It's a gPhone debut parade!

We had reported earlier on rumors of a gPhone debut at the Mobile World Congress, which opens next week. The rumors have taken on a tone of all but confirmed reporting in the past few days. Apparently, we won't see a debut of just one or two godPhones, but a parade of upto a dozen gPhone prototyes, according to this article on CNN Money:

As many as one dozen handset makers and chip companies are expected next week to unveil mobile phone prototypes designed to operate with Google Inc.'s (GOOG) new Android software platform, a source familiar with the situation said Friday.

One analyst said the number companies preparing to show off their wares at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona amounts to "a small but symbolic step" forward for the Internet search and advertising giant, which has set it sights on the nascent but potentially lucrative mobile ad market.

"Having prototypes is a signal, but not a promise, that the phones will be out there," said Bill Hughes, analyst at In-Stat consultancy.

Hughes said the success of Google's effort to develop a next-generation mobile phone will largely depend on convincing independent developers - whom Google is counting on to add all the bells and whistles to its mobile phone software - that there will be a broad market for their applications.

Couple of points:
a) How many of these "phone prototypes designed to operate with Android" will actually be running Android? I ask this only because the Winstron GW4 was being shown off as the "first Android-capable phone" at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, although it was decided not running on Android yet!

b) The above CNN Money article claims that, "the success of Google's effort to develop a next-generation mobile phone will largely depend on convincing independent developers". I have heard a similar thing from many others about how independent developers will make or break Android. Well... no! We have repeatedly seen great-looking, shiny new mobile phones becoming a huge hit in the market with no independent developer support. All it would take is the introduction of just one Android handset which one-ups the iPhone, and everybody, their grandmothers and their kids will be lining up for it. So, no, the success of a new mobile phone or platform does not largely depend on independent developers. However, I don't deny that independent developers do make an important contribution, especially towards the long-term adoption and sustenance of a new computing platform.

Android Class at MIT

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is offering a computer science class based on the Android platform this semester, as reported in the Boston Business Journal.

The class will be 25 students strong, covering the ins and outs of the Android platform, along with building applications on the platform. It is led by Professor Hal Abelson. It will also feature guest instructors Rich Miner of Google, Dave Mitchell and Eric Carlson from ConnectedBit, and Rajeev Surati and Andrew Yu of MIT.

Android is probably the tool / platform which made it fastest from the industry to the classroom. Heck, it has not even made it to the market yet! I am thinking the only other software tools that appeared in the the classroom even before hitting the market were the ones which were developed right there on campus.


[via Boston Business Journal]

Links: GTalk translator bots, CallFreq Android app, Google's speech recognition training, UK spectrum auction, Google Mobile in Africa & India

• Translation bots available for Google Talk - Just add a bot as a GTalk contact, send a message to it in one language and it will echo the message back in another language. For example, if you add en2es@bot.talk.google.com as a GTalk contact and send it a message in English, it will echo the same message back to you in Spanish. Check the link for a list of other language-pair bots available from Google right now.
  Tip: If you have an IM app on your mobile phone which can communicate with your GTalk contacts, this could be used as a handy pocket translator. Be warned though, translations by these bots are not very accurate.


• New Android App: CallFreq - Described as a "new generation of a phone dialer", which "intelligently analyzes the calling patterns of an Android communicator user and provide you only with the contacts that you currently need most". The current release sorts your contacts into those you call most frequently.


• Google's speech recognition software is being trained by GOOG-411 phone service users. We can expect this training to be put to good use in future targetted mobile advertising algorithms as well.


• Might Google be interested in bidding for the broadcast spectrum in UK? For those of you who might not know, UK is also planning on auctioning off the spectrum that is/was by analog TV service there. A spokesman for Google UK said that FCC restrictions meant that the company was not allowed to comment on its plans in this area anywhere in the world.


• Google partners with Safaricom in South Africa to offer Google services on mobile phones there. Interestingly, it sounds like these services are being offered through the Google Apps route. Safaricom customers will have email addresses which are their mobile numbers followed by @safaricom.com and those who cannot access Google services such as Gmail through their mobile phones can access it via Safaricom's website. Sure sounds like Google Apps to me. Good move there by Google - offering Apps to Safaricom and in turn extending its reach to their customers' cell phones.


• Search Engine wars on mobile phones are sure heating up in India. There are seven times more mobile phone users in India than PC-owners. So, it is natural for Google, MSN and Yahoo! to fight it out for mobile users in India.

Android Bugs : How bad is it right now?

A recent Wall Street Journal article about bugs in the Android SDK quoted a developer proclaim that Android is "clearly not ready for prime time". This led to a flurry of follow-up articles in traditional media and the blogosphere which would lead a casual reader to conclude that Android doesn't work!

