User:Eric Clevinger/Sandbox/droiddraft

MY DRAFT ARTICLE!!!

Android (also known as Droid) is a mobile operating system for smartphones and tablets, developed by the Open Handset Alliance and led by Google. As of 2011, Android is one of the leading mobile platforms, holding nearly a 50% share of the smartphone market, in direct competition with Apple.The goal of Android is to provide an open handset platform with which developers can create their own applications. Although Google's official position about subsidizing the cost of Android handsets by putting ads all over wireless is, "...thats crazy. The economics don't work.." . Critics view the development as an opportunity to expand their (Google's) internet advertising market to mobile internet devices. According to the critics, creating a platform, free to cell phone companies, will rapidly increase the demand for mobile internet advertising. Google also hopes to cripple the products of competitors, like Microsoft's Windows Mobile. All speculation and hidden agendas aside, it is safe to say that Android is a new stage in the evolution of the smartphone - the balance of power has been shifted from the producer to the consumer.

Android vs. iPhone

Put in very simplistic terms, the battle between Android and the iPhone is similar to the one between Linux and Windows - at least from an open source vs. proprietary software perspective. However, the fact that the Android vs. iPhone debate is set in the mobile arena changes things considerably. Without going into the nuances of how future mobile telecommunication policy (700Mhz auction) is going to affect Android and the iPhone, we can take a look at how the Android phones might have an upper hand on the iPhone from a software perspective. According to an article recently published in Network World, the major drawback of the iPhone Software Development Kit is a "..nice" yet "..constrained" framework. The article points out that Apple not only gets to pick and choose which applications it will sell in its AppStore, but also prevents developers from making applications that modify or compete with existing iPhone applications, such as Web browsers. Another obvious but important point to make about the iPhone is, the OS runs on only one device. Android on the other hand is expected to be used on a wide array of devices ranging from 12 key feature phones, to high end Smartphones. Vice President Mobile Platforms for Google, Rich Minor, adds that there are specific applications that just can't be written for the iPhone - "..they [Apple] don't let you do multiprocess things, they don't allow your applications to run in the background, you can't have interpreted languages (here he is referring to the fact that applications for the iPhone can only be written in Objective C)." Android is not bullet proof either - where the openess of the operating system gives us freedom, the variability of its use on different devices leaves us with endless possibilities of bugs and security issues. Essentially, a good part of Google's (and in effect the Open Handset Alliance's) success with Android will depend on "...making the platform and programming language behave universally on a variety of devices, thus cutting down the work programmers have to do to get their products to market."

Possible Shortcomings

There has been no formal announcement of any traditional application store (along the lines of the iTunes store) for developers to distribute their applications. Without a shared distribution channel, small developers or those who wish to distribute free applications may have a much harder time getting the distribution they would like. There is also the possibility that operators will create their own application stores and enforce their own rules, leading to a closed distribution environment.

Android is a very flexible platform for handset manufacturers and wireless operators alike. It is also very flexible for custom use within enterprises of all sizes. Unfortunately, this flexibility comes at a cost, much of which falls on the developer. Not all Android handsets will have the same features or capabilities, support the same APIs, or have the same hardware specifications.This device fragmentation is common on other mobile platforms, though, and is seen as largely unavoidable in today's market.

Why does Google want Android?

Possible reason 1: Google thought Microsoft had beat it to mobile—it had a quickly growing platform, tied to Microsoft's ends. Google, on the other hand, was having its applications (such as mobile Picasa) shot down by carriers who wanted to charge users to do the same thing Google offered for free, and who wanted to create a niche in the mobile internet market where they had no presence. But Android, being web centric, may give Google an edge.

Possible reason 2: The 700 MHZ Band was up for Sale. And Google saw this as a chance. Verizon and AT&T were the leading bidders but the perception in the industry was that, after winning the bid, they would simply keep it unutilized. That’s the reason Google pushed for one of the bands, not so much with an intention of buying it. But by promising the FCC $4.6 billion for the band C, Google was able to enforce upon FCC to make the band an open network.

Possible conclusion: Why would Google want to a have an open network? Because then they would not have to pay any royalty for providing services over networks which, today, are restricted by the telecom service providers who overcharge customers for providing various mobile web services. That would also result in a more competitive mobile internet business than the largely closed system available today.

Other Open Source Mobile Operating Systems

• Nokia Symbian OS
• LiMo
• Openmoko