Golden Image Approach to Android

[Jeff Bennett]

I am not familiar enough with Android and how it works with respect to a Golden Image approach to readying and supporting the devices. I would expect, especially with our local only model (learning xprize), that much like ec2 and current Windows shops that a master image could be used "build" compatible devices. Sort of like the x86 standard and flashing for cloud stuff. I know how much more efficient it is for the aforementioned architectures. How might Android work that way for us for a fully content populated/configured except credentials (like it must for phone vendors) to simplify how we might approach things, at least initially? 

Thanks,

[Matthew McGinn]

Just for clarification, you want to prepare a master build that can be easily cloned to all the devices we deploy?

[Jeff Bennett]

Right. This kind of approach works well with other platforms and I would expect could with Android. Since at least on flavor of our solution will be network disconnected, being able to install/refresh from an image, including apps while protecting data stores, might simplify a potential architecture. 

[Misha Eydman]

I like Jeff's idea of the Golden Image. I see this as a long term goal when the platform will be a part of Android fork. I think the initial Phase should rely on an App install and could actually be loaded on multiple devices this way.