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Developers to get Better Protection from Google

July 30th, 2010

It seems that Google is looking after the Android community. In the recent months, many developers have aired their complaints and issues with the lack of security in the Android marketplace. Apparently, many are losing their apps to people who share and download content illegally. This means lost revenues for many developers and sadly, this is one of the reasons why a developer would still choose to work for the more restrictive Apple iTunes store despite Google’s more open environment.

Eric Chu of Google’s Android is aware of the issue and has announced that the Android market now has better security for the developers who contribute their works to the mobile platform. They have released a new licensing service, Market browsing enhancements (allowing users to easily access apps made for specific versions of the OS, such as apps for the Android 1.5 Cupcake) and most importantly, a method for the market to assess the license status for every user accessing the system.

While Google has not released any details on how the new licensing system actually works, it has been revealed that the system works in a real time basis –constantly checking users whenever they log into the Android market.

This level of security is pretty much on par with that the Apple iTunes store offers. However it has yet to be seen in action so we will have to reserve our judgment for later.

In other Android smart phone news, it appears that the Android 2.2. Froyo update has been leaked prematurely for the Samsung Galaxy S. Since this is an unofficial release, the update is not yet complete -though it is fully functional. According to Galaxy S owners who have braved the risk of trying out an update to the system firmware, the Froyo update is indeed as fast and efficient as Google claimed it to be.

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Nexus One No Longer Available on Google Online Store

July 22nd, 2010

The Google Nexus One has been taken off the online store –actually, the entire Google online store has been shut down. It is the same thing either way, as the only product available on Google’s online store is their self branded Android handset.

According to the developers of the world famous search engine, they made the Nexus One for a very specific purpose, and in that regard, the smart phone is a success. But the company has no plans to keep selling the handset indefinitely and has finally decided to pull the plug on the online store.

Of course, the Nexus One is still available through other means. Vodafone UK is still offering the impressive Android smart phone on various plans and tariffs. In the meanwhile developers who were not able to snag a unit earlier this year will still have a change to get the device straight from Google –the developer exclusive channels are going to remain open. This means that the Nexus One will still serve a very important purpose in the development of the Android operating system.

While Google has directly announced that they have no intentions of working on or releasing a Nexus Two smart phone, no one can say if the company will stop working on actual smart phones altogether. As long as the industry’s technology keeps evolving, so will the Android operating system –and Google will eventually have to come up with a technologically superior handset to serve as part of their new developer’s tools.

For those who missed out on the details of the Google phone, this device was actually manufactured by Taiwan based phone maker, HTC. It also shares many similar hardware features with the Desire, an HTC made Android handset. Both devices use a 5 mega pixel camera, a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and both phones have 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen displays.

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Q3 Launch for HTC Desire’s Android 2.2 Update

July 1st, 2010

A general wave of disappointment has just washed over the many Android smart phone owners. These are the first series of announcements regarding delays in update releases. The first mobile phone to take the brunt of the wave is the HTC Desire. Despite the fact that many expected a Froyo patch for the Desire to be available by now, it seems that Google is still delaying the launch and has announced that the update for the Android device will not appear until later this Q3.

The Desire is not the only smart phone affected. Other HTC Android 2.1 smart phones are expected to get updates around August this year.

The reason why there is so much fuss about the Desire’s delayed update is that many consider it the benchmark for other non-Google branded Android smart phones; that is if the Desire is getting an update, then updates for other devices will surely follow soon.

For now, only the Google Nexus One has the update for the new Android Froyo. The reason for the delays has not been explained by either HTC or Google, but many believe that they are simply biding their time. Google has had no qualms releasing updates with compatibility issues (a constant problem for the Android as there is a wide variety of phones that use the OS), so there really is no reason to hold back on the launch date.

Another reason why the Desire is a very important phone for many is because it practically serves as a non-Google substitute to the Nexus One. And considering that HTC manufactured both devices, the Desire is a pretty good choice too. The specs are even the same. Both phones have 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen displays, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor and a 5 mega pixel snapper.

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Flash Available but No Devices are Compatible

June 25th, 2010

It seems that in all of Adobe’s excitement in releasing the new mobile version of the Flash Player, they have forgotten that there is only one smart phone that makes use of the new feature –and as it is, the number of Google Nexus One owners is just a very small fraction of the Android community.

Still, it is a big step for the web format developer in their quest to show critics and the market that Flash is still a widely used web format. And they are right. While Adobe also recognizes the need for HTML5 development and they also support the new media (Adobe has confirmed that they are currently working on HTML5 development software), Flash is still a well accepted medium.

