Newbie Android Architecture query
<p>I'm a C# Windows Phone 7 developer looking to port some apps over to Android and I'm new to both Java and android...</p>

<p>I have been through the Android Application Fundamentals and have developed some of the "View" app examples and have a couple questions...</p>

<p>1 - In WP7 we can run code in the "background" when our app is not running.  The OS wakes up our background program every half hour or so so we can quickly accomplish some task.  How is this done in Android?</p>

<p>2 - In WP7 we can post info to our "Tiles" so a user can, for instance, see the number of friends within a certain proximity just by looking at the phone.  I know Android does not have "tiles" but can we post info the application icon?  Or something like that?</p>

<p>Obviously I would have to be able to do #1 before I could do #2</p>

<p>Thanks,
Gary</p>
