Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Android
    • Android
    • Applications
    • Development
    • Mobile
    • Servers

    Google Programs Android as Next Mobile Operating System

    By
    Clint Boulton
    -
    November 5, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      There is no Google phone, but what Google revealed Nov. 5 could be even bigger.

      Google unveiled a complete mobile phone stack under an open-source license as an alternative to proprietary platforms from Microsoft and Symbian.

      Aimed at the roughly 3 billion mobile phone users around the world, Android, as it is called, is a Linux-based mobile software stack, including an operating system, HTML Web browser, middleware and applications. Google will make a software developer kit for Android available within a week to allow programmers to begin testing it.

      The stack was created under the aegis of the Open Handset Alliance, an alliance of technology and wireless carriers that includes Google, T-Mobile, eBay, Qualcomm and Motorola as just a handful of the 34 founding members.

      Google CEO Eric Schmidt joined by the CEOs of Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm, and Motorola, said on a conference call that alliance was created to make it easier for software developers to build applications on top of a mobile platform.

      Schmidt noted that the lack of a collaborative effort has made it a challenge for developers, wireless operators and handset manufacturers to work together and build better mobile products.

      To read more about the alleged Google phone, click here.

      This has resulted in poor, often unwieldy user interfaces that make accessing the Web via mobile phones a chore; a mobile software stack that assuages the usability problem, combined with Google’s search capabilities and applications, has the potential to be extremely successful.

      Andy Rubin, Google’s director of mobile platforms, said on the call that the browser-based user interface for Android will be no different in quality to that of a desktop Web browser.

      Fostering Android under the alliance, Schmidt said, will give consumers better user experiences than what they get from today’s mobile platforms, which include the market-leading Symbian OS and Microsoft Windows Mobile OS.

      Android, which is expected to appear on handsets in the second half of 2008, will pave the way for Google to optimize applications such Google Maps and Gmail on Web-enabled devices such as smartphones.

      Programmers will be able to access it through the Apache version 2.0 open source license, which has no restrictions. Handset manufacturers and wireless operators will be able to customize Android to create new mobile gadgets faster and at a lower cost.

      Read more here about why people say they would buy a Google phone.

      “The Android platform is being made available under the most liberal open source license given to mobile operators or anyone ever,” Schmidt said.

      Schmidt, citing Google’s policy of not pre-announcing products, repeatedly refused to admit that Google was developing a phone, but said that Android would be the perfect platform for a Google phone if one were to be built.

      Moreover, while the questions focused on the notion of a single Google phone, Schmidt said he envisioned “many, many different types of mobile devices” that are very different from what’s on the market today.

      Responding to a question about how Google’s applications, services and advertising will work with Android, Rubin said that contrary to the speculation “you won’t see a completely ad-driven cell phone based on this platform for some time.”

      Rubin also declined to answer whether or not Google asked Nokia (which uses Symbian), Microsoft, Apple and Research in Motion, which make competing mobile operating systems, to join the Handset Alliance.

      Clint Boulton

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×