Anyway, the launch of the Flash Player 10.1 is still big news. So far, none of the existing mobile phones are compatible with it simply because Google’s launch of Android 2.2 Froyo is still not applicable for a vast majority of Android devices.

And that is an issue that Google needs to fix as soon as possible. While it has been confirmed that the HTC Desire will be getting a 2.2 update in the next few days, there are plenty of other impressive Android handsets that have yet to taste the power and versatility of the new Android version.

According to the original announcements, Android 2.2 features a whole host of new features such as tethering and support for turning a handset into a WiFi router. Froyo also improves existing Android performance by boosting the performance speed up to two times faster and the browsing speed up to three times faster.

Naturally, the new Flash Player support is considered to be the main attraction of the new OS, and once it is available for other smart phones; many mobile users will be able to enjoy Flash content on the go.

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Vlingo Now Available for the Android

June 7th, 2010

Fans of the old BlackBerry Vlingo app will be happy to know that the software is now heading to the Android Market. This impressive little gadget will give you full hands free operation –well mostly, by reading out content to you as you handle more important things such as paying attention to the road while driving.

The Vlingo app’s function is quite simple; it will give you text-to-speech capability in plenty of functions. This is most useful when you need to check that latest email or text message but cannot afford to spend the time looking at your phone the whole time. As long as you are wearing a headset (or simply in a location where you can hear your phone well), you will not have any problems.

Not that Vlingo will not function when used with the speaker phone (most handsets have one anyway), but this is certainly not recommended if you are in a public location where other people may be able to overhear the contents of the messages that are being sent. After all, the last thing you want your colleagues in the office to hear is what the latest insider tips you are receiving. And this is why it is recommended to make use of a headset.

Privacy issues aside (which can be easily remedied anyway), the Vlingo app is immensely useful if not somewhat of a novelty function for some. It is pretty much expected that not everyone will need to have map data being read out to them (and Google already provides free voice guided sat nav), but there are certainly plenty of people who will find good use for Vlingo –many BlackBerry users did after all.

This paid app is already available for download at the Android market and is a well recommended download for people who are often on the go.

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OS Selection: Comparing the Google Android with the Apple iPhone

June 4th, 2010

The choice of OS between the Apple iPhone and the Google Android is as much as selection about which mobile phone to purchase as it is about which operating systems fits your needs best. This is mostly because Apple fully controls the use of the iPhone operating system whereas the Android is used in a wide variety of smart phones from different developers. This is why choosing between the two is not quite the same as choosing between the Android and the Symbian OS.

First off, the Apple iPhone promises users a consistent degree of performance. While the Android is known to suffer from varying compatibility issues (mostly due to the hardware differences of the various handsets that use the OS), the Apple iPhone is consistent and reliable. While the hardware of the iPhone is lower than the average modern day Android device, this level uniformity in performance means that Apple’s OS is still able to deliver speed and system stability that is comparable with newer and faster devices.

In terms of Apps, Apple has the larger library. The Android Market is still relatively new and is still growing. In terms of actual content however, the Android brings more to the table. While the iTunes App store is full of redundant applications, the Android market delivers more in terms of actual diversity of functions. This is expected to increase as more and more developers create apps for the Android OS.

Also, the Android supports Flash (well, as of version 2.2 that is), and pretty soon, most smart phones will be updated to the new OS. Google has also confirmed that version 3.0 Gingerbread will also have support for HTML5 –leaving the Apple iPhone behind in terms of web format compatibility.

Overall, the Apple iPhone is a good choice for anyone who is not too picky about additional functions and simply needs a basic reliable smart phone. But for those who want full functionality and support for web formats, as well as tolerate the occasional app instability problems, then the Android makes for the perfect OS.

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Will the World Prosecute Google?

May 24th, 2010

Google is the largest and fastest search engine in the world. Since the rise of Google to success, the company has expanded to include more and more services ranging from Gmail, Google Docs, Maps, Street View, Translate and more.

In their efforts to bring in more services and features, there have been times when people witnessed that the company can become a little too eager –such as the case with Google Buzz where the hasty implementation of the social networking feature and the haphazard way it was tied up to existing Gmail accounts caused many to wonder if the company is losing its touch.

Recently, the Google Street Car became a familiar sight in the UK and many neighboring countries as Google pursued its Street View service implementation. The service provided users with a 360 degree view of all the major streets in the major cities of the world. This data, when combined with GPS technology, provided a unique navigational tool that was very useful for its use of actual images and also provided people with a way to visit distant cities from the comfort of their computers –small business also benefited from the extended exposure of their stores as well.

