More About Android Smartphones

The cat is out of the bag. Lifestyle gadget enthusiasts are whispering to one another the prospects of Google Android – a new OS that looks to be a strong contender against Apple’s iPhone. For years, Apple has had very little competition. The iPhone appeared to have dominated the mobile community, and to date, it’s still the most popular mobile gadget around.

One of the main reasons why the iPhone is so popular is because Apple allows third party developers to develop applications for the iPhone. The applications are then distributed through Apple’s website. This is a highly strategic business move adopted by Apple, and one that has proven to work very well.

This concept is not new. Other non mobile platforms have adopted a similar concept, and have achieved great success as well. For example, both MySpace and Facebook, 2 immensely popular social community sites, have launched their own developer platform. Like the iPhone, developers can develop third party applications on these platforms.

The trend is rather obvious – user generated application based on an open concept is in. The iPhone’s success didn’t go unnoticed. Google is a strong player looking to compete in this sphere.

Recently, lots of buzz has been generated on Google Android – a brand new mobile OS. The key difference between Google Android and the iPhone OS is that the Android is an open OS. That means the OS can be used on any phone, not just the iPhone. By limiting the OS to the iPhone, Apple had isolated the rest of the phone manufacturers.

For years now, Apple had the upper hand. They can charge whatever price they wish to charge, and fans will still pay because they can’t get a similar system anywhere else. Google Android is looking to change all that. By leveling the playing field, consumers now have more choices. For sure, the prices for mobile gadgets (i.e. smartphones), will plummet once the Android gets adopted by other smartphone manufacturers. Already, major brand names like HTC, Motorola, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson are working closely with the Open Handset Alliance (the company now running Google Android) to realize this goal.

Being such a new technology, and with limited developers, enthusiasts will have to bear with a great number of useless mobile apps that will be released in the first few years. This is a common trend because developers are mostly experimenting with the system to see what works and what doesn’t.

As the OS matures, and more and more developers jump on the band wagon to release applications, there will be more and more useful applications. Consumers may then enjoy the full benefits of having an open mobile OS.

T-Mobile’s G1, based on Google Android, is already enjoying a fair amount of success. For sure, a G2 looks set to be launched in the near future. Lenovo is also looking for a piece of the pie with its very own Lenovo oPhone. Mobile enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to.

Google Android

Come 2009, the Google Android will be seen on all major mobile phones. It was unveiled on November 5, 2008 but will come into use next year. Google will release the Android platform available under the Apache free-software and open-source license. That means abosloutely free to use.

What is Google Android ?
No, android is not a mobile phone which most people have assumed. But it is a operating system and software platform for mobile devices. It will based on the Linux operating system. Developrs can write applications using Java Programing languages. The Android will be jointly developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance.

In simple terms, it will be like Symbian and Windows Operating system found in mobile phones.

Features of Google Android

1. Android will supports all common media formats for videos, songs and pictures. Such as MPEG-4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPEG, PNG, GIF.

2. Network Capabilities – It will support all the present cell phone network providers namely GSM/EDGE, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS. It will also feature Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.

3. Unlimited and diverse applications – Since its a freeware software, anyone can make applications using the java programming language and share it with others. This is the main and will be the most important selling point of google android.

4. Messaging features – Supports text and picture SMS, MMS and the new XMPP(directly contact with other people without any softwares like yahoo messanger or skype)

5. Google Android will provide enhanced utilization of GPS services combined with google maps. Very helpful in finding your way.

6. Display – The platform will be adaptable to all mobile phones display layouts. Provided it has a color screen and GPRS enabled.

How Google Integrates With the Android Phone

Google and T-Mobile have teamed up to create a new breed of cell phone. The T-Mobile G1 is the world’s first Android Phone. An “android” is traditionally defined as a robot with human qualities. Perhaps the name was chosen because of the capabilities of this new phone.

It’s known as the T-Mobile G1 Android, the Android Phone, the G1 Phone, or (more informally) the Google Phone.

The G1 Phone integrates fully with your Google accounts. Here are a few of the features and capabilities of this new cell phone:

An Android phone allows you to browse the Internet just as you would on a normal computer. It allows one to run several applications at the same time, on one phone. You can switch between applications, and you can also be notified when something new occurs on one of those applications. It allows you to chat and share photos on applications such as Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, etc. It allows you to copy URLs and share them with friends via a chat line, using a simple touch-screen interface.

The following Google applications can be accessed and used directly by the Android Phone:

Google Maps YouTube Gmail Contacts Calendar IM (Instant Message)

All of these Google applications will be available to you with a single logon – and they will automatically be synchronized with the web. What that means is that any change you make in one of your google accounts from your phone will also show up the next time you log on from any other computer.

For example, when you are out and about with your phone and you meet a new contact, you might want to save their contact information. All you do is save it into your Google Contacts on your G1 phone. That information will be available to you any time online, in your Gmail account, and in any other applicable Google account, and you can access it through any computer in the world which is connected to the Internet.

Any information you save on your phone in this way will appear on your computer as well – and vice-versa.

If you lose or break your phone, you won’t lose your information. Your data will be there waiting for you on your Google account, which you can access the next time you are online. And there is no need to worry about your information being stolen, as its password-protected.

