Google uses Java components in their Android OS that were built by IBM. Now that IBM drops support for these components and jumps on the OpenJDK train together with Oracle, things get trickier for Google.
Tag: android
Android Ecosystem Statistics Overload
Impressive stats showing a huge number of Android phone types and OS versions used by Tweetdeck beta testers.
Link : Tweetdeck – Android Ecosystem Infoporn Overload
Update October 10th, 2011: Sadly the enormous amount of comments that could be found below the original post are lost in cyberspace after Tweetdeck moved their blog to Posterous. In the comments there was a very interesting debate going on between Android developers, lovers, haters, neutral observers and more, discussing the fragmentation of the Android platform. Some people did not see it as a problem, but others did. An interesting discussion that is unfortunately now lost forever… 🙁
A couple of the comments that I found interesting are still somewhere in the archives of my Gmail. Maybe I will put a couple of those comments in a new blog post so the discussion can continue. I would be interested in the opinions of people at this moment in time, nearly a year after Tweetdeck’s post.
Google Is Not Giving up Easily in Java/Android Lawsuit
My guess is that this lawsuit is going to take a very long time to come to a conclusion…
Google has filed a response to Oracle’s lawsuit filed in August, denying infringement on any of Oracle’s intellectual property. The company not only argued that it had not crossed any of Oracle’s patents, but even if it did, the patents should be ruled invalid and unenforceable. Additionally, Google said that Oracle shouldn’t be pointing fingers, as Oracle itself is practicing double standards when it comes to the open sourcing of Java.
Oracle originally accused Google of both patent and copyright infringement over its heavy use of Java in the Android software development kit. At the time, an Oracle spokesperson stated flatly that Google “knowingly, directly, and repeatedly infringed Oracle’s Java-related intellectual property” when developing Android.
According to Google, those accusations are completely baseless, and the company takes things a step further by pointing out that the “open source” nature of Java isn’t quite so open source after all thanks to Sun. Basically, Google argues that Sun had released much of the source code for Java 2 SE under the GPLv2, which “contributed to its widespread acceptance among software developers,” but that the company later required developers to demonstrate compatibility with specific Java requirements in order to obtain a license.
Link : ars technica – Google opens up can of open source worms in Oracle Java suit
The Difference Between Android And iOS Explained (Comic)
It’s a good laugh for people who are familiar with both the Android platform and the iPhone platform.
Link : The Next Web – The Difference Between Android And iOS Explained [Comic]
Best Buy CEO Says iPad ‘Cannibalizing’ PC Laptop Sales by 50 Percent
The statements of Best Buy’s CEO don’t surprise me. Considering that the tablet era has only just begun, I think that the market share of tablets will grow even more in the future. The iPad won’t be the only contender in this market. In the fourth quarter of 2010 and in 2011 a lot of new tablets will be introduced. Most of them will be based on Google’s Android OS. Examples that I have played with at the IFA Trade Show are the Dell Streak and Samsung Galaxy S tablet.
Continue reading Best Buy CEO Says iPad ‘Cannibalizing’ PC Laptop Sales by 50 Percent
An Impression of the IFA 2010 Trade Show in Berlin
Last weekend I went to the 50th edition of the IFA trade show which took place at the Messe in Berlin. This is one of the biggest trade shows (if not, the biggest) in Europe for consumer electronics and home appliance. Spanning over 160,000 m2 and an interlinked network of 26 fair halls there is an awful lot to see and check out. Needless to say I was able to fill up the better part of two days walking around at the IFA and still did not see everything that was going on at the Messe. In this post I will discuss my highlights of these two days.
Visually Stunning Exhibition
The big and most influential brands of course had the biggest booths. Some of these companies even had a complete hall at their disposal. Among them were Samsung, Sony, LG, Phillips and Panasonic. No expense was spared by these big companies to show off their trade in visually stunning ways. I have included a few pictures at the bottom of this post to give you an idea, although I realize they cannot get across what I have seen with my own eyes.
Continue reading An Impression of the IFA 2010 Trade Show in Berlin
Android App Tip: Visual Task Switcher
The following Android app was brought to my attention by Rachid, who maintains the blog DroidDen. Visual Task Switcher is a great app that gives you the ability to switch between running apps by pressing the Home key. Long-pressing an app will (force) stop the application.
Make sure you visit DroidDen for more Android tips and stories.
A Detailed Opinion Piece on the Oracle vs. Google Lawsuit
People who are following the news on the big tech companies may have heard already about Oracle’s patent lawsuit against Google Android. I have read quite a few articles and blog posts on this subject and shared quite a few on my Twitter page in the last week.
One post by Daniel Eran Dilger on RouglyDrafted.com deserves special attention in my opinion. He knows what he is talking about when he carefully dissects every aspect of the lawsuit, the history of Google’s Android, the talks between Google and Sun, Apple’s and Microsoft’s position and lots more angles. Daniel explains everything in such a way that anyone is able to understand what’s happening. And if you want to know more details and delve deeper, then you can follow the links that are scattered around in the text.
Recommended reading!
Amplify’d from www.roughlydrafted.com
How Oracle might kill Google’s Android and software patents all at once
Another major war is exploding in the tech world, but alliances have shifted in interesting enough ways to ensure that this will be one of the most fascinating events ever to hit the technology world.
At issue is Oracle’s patent lawsuit against Google’s Android. Unless you look closely, this might sound like either a run of the mill patent shakedown or just an infringement case where Google will have to pay lots of money.
See this Amp at crow74.amplify.com
Two Important Reasons Why Android Developers Are Losing Money
In my previous post I asked your attention for Loic Le Meur’s opinion on what an average app developer can earn. The conclusion of that story is that for the majority of developers it’s not profitable enough (yet) to live from app development only. (For his detailed analysis, please refer to my previous post.)
Within 24 hours I stumbled upon a post at Royal Pingdom that is even more bad news for app developers. This time it is focused on the Android platform. According to the post, piracy levels are very high on the platform. But this is not the most important the Android developers are losing money.
Loic Le Meur’s Take on App Developer Earnings
People who are familiar with Seesmic, a company that is specialized in creating third party clients for Twitter, may have stumbled upon the name Loic Le Meur, the founder of Seesmic. Because Seesmic creates apps for all kinds of platforms, both desktop and mobile, I think that his opinion matters on this subject.
Recommended reading! (And don’t forget to check the comments for opinions of other people that operate in this business.)
Amplify’d from www.loiclemeur.com
How much can you really make developing mobile apps?
There is a huge buzz around mobile applications and app stores such as the AppStore and the Android Market which look more and more as a new Eldorado. Of course everybody starts dreaming when an app like Angry Birds shares that 6.5 million units have been sold generating $4.5 million for the developers after Apple’s cut. But how many Angry Birds are there?
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/8rmp