However, not all has been good. While the street car was taking images, it was also running a program that Google had already scrapped –the mapping of WiFi networks. The street car had been making a log of unsecured WiFi networks and has also managed to capture bits of data. Google CEO Eric Schmidt has already admitted to the problem and has stated that Google is doing everything in its power to delete the 600 GB of information.

Various countries such as Germany and Spain are already investing the data on Google. UK and Ireland on the other hand, have accepted Google’s decision to destroy the data –the action was monitored by a third party to ensure the accuracy of reports.

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Nexus One Finally Out of the Online Store

May 18th, 2010

It is a commonly accepted fact that the main reason as to why the sale of Google’s Nexus One smart phone failed was due to the fact that the handset was being exclusively sold in the Google online store. The UK release of the device was much better since it has been confirmed that Vodafone UK will be selling the handset directly from their stores. Seeing the large potential of the move, Andy Rubin and the folks at Google decided to take the same approach in the US as well.

Below is Andy’s official post:

“We launched Nexus One in January with two goals in mind: to introduce a beacon of innovation among Android handsets, and to make it quick and easy for people to buy an Android phone. We’re very happy with the adoption of Android in general, and the innovation delivered through Nexus One. Already, a lot of the innovation that went into creating Nexus One has found its way into numerous Android handsets, like the HTC Evo 4G from Sprint and the Verizon Droid Incredible by HTC”.

“But, as with every innovation, some parts worked better than others. While the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the web store has not. It’s remained a niche channel for early adopters, but it’s clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to chose from.”

“As we make Nexus One available in more countries we’ll follow the same model we’ve adopted in Europe, where we’re working with partners to offer Nexus One to consumers through existing retail channels. We’ll shift to a similar model globally.”

“Once we have increased the availability of Nexus One devices in stores, we’ll stop selling handsets via the web store, and will instead use it as an online store window to showcase a variety of Android phones available globally.”

“Innovation requires constant iteration. We believe that the changes we’re announcing today will help get more phones to more people quicker, which is good for the entire Android ecosystem: users, partners and also Google.”

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Google Nexus One to Launch under Vodafone

March 2nd, 2010

Not exactly new, but it is good to hear it again: Vodafone will be offering the Nexus One Android smart phone to its clients this coming April when the UK mobile network operator finally gets to launch the device.

The only drawback in all the good news is the fact that Google will still be restricting access the Nexus One. As most of you are already aware. The Google phone is only available through the online store. It’s a major drag since most people would prefer to be able to get their smart phones over the counter.

Having a UK operator subsidize the device does change things in terms of price costs, but if the device will still be shipped from the US instead of from a location from within the UK, this will still be the same problem that we have had since the device first came out last January.

The Nexus One is a pretty impressive device, and that is why we were hoping that the Vodafone release would change things. For one, it runs on a 1GHz Snapdragon processor –it beat the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 for the position of first Android Snapdragon. The CPU will ensure fast speeds with loading and running features. The 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen gives accurate control and excellent visuals.

Lastly, the 5 mega pixel camera will allow users to take high quality images and videos. The phone also comes with enhanced noise reduction, a speech recognition system that is able to convert speech to text as well as use voice input queries. A new patch for the device has also been released earlier. It addresses the early 3G problems that plagued the smart phone as well as a few other bugs.

Get to know more about the Nexus One at the Telegraph UK.

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Daily Sadness: Google Execs Convicted in Italy

February 25th, 2010

GoogleYou do not prosecute a mailman for delivering hate mail.

In a surprising twist, the courts of Italy have convicted the heads of Google Italy for “allowing” the invasion of privacy of a 17 year old boy with Down syndrome.

The events are as follows, a video of the 17 year old boy being bullied was uploaded into the Google Video service. After two months, the uploaded video was quickly brought to the attention of a pressure group which appealed to Google regarding the removal of the content. Within 24 hours, the video was removed by Google. The four bullies in the video were identified and police have sentenced the culprits to community service in a juvenile court.

The prosecution however, did not stop there. Google’s executives were held accountable for allowing the content to be uploaded. This was unfounded and many believed that the charges would not hold. After all, there is no way for Google to filter all the content that is being uploaded into their servers.

Google had cooperated with police authorities on all levels in order to bring a good resolution to the event; the further prosecution of Google’s employees is an obvious ploy in order to earn the prosecution more money.

This case leaves sites such as YouTube, Blogger and other user content sites vulnerable to similar attacks. If a court can consider the site owners responsible for the content uploaded by thousands of users, it speaks much for the injustice that is being done to honest people who are simply trying to offer a decent service which got abused.

In a statement by Google: “We feel that bringing this case to court is totally wrong. It’s akin to prosecuting mail service employees for hate speech letters sent in the post.”

We agree.

Read more about the Google case in Italy at the Guardian UK.

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