Facebook is the most-used app on all platforms, so there's little need to get into hardware.
Iterating on the app, keep building a better app, encouraging the use of Facebook Connect as the way people sign into apps: those are better things to be doing.
It is better to be the top app on all platforms than to descend into hardware.
But this might not be Facebook's last word on the topic.
SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 11: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Laura Arrillaga Andreesen, chairwoman of the Silicon Valley Venture Fund, attend the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. The conference has been hosted annually by the investment firm Allen & Company since 1983 and is typically attended by many of the world's most powerful media executives. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
Facebook coming into the smartphone space is a big deal. I mean, this is hardware. But it perhaps makes a ton of sense. Facebook is likely the top app on all mobile platforms. So might as well.
Google Now tells you to leave early for your next appointment because traffic is bad. Automatically..... new kinds of apps that will, in real time, hook up to all sorts of databases about us and the businesses we buy from or work for, and bring us back interesting smart alerts and more.
Asked in an interview at the Allen & Co. media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, about his greatest challenge right now, Zuckerberg said it was “the shift to mobile.” .... Facebook could use a modified version of Android for its smartphone.
This was not supposed to be. Now Samsung has also agreed to pay Microsoft extortion money. A PC equivalent of this bad behavior would be if Microsoft had managed to get money from Red Hat and other Linux companies. An Android equivalent would be if Microsoft had managed to get money from Baidu, a Chinese company that also has a mobile operating system out there. Baidu is not paying a dime.
Motorola Mobility is Google's shot at throwing Microsoft to the ground on this. If Motorola Mobility refuses to pay Microsoft money and wins, the other giants - HTC, Samsung - will also be able to follow suit. But Google is moving too slow with digesting Motorola Mobility. Software is Google's DNA. But the hardware part of the smartphone is important enough.
Perth Now: Google's Eric Schmidt Slams Apple iPhone Lawsuits: 'They're suing instead of innovating' ..... GOOGLE has launched a stinging attack on major mobile phone rival Apple, saying its smartphone lawsuits are inspired by jealousy and a lack of innovation in its own iPhone. ..... If upheld, the decision could see Apple force other Android phone makers to pay significant royalties to their main competitor. ...... Apple's case was inspired by jealousy and designed to shut down its fastest-growing rival. ......... Schmidt said Google would support HTC's fight against Apple and was confident of a win ....... More than 135 million Google phones have been activated since Android's launch in 2008, with 410 models available from makers including HTC, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson...... Apple could fire another blow to Android with a new iPhone later this year as well. ..... The company is strongly rumoured to be launching the iPhone 5 worldwide in September. It is expected to come with a dual core processor, 8-megapixel camera, new iOS 5 software and iCloud services.
Sturdier build, richer experience, is that where we are headed with donut? I have been scouring for details, not many are forthcoming.
We don't seem to know when either. But the anticipation level is very high.
For me it is not just about the mobile phones, although Android seems to really want to open up the territory, for me it is even more about the Netbook space. I am eager to see how Android will reshape the Netbook space.
In The News
Sony Ericsson baking Donut Android phonesReg Hardware several Android phones based on the GoogleOS’ Donut edition ..... little’s yet known about the Donut update’s features. ..... Donut will feature greater multimedia support .... strong contenders in the entertainment category.
Android 2.0 “Donut”Android Phone Fans - Phandroid.com not only are these rumors, but they were Russian rumors translated into English and then went through my rough deciphering capabilities after a spin through the Google Translate machine ..... This would be hilarious if true considering the current version (1.5) has gained incredible popularity with the Cupcake name. ..... The radical difference, which is why everything is silent, that the new machines are built on the Android OS 2.0 code-named Donut. ..... “Acer” is mentioned as launching a Donut based Android Phone. Google Groups: Android Platform
Samsung Prepping Two Smartphones Running Android 2.0Brighthand The Spica ..... 3-inch QVGA touchscreens, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, 3 MPx cameras, and microSD card slots ...... The release of the next version of Google's OS isn't going to happen for about 6 months ...... support for additional screen resolutions: WVGA and QVGA ....... Only HVGA displays are supported by Android 1.5, while both of Samsung's upcoming models will reportedly have QVGA ones. T-Mobile Delays Android 1.5 Update, Android 2.0 SpottedInformationWeeka first look at Android 2.0 will make you want to skip 1.5 altogether. ...... Android is trading cupcakes for donuts. ...... an HTC-customized version of Android, and its very slick.
T-Mobile USA: G1 Cupcake Update Delayed 1 WeekAndroid Phone Fans - Phandroid.com Updates on Acer, Sony Ericsson, and Panasonic HandsetsAndroidGuys “We are seriously considering developing an Android-based handset and entering overseas mobile phone markets in fiscal 2010.” ..... The term ‘near’ future is subjective so don’t go thinking 2.0 is right around the corner just yet. ..... With 9 out of 10 upcoming handset running Windows Mobile, the smartest phone they’ll release in 2009 will be Android. Motorola Morrison Android handset T-Mobile-boundT3 a Motorola Android phone, the Motorola Morrison. .... the scheduled launch date is down as the start of November ..... the version most phone makers have been gearing their handsets to using. ....... Motorola has promised Android phones before the year is out and has been reported as seeing Android as its last shot at sticking with the big boys. ....... the Morrison looks to be phone equivalent of its supermarket namesake, solid and dependable and possibly a little cheaper than the competition. But we'll reserve judgement until we see the full details, a bigger picture and ideally, get hands-on with it. HTC Hero's Android Build Caught on VideoSoftpedia Android Cupcake, Donut, Eclair and Beyond…Android Phone Fans - Phandroid.com
The beauty of going public and going big is, if you are a truly visionary company, you can start zapping up small startups that might fit into your vision. Android was not Google's in-house creation.
