diff --git a/include/utils/String8.h b/include/utils/String8.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c49faf6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/utils/String8.h
@@ -0,0 +1,353 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2005 The Android Open Source Project
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+#ifndef ANDROID_STRING8_H
+#define ANDROID_STRING8_H
+
+#include <utils/Errors.h>
+
+// Need this for the char16_t type; String8.h should not
+// be depedent on the String16 class.
+#include <utils/String16.h>
+
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+namespace android {
+
+class TextOutput;
+
+//! This is a string holding UTF-8 characters.
+class String8
+{
+public:
+                                String8();
+                                String8(const String8& o);
+    explicit                    String8(const char* o);
+    explicit                    String8(const char* o, size_t numChars);
+    
+    explicit                    String8(const String16& o);
+    explicit                    String8(const char16_t* o);
+    explicit                    String8(const char16_t* o, size_t numChars);
+    
+                                ~String8();
+    
+    inline  const char*         string() const;
+    inline  size_t              size() const;
+    inline  size_t              length() const;
+    inline  size_t              bytes() const;
+    
+    inline  const SharedBuffer* sharedBuffer() const;
+    
+            void                setTo(const String8& other);
+            status_t            setTo(const char* other);
+            status_t            setTo(const char* other, size_t numChars);
+            status_t            setTo(const char16_t* other, size_t numChars);
+    
+            status_t            append(const String8& other);
+            status_t            append(const char* other);
+            status_t            append(const char* other, size_t numChars);
+
+    inline  String8&            operator=(const String8& other);
+    inline  String8&            operator=(const char* other);
+    
+    inline  String8&            operator+=(const String8& other);
+    inline  String8             operator+(const String8& other) const;
+    
+    inline  String8&            operator+=(const char* other);
+    inline  String8             operator+(const char* other) const;
+
+    inline  int                 compare(const String8& other) const;
+
+    inline  bool                operator<(const String8& other) const;
+    inline  bool                operator<=(const String8& other) const;
+    inline  bool                operator==(const String8& other) const;
+    inline  bool                operator!=(const String8& other) const;
+    inline  bool                operator>=(const String8& other) const;
+    inline  bool                operator>(const String8& other) const;
+    
+    inline  bool                operator<(const char* other) const;
+    inline  bool                operator<=(const char* other) const;
+    inline  bool                operator==(const char* other) const;
+    inline  bool                operator!=(const char* other) const;
+    inline  bool                operator>=(const char* other) const;
+    inline  bool                operator>(const char* other) const;
+    
+    inline                      operator const char*() const;
+    
+            char*               lockBuffer(size_t size);
+            void                unlockBuffer();
+            status_t            unlockBuffer(size_t size);
+            
+            // return the index of the first byte of other in this at or after
+            // start, or -1 if not found
+            ssize_t             find(const char* other, size_t start = 0) const;
+
+            void                toLower();
+            void                toLower(size_t start, size_t numChars);
+            void                toUpper();
+            void                toUpper(size_t start, size_t numChars);
+            
+    /*
+     * These methods operate on the string as if it were a path name.
+     */
+
+    /*
+     * Set the filename field to a specific value.
+     *
+     * Normalizes the filename, removing a trailing '/' if present.
+     */
+    void setPathName(const char* name);
+    void setPathName(const char* name, size_t numChars);
+
+    /*
+     * Get just the filename component.
+     *
+     * "/tmp/foo/bar.c" --> "bar.c"
+     */
+    String8 getPathLeaf(void) const;
+
+    /*
+     * Remove the last (file name) component, leaving just the directory
+     * name.
+     *
+     * "/tmp/foo/bar.c" --> "/tmp/foo"
+     * "/tmp" --> "" // ????? shouldn't this be "/" ???? XXX
+     * "bar.c" --> ""
+     */
+    String8 getPathDir(void) const;
+
+    /*
+     * Retrieve the front (root dir) component.  Optionally also return the
+     * remaining components.
+     *
+     * "/tmp/foo/bar.c" --> "tmp" (remain = "foo/bar.c")
+     * "/tmp" --> "tmp" (remain = "")
+     * "bar.c" --> "bar.c" (remain = "")
+     */
+    String8 walkPath(String8* outRemains = NULL) const;
+
+    /*
+     * Return the filename extension.  This is the last '.' and up to
+     * four characters that follow it.  The '.' is included in case we
+     * decide to expand our definition of what constitutes an extension.