Here is another example of the a use of a Google Android phone. Once you have a contact address saved into your Google account, you can easily find that location on a map – using Google Maps, of course. And what’s more, you can access street level events in any area where this is available.

This makes it a breeze to get directions to a new location! Simply find your contact on a a map with a couple of clicks, and use a street-level view to find your way if needed!

Another example of the use of the this phone is the integration of the cell phone with your Google Calendar. Any event you save on your Google Calendar will be available to you on your phone, wherever you are. So you can access your schedule easily, on the go and from anywhere, as long as you have your phone with you.

No more schedule books! And you can say goodbye to those tiny notebooks and pads of paper you carry around so that you can jot down notes and phone numbers.

What’s more, once you save information on your Android phone, there’s no need to transfer it over after you get home. Its all there, safely stored on your Google account, for ready access whenever you need it.

Google Android Mobile Phones

Google Android sounds like the name of a mobile phone, but it’s actually not. The name Google Android is used to refer to the OS of the mobile phone. The market is flooded with with mobile phones these days, and consumers are spoilt for choice. So what makes Google Android so different? And why should anyone start using a totally different OS altogether?

Currently, the better known mobile operating systems in the market are Symbian, Palm, Windows Mobile and more recently, OS X for iPhone. These operating systems are all competing for market share. But the similar aspect of these operating systems is that they are all closed systems. In other words, no one else, but the companies themselves can develop applications for the OS (with the exception of OS X, which we shall discuss later).

Therefore, all mobile phones that are equipped with these operating systems have limited applications that can be installed.

Recognizing the rising trend of the open network, Google is hoping to change all that with Google Android. With the SDK (Software Development Kit) offered by Google, developers can truly innovate and come up with applications that can be installed in Google Android. We have all seen this concept taking the Internet by storm.

For instance, we see the Firefox browser closing the gap with Internet explorer. It’s able to catch up quickly because it allows developers to develop useful extensions for the browsers. To date, there are hundreds of extensions for the Firefox browser, and its popularity is still rising. The same goes for social community sites. MySpace used to be the top social community site. But Facebook became popular really fast, and have risen to be on par with MySpace. Again, it happened because Facebook started allowing developers to launch applications on its platform.

The signals are clear. The open concept works, and Google Android is looking to overtake all the other mobile operating systems. The project is now being undertaken by the Open Handset Alliance, which is a group of companies formed by Google, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodaphone, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson and other players in the mobile phone industry.

Eventually, fans can’t help but compare Google Android with Apple’s OS X. After all, the Apple iPhone is immensely popular, and it also allows developers to develop third party applications for the iPhones, and distribute them through Apple’s website. However, the OS X also has a limitation – it can only work with the iPhone. So if you don’t like the iPhone (rare, but it happens), you are out of luck.

Google Android looks set to become the leading OS. It’s just a matter of time. Already, the Open Handset Alliance is working with mobile phone manufacturers to develop Android mobile phones. So don’t be surprised to find mobile phones from major brands such as Samsung, HTC, Motorola, etc. in the near future.

Android OS Market Share Steadily on the Rise

In the mobile industry, the hand phone operating system (OS) is currently being dominated by Apple’s iPhone. The Apple iPhone is still the leading OS in the marketplace, with no sign of slowing down. In fact, other competitors like RIM, WinMO, Palm and Symbian have all posted southward trends. If there is no new player entering the market, it seems like the iPhone OS is set to take over the entire market.

The primary reason behind iPhone’s huge success is that the OS allows third party applications to be installed in the phone. These applications are developed by third party software developers, and distributed through the Apple’s official website. Having an open platform allows developers to respond quickly to consumers’ requests. There is no need to wait for Apple to release apps. Based on the feedback received, developers can release useful applications in a matter of weeks. So far, no other OS has been able to match this capability. To date, the Apple iPhone has already captured an estimated 50% market share.

Fortunately, there is a new player in town – the Android OS. This new contender in the marketplace is developed by Google, and is based on a similar open concept. Developers can develop apps using managed code in Java. As Java is a mature programming language, many developers will have little problems picking up the development work. While the Android OS is still far from overtaking the iPhone, it is catching fast. In fact, it is the only mobile OS to have posted an upward trend (besides iPhone of course). In just a few short months, it has captured a market share of 5%.

As this is a new OS, only HTC has released Android supported phones – namely, the G1. Since the G1 phone is a new release, it is mainly used to gather information from the market place. Consumers who have picked up the phone are providing priceless feedback to the company. Based on the feedback, the next generation of the Android phone is currently being developed (the G2). Enthusiasts in the blogosphere are watching the developments very closely. So far, a lot of interest has been shown in the development of the Android phone.

This new development poses exciting possibilities. Other mobile companies would be keen to manufacture Android phones so that they remain relevant and competitive in the marketplace. Samsung and Sony Ericsson are both rumored to be working on Android phones. China telecommunications giant, Huawei Technologies, already announced that they will be releasing an Android phone for the Chinese market in the third quarter.

It will be interesting to observe the developments when more and more companies start to manufacture Android phones. Will iPhone be threatened in the marketplace? How will consumers choose between the iPhone and the Android phone? Much depends on the applications developed by the third party developers. The OS with the most active platform will eventually emerge as the winner.