have opted to make HarmonyOS
their system of choice.
Comprehensive support for developers,
facilitating multi-device deployment through one-time development
Today's
vast array of IoT devices share little in common, as they can be subdivided
into different device types and operating systems. This reality has hindered
traditional app development, as apps needed be adapted to fit all of the
different screen sizes and systems prior to release. Huawei has made IoT
fragmentation a thing of the past, by opening all of HarmonyOS's frameworks and
platform toolchains to developers.
Over
15,000 APIs have now been made available, including distributed system
services, software and hardware abilities. In doing so, HarmonyOS aims to help
create innovative and competitive apps that are compatible with all device
types and oriented toward all usage scenarios, with as much ease as experienced
in the independent-device app development era. The distributed UI framework
fits all screen sizes, and facilitates hassle-free deployment with
substantially increased efficiency. The new and improved DevEco Studio 2.0 can
realize real-time preview and distributed debugging, which are also ideal for boosting
development efficiency.
More
than 100,000 developers have joined the HarmonyOS ecosystem, thanks in large
part to expert-level support, a wealth of enriching training courses and
easy-to-access materials, and open-minded developer communities. The kickoff of
the HarmonyOS Developer Innovation Contest, which offers 1.5 million Chinese
yuan in prizes and mentorship resources from 20 prominent industry
professionals, hopes to drive further engagement among the talented developers
that have made HarmonyOS their professional home.
Ground-breaking HarmonyOS
technologies, driving the industry forward and unlocking the boundless
possibility of Seamless AI Life
HarmonyOS
will also transform the business of hardware vendors, by helping them turn
products into services. Software innovation will be channelled to bring about
differentiated and flexible hardware usage. Hardware resources from all connected
devices will be pooled, to enable partners to extract more value by selling
services on an ongoing basis, rather than being limited to the one-time product
sale. Enticed by this promising new model, more than 20 hardware vendors have
become a part of the HarmonyOS ecosystem.
Multi-device
interconnectivity has likewise been made seamless, from the very bottom layer,
where the connection is unaffected by any software or hardware differences. The
user can, for instance, simply tap their phone against a home appliance to
establish an instant connection, and have the device information visualized on
the phone screen. Connected appliances will also be able to "tell"
their user how they're working, laying the foundation for genuine smart homes
of the future.
HarmonyOS
will be made open-source for a greater range of devices in the near future. The
HUAWEI Developer Day 2020 event series will make stops in more major cities,
including Shanghai and Guangzhou, to provide aspiring developers with
invigorating discussions on cutting-edge technologies and applications.