Posted by Extend Logic on Sun, Aug 02, 2009
Earlier this month, when Google announced its Chrome OS and made clear that it is headed for netbooks, the news curbed many of the predictions people were making about the Android operating system’s prospects on netbooks. Google officials made clear that they were steering Android toward smartphones. That hasn’t stalled all of the efforts to bring Android to platforms other than smartphones, though. As PC World points out, device maker Touch Revolution is working on several types of touch-screen devices based on Android, including a line of cutting-edge remote controls for homes. Meanwhile, Japan’s OESF (Open Embedded Software Foundation) continues to push forward with plans to deliver devices running Android as an embedded operating system.
According to this blog post from Touch Revolution, which is looking to deliver several types of touch-screen devices based on Android:
“We think Android is a game-changer in this changing market because it is a solid, open application framework built for touch, and built to enable connected services. Android provides a common rallying point for hardware and application software development, providing the interoperability necessary to drive investment and innovation. If you want to make intelligent and connected consumer electronics devices, we do not think you get there by taking a PC and downsizing it to a consumer electronics form factor. We think you get there by taking a mobile phone with an open application framework built for touch, then scaling the technology to multiple CE form factors.”
Touch Revolution is looking at sophisticated, WiFi-enabled remote controls for homes based on Android, including media controlling devices, and you can watch a video of its NIMble touchscreen desktop phone based on Android here. The NIMble phone was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Japan’s OESF (Open Embedded Software Foundation) only recently debuted its web site in English, and has mostly flown under the radar as an Android-focused organization. However, ARM, Fujitsu Software Technologies, KDDI, Japan Cable Laboratories, and many other big companies are members of the OESF. EETimes has reported on the OESF’s plans to bring Android, as an embedded operating system, to set-top boxes, TVs and VoIP phones.
As far as Android phones go, there are also reports of new Android handsets for the European market to arrive from Chinese companies. Google’s Chrome OS will undoubtedly slow down some of the plans that were in place for Android-based netbooks, but Android will continue to find its way into many niche product categories and embedded solutions, just as other flavors of Linux have.
by Sam Dean OSTATIC
Posted by Extend Logic on Sun, May 10, 2009
MLogy – Google’s Android 1.5 is facing a tough competition in catching up with iPhone 3.0 in US, but not everywhere else. China absolutely is Google’s biggest hope.
China’s mobile released its version of mobile operation sytem recently, which is based on Google’s Android platform. With more than 400M subscribers, China Mobile failed to made agreement with Apple for its iPhone. As the result, China Mobile might be the largest operator for Android soon.
Besides OMS, several manufactors had reported plans to release Anroid based phone in China, of cause, not only for China Mobile. This makes China the biggest potential market for Android and most likely will not face the same level of competition it faced in US with Apple.
With a large resources pool of expereinces Java developers, Android platform is far more popular than iPhone in the development communities. Not only that, the Chinese operators and government all like the open source nature of the platform, so they can take over the control. I met lots of developers who are excited with Android development while I was in China one month ago. All of them were Java developers.
Break down of subscriber data in Jan (sohu.com)
|
China Mobile |
China Telecom |
China Unicom |
| The total number ofusers (by January 31, 2009) |
463，920，000 |
28,930,000 |
134,000,000 |
| Number of new users in January 2009 |
6,670,000 |
1,020,000 |
839,000 |
| Number of new usersin December 2008 |
7，070，000 |
-6 0，000 |
424，000 |