A closer look at what Google’s Android

Now that Google and its partners in the Open Handset Alliance have unveiled their open source Android platform for mobile devices, many may be wondering just how this will change the mobile phone industry. In this FAQ, we examine Android’s potential to deliver high-quality mobile Internet, as well as to open up other mobile carriers’ operating platforms.

I thought Google was supposed to unveil the GPhone today. What happened with that?

At the moment, Google is not releasing any mobile devices on its own. Rather, it has collaborated with several technology and wireless companies to develop Android, an open source platform that can be used by any third-party developers to create applications for mobile devices. Although Andy Rubin, Google’s director of mobile platforms, won’t comment on the company’s future plans to create a mobile phone of its own, he does note that if you were to build a GPhone, you’d build it out of this [Android] platform.

So what is the Android platform?

Android is a Linux-based open platform for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and some key mobile applications. The idea behind the platform, says Google, is to spur innovation in developing mobile applications that will give users the same experience surfing the Web on their phone as they currently have on their desktop computers.

Who is helping Google out with this project?

Thirty-three companies have banded together with Google to form a consortium known as the Open Handset Alliance [OHA], whose stated goal is to foster innovation on mobile devices and give consumers a far better user experience than much of what is available on today’s mobile platforms. The OHA features several major industry players, including Qualcomm, HTC, eBay, Samsung, Motorola, Intel, China Mobile, T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel.

When will the Android platform become available for adoption, and when can we expect to see some Android-powered devices?

Android will become available for developers and manufacturers starting next week, on Nov. 12, and there are several companies lined up to make devices and applications for the platform. HTC CEO Peter Chou, for instance, says his company plans to release its first Android-powered mobile phone in the second half of 2008, with more devices to come. Additionally, Deutsche Telekom CEO René Olbermann says T-Mobile plans to use Android to launch robust wireless Internet and Web 2.0 services for T-Mobile customers in the U.S. and Europe in 2008. Meanwhile, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs says his company is developing chipsets for the platform that integrate such tools and applications as mobile television, Wi-Fi and GPS.

What implications does this have for the wireless device market?

Because Android is an open source platform, it will allow users to connect to any network they choose, and will also let them add whatever applications they want. Van Baker, a research vice president at Gartner, says if the platform is successful and becomes widely adopted, it could pressure the major carriers to loosen their grip on their wireless devices. Thus, he says, companies such as Verizon might think twice before they disable Bluetooth on their handsets if they know their customers can easily switch to another carrier that will allow them to do as they please.

Dylan Schiemann, the CEO of Web-applications developer SitePath, also thinks that Android could go a long way toward prodding the carriers to open their devices to more third-party applications.

The mobile carriers always want to control everything, but they’re showing signs of backing off on that, he says. Carriers have enjoyed a long period where they’ve controlled what you put on a phone, and where they’ve charged you for what you put on your phone. If the Android platform works, it could change that dynamic.

While AT&T has yet to publicly comment on the Android announcement, Verizon has given it a warm reception. Jeffery Nelson, Verizon’s executive director of corporate communications, says Verizon welcomes the support of Google, handset makers and others for our goal of providing more open development of applications on mobile handsets and that the highly-competitive wireless industry is demonstrating that neither legislation nor regulation is required to produce innovation.

How does Google benefit from this platform?

Since Google makes most of its money from its AdSense ad distribution network, it has an interest in giving mobile phone users broad access to the Web. If more people have access to Google on both their desktops and mobile devices, then advertisers will pay them more for their ad space.

Does this mean that Android-enabled mobile devices will be inundated with ads?

According to Google, no. Ads on mobile devices will appear just as they do on standard desktop Web browsers, the company says.

Will handset manufacturers who have joined the Open Handset Alliance now only develop devices based on the Android platform?

No. Handset manufacturers remain free to install other operating systems on their phones. Both HTC CEO Chou and Motorola CEO Ed Zander say their companies still plan to make devices that employ a wide array of operating systems.

