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Google has announced a new programming language for Android-based phones called Simple. Simple is a BASIC-like language, meaning that it has very simple syntax.
The interesting thing about this announcement is that this is the first effort to make writing mobile applications really easy, even for programming novices. The Android app store already has a low barrier to entry in terms of cost, so that combined with an easy-to-use programming language, it could give Android a leg up with their application ecosystem, which is currently far smaller than Apple’s.
The example given in the Google blog post is an etch-a-sketch, writted in just 35 lines of code. Admittedly a simple etch-a-sketch is, well, simple, but 35 lines is practically a hello world program in some languages. (OK, not quite, but you get the point.)
It’s far to early to tell if anyone will be intersted by Simple or not, but if it catches on, some cool applications might come from people who would otherwise never have implemented their ideas.
We knew netbook makers were already checking out Android, so I suppose it is logical that it would extend to all portable devices. Apparently, Sony will be producing some future Walkman portable music players built on Android, Google’s open-source, Linux-based phone OS.
Since few companies are able to distinguish their portable devices based on software, Apple being a notable exception, open-source platforms like Android may really take off. Android will not be alone, though. As it starts to be adopted, competitors will come from all directions, just like with Linux netbook OSs.
We may be headed towards a future of open-source OSs on every mobile device, which, in addition to leading to much better software, would open up some interesing hacking potential.
The first Android-running phone, the G1, attracted a fair amount of attention, but didn’t really make it as a mainstream phone. Over and over again, though, people said it was the hardware, not the software, that made them dislike the phone.
While this particular model will never be released, CNet got their hands on the Google Ion, a new all-touchscreen phone from HTC running Android 1.5 (Cupcake). CNet called the phone “the Android device for which we’ve been waiting.” Though the Ion lacks the G1’s physical keyboard, it is supposed to be much sleeker and generally more polished. There are still some complaints, but there is plenty of time for issues to be worked out before a phone like this makes it to the US consumer market.
This look at future Android devices may signal that Android is really starting to go somewhere as a consumer phone platform, not just a hobbyist’s toy. Competitors, such as Apple and Microsoft, have a lot going for them, but, if Android takes off, its cross-device presence will give it a major boost.
Android’s future is still unknown, but this looks like a step in the right direction.
Today was the first day of the Ubuntu Developer’s Summit for Karmic Koala. In the next week, the plans for Karmic Koala should be roughly defined for implementation over the next four months.
One of the things that will be discussed on Tuesday is support for running Android applications on Ubuntu. This is an interesting possibility, since it could allow for a vast library of interesting applications designed for mobile use to be used on Ubuntu computers, most importantly those running Ubuntu Netbook Remix.
At this point Android stands a chance of really taking off, due to its open-source foundation and powerful backing from Google. If, and this is a big if, that happens, there will undoubtedly be a huge library of incredible applications, both free and for pay, that will make the Android experience what it is. Ubuntu and its mobile variants do not stand much chance of getting this amount of developer attention anytime soon, but if Android application could be run directly on Ubuntu, that would give Ubuntu a boost from whatever attention Android gets.
We will probably know more after the idea is discussed on Tuesday (the 26th), but it certainly sounds like an interesting idea.
Even if Google’s Android has been having some issues on phones, but it seems to just be picking up in an unlikely place: netbooks. HP is apparently looking at using Android on future netbooks.
This is a really interesting use of Android, since phones and netbooks do share some aspects in common. Both are small, portable, and not ideally suited for standard computer interfaces. A lot of people are skeptical about this, but I wouldn’t be. The interface will have to be adapted, of course, and some applications may not work, but having the same OS on your netbook and phone could have advantages, too. Remember the Palm Folio? Android could probably do the same tricks, but at a much better price.
Thanks to Android being open-source, a whole new life for it has emerged. It may be too soon to know, but I hope Android for netbooks takes off.
Why Android Will Win Out in the End
The T-Mobile G1, the first phone to run Google’s Linux-based, open-source Android phone operating system, may have had some issues and never really taken off, but that doesn’t mean Android won’t take off. In fact, I think it is almost certain to take off.
Unlike the iPhone, Blackberry, and many of the other OSs out there, the Android operating system is not tied to a single phone manufacturer. If Apple badly messes up somewhere, the whole iPhone platform goes down with Apple. Likewise, if RIM messes up, the BlackBerry platform is history, because they control the entire system. Even with Windows Mobile, because the OS is not open-source, if Microsoft messes it up (some argue they already have), Windows Mobile as a platform is dead.