The reality is not so bad. The WSJ article seems to be based mostly on the writer's interaction with one developer, and most other articles are merely regurgitated versions of the WSJ piece! There is a much better article on Arstechnica which concluded that "it's a mixed bag". This article is different from all the others in one important way: the author himself tried his hand at Android coding before writing the article.

The Arstechnica article quotes a Google developer who aptly sums up what seems to be the main issue facing Android developers right now: "it's a process problem, rather than a technical problem."

Yes, majority of the complaints from developers seems to be about:

1. Lack of 100% documentation about every single feature and functionality in the Android SDK.
2. More importantly, lack of a proper issue/bug tracking system which is public and up-to-date on the status of resolutions.

To make up for the lack no. 2 above, the Android development community has set up an independent Wiki to track known bugs. I am not sure how complete and up-to-date this Wiki is. Nevertheless, it is quite revealing: there are just 6 critical bugs and 24 non-critical bugs listed as of now, in addition to 5 feature requests.

I don't know about you, but being in software development for 10 years, I think those are damn good numbers for a very early, pre-release version of most non-mission critical software. So much for reports that claimed Android doesn't work!

[via Wall Street Journal and Arstechnica]

Android officially enters Japan

Japan's largest mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo Inc has tied up with Google to promote Google's mobile services such as Gmail, search, calendar and Picasa, to users of its mobile Internet service. DoCoMo is also considering offering an Android-based phone in the second half of 2008.

I came across many news reports with this information. Curiously, not one of the reports mentioned Android by name. In fact, none of them even mentioned any of the other Google products by their name, instead referring to Google's search, e-mail, scheduling and photo-saving features. Also, although this is an official and formal tie-up between DoCoMo and Google, there is no mention of whether or not DoCoMo joined the Open Handset Alliance. These omissions are rather conspicuous.

[Via journalgazette.net]

Links: Android running, 700 MHz Auction guide, Cellphone service survey, Object DB for Android

• Google Android runs on Sharp Zaurus SL-C760 - Someone outside of the Open Handset Alliance got Android running on hardware available in the market now.


• The Ultimate 700 MHz Auction Guide - Nice job by Gizmodo in explaining "what it is, who'll win and why you should care".


• Consumer Reports Cellphone Service Survay 2008 Published - Gizmodo summarizes the survey of 47,000+ readers of Consumer Reports, which declares Verizon to be number one!


• db4objects Announces db4o Database as Android Ready - Businesswire reports that db4objects, creator of the leading open source object database for Java and .NET, announces that db4o runs seamlessly on the Android platform.

Verizon makes it official: We are open to Android

Since almost nobody (AFAIK*) seemed to be getting it, except this blog, Verizon itself had to come out and make the announcement in the BusinessWeek: Verizon Embraces Google's Android.

(Verizon Wireless's) Chief Executive Officer Lowell McAdam says it now makes sense to get behind Android. "We're planning on using Android," McAdam tells BusinessWeek. "Android is an enabler of what we do."
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When Verizon executives and engineers examined Android's software tool kit, however, they were impressed. "Clearly the Android system gives a lot of developers the opportunity to develop applications for a wide range of handsets," says McAdam. Not only did the company decide to support Android, but McAdam says the new platform was a key influence in adopting open access. "Android really facilitated this move,"says McAdam.

Verizon's acceptance of Android should have been obvious from its previous announcement of opening its network to "any device, any app" in 2008. Yet, BusinessWeek still terms this as "yet another sudden shift" by Verizon!

You might want to checkout the BusinessWeek article, because it has some of the so-far-elusive background story leading upto Verizon's decision of opening its network. Apparently, talks of opening their network were going on among the highest executives at Verizon for almost a year now! That makes you wonder why they went to the extent of suing FCC over the open access requirements of the 700 MHz auction!


[via BusinessWeek]


Related: Verizon opens up to Android


*AFAIK = As Far As I Know

Google announces participation in 700 MHz Auction

Google has ended all doubts (there were indeed some who doubted) and announced that it will indeed participate in the 700 MHz auction.

Here's the Official Google Blog making this announcement: Who's going to win the spectrum auction? Consumers.

And the press release: Google Will Apply to Participate in FCC Spectrum Auction.

The blog post is more detailed than the press release, giving a basic primer on the auction process for the next few months. After this announcement, Google can talk no more about the auction until the auction ends. This is explained in the blog post as well:

Monday, December 3, is the deadline for prospective bidders to apply with the FCC to participate in the auction. Though the auction itself won't start until January 24, 2008, Monday also marks the starting point for the FCC's anti-collusion rules, which prevent participants in the auction from discussing their bidding strategy with each other.

