November 5, 2007 8:13 AM PST
Google unveils cell phone software and alliance
Last modified: November 5, 2007 10:40 AM PST
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Google has long been rumored to be working on software for cell phones that would integrate its applications. On Friday, CNET News.com reported that Google's plans went beyond simply developing software and instead included a whole consortium of companies working to develop an open platform cell phone application.
"Today's announcement is more ambitious than any single 'Google Phone' that the press has been speculating about over the past few weeks," Google CEO Eric Schmidt said in a statement. "Our vision is that the powerful platform we're unveiling will power thousands of different phone models."
Google officially unveiled Android, the new mobile phone software, during a press conference Monday morning. Thirty-four companies have said they will join the Open Handset Alliance, a multinational alliance that will work on developing applications on the Android platform. Members of the alliance include mobile handset makers HTC and Motorola, U.S. operator T-Mobile, and chipmaker Qualcomm.
The Android platform consists of an operating system, middleware, a user-friendly interface, and applications. Consumers should expect the first phones based on Android to be available in the second half of 2008, Schmidt and others said on the conference call.
The Android software stack is expected to provide handset makers and wireless operators an open platform they can use to develop innovative applications. The new software will compete directly with smartphone software from other companies like Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, Palm, and Research in Motion. Unlike some of these mobile operating systems, Android will not be tied to a specific device. Instead, the software will be able to work on a broad array of devices from handset makers such as Motorola, HTC, Samsung, and LG just to name a few.
A 200MHz ARM 9 processor is the minimum requirement for cell phones, said Andy Rubin, Google director of mobile platforms who co-founded the mobile software company called Android that Google acquired in 2005. The platform will be flexible, compatible with small or large screens, keyboards and other input methods, he said.
"The user experience is top notch...We will see when the software development kit is available in a week," Rubin said. "Google will be providing some hosted services that make it very easy for third-party developers to distribute their services and content" via a USB or memory card or "over the air." He added that more information about system requirements will be available when the software development kit is released.
Asked whether Android will be targeted at smartphones or lower-cost phones, Qualcomm Chief Executive Paul Jacobs said the company was focusing on its 7225 chipset and "using that to drive smartphones into the mass market price points under $200."
The idea is that through the developer's alliance, handset makers and cell phone operators will be able to develop more user-friendly services and devices that help bring more of the Internet's functionality onto mobile devices. And because of this open model, the companies involved also hope that by scaling the development, advanced functionality will be able to hit the market for less expensive mobile devices that will have more compelling and rich Internet services with more user-friendly interfaces.
"Our participation in the Open Handset Alliance and integration of the Android platform in the second half of 2008 enables us to expand our device portfolio into a new category of connected mobile phones that will change the complexion of the mobile industry and re-create user expectations of the mobile phone experience." Peter Chou, chief executive of HTC, said in a statement.
Companies in the alliance plan on releasing an access software development kit next week.
See more CNET content tagged:
Andy Rubin,
alliance,
Open Handset Alliance,
handset maker,
HTC
Will the mobile O/S just make them better at tracking everthing? They need to get something out of their O/S because free doesn't really pay the bills.
Maybe it will pull a few customers from ATT and Verizon with their increase content. But if it is not free or significantly reduced price for monthly service, there's little motivation for customers to switch.
Watch the attached video clip and see if the 800lb Gorilla (that is OS/2) can be spotted!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksFqjI3gyAo
As per the subject line - Not A "Monkey" Business Alliance - Right! So, what else is new!
Google's push into mobile world will meet another giant waiting there: Nokia, which recently acquired Navteq.
Mobile search will eventually converge to location-based features and behaviroal tracking.
Google's mobile alliance with Sprint makes sense, if they bid on 700MHz spectrum early next year.
I'm not interested in giving Big Brother Google my personal cell phone information, for their advertising database.
costs for everyone.
I'd never use one of these if it meant getting advertisements on my
phone, but I applaud the effort.
What does "open" really mean in this case? Symbian is changing the rules for signing apps this quarter, Windows apps are not that difficult to write and get on your phone, and with the iPhone SDK coming out in Feb, even if Apple makes a developer submit the app for approval, I don't see the advantage of another OS that us programmers will have to start writing for now.
And I doubt that the Android OS will really be that much better for programmers than the other OSes out there. For example: It only took me a weekend to walk through a coding example to write a basic game for the Symbian OS, and a few days to get the basics down for the UI and other API calls. That includes writing Internet access routines (one of the example code snippets from Nokia is a Web Server!). When I get seasoned, I think that I would be able to write most anything I want on that OS. So where will Android give me more? And many phones support Java in some for or another.
To me, I am thinking this is just a bunch of hype that helps Google get into the market, but not much substance over what is already out there. Programmers still have to write the code to do the "gee whiz" stuff that wows the consumer. I hate to say it, but that is why the iPhone is so popular now. It is not that technically better than any other, but has that "cool" factor because it is targeted at the average person, not the techie or business person. RIM, Nokia, and MS could have doen that too with their OSes, but didn't have the foresight. It was not a platform limitation (except for the multi-touch screen)
Now if I could buy any ARM 9 processor-based phone and reflash it to Android and get off and running with an unbranded, unlocked phone... now that would be something that would really mean "open" to me.... But it will still take time to get enough applications written to match what is out there for Symbian and Windows. And with the SDK for iPhone out in Feb there will be a ton of apps for that as well (since there are already a ton of them that are not sanctioned by Apple right now!)
Google may grab the attention of the masses with this announcement and maybe even the business community, but it will take convincing the developers (meaning programmers) to add another OS to their arsonal... and that will take time
Given the overwhelming current trend of US carriers using proprietary technologies and closed platforms, be reminded that this announcement doesn't guarantee some kind of revolution in the way phone software is developed and distributed stateside, at least not immediately.
http://joechiappetta.blogspot.com/2007/11/gphone-first-look.html
GPS is everywhere now on cell phones. I use it al the time and have at least 3 programs to choose from on my Nokia N75.
Bluetooth, WiFi, and other apps to link cell phones to other devices is also common.
All my cell phone software purchases are done via my cell phone, and the software is pushed to the device. Writing such applications is not difficult with current cell phone OSes.
And as for the ambiguous "etc" you tossed in at the end, just take a look at Jott.com for just one idea of some really potentially powerful usage.
As for the stuff out there being crap, that is subject to opinion and not the OS's fault, but programmers that crank out apps that they can charge the low fee people seem willing to pay for cell phone apps.
Have you actually ever done much research on what is out there and how it is coded? You soundlike somebody who believes the rhetoric, but have never experienced it yourself. You should at least read more from developers and programmers about their opinions on this stuff. One such software house has already gone on record as shelfing any ideas of coding for Android at this time because there isn't expected to be any money in it. Which tends to be why small development teams make up the bulk of the cell phone software market. It is not a billion dollar industry yet. Not at most all app prices under $50, and some as low as $10. People just don't want to pay big bucks for a device they only paid a few hundred dollars for, or got their company to buy for them. The major purchasers, teens and businesses, have a very limited wish list for apps so far. Give teens music, games, messaging, and YouTube and they are happy. The iPhone's limited app list at release proves this. Businesses want solid networks, email sync, and office products. Hardly a large list to make the big software houses switch from programming for the PC.
I may miss the forest for the trees occasionally, but you are in the desert looking at a mirage.
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by cristinajack
August 24, 2008 10:43 PM PDT
- This is really nice and helpful. google software for mobile phones wil be more secure and useful. You can protect your mobile phones through the viruses as well.
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