Android: Versions
Cupcake was a phase not a release.
Android: Functionality
It is revolutionizing the mobile space, and it is spilling over into the Netbook space.
Many have talked of 2009 as being Android's year. I guess we will just have to watch the drama unfold and see if Android will truly see a 900% growth. Even the naysayers say 400%. Once it takes off, the growth rate might hit four figures. Why not?
The Android Vision
There is openness and there is mobility. Those two values stand at the core of the vision.
Android Future: Let A Thousand Flowers Bloom
Once the genie is out of the bottle, who knows what all that will lead up to. This is the new wild, wild west.
Open Handset Alliancebuilt to be truly open ...... an application can call upon any of the phone's core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel........ Android is open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. ...... Android does not differentiate between the phone's core applications and third-party applications. .... a developer can combine information from the web with data on an individual's mobile phone ...... allows devices to communicate with one another enabling rich peer-to-peer social applications. Welcome (Android Open Source Project)Android is the first free, open source, and fully customizable mobile platform. ...contains a rich set of APIs that allows third-party developers to develop great applications.
Android Company Profile Google Buys Android for Its Mobile ArsenalThe search giant quietly acquires the startup, netting possibly a key player in its push into wireless, "the next frontier in search" ........ 22-month-old startup .... brings to Google a wealth of talent, including co-founder Andy Rubin, who previously started mobile-device maker Danger Inc. ..... In a 2003 interview with BusinessWeek, just two months before incorporating Android, Rubin said there was tremendous potential in developing smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner's location and preferences. ....... Rubin isn't the only well-known Silicon Valley veteran joining Google via Android. Others coming over include Andy McFadden, who worked with Rubin at WebTV before helping develop the all-in-one set-top box for Moxi Digital; Richard Miner, former vice-president of technology and innovation at telecom outfit Orange before joining Android; and Chris White, who spearheaded the design and interface for WebTV in the late 1990s, before helping to found Android. Android (1982) Android Developers Blog: Android Market: a user-driven content ... Android -- Engadget Mobile you can now part with some cash and cobble together a bunch of modules to create a do-it-yourself Android phone called FLOW Android News - Android Google Phone Forums Official Google Blog: Where's my Gphone?Posted by Andy Rubin, Director of Mobile Platforms ...... Despite all of the very interesting speculation over the last few months, we're not announcing a Gphone. However, we think what we are announcing -- the Open Handset Alliance and Android -- is more significant and ambitious than a single phone. .......... new applications and new capabilities we can’t imagine today. ....... all of the software to run a mobile phone, but without the proprietary obstacles that have hindered mobile innovation ...... the Open Handset Alliance, which consists of more than 30 technology and mobile leaders including Motorola, Qualcomm, HTC and T-Mobile. Through deep partnerships with carriers, device manufacturers, developers, and others, we hope to enable an open ecosystem for the mobile world by creating a standard, open mobile software platform. .......... partnerships with handset manufacturers and mobile operators around the world. ....... some of our partners are targeting the second half of 2008 to ship phones based on the Android platform
Analysts clash over android growth figures - The Inquirer a whopping 900 per cent ...... Apple's Iphone operating system will be the next fastest-growing smartphone OS in 2009, citing a predicted 79 per cent growth rate. ........ buffed up support from telco operators, developers and retailers alike ....... seeping through Europe and Asia ...... puts Android "in a good position to become a top-tier player in smartphones over the next two to three years." ....... Android based smartphone shipments will perk up dramatically once Motorola, HTC, Samsung and T-Mobile have all released their promised devices ......... "IDC expects Android to grow around 420 per cent to a total of 3.6m units worldwide in 2009" ........ the industry is looking for a way to alleviate Symbian - and by proxy, Nokia - dominance ........ IDC believes the market will consolidate around six major operating systems over the next three years, namely Symbian, Blackberry OS, Windows Mobile, Mac OS X, Android and Linux. Android: Google's Dream, Apple's Nightmare? - TIMEwhile it won't look as sleek as the iPhone, it promises to give mobile-phone users a lot more freedom and flexibility. ...... run multiple applications at once and more easily share contacts and data among them ....... mobile-phone users will finally be able to cut and paste text in e-mails — a function that's frustratingly absent on the iPhone. ......... The sweetest part of the Dream is the Android Market — Google's answer to the Apple App Store. ........ at launch all Android Market apps will be free. ...... Android is better than the iPhone at running multiple programs at once ........ While Apple takes a top-down approach to app development — the company must approve every program that makes it into its App Store — Google will allow creators to upload any application to the Android Market without its review. ........ users will not be limited to a single phone or carrier for long. ........ Google is inviting all carriers to develop handsets for the platform ..... other features are expected to go toe-to-toe with the iPhone, including built-in GPS, a tilt sensor for gaming and a camera .....no one can turn on the hype machine quite as well as Steve Jobs
Image via CrunchBaseThe Next Web: Samsung: We can’t rely on Google, so we addressed Android IP issues on our own
Image via Wikipedia
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