January 2nd, 2009

Android on netbooks is BIG money for Google

Posted by Garett Rogers @ 5:17 pm

Categories: Google, Google Phone

Tags: Google Inc., Google Android, MID, Financial Accounting, Finance, Garett Rogers

The guys at VentureBeat succeeded (after only a couple hours) in getting Google’s Android operating system to work on an Asus EEEPC 1000H. During their experiment, they stumbled across some interesting tidbits in the code that pretty much spills the beans on Google’s plan for Android on “mobile internet devices” or MID’s. MID is what Intel calls devices like the netbook which was used in this experiment. Read the entire article about their experiment here.

[image from VentureBeat]

If Google gets this right, the possibilities are tremendous. Currently Google plans to use 30% of the revenue generated from sales of Android applications to pay carriers and billing settlement fees. Think about it though — that 30% only makes sense if we’re talking about mobile devices on a wireless network. I’d suspect that the 30% rake will still exist when Android makes its way into netbooks — and in that case, Google would be the sole recipient of the money. Imagine if Google was able to make 30% on all software sold for their operating system — that should make investors happy. Perhaps this is precisely what Ballmer failed to understand when he said:

I don’t really understand their (money making) strategy. Maybe somebody else does. If I went to my shareholder meeting, my analyst meeting, and said, ‘hey, we’ve just launched a new product that has no revenue model!’…I’m not sure that my investors would take that very well. But that’s kind of what Google’s telling their investors about Android.

Depending on how far down the road Google’s announcement of Android for netbooks is, perhaps the Android Development Challenge II will actually be aimed towards the development of applications designed for larger clients like these?

I’m definitely going to be keeping my eye on this one!

December 8th, 2008

Get an unlocked Android phone for $399, legally

Posted by Garett Rogers @ 6:39 am

Categories: Google Phone

Tags: Phone, Telecom & Utilities, Garett Rogers

If you are a registered developer for Android, you are now able to purchase an unlocked phone that will accept any SIM card. The phone is meant for developers, but will also work for people who aren’t on T-Mobile or are in another country.

On the downside, if you live in another country, the shipping charges are ridiculous. For example, to get one shipped to Canada, you can tack on another $264.49 — they claim the cost is justified though.

For Orders shipping outside the US, shipping pricing includes cost of shipping service and the applicable customs, duties, import and country specific other fees.

The phone itself has some decent features — however, it does lack GPS. That’s too bad, because some of the most interesting applications have functionality that requires your exact location. Here’s a list of features:

• Touch screen
• Trackball
• 3.2 Megapixel camera with auto focus
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth v2.0
• Handsfree profile v1.5
• Headset profile v1.0
• 3G WCDMA (1700/2100 MHz)
• Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• QWERTY slider keyboard
• Includes 1GB MicroSD card (Can be replaced with up to 16GB card)
• Included in the box
• HTC Android Dev Phone 1
• USB Cable
• AC Adapter (with US plug)
• Stereo Hands-Free Headset
• Battery
• Getting Starting Guide
• 1G Micro SD Card (inserted into Device)

Are you going to be adding this to your credit card statement this month? Or can you wait for your carrier to have Android phones?

November 8th, 2008

Microsoft is falling behind in mobile

Posted by Garett Rogers @ 1:42 pm

Categories: Google, Google Phone, Microsoft

Tags: Apple iPhone, Google Inc., Microsoft Windows Mobile, Mobile, Operating System, Microsoft Corp., iPhone App Store, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Advertising & Promotion

Steve Ballmer is quick to say that Google’s new Android operating system is nothing to worry about, and that he doesn’t get their business model — but when was the last time you heard anything interesting about Windows Mobile?

“This is [Google's] first phone, they’re not easy. Let’s see how they do.” … “[Google] can hire smart guys, hire smart people, blah-de-blah-de-blah. … I don’t really understand their strategy, maybe somebody else does. … Turning up to an investor meeting saying, ‘We’ve just launched a mobile operating system with no revenue model, yay!’ — I wouldn’t do that. … I don’t get the business model.”