Carriers such as AT&T and Verizon have often been opposed to using open source platforms on their mobile devices that let consumers use any software or application they choose. Why have Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile taken a different attitude and joined this alliance?

According to Baker, it’s all about relative market share. Because AT&T and Verizon are America’s two largest carriers, they strongly benefit from having closed platforms that give them control of what their users can and cannot use. As relatively smaller carriers, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile could use the publicity they get from supporting the Android platform to pick off customers from the two bigger carriers, Baker says. Of course, one risk of supporting the open source platform is that users of Android-enabled phones won’t have to connect through T-Mobile or Sprint Nextel, and could easily choose to go with their competitors if they found their service preferable.

Morgan Gillis, executive director of the LiMO Foundation, a group of mobile phone manufacturers that promote the creation of a Linux-based open mobile communication device software platform, says in addition to gaining publicity from working with the Open Handset Alliance, T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel might simply see the adoption of open source platforms as inevitable.

I imagine they’re looking at a future in which the walled gardens have been dissolved, he says. They’re embracing a reality that’s coming up fast now, and it’s better to embrace the future rather than deny that it’s happening.
Source :
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/110507-faq-google-android.html?page=1
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/110507-faq-google-android.html?page=2

Google to unveil 'Android' phone software

Google is ready to unveil a suite of software for mobile phones based on open-source technology, backed by some of the largest wireless industry companies in the world.

The company is expected to hold a press conference on Monday to unveil the project, which is expected to incorporate software from the Linux world into a mobile platform code-named Android that's designed to run on phones, according to sources familiar with Google's plans. A software development kit for what's being called "a complete mobile-phone software stack" is believed to be in the works and will be released relatively soon thereafter, the sources said. It's not exactly clear what kind of software will come as part of that stack, but it's said to include everything you need to run a phone.

Japanese wireless carriers KDDI and NTT DoCoMo are said to be heavily involved in what will be called the Open Handset Alliance, according to other sources. The rest of the more than 30 other companies involved reads like a who's-who list of the mobile-computing industry, including Qualcomm, Broadcom, HTC, Intel, Samsung, Motorola, Sprint, and Texas Instruments.

Don't expect to see a Google phone, or Gphone, on store shelves anytime soon. And in such a large project with so many different players, plans and some details could still change over the weekend. It's unclear when the final version will be released. Google has repeatedly declined to talk about the Gphone or confirm the Monday event.

Persistent rumors of Google's interest in the mobile-phone market have captivated Silicon Valley and the wireless industry for months. The company's interest appears to be simple: there are more than a billion mobile phones in the world, and sales show no signs of slowing down.

Over time, these mobile phones are going to become more and more sophisticated, and the race to develop a truly mobile computer is wide open. Google has the engineering talent to make a concerted push into this area while keeping rivals like Microsoft at bay, and it has enough resources to force the industry to take it seriously, despite its relative lack of experience in the market.

Mobile phones are just starting to move beyond the stripped-down mobile Internet and join the party with their bigger PC cousins. When they get there, they'll need search, and they'll need applications tailored to mobile phones. Those are things Google figured out how to do a long time ago.

And when you've got practically unlimited amounts of money, finding the things you don't have is somewhat easier. Android was the name of a mobile-phone software company acquired by Google in 2005 and led by Andy Rubin, the co-founder of Danger. It was never entirely clear what Android was working on, but it appears to be coming to fruition.

The open-source community appears to be contributing a lot of technology to Android. Google is expected to license Android under the Apache License, Version 2.0, according to sources.

Wind River Systems, a company that specializes in tailoring Linux for embedded devices such as network equipment and mobile phones, is likely to be a key part of the alliance, sources familiar with the effort said. The company is expected to play a role in working on a Linux foundation for Google, integrating it with specific hardware, and providing support to phone companies using the software.

A Wind River representative declined to comment Friday on any Google partnership.

Wind River previously was fond mostly of its own operating system, VxWorks, but it got Linux religion in 2003, and Linux has been a top priority for Chief Executive Ken Klein.