These rules are designed to keep the auction process fair, by keeping bidders from cooperating in anticompetitive ways so as to drive the auction prices in artificial directions. While these rules primarily affect private communications among prospective bidders, the FCC historically has included all forms of public communications in its interpretation of these rules.

All of this means that, as much as we would like to offer a step-by-step account of what's happening in the auction, the FCC's rules prevent us from doing so until the auction ends early next year.

Another interesting point about the auction process: the auction will be completely anonymous - nobody will know what anybody else is bidding and who has won each block of the spectrum until the auction ends probably in March 2008.

Now that the question of whether or not Google will participate in the auction is settled, there are still some people who are speculating that Google will not bid to win. They claim that Google will only participate as a formality, since it has made so much noise about this auction already. There are few others who say that Google will bid upto the reserve price of $4.6 billion for the C Block spectrum, in order to ensure that the pre-conditions of allowing any application and any device to use the network will remain safely in place. The FCC has mentioned that if there are no bids which at least match the reserve price, these pre-conditions will be taken off and fresh bids welcomed.

That last point makes a little more sense, but I don't believe that Google will not bid to win. Google knows the worth of this prime spectrum. Billions of dollars is not small money. But compared to the value of what can be done on this spectrum, it is fair money... may be even a low price! So, I believe that Google will bid to win... unless something totally unexpected or outrageous happens. I cannot even speculate on what that could be.


[via The Official Google Blog and Google Press Center]

Verizon opens up to Android

Many people have been writing that Verizon's recent announcement to open up its network by the end of 2008 is a reaction to the Google-led Open Handset Alliance. Unbelievably, some people are even seeing this move as a competition to OHA! Others are asking if Verizon will join the OHA after this move. But they are missing out on a different slant to this news: Verizon is opening up to Android-based g(od)Phones!

Verizon has announced that, "any device that meets the minimum technical standard will be activated on the network." Unless something goes very, very bad, there will be lots of Android phones which meet Verizon's minimum technical standards. With this move, Verizon has opened upto Android without even joining the Open Handset Alliance.

Why does Verizon need to join the OHA, anyway? I personally believe that this is a more solid announcement favoring Android by a non-OHA carrier than the same old vague tunes from OHA-member Sprint Nextel!

Anti-virus for Android

SMobile Systems, which designs security software for mobile phones, has announced that it has tweaked its main security software suite to run on Android.

From prnewswire.com:

Today, SMobile Systems announced its standard security offering, called SecurityShield(TM) -- an integrated application that includes anti-virus, anti-spam and firewall protection-- is up and running on the Android operating system.

"We believe that the launch of Android powered phones will usher in a period when the use of smartphones will skyrocket," said Rick Roscitt, chairman and chief executive officer, SMobile Systems. "As more consumers in the U.S. begin using their mobile devices as mini-computers for surfing the web and downloading third-party applications, mobile security becomes of paramount importance. Without security, millions of people could be at risk for hackers, spammers and others intent on stealing crucial personal, financial and even health information from their new Google-powered phones."

The company plans on adapting the remainder of their applications to the Android platform in the coming weeks and months. Additionally, SMobile plans on creating new security products specifically tailored to Android, including an advanced application level firewall and system monitor. Currently, the Android platform does not allow the user to decide whether an application can make phones calls, send text or multi-media messages or make connections to the Internet during normal device use. This means that a virus can pose as an application and do things like dial phone numbers, send text messages and other functions that can cost the user money and leave their highly personal information vulnerable. The new technologies under development at SMobile will protect users against these new threats.

The hell's army of spammers, phishers, hackers and virus-makers are just looking for any open door, window or hole to exploit your system and your wallet. Given the openness of the Android platform, this is a welcome announcement.

Given that many applications which mash Google's services on Android will need access to our Google account password, I wonder what type of security Android has incorporated to protect our passwords. Time to go hunting for the answer... If you know it already, save me some time and post it in the comments. :)

[via prnewswire.com]

AT&T's questions for Android

Epicenter, Wired's business blog managed to get a little more response from AT&T, than the vague "analyzing the situation" stance that was in the news last week. In the article AT&T Articulates its Open Handset Alliance Concerns:

Contrary to what the Wall Street Journal recently reported, AT&T's lack of OHA involvement does not seem to be linked to any contractual agreement with Apple. Instead, like everyone else, the company is simply waiting to see what this whole alliance business will mean for the mobile industry.