Google has been working hard on Android, and in many ways, they are the open source alternative to iPhone. Even Blackberry is stepping up to the plate with their new touch screen device. All three of these operating systems are taking trending towards self-serve, hosted application directories that really get developers excited about building applications. The iPhone App Store has been a huge success — some applications like Trism have brought instant riches to its developer (a quarter million in just 2 months). Google’s market place, and the App Center from Research In Motion are sure to be just as attractive to developers.

What about Microsoft? Windows Mobile 6, which technically has lots of the same potential, looks ancient and feels clunky compared to its modern counterparts. The lack of the “cool factor” for Windows Mobile could quickly become a problem for Microsoft.

There are two types of operating systems for smart devices — proprietary ones like iPhone and Blackberry, and ones designed for the mass market like Windows Mobile and Android.

Proprietary operating systems will continue to exist, as long as devices that support them are cooler than other devices — Apple and Research In Motion should be around for a long time due to their brand. On the other hand, operating systems designed for the mass market are going to be successful only if they can be sexy to manufacturers and carriers — and that’s why Microsoft might start seeing problems if they aren’t careful.

Android is free to license — that means device makers can cut costs on every device they make. That’s going to be increasingly important in these economically challenging times.

Do you think Microsoft is falling behind in mobile? Let’s hear what you think in the TalkBack!

August 28th, 2008

First images of Google-powered HTC Dream

Posted by Garett Rogers @ 7:00 am

Categories: Google Phone

Tags: Google Inc., High Tech Computer Corp., Bluetooth, Digital Media, Digital Video, Cellular Phones, Digital Music, Wi-Fi, Wireless, Consumer Electronics

It was rumored that the HTC G1 (Dream) would be the first Google powered phone on the market, and if everything pans out, those rumors will end up being true with a launch date sooner than later. Android Guys have the first mock-up drawings of the Dream, and it’s clearly Google powered — the back of the phone says “with Google”.

[image from Android Guys]

The image shows a fairly basic looking phone that has a sliding screen that reveals a full qwerty keyboard. It’s also got some pretty decent specs:

• 528Mhz Qualcomm 7201 processor
• Data kit for USB connectivity in the box
• 64MB Internal RAM
• 128MB Internal ROM
• 1GB MicroSD card
• 5 Row QWERTY keypad
• Trackball
• Dedicated camera button
• 3.1MP camera (no flash) 2048 x 1536
• Video playback files - H.264, streaming, 3GPP, MPEG4, and Codec 3GP
• Dedicated YouTube Player
• Audio playback files - MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, MPEG4, WAV, MIDI, REAL AUDIO, OGG
• Wallpaper supports JPG, BMP, PNG, and GIF
• Speakerphone (mono, natch)
• Ringtones (MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA)
• HTTP, WAP Push, xHTML
• Bluetooth (class 1)
• Picture Caller ID
• SMS and MMS support (Take that Apple!)
• POP, IMAP, and SMTP, AOL, and GMAIL email
• AIM, MSN, YAHOO, and GTALK messaging
• Quad Band (850, 900, 1800, 1900)
• 3G
• 802.11b & 802.11g
• UMTS (1,4), HSDPA, SUPL
• 1150mAh battery
• Screen size is 3.17″ with HVGA (480 x 320)
• Handset 117 x 55 x 16mm
• 5.6 oz weight
• Sync capable with Google Calendar
• Downloadable content via Android Marketplace
• Google Streetview with built-in compass

We can probably subtract GTalk messaging from the list of features though — that has been officially scrapped for security reasons. There’s no word on when this API will be re-introduced, but certainly they will do their best to make it available to developers sooner than later.

Bluetooth functionality will be limited to things like headsets in the first version of the Android SDK. That means developers will not be able to create their own Bluetooth enabled applications any longer. The reason? Mostly because the API was incomplete, and would have shipped broken if it was included in version 1.0. Google has every intention of re-including this, but they are going to make sure they have it right before it’s added.

Still no official word on when the HTC G1 (Dream) will be launched — but it shouldn’t be long now. Will you get it?

August 19th, 2008

New Android SDK finally given to developers

Posted by Garett Rogers @ 9:56 pm

Categories: Google Phone, Usability

Tags: Developer, SDK, Garett Rogers

It’s been a long time since a new Android SDK has been publicly released to developers — the last one was made available only to contest winners which made some developers feel less than appreciated. This comes right after the FCC approved the first Android handset expected to be released very soon by HTC.