But Linux in mobile phones has been a tough proposition for multicompany consortia over the years. Among those that have tackled the challenge are the Linux Phone Standard (Lips) Forum, the Open Source Developer Labs, the Consumer Electronics Linux Forum (CELF), and most recently, the LiMo Foundation founded in 2006.

The Google group is separate from LiMo, but the two share many members, and a connection could be beneficial. Linux-based phone software for Google could dovetail with LiMo's work, providing mobile phone software developers with a unified software foundation.

Mobile phones can't run just any software. Battery life is paramount, and therefore software must be designed to run inside a constrained environment with limited amounts of memory and processing power at its disposal. Linux appeals to phone makers because it's modular, meaning that it's relatively easy to piece together only the technology you need, and its relatively cheap to acquire the parts.

Also, phones are complicated, at least as they compare to PCs. ARM's chip designs are at the heart of almost every mobile phone in the world, but those cores get implemented in very different ways by partners such as Samsung and Texas Instruments, and ensuring application compatibility across multiple phones is a difficult undertaking.

The key to Google's software, however, will be how it's accepted by the public. People are drawn to sleek hardware, but they spend the majority of their time working with software. That's where an attachment is formed with a computer, and that attachment is particularly strong with a device you would carry with you everywhere you go. No details were immediately available as to the look and feel of the software.

Word of the pending Google news had reached JumpTap, a competitor to Google in the mobile ads space that is not included in the announcement.

"I'm not sure if it's an industry-supported event or a Google trap" to get developers to write to Google software, said Dan Olschwang, chief executive of JumpTap. "If it is really open source and the mobile-phone manufacturers will adopt it, it will be a major industry-changing event."

Google isn't just looking to expand its ad monetization technology to new platforms, but also to shake up the telecommunications industry and its "walled garden" approach that limits what handsets, carriers, and services consumers can use, industry experts said.

"Google's stated open-source approach, or open net approach to life, is antithetical to the way cellular carriers look at the world," said Tim Hanlon, an executive vice president at Denuo, a consulting arm of advertising agency Publicis Groupe. Carriers are "loath to separate device from service. They're loath to let third-party applications play on their proprietary network."

If Google succeeds in opening up the industry it will be the biggest thing the search company has done in the last couple of years, said Stephen Arnold, author of The Google Legacy and a new book, Google Version 2.0: The Calculating Predator. "The phone companies "don't understand the business Google is in, and now they're talking to them!"

And the company could very well have a trump card to play, if it follows through on its interest in the 700MHz spectrum auction scheduled for January 2008.

Can Google really be a mobile-software developer, search engine, application house, and wireless carrier? And will people actually want to use that? We might soon find out.

News.com's Stephen Shankland and Elinor Mills contributed to this report.
http://www.news.com/8301-13579_3-9810358-37.html

Google’s big mobile splash

Google is reportedly rolling out its mobile operating system and one thing is clear: It’s going to make a big splash. The question is who will drown in Google’s wake?

The reports about Google’s Android phone software are multiplying at a rapid rate. The New York Times did a big profile of Andy Rubin, the guy behind Google’s mobile plans (you don’t think that access would have been granted if this launch wasn’t happening do you?). Rubin joined Google when the search giant bought his company–Android–in 2005. News.com’s Tom Krazit reports that Google will announce its mobile phone software stack Monday and has some detail on the 30 companies lined up as partners.

But once the details emerge the real handicapping begins. What’s the impact of Google’s mobile moves? Will Google really reshape the wireless industry? Here’s a look at some of the winners and losers and a few companies left on the fence:

Winners:

* Google: The search giant has managed to line up a big chunk of the wireless industry, cordoned off some mobile advertising inventory and may have found away to commoditize the wireless operating system. If reports are to believed Google’s operating system won’t appear until the middle of 2008. Couple Google’s Android plan with its OpenSocial movement and the search giant looks like it can rally partners with mutual interests.
* Sprint: The wireless carrier is struggling and needs a plan. By aligning with Google–by most counts Sprint will be on the partner roster–Sprint may give itself a much needed spark. This effect may be magnified if Verizon Wireless isn’t on board with Google. AT&T isn’t expected to get cozy with Google yet.
* Developers: Google’s mobile software stack is giving developers some open field to play with. I’ll be one of the many who will be curious to see what they do with it. At the very least, Google is giving developers another software development stack to tweak. This is part of Google’s new openness–moving away from proprietary software where it makes sense, meaning accelerating the growth of the Web overall, breaking down the old order and creating more inventory to monetize.
* Open source: Google’s Android is expected to integrate parts of Linux. This is a mobile victory for the open source movement in what remains a proprietary wireless world. The leading mobile software players are all proprietary.
* Handset makers: Google’s mobile software stack sounds like it’ll come cheap–like free. This fact enables handset makers to push the envelope on the hardware side of the equation. Add it up and you may get cheaper phones with more features and maybe even a cut of ad revenue.

Yet to be determined:

* Apple: A few folks have taken Google’s leap to surmise that Apple will be hurt somehow. There may be some potential impact, but there’s a cure for this line of thinking. Repeat after me: Apple sells hardware. Apple sells hardware. Apple sells hardware. Think about it. Apple’s game is selling Macs, iPods and iPhones. Sure software helps, but Apple lives and dies by hardware sales. With that perspective, Google’s mobile operating system doesn’t look like that big of a threat. Apple wasn’t planning for OS X to dominate the mobile world anyway. And if Google gets too much mojo Apple could just sell you iPhones with Google preloaded. After all, Google CEO Eric Schmidt is on Apple’s board of directors.
* Microsoft: The open source supporters and technology’s talking heads will try to lead you to believe that Windows Mobile is toast. Don’t hold your breath. Windows Mobile is entrenched, has a big footprint in the corporate world and is a key partner to wireless carriers and developers. Whatever Google cooks up isn’t likely to change that equation overnight. Just like Windows vs. Linux it’s not a zero sum game.
* Consumers: Mobile phone users will apparently get better software out of this Google move. But if the trade off is more ads on your phone it may be a wash for some.

Losers:

* Palm: Man it gets tiring kicking Palm, but it’s clear this former high flier has major problems. Wasn’t Palm trying to cook up its own Linux based operating system? Yup. It’s late to the party and looks like Google will get any momentum that may come its way. The Palm OS is rapidly becoming a footnote to the history of the wireless market.
* Wireless carriers’ current business model: Wireless carriers have a model that is extremely controlling. These companies tell you what handsets you can buy, what you download and impose limitations. Google’s software could pry the standard wireless model open. What carriers wind up in the loser category vs. yet to be determined remains to be seen. AT&T and Verizon Wireless are entrenched and aren’t going to be immediately impacted. Sprint will be a winner. In the grand scheme of things, Google is nibbling away at the standard wireless business model.
Source : http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=6873

Google Phone FAQ: Android Platform for Mobile Phones

No Google phone exists yet, but the search giant's announcement of an open platform for mobile-phone apps is a step in the right direction. So when will we see the so-called Android phones from members of the newly founded Open Handset Alliance? We'll dig into those and more of the key questions surrounding Google's phone platform in this FAQ. Be sure to check back for updates as the story evolves.

Will a Google Phone ever be made?
What has been announced so far?
So what is this Android?
When will I be able to buy a Google-powered phone?
Will other carriers such as Verizon offer Android-based phones?
How will Android phones differ from today's coolest smart phones?
Why is a Google mobile platform any better than an existing mobile OS from Palm or Microsoft?
Will service providers be able to lock down phones?
But with this "open platform" behind the phone, I'll be able to hack it and customize it anyway, right?
What will I be able to customize on an Android phone?
What kinds of applications will we see?

Will a Google Phone ever be made?


Google's chair and CEO Eric Schmidt won't officially say. But Schmidt does say that if all goes as planned, we'll likely see many "Google phones" from a variety of wireless carriers. He also says that once software developers create a mature Android OS, it would be a prime time for Google to release a gPhone.

What has been announced so far?


