Indepth Look at Google Android mobile phone software
With the holidays quickly behind us and even in this so called ‘bad economy’ many people undoubtedly headed out to the stores this season to get their hands on the next cool high tech gadget. With the latest advancements in mobile phone technology ushering in new and cool portable gadgets, these new cell phones were all the rave for holiday shoppers this season and will most likely prove to be on the top of everyone’s shopping list for years to come.
What promises to be the driving force behind many of these new phones and what has many people excited is the new Android software.
Just what exactly is Android?
Android is the new open source based software for cell phones. Built on a Linux platform it was designed from the ground up with the ability to empower application developers to create more innovative mobile applications and to relieve original equipment and design manufacturers from the hassles of having to mix and match diverse applications together.
Like the old mantra of ‘plug and play’ windows devices and applications Android has a similar ‘just add hardware type platform’. To ensure Android’s success many other technology leaders and cell phone manufacturers have joined in to form the OHA or Open Handset Alliance. Among those notably involved is our very own local San Diego based Qualcomm.
The OHA’s fundamental principle of openness is what made the decision for Qualcomm to join, an easy one. For many years, Qualcomm has stated that its primary strategy has been to spur innovation and enable more open application platforms. They site their very own concept BREW, as an example of this which was created in 2001 as a mobile application development platform and global content delivery system for the entire wireless industry.
In addition to its pledged support, Qualcomm was very much involved in the development of Android while all along working on the creation of a chip set that would fully utilize Androids mobile computing performance. According to them, this chipset known as ‘Snapdragon’, is designed to take full advantage of the Android’s capabilities and features while at the same time offering low power consumption and ubiquitous connectivity.
And just what does the introduction of this new and innovative mobile phone operating system mean?
Well, besides creating this seamless and transparent experience between mobile devices and desktop computers, it means much more freedom for development of new mobile applications. No longer will developers be tied to different software agreements, licenses or restrictions which will translate into greater competition and innovation. Android opens the doors for anyone to make the next great mobile application, even the girl next door.
For consumers, this will hopefully translate into an abundant selection of greater quality products and competitive pricing. Already, there are rumors being heard of new phones that will incorporate this new software including a new Google G2 phone that will replace the just recently released G1. It is rumored that the phone itself will be made by the same manufacturer that made the first G1, HTC. But it is widely expected and anticipated that many other phone manufacturers will jump into the fray with new and innovative phone designs and chipsets hoping to take advantage of this new open source technology in hopes of offering a streamlined competitive product of their own.
In additions to all the positives about this new technology, already there are some negative criticisms and speculations being thrown around as well from a few people in the mobile phone community concerning Android’s security issues or lack there of. As expected with any piece of open source software, security holes and hacking attempts are bound to follow. Already, one reported specific vulnerability that has been found is the software’s outdated open source image processing libraries which could prove to be highly exploitable.
Another criticism is that currently Android only supports applications that are written in Java and does not follow established Java standards causing incompatibility between other Java platforms like SE and ME and the Android platform. This provides the end user with less control over their phones functionality and somewhat hinders the open source, open platform concept.
All in all, aside from its drawbacks, the new Android operating system hopes to usher in a new era of innovative and exciting mobile phone technology. The future of the mobile phone industry may not be written in stone yet but make no mistake, the introduction of Android promises to be a prominent part of it for years to come.
