Hasta La Gadget!

Most of us who’ve followed the history of Android tend to presume that it was a single-minded effort to open up the smartphone world. Not so, ex-Android chief Andy Rubin says. The OS co-creator just mentioned at a Tokyo summit that Android was first pitched in April 2004 as the foundation for connected cameras that would store photos online. When it became clear that the digital photography market was relatively small, the fledgling team shifted its attention to cellphones within the space of five months. We know how history played out after that fateful decision, and arguably smartphones are richer for it — that said, it’s amusing to discover that smart shooters like the Galaxy Camera just represent Android’s original strategy come full circle.

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Google

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Via: BGR

Source: PCWorld

Google’s Senior Mobile VP Andy Rubin has been cool towards tablet apps, arguing that mobile titles shouldn’t be tuned to a specific form factor. Whether you agree with that assessment or not, his company has produced an (arguably overdue) tablet app checklist to help developers with big screen ambitions. The step-by-step walkthrough tells developers how to make the most of all that free space and optimize for the larger hardware, touch input targets and widgets. There’s a difference between having guidelines and getting app writers to follow them, but the checklist is an important step towards keeping that Galaxy Note 10.1 or Nexus 7 well-fed.

[Thanks, Christopher]

Filed under: Tablets, Google

Google drafts checklist for making top-notch Android tablet apps originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Thursday, we starting hearing claims that Google had strong-armed Acer out of launching its A800 CloudMobile in China with the Aliyun operating system. We reached out to the search giant for its response, but they declined to comment. Over the last 24 hours, though, Google has attempted to explain its stance, but at the same time has potentially created some confusion about how open Android really is. Below is the initial statement received by Marketing Land:

“Compatibility is at the heart of the Android ecosystem and ensures a consistent experience for developers, manufacturers and consumers. Non-compatible versions of Android, like Aliyun, weaken the ecosystem. All members of the Open Handset Alliance have committed to building one Android platform and to not ship non-compatible Android devices. This does not however, keep OHA members from participating in competing ecosystems.”

This is clearly outlining Google’s intention to prevent forked Android spin-offs from diluting the platform and the user experience. Fair enough. The trouble seems to be, however, defining when something is Android compatible, rather than its own separate (albeit Android-based) operating system. Amazon’s Kindle Fire will instantly spring to mind. The new tablets run on Ice Cream Sandwich, but are fenced-off from the official Play store and other Google offerings. As you can imagine, the debate has started to get a little heated, we go into it in more detail past the break.

Continue reading Google wants ‘better compatibility’ for Android, Alibaba says ‘Aliyun is separate,’ Acer takes the brunt of it

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile

Google wants ‘better compatibility’ for Android, Alibaba says ‘Aliyun is separate,’ Acer takes the brunt of it originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Sep 2012 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve got good news and bad news in equal measure for those pining after a Nexus 7 of their very own. If you’re reluctant to spend that much hard-earned cash at the Google Play Store, Google’s senior VP of mobile Andy Rubin has hinted to AllThingsD that the ASUS-made tablet could end up at retail stores before too long; the Play-only availability was just what Google had to mention at I/O. There could be some markup in other channels, given that Google is selling at what’s very nearly wholesale prices. The bad news? Google won’t be changing its attitude towards tablet-native apps anytime soon. Rubin sees Google Play content additions as key to driving Android tablet adoption, not the encouragement of tablet-specific app development — he’d prefer the one-size-fits-all model. We’ll see whether magazines and movie sales are enough to turn around so-so market share, but if you were hoping Rubin would address criticisms that Android tablet apps are just blown-up phone apps, you’ll have to keep waiting.

Google’s Andy Rubin: Nexus 7 may head to retail, but we’re not changing tablet app policies originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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