The release of the Android platform and the launch of the Open Handset Alliance were the two most substantive news items to come out of Monday's press conference.

So what is this Android?


Android is a Linux-based mobile software platform that Google hopes will be the operating system of mobile phones in the future. It will compete with platforms such as Apple's OS X on the iPhone, the BlackBerry OS, Microsoft's Windows Mobile, and the Palm OS.

Google announced the Android platform along with other members of the Open Handset Alliance, a group of 34 hardware and software companies plus wireless carriers committed to creating open standards for mobile devices.

The Android platform, according to OHA, is free software available under the Apache open-source license. On November 12, a software developer's kit (SDK) will release to developers. This will be the first chance for people to see an early incarnation of the OS.

When will I be able to buy a Google-powered phone?


The first Android phones are expected to be available to consumers in the second half of 2008. The most likely candidates to release Google-powered phones here in the United States are the wireless carriers--Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile--that are part of OHA.

HTC and Motorola, both members of OHA, will build phones for the Android platform. Forbes is reporting on an HTC-built OHA reference design code-named Dream featuring a touch screen that swivels to reveal a full keyboard. Apparently HTC is considering a commercial version of the phone and could release such a device as soon as the second half of 2008.

Will other carriers such as Verizon offer Android-based phones?


Don't hold your breath for Verizon and AT&T to jump on the Android bandwagon. These carriers say they are worried that the open-software standards could expose users to software attacks or security breaches.

Beyond the security issues, wireless carriers have financial considerations, too. A cell phone that allowed customers to use any mobile Web application for free could threaten the revenue of carriers that charge customers for identical applications, such as access to e-mail, games, and GPS features.

How will Android phones differ from today's coolest smart phones?


Google says Android will have a browser capable of handling any type of Web content that a desktop computer's Web browser can handle. That design opens up a treasure trove of possible browser-based services already available to PC users, including contact management, document creation, GPS direction services, and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services.

Many of these services could be implemented today but aren't, largely due to the fact that wireless carriers currently offer basic browsers that restrict users to a walled garden of services.

Why is a Google mobile platform any better than an existing mobile OS from Palm or Microsoft?


In theory, software developers will be inspired to create mobile applications for Android, for two reasons. First, an open software architecture will allow software developers more flexibility in creating features.

Second, Android will break the stranglehold that wireless carriers have on bringing new and free applications to customers. Now smaller companies will have more of an incentive to build innovative mobile applications that otherwise might not have reached consumers because the companies lacked the clout to broker deals with wireless carriers.

Will service providers be able to lock down phones?


According to the Android open license agreement, anyone can modify the OS to suit their needs--including locking it down. Conceivably a carrier could place restrictions on applications, such as VoIP services that took advantage of a mobile phone's Wi-Fi capabilities. Being able to receive and initiate calls over VoIP for free on a handset could significantly impact a wireless carrier's monthly revenue.

While Google CEO Schmidt acknowledges that locking is possible, however, he said today that it would be "unlikely" for a carrier to actually do so.

But with this "open platform" behind the phone, I'll be able to hack it and customize it anyway, right?


You've seen what has happened with the iPhone, right? With an open platform driving all Android phones, hackers should whip up something for any locked-down Android device even more easily. We'd bet that any sufficiently popular locked phones won't remain that way for long.

What will I be able to customize on an Android phone?


The Open Handset Alliance platform allows for customization down to the screen you see when you open or turn on your phone. Imagine being able to customize your opening screen with personalized icons, news feeds, weather details, and voice-mail information. Think of a My Yahoo start page for your cell phone. Again, the amount of customization will depend on the carrier.

What kinds of applications will we see?


Some companies have expressed an intent to develop location-aware services that, for instance, automatically link users to reviews of nearby restaurants. Other services might include a photo application that matches pictures automatically with people you select from your address book. Other applications could include a more robust offering of online real-time multiplayer games.

At Monday's press conference, Google director of mobile platforms Andy Rubin promised the world when it came to applications, stressing that mobile programs would be on a par with apps that people know from the PC-based Web.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20071106/tc_pcworld/139293