If the G2, or any Android phone, is, on the other hand, a complete failure, the Android software takes nothing more than a little dent, since another phone manufacturer can come along and build a better phone based on the same software. This feature is incredibly powerful, since it means that the Android platform will offer greater choice, both in hardware and in software, than any of the closed phone OSs. Even if Google messes up the software, Android is open-source, so anyone can come along and create a better version.
Ultimately, no matter how successful other phones are, Android or another open-source phone OS, is going to be the “winner,” since they can control a wide array of phones, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and, thus, target a much larger audience.
The iPhone Is Now Doomed
I cannot claim to be a developer, but I have been watching the whole iPhone application development issues with interest. As of today’s news, it appears that the iPhone development process is like this:
- Ask Apple for permission to make an application.
- Sign a non-disclosure agreement.
- Invest time and money into an iPhone application.
- Ask Apple for permission to sell or give away your application.
- If Apple says YES: start making money and hope Apple does not change their minds.
If Apple says NO: shut up and deal with it. If you say anything, Apple can sue you, further raising the wasted investment money.
It just makes no sense.
For months now, Apple, the company known for being good at generating a lot of good free PR, has received an almost continuous stream of negative press, first over MobileMe, then the 2.0 software, then over iPhone applications being semi-arbitrarily not approved, and now Apple has extended the NDA so developers cannot say why their applications were not approved. Essentially, Apple has responded to push back over a too tightly controlled system by controlling it even tighter. Worse, Apple managed to time this perfectly with the release of Android, a completely open platform.
Apple has not shot itself in the foot. They shot themselves in the leg or heart. If Apple does not loosen up on their NDA policies soon, developers may leave the iPhone for the much more open Android platform or another more open platform. If the developers leave, Apple has suddenly doomed a potentially promising and incredibly successful platform. The only question that remains to be seen is how far iPhone developers are willing to be pushed? My guess: not much more.
A Chance To See How Much "Openness" Matters To The Non-Geeky
With OpenMoko’s new Freerunner phone now available, Google’s Android scheduled for the end of this year, Symbian becoming open-source, and LiMo phones already entering the market, it looks like the time when a significant portion, perhaps a majority, of smart-phones will be completely open.
Apart from being any Linux/open-source enthusiast’s dream, this will also be a chance to see how much the average smart-phone buyer values an open-platform.
While most users are unlikely to pick a phone because they like the idea of openness, as things play out, the open phones are likely to become the best phones. Instead of being locked down with third-party applications only avaliable from one censored source (*cough* iPhone), applications will be developed and distributed without limitation. Plus, the platform itself will be improved by hundreds or thousands of developers who are coding because they want to, not because they are being paid to. In the end, this is likely to lead to a better platform and, thus, a better phone. Of course, that is just my opinion. With so many open phones entering the market, we will soon get to see what the rest of the world thinks.
Live Mesh and Linux's Gain on Phones and Mobile Devices
If you have been following the Linux news as I am sure most of you have been, you probably will have noticed two trends: Linux is taking over mobile devices such as UMPCs and Linux is becoming increasingly well positioned, though Google Android and LiMo, to take over the phone market.
If you have been paying any attention to the Windows news, as I am sure fewer of you have been, you may have seen Microsoft’s announcement a little while ago about Live Mesh. If you don’t know what Live Mesh is, you’re just like the rest of us. I am, quite frankly, not sure if anyone really gets what it is supposed to be. OK, I am sort of joking about no one knowing what Live Mesh is. Part of what makes it so confusing is that Live Mesh is in a very early “tech preview.” Basically, as best I can understand it, Live Mesh is a kind of synchronization tool. The idea appears to be to keep all the devices people use in sync with each other so that you have your files and stuff wherever you go. I am sure people who understand it better would disagree with that level of simplification, but that is how I understand it right now.
So what do these two apparently unrelated pieces of news have to do with each other? Lots. Live Mesh attempts to connect your computer with your phone with all your other devices, but what if your phone and your devices all run Linux, a situation that seems entirely possible by the time Live Mesh really comes out.
This pushes Microsoft into one of two possibilities. Embrace other operating systems or fight them. It is difficult to predict what Microsoft will do if a situation like this comes up. Personally, I believe that choosing to fight would be a mistake, but Microsoft has made similar mistakes before and may do so again.