A company spokesman did get back to EPICENTER and outlined some of the company's more pressing concerns re: Google's Android and the happy-go-lucky alliance.

According to AT&T, those questions include:

• What will customers get on an Android-powered phone that they can't get on their current devices? New content? New applications?


• Will the system be secure enough to prevent viruses, hacking and other potential problems?


• What safeguards will be in place to protect customer's privacy?


• If Gmail is the default e-mail, how easy will it be for customers to access other email platforms?

In other words, how much is Google's new OS going to crap up the traditional carrier business model and take control away from likes of AT&T and Verizon?

State of Organizational Development for Android

Technewsworld asks: Will Developers Embrace Android?

The article seems to be based on information from mostly organizational developers. The article says at the very top:

The idea of creating an open source blank slate for mobile phones is appealing to developers, but many have their priorities set for them by their employers. With mobile development growing ever busier, dropping everything and working on Android often isn't the main goal.

No wonder the article said, "Lots of Interest, Not Much Action", as far as Android development goes. If you mostly talk to independent mobile development organizations, of course they will say that they are focussing on their existing clients and on the handsets/platforms which are already popular in the market. We don't need an article to tell us that.

As far as organizational development goes, we would expect that the bulk of it is happening right now among the members of the Open Handset Alliance. It would have been more interesting to know the state of Android development in the OHA. Where are they right now? What is the progress in the development of different versions of the g(od)Phone? What are their experiences working with Android? Do they have any early prototype hardware / software to show us?

I keenly looked for any mentions of OHA members in the article. There was one small quote at the very end from Sprint Nextel, which was not very encouraging:

It's too early to tell what will happen, but the company's philosophy is to be open, said Scott Sloat, a Sprint Nextel spokesperson.

"It would be against the grain to sign on to this, and then say, 'Hold on a sec, we aren't going to let you do these things,' " he said. "By the same token, we owe it to the customers to make sure their data is protected. Yes, we are going to be open, but we have a duty to make sure the customer and network are protected."

Protect customer and the network! Hasn't that been the constant tune of all carriers for why their phones and networks are so closed? From the sound of this, even some of the OHA members don't seem to be too enthusiastic about giving us anything that's too 'open'. I must say, no surprises there!

Good introductory article on Android for noobs

Finding freedom in a cell phone via Android in Nashua Telegraph is a good introductory article on Android for people who might have never heard about it. Others may safely skip it.

Quotes from the article:

With this operating system, Google aims to give wireless users three freedoms routinely denied in the United States.

The most basic one is the freedom to use the Web as you want. We take this for granted on personal computers, except when an Internet service provider gets caught restricting access in some sneaky fashion. (The latest example is Comcast, which has interrupted the use of BitTorrent, a popular system for music and video downloads.)

Not so on phones, which may keep you from going where you want on the Web. A carrier's terms of use may ban entire classes of Internet applications, such as Web radio or videos.

Then comes the freedom to add the programs you want. Palm OS and Windows Mobile phones allow this choice, but most don't. For example, T-Mobile's Sidekick and Verizon's Get It Now restrict you to applications in an online catalog. Others don't allow any add-on software.

The last freedom is the liberty to change your phone's underlying software to add new capabilities, change unwanted behaviors or fix flaws. Name-brand cell phones don't allow this flexibility. If you dislike something about the phone – the way the iPhone is locked to AT&T's network, for example – you can only hope the manufacturer fixes it in the next version.

Google and the 33 other companies that make up a new group called the Open Handset Alliance want to advance those three freedoms.
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Companies that build and sell Android phones could always choose to revise it to lock out any tinkering by their customers. We could be stuck with software that's little more than a slicker replacement for our old smartphones, but with better shortcuts to Google's services.

Google thinks no one company would risk alienating customers who could turn to a competitor selling open, unlocked Android phones. But many of the corporations that have signed up as Android partners have been happy to sell locked-down phones that treat customers more like servants.

Obvious: Users & Google will benefit even if Android fails

Frank Hayes of Computerworld writes that users and Google will ultimately benefit even if Android is not such a great success. In the column titled Android Will Change the Game, Even if It Fails, he says that the very presence of Android in the market will force other players to innovate and offer a better web browsing experience on cell phones. Result: Google has more opportunities to serve up its ads and users will get a better mobile experience. Right? Right. I like and respect Frank's sensible columns. So, I shall refrain from any crude Captain Obvious jokes.

Frank fills the rest of the column space by drawing parallels with the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, which announced a $100 laptop. The price climbed up to $200 by the time the laptop made it to the market. Nevertheless, since the first OLPC announcement, other players have started to offer low-end, low-cost laptops in the sub-$400 and even sub-$250 price range.