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All you need to know about Google's Android
No phones yet, and plans are still forming
By Tom Spring, PC World | PC World
Published: 15:00 GMT, 07 November 07
No Google phone exists yet, but the search giant's announcement of an open platform for mobile-phone apps is a step in the right direction. So when will we see the so-called Android phones from members of the newly founded Open Handset Alliance? We'll dig into those and more of the key questions surrounding Google's phone platform in this FAQ. Be sure to check back for updates as the story evolves.
Will a Google Phone ever be made?
Google's chair and CEO Eric Schmidt won't officially say. But Schmidt does say that if all goes as planned, we'll likely see many "Google phones" from a variety of wireless carriers. He also says that once software developers create a mature Android OS, it would be a prime time for Google to release a gPhone.
What has been announced so far?
The release of the Android platform and the launch of the Open Handset Alliance were the two most substantive news items to come out of Monday's press conference.
So what is this Android?
Android is a Linux-based mobile software platform that Google hopes will be the operating system of mobile phones in the future. It will compete with platforms such as Apple's OS X on the iPhone, the BlackBerry OS, Microsoft's Windows Mobile, and the Palm OS.
Google announced the Android platform along with other members of the Open Handset Alliance, a group of 34 hardware and software companies plus wireless carriers committed to creating open standards for mobile devices.
The Android platform, according to OHA, is free software available under the Apache open-source license. On November 12, a software developer's kit (SDK) will release to developers. This will be the first chance for people to see an early incarnation of the OS.
When will I be able to buy a Google-powered phone?
The first Android phones are expected to be available to consumers in the second half of 2008. The most likely candidates to release Google-powered phones are the wireless carriers that are part of OHA - T-Mobile and O2 in the UK, and Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile in the United States
HTC and Motorola, both members of OHA, will build phones for the Android platform. Forbes is reporting on an HTC-built OHA reference design code-named Dream featuring a touch screen that swivels to reveal a full keyboard. Apparently HTC is considering a commercial version of the phone and could release such a device as soon as the second half of 2008.
Will other carriers outside the OHA offer Android-based phones?
Don't hold your breath for carriers like Verizon and AT&T in the US, and Vodafone and Orange in the UK, to jump on the Android bandwagon. These carriers say they are worried that the open-software standards could expose users to software attacks or security breaches.
Beyond the security issues, wireless carriers have financial considerations, too. A cell phone that allowed customers to use any mobile Web application for free could threaten the revenue of carriers that charge customers for identical applications, such as access to e-mail, games, and GPS features.
How will Android phones differ from today's coolest smart phones?
Google says Android will have a browser capable of handling any type of Web content that a desktop computer's Web browser can handle. That design opens up a treasure trove of possible browser-based services already available to PC users, including contact management, document creation, GPS direction services, and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services.
Many of these services could be implemented today but aren't, largely due to the fact that wireless carriers currently offer basic browsers that restrict users to a walled garden of services.
Why is a Google mobile platform any better than an existing mobile OS from Palm or Microsoft?
In theory, software developers will be inspired to create mobile applications for Android, for two reasons. First, an open software architecture will allow software developers more flexibility in creating features.
Second, Android will break the stranglehold that wireless carriers have on bringing new and free applications to customers. Now smaller companies will have more of an incentive to build innovative mobile applications that otherwise might not have reached consumers because the companies lacked the clout to broker deals with wireless carriers.
Will service providers be able to lock down phones?
According to the Android open license agreement, anyone can modify the OS to suit their needs - including locking it down. Conceivably a carrier could place restrictions on applications, such as VoIP services that took advantage of a mobile phone's Wi-Fi capabilities. Being able to receive and initiate calls over VoIP for free on a handset could significantly impact a wireless carrier's monthly revenue.
While Google CEO Schmidt acknowledges that locking is possible, however, he said today that it would be "unlikely" for a carrier to actually do so.
with this "open platform" behind the phone, I'll be able to hack it and customise it anyway, right?
You've seen what has happened with the iPhone. With an open platform driving all Android phones, hackers should whip up something for any locked-down Android device even more easily. We'd bet that any sufficiently popular locked phones won't remain that way for long.
What will I be able to customise on an Android phone?
The Open Handset Alliance platform allows for customisation down to the screen you see when you open or turn on your phone. Imagine being able to customise your opening screen with personalised icons, news feeds, weather details, and voice-mail information. Think of a My Yahoo start page for your cell phone. Again, the amount of customisation will depend on the carrier.
What kinds of applications will we see?
Some companies have expressed an intention to develop location-aware services that, for instance, automatically link users to reviews of nearby restaurants. Other services might include a photo application that matches pictures automatically with people you select from your address book. Other applications could include a more robust offering of online real-time multiplayer games.
At Monday's press conference, when it came to applications, Google director of mobile platforms Andy Rubin promised the world, stressing that mobile programs would be on a par with apps that people know from the PC-based Web.
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