+     *
+     * "/tmp/foo/bar.c" --> ".c"
+     * "/tmp" --> ""
+     * "/tmp/foo.bar/baz" --> ""
+     * "foo.jpeg" --> ".jpeg"
+     * "foo." --> ""
+     */
+    String8 getPathExtension(void) const;
+
+    /*
+     * Return the path without the extension.  Rules for what constitutes
+     * an extension are described in the comment for getPathExtension().
+     *
+     * "/tmp/foo/bar.c" --> "/tmp/foo/bar"
+     */
+    String8 getBasePath(void) const;
+
+    /*
+     * Add a component to the pathname.  We guarantee that there is
+     * exactly one path separator between the old path and the new.
+     * If there is no existing name, we just copy the new name in.
+     *
+     * If leaf is a fully qualified path (i.e. starts with '/', it
+     * replaces whatever was there before.
+     */
+    String8& appendPath(const char* leaf);
+    String8& appendPath(const String8& leaf)  { return appendPath(leaf.string()); }
+
+    /*
+     * Like appendPath(), but does not affect this string.  Returns a new one instead.
+     */
+    String8 appendPathCopy(const char* leaf) const
+                                             { String8 p(*this); p.appendPath(leaf); return p; }
+    String8 appendPathCopy(const String8& leaf) const { return appendPathCopy(leaf.string()); }
+
+    /*
+     * Converts all separators in this string to /, the default path separator.
+     *
+     * If the default OS separator is backslash, this converts all
+     * backslashes to slashes, in-place. Otherwise it does nothing.
+     * Returns self.
+     */
+    String8& convertToResPath();
+
+private:
+            status_t            real_append(const char* other, size_t numChars);
+            char*               find_extension(void) const;
+
+            const char* mString;
+};
+
+TextOutput& operator<<(TextOutput& to, const String16& val);
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// No user servicable parts below.
+
+inline int compare_type(const String8& lhs, const String8& rhs)
+{
+    return lhs.compare(rhs);
+}
+
+inline int strictly_order_type(const String8& lhs, const String8& rhs)
+{
+    return compare_type(lhs, rhs) < 0;
+}
+
+inline const char* String8::string() const
+{
+    return mString;
+}
+
+inline size_t String8::length() const
+{
+    return SharedBuffer::sizeFromData(mString)-1;
+}
+
+inline size_t String8::size() const
+{
+    return length();
+}
+
+inline size_t String8::bytes() const
+{
+    return SharedBuffer::sizeFromData(mString)-1;
+}
+
+inline const SharedBuffer* String8::sharedBuffer() const
+{
+    return SharedBuffer::bufferFromData(mString);
+}
+
+inline String8& String8::operator=(const String8& other)
+{
+    setTo(other);
+    return *this;
+}
+
+inline String8& String8::operator=(const char* other)
+{
+    setTo(other);
+    return *this;
+}
+
+inline String8& String8::operator+=(const String8& other)
+{
+    append(other);
+    return *this;
+}
+
+inline String8 String8::operator+(const String8& other) const
+{
+    String8 tmp;
+    tmp += other;
+    return tmp;
+}
+
+inline String8& String8::operator+=(const char* other)
+{
+    append(other);
+    return *this;
+}
+
+inline String8 String8::operator+(const char* other) const
+{
+    String8 tmp;
+    tmp += other;
+    return tmp;
+}
+
+inline int String8::compare(const String8& other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other.mString);
+}
+
+inline bool String8::operator<(const String8& other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other.mString) < 0;
+}
+
+inline bool String8::operator<=(const String8& other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other.mString) <= 0;
+}
+
+inline bool String8::operator==(const String8& other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other.mString) == 0;
+}
+
+inline bool String8::operator!=(const String8& other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other.mString) != 0;
+}
+
+inline bool String8::operator>=(const String8& other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other.mString) >= 0;
+}
+
+inline bool String8::operator>(const String8& other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other.mString) > 0;
+}
+
+inline bool String8::operator<(const char* other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other) < 0;
+}
+
+inline bool String8::operator<=(const char* other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other) <= 0;
+}
+
+inline bool String8::operator==(const char* other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other) == 0;
+}
+
+inline bool String8::operator!=(const char* other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other) != 0;
+}
+
+inline bool String8::operator>=(const char* other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other) >= 0;
+}
+
+inline bool String8::operator>(const char* other) const
+{
+    return strcmp(mString, other) > 0;
+}
+
+inline String8::operator const char*() const
+{
+    return mString;
+}
+
+}; // namespace android
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+#endif // ANDROID_STRING8_H