The significance of Google’s Android

The significance of Google’s Android

By: Andreas Constantinou, November 2007

Google is not an internet search firm. It’s a broker of advertising inventory.

Google makes money by building inventory (i.e. white space on web, print and radio) and auctioning off inventory to advertisers. Search is merely the means to create a boundless amount of inventory and attract billions of eyeballs to it. All Google products including Docs, Maps, iGoogle, Gmail, GTalk and News Alerts are strategies to increase the amount of inventory and attract more eyeballs.
The Android operating system for mobile phones is no different. It’s a platform for building and channeling inventory, much like a web browser. In fact we could say that Android is similar to a browser on steroids, in that it allows developers to easily build any connected handset application anywhere within the mobile user journey, and within those create more inventory.
So why is Google spending more than 200 man years building a complete operating system, instead of building just a browser for mobile phones or even a downloadable application, like an on-device portal ? Because browsers on mobile handsets are used for a tiny percentage of the time, probably less than 5% of the time the user spends on their phone. 95% or more of the user journey is taken up by the contacts application, idle screen, main menu, calendar, inbox and settings. In parallel, with Android, Google is addressing the need of handset manufacturer for an operating system they can control (it’s licensed under APL2), that’s low-cost (it’s free), that reduces time to market for variants (see the declarative XML UI framework and developer platform). Plus, Android is backed by Google, a heavyweight vendor who can support OEMs during launch of multi-million units.
What’s so special about Android ?

Android is different to other OSes, including Windows Mobile, Symbian/S60/UIQ, the Linux variants and proprietary OSes (Nucleus, EMP, BREW, etc) in several ways:

- The Android source code will be licensed under the Apache 2.0 license, a non-copyleft license which allows handset manufacturers to modify the source code without being forced to share back their modifications. This is in complete contrast to GPL v2 and GPL v3 which is a copyleft license (see ourwhite paper); Sun applied the GPLv2 license to its Java ME implementation, which is the reason why not a single handset OEM is using it.

- Android uses Dalvik, a ‘proprietary’ (non-Sun-endorsed) Java virtual machine which means that Android developers can use Java SE APIs, while Google does not have to pay any royalties to Sun for TCK certification, as they ‘re not claiming this is a Java environment. As Stefano writes, Google doesn’t claim that Android is a Java platform, although it can run some programs written with the Java language and against some derived version of the Java class library. This is slap in the face of Sun.

Google has dedicated an estimated 200+ man years building the platform (since the Android acquisition), but there are still bugs (see this report). HTC hasconfirmed it is launching one handset in 2H08 and reportedly plans to release a total of 2 or 3 Android-based handsets in 2008. Moreover, according to a WSJ report, T-Mobile US has committed to releasing a phone in 2008 that will be based on Android. For a new Linux initiative, this level of commercial support is extremely rare.

Android is a service access platform, not a delivery platform. It’s about growing the pie of mobile advertising inventory and not necessarily growing Google’s share.

Moreover, Google might want to bundle the gPay payment system (see thisTimes Online article). Or connect the physical world to Google advertisers via itsZebraCrossing QR reader technology for mobile phones.

G1 phone uses touch screen features and a sliding qwerty keyboard. Feature WiFi, GPS, 3 megapixel camera, and instant messaging. G1 is equipped with various online applications, such as Gmail, YouTube and also 'Google Maps Street View'.

Though the Android-based phones is not an extraordinary shake up the market, but it seems to attract some large companies to participate in developing the Android Operating System. At the end of 2008, 14 new members joined consisting of various companies in the field of technology. Among them are Sony Ericsson, ARM, Asustek, Garmin, Huawei Technologies, Toshiba, and Vodafone.

Samsung is one of the successful companies adopt Android, from the series Galaxy S which was introduced in 2010 to the third version of the well received by the market. This success made other vendors have also released the Android-based tablet with a high specification. Of course, they are also competing to offer the cheapest price.

Android tablets on the market development also forms its own, namely the Android market. In the Android Market there are several segments in accordance with the development of Android.

Although it is an older version, Android 2.3 Gingerbread version of Android is still the most widely used until the beginning of 2013, the number reached 44.6 percent of the Android market. While the rest is controlled by Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and the latest version of Android, Jelly Bean.

The last tablet will adopt the latest version of Android. As for the previous product, typically update the latest version of android. Jelly Bean is a new version of Android that consists of two variants, namely 4.1 and 4.2

Android is an operating system based on the Linux kernel, and Android is an open operating system (open source). Application developers do not have to deal with procedures paid OS platform, because they made the application freely distributed with open source licenses, shareware or even freeware.

Google is serious about developing the first version of Android to version four or called Jelly Bean. From generation to generation, Android continues to experience significant progress. Ranging from technical performance, to display interface.

Since its launch the Android operating system version 1.1 Petit Four, February 9, 2009 Google showed that Android development is done continuously. Within a year could be released two new Android version. Android now has reached version 4. Reportedly in 2013 Google will release the latest version of Android called Key Lime Pie, is likely to carry the Android version 5.0.

Android as an open operating system managed to gather the actors in the field of mobile technology and tablets. Because they have the same interests, they form a synergy to shift the position of mobile phones and tablets based on other operating systems. Although substantially among the manufacturers that use the Android operating system also occurs tough competition.

Android did manage to shift the dominance of the iPhone and iPad. But it actually is a competition between the Android operating system used by many companies with iOS operating system used by Apple. To date, no individual company can match Apple.

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