If you want to create DPS folios for Android devices, you should understand a few things about the platform before making design decisions. It’s important to consider the different device sizes and dimensions and how DPS folios are displayed on these devices. I would usually provide a quick summary of what you should consider, but in this particular case, I think it’s better to ask you to sit down, grab a juice box, and spend 10 minutes trying to understand the intricacies of working with DPS on Android. No shortcuts.
(This article was written in October 2012. As the Android platform evolves, I’ll try to update this article.)
Differences Between Android and iOS Devices
You should be aware of a few key differences between how folios are displayed on iOS and Android.
Scaling
In iOS viewers, content is scaled up to fit in the screen. For example, a 1024×768 folio is scaled up to fit in the 2048×1536 iPad HD screen. However, on Android, viewers never scale up the content. A 1024×600 folio is displayed on a 1280×800 device with big black bars on all sides. Furthermore, on iPad viewers, only folios with a 4:3 aspect ratio will appear. On Android, any folio of practically any size will appear.
In this example, a 1024×600 folio is displayed on a 1280×800 Nexus. Instead of scaling up the content, the viewer adds black bars. (Click to enlarge.)
Although viewers can scale down content on Android devices, it’s a good idea to avoid it for performance reasons.