Google Android
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Out of all the companies Google has acquired, the purchase that led to what we are going to talk about today was of a small little company called Android Inc. This company wasn’t even around two years before Google swept them up. Of course, this only added fuel to the fire that Google was going to get into the cell phone market. This is what I am here today to talk about -- Google’s Android.
Everyone has heard of Google and knows what they do. It seems like you can't read the Wall Street Journal or any tech news without seeing Google in there at least twice a week. Ever since they went public, they seem to have a little extra cash laying around for various projects they wish to pursue. Their biggest buy would have to be Youtube.com. Their own online video site didn't catch on the way Google wanted, so they bought the leader.
If you happen to see the term Google Android, you might be a little confused, and maybe even a little scared. Google is a very powerful company; their android sounds like something from the future, perhaps a type of Google robot. Luckily for us, there won't be Google robots running around any time soon. [At least, not the hardware kind anyway. -- Ed.] The Google Android is a new OS for cell phones and PDAs, so we might see Google Androids running around on people's cell phones, but that is about it.
Google started by introducing Google Maps for the iPhone when it was released. It wasn't that huge of an accomplishment, but it got the ball rolling. Google Maps is a great application and if this is any indication of what the OS will be like, look for Google to become a major player in the cell phone industry in 2009, if not 2008.
Google's big push is for Internet connectivity. Currently the networks are strong enough to support acceptable speeds, but browsing the Internet on a cell phone is awful. Google wants to change this. They know a thing or two about the Internet and web design, so look for some really good web browsing with these devices. The demonstrations look really good, even with sites designed for a computer.
From the previews I saw, so far it looks like a regular cell phone OS. The features aren't there yet for a smart phone or PDA. I also have to remark that this is very new software and hasn't had time to mature. I feel that a full-fledged PDA version could be made easily. The ability to create your own applications will allow for full customization, so everyone could have the applications they need, and nothing else.
We heard rumors of a phone made by Google, commonly referred to as the "gPhone." As of now, there is no such thing as a "gPhone." Google at this point is simply providing an OS for phones and hasn't announced anything along the lines of a cell phone. Think of Google as Microsoft right now; they make the Windows OS, but don't build computers. Google is in the same boat right now. They rely on cell phone manufacturers to create cell phones that will run Android.
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