Android – Meet the new kid on the block!
Google had captured the headlines once again when it announced its plans for Android, the new operating system for mobile phones. The company has already carved a niche for itself by doing things the “Google” way. The dominance of Google in the search engine fraternity is quite well pronounced and Google apps have already hit the internet by a storm. Probably, an unexplored avenue, Andriod is Google’s answer to the next generation of mobile computing.
The core of Andriod comprises of an operating system, key applications, add-ons and plugins as well as middleware. So it basically forms a complete software stack for mobile devices. It is build upon the open Linux Kernel and adds a custom virtual machine to it, that facilitates optimization of hardware and memory resources. This additionally makes Android an “open” development framework in its true sense. The direct advantage that Android promises is extensibility, and the architecture can be extended to accomodate any future technologies as they continue to emerge.
As an example, a developer writing a new app for the Android can directly invoke any of the phone’s core functionalities. Whether it is making calls, sending text messages, navigating through the underlying file system or using the camera, the rich set of APIs in the SDK will provide the developers with a very cohesive development experience.
The icing on the cake is that Android is open source. Developers can download the Andriod SDK and start developing custom software or plugins for devices that support the Andriod framework. Already, a huge number of applications have already gained popularity in the Android market, including our very own FileDroid.
Are you thinking about the competition from the existing mobile market? Well, for a quick take on that, we have to simply wait and watch. Android can be called the new kid on the block and it is likely to face tough competition from iPhone, Palm Pre, Windows Mobile and Symbian. The open handset alliance, owned by the company, has already 34 companies as its mutual members which include several handset manufacturers, mobile operators and chipmakers. An interesting observation however is the fact that the first launch of Android on HTC was not a grand success. I must say here, that when a new product rolls out into the market, and something that is as complex as an operating system, it has to go through a substantial amount of fixes and updates before being declared stable for all devices. I guess that is what the Android is going through right now. However, it is too early to draw a conclusion about either success or failure of Android. I think Android can get very popular, it just needs good hardware. The G1 doesnt do justice to the Android OS.
A liitle bit of Google is in all our lives, isint it? We have to wait for that little bit to get into our mobiles!
One response to "Android – Meet the new kid on the block!"
Well when Radio was launched, it was a dud and they said it would never take over printed press. They said the same about TV when it came out that it would never kill radio. Just wait a few years and Android should dominate the mobile market!