The new SDK comes with a brand new interface that I think addresses a lot of the problems older versions had — it’s a lot simpler, and most things make sense, or are easy to figure out. The previous version was filled with usability problems that made the device pretty much useless.

If you are interested in trying out the device before buying your own, do the following steps:

1) Download the SDK
2) Unzip into a directory on your computer
3) Open the “Tools” directory
4) Double-click on the “emulator.exe” application

A simulator will open up that lets you play with the operating system — mind you, there’s not a whole lot you can do with it until there is some kind of way to find and install applications from some sort of application directory.

This release, according to Google, is very close to what the final one will look like — the only thing left, likely, is finding and fixing bugs and security problems. What do you think of the new interface?

August 14th, 2008

First Android phone on September 17th?

Posted by Garett Rogers @ 10:26 pm

Categories: Google, Google Phone

Tags: Google Inc., High Tech Computer Corp., Phone, T-Mobile, Data Plan, Telecom & Utilities, 3G, Branding, Cellular Phones, Consumer Electronics

The Android project has been filled with rumor and speculation — and it continues. It sounds like the first handsets featuring Google Android will be available on September 17th for existing T-Mobile customers. There is no official word that confirms or denies this, but apparently the sources are credible.

The first “Android phone” exists. It’s a HTC phone and it appears to already be in the “first series” phase as it is being distributed now among selected employees/managers at HTC, T-Mobile and 3rd parties. Various organizational activities, including marketing and training of employees, have started. — Venture Beat

If true, the price sounds a bit scary — $150 if you pick it up during the presale (that’s the September 17th launch), or $399 otherwise (sometime in October). If the price isn’t enough to scare you, it sounds like the data plan will be more expensive than current ones available through T-Mobile currently too.

Being 3G enabled, the HTC manufactured G1 will unfortunately require its own data plan from T-mobile, which we expect to be more expensive then current data plans. Interestingly enough (maybe not so much knowing Google) users will be required to have a Google Gmail account for the phone to work.

It’s going to be a battle of brands — Google vs. Apple. Which company can leverage their brand to influence buyers? My guess is that Apple will take the cake, but Google has surprised me before. What do you think?

July 19th, 2008

Android losing its mojo fast

Posted by Garett Rogers @ 8:31 am

Categories: Google Phone

Tags: Google Inc., ADC Telecommunications Inc., SDK, Garett Rogers

Android started off being a great idea, from a great company, with lots of support from carriers and manufacturers, and an awesome $10million contest to get developers drooling. With some stiff competition from Apple, and loss of developer morale, I’m afraid of what the future might hold for this platform.

The new Apple iPhone 3G is awesome — but more specifically, the App Store is what might be giving Google a run for its money. The quantity and quality of applications available through the store appear to be fairly healthy, whereas the applications being developed for Android were probably all created by people looking to make some quick cash from the contest — which may have impacted the quality of submissions. There is no word on how many “good” applications were submitted in the Android contest, but if the top 50 winners list[pdf] is an indication, I’d say there’s a better chance of an application being “average” than anything else.

ADC Entrants,

We’re pleased to announce that SDK build 84853 is now available on your private download site. This will be the last build released for ADC Round 2 and is the build that you will need to submit your final application under.

In addition, the final ADC deadline has been extended to Tuesday, August 5. This is the final ADC deadline.

Thanks!
Android Developer Challenge Team

This letter was supposed to end up going to those 50 people — it clearly mentions that there is a private download area where only the winners can download the latest SDK to code against. Unfortunately, it was sent to everyone who submitted an application. In case Google forgot, there are lots of Android developers besides those 50 that won the contest, and would appreciate new versions of the SDK. developerMorale -= 1.

The concept behind Android was that it was an “Open Platform”, however Google’s own actions are challenging their vision. XMPP, an open protocol that Google used to support in earlier versions of the SDK has been completely replaced by Gtalk. This means that all XMPP traffic must go through Google’s servers — so much for choice. developerMorale -= 1.

[Android] is now becoming just a Google platform for mobile, as forcing Gtalk on developers has a chain effect of enforcing Google ID’s on users and all communication to pass through Google servers. — TechCrunchIT

I’m skeptical that Android will give the iPhone a run for its money — what do you think?

February 13th, 2008

Introducing the newly designed Android OS

Posted by Garett Rogers @ 7:41 pm

Categories: Google Phone

Tags: Operating System, YouTube Inc., Video, Photograph, Corporate Communications, Operating Systems, Marketing, Software, Garett Rogers

Google just released the new Android SDK which includes a new interface for the operating system. I took some screenshots and put them together in this gallery for you, and uploaded a screen cast video to YouTube. My first impression of the new system isn’t particularly great, but like they said, it’s still a work in progress — and I’m still hopeful.

Click here to see the photo gallery

As you can see from the gallery, it’s quite different from the previous version. Unfortunately, I think it might have been a step in the wrong direction, but I’m positive it will go through another iteration before the final release. That said, it might just be me — maybe I am expecting too much?

Besides the look of the new operating system, it also feels clunky to me. Booting the phone can take close to two minutes, and basic navigation feels unresponsive.

I really have been trying to think of something I like about the current UI, but I can’t. Menus are being used when there should be on-screen buttons (especially in the dialer and contact manager), and the main menu system feels awkward.

Click here to watch my Android demo video (you will have to use your imagination — YouTube stretched the screen a bit).

February 11th, 2008

Android at WMC from a developer's perspective

Posted by Garett Rogers @ 4:05 pm

Categories: Google Phone

Tags: Developer, Operating System, Barcelona, Engadget, Photograph, Android, Scanners, Spyware, Adware & Malware, Operating Systems, Viruses And Worms

Android is building momentum at the Mobile World Congress ‘08 in Barcelona this week. Companies like Texas Instruments have been showing off prototypes running the Android operating system — and by the sounds of it, people can’t get enough. Engadget has some early pictures of what attendees are seeing.

click here to see a photo gallery

The operating system itself still feels very beta, but that could change with the new version of the SDK due out any time now. It sounds like the user interface will probably even look different than the one being shown off in Barcelona at MWC.

As far as development goes, the API is relatively difficult to work with, especially with it’s sub-par documentation and a lack of really good examples. Russell Shaw thinks that “sucky code” will be a pain in Google’s side, and I agree to a point. With a system that’s completely open to 3rd party developers and poor documentation (at least for now), “sucky code” could very well plague the new operating system out of the gate.

The reason I don’t think it’s a huge deal is because, for the most part, people will take what comes on their phone and not stray too far from there. However, as 3rd party applications become widely available and accessible, it’s not unreasonable to think that malware could eventually become a problem. Considering this, a virus/adware scanner for Android could win a big prize in the Android Development Contest if you are looking for a project to tackle.

November 12th, 2007

Google launches Android SDK and $10 million contest

Posted by Garett Rogers @ 12:32 pm

Categories: Google Phone

Tags: Google Inc., Application, SDK, Keyboards, Hardware, Peripherals, Garett Rogers

Google’s Android SDK was launched today — and along with it is a contest worth $10 million dollars that will be spread around to the winners. I will be taking part as a developer, and I hope that many of my readers will too. The idea of a contest is exactly what Google needed to do in order to get developers excited about the new platform.

The “Android Demo” video (which seems like a really cheesy infomercial) features Sergey Brin and Steve Horowitz talking about and showing off a prototype using some of the basic functionality of Android. Two devices were shown, one with keypad based navigation and another with a touch screen like the iPhone. It appears that the new operating system will require quite a bit of horsepower to take advantage some of the more advanced features.

The Android interface, in my opinion, isn’t even close to as advanced as the iPhone, but for the first shot it’s pretty darn good. Now we will have to see what kind of applications will be built on the platform using the newly released SDK.

So how does the contest work? Well, the 50 most promising applications will be initially given $25,000 to continue development on March 3rd. After this stage, those 50 applications will be narrowed down to twenty where half are given $100,000 and the other half will receive $275,000. Not too shabby if you ask me — some of the most interesting applications will likely be simple and not require much time to develop.

If you have any ideas for a mobile application that uses Android, but you don’t have any experience making applications, let me know! If I choose yours and it wins, I will gladly share the prize money.