The Apple iPhone Has a Lot of Restrictions vs Google Android

http://www.uberpulse.com/us/2008/03/android_is_not_just_an_os_its_a_whole_pho...

It's only Day 2 of eComm and I'm already exhausted! As Dryburgh promised, this is a really fast paced event: 15-mns sessions, followed by 5-mns lightning talks and a few 30-mns keynotes... and this all day long! This afternoon will be the first one hour panel on mobile mashups. But the lack of proper Wi-Fi connectivity is really annoying.
Anyway, this morning starts with Google's manager of Wireless, Rich Miner (pictured) sharing his views of the mobile telecom space and about his baby... Android.


Inspite of his telco pedigree - he was working in the past at France Telecom's Orange Labs -, Miner had little sympathy for carriers who "failed" to bring the Internet to mobile devices and "came up with web browser standards who were very limiting". "They came up with arcane limited versions of HTML. So our whole world is moving to XHTML and more robust versions of browsers, these guys focused on limited sets. Turns out the iPhone proves what you can do on a mobile device and the Internet... What you're going to see is Webkit like full HTML and XML 2.0wy type web browsers appearing in phones. They are now in all the series 60 mobile phones that are shipping, the iPhone, Android."

With Android you can build any type of phones: from low-end phones to smartphones
During Q&A, Miner admitted that the first phones will probably be focused on very powerful internet connected mobile devices but it doesn't have to stay that way. "This is a completely open mobile stack. If you're a hardware OEM and you're trying to reduce the cost it takes to manufacturing mobile phones, you have one powerful operating system that can scale your range from low-end feature phones, all the way up to the most powerful smartphones, simply by striping elements out or reducing the capabilities"

Android is not an open development effort
Inspite being a collaborative effort between Google, software developers, handset OEMs and carriers that helped Google create the stack and make decisions about what should be in the platform or not, Minor insisted that Android was not an "open" development effort, like for example OpenMoko is. "Google had reference designs. We were effectively the architect. Because we're not building this as an open community development effort. We're building this as a well engineered design system with strong design leadership, with clear knowledge of what pieces we needed... to build that system".

However, Miner confirmed that the whole Android stack will be open source. At which point the community will have more say in future functionalities. Something similar to Apple's management of the Webkit development process, where Google, Nokia, individuals and others contribute to the open source browser development.

Miner also confirmed that the first Android handsets will be launched in the second half of 2008. In response of a question as to whether developers should build apps for the iPhone or Android, he said that it depends on the app developers want to build. "There are just certain apps you can't build on an iPhone. They don't let you do multi-process things, they don't let you run app in the background after you switch from one app to another. You can't interpret things. You can't have interpreted languages in your apps on an iPhone. There's a lot of restrictions. So you should first look and see, does the iPhone allow me to do what I want to do. Ultimately my belief is that any start-up company or company that is trying to build a popular app will see that app on both platforms. They are both very contemporary programming environments. As long as somebody cleans the architecture system and uses contemporary programming techniques, it shouldn't be too hard to maintain multiple versions of successful apps across the iPhone and Android".
http://www.uberpulse.com/us/2008/03/android_is_not_just_an_os_its_a_whole_pho...

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• miner
• google
• mobile
• wireless
• android
• eComm
• uberpulse

[DrBammBamm]

I think if you understood open source better, you'd realize that this won't matter in the long run.

Apple will probably have a strong market for a long time to come, but ultimately, open projects that operated by standards and allow other people/companies to build products on top of theirs (for FREE) are going to win out.

I love apple's products. They work beautifully. But I'm all over open source poducts like Android, and think their potential far exceeds what one company can produce.

[ThatBoyRaym]

Hmm dude Im not trying to be funny or anything but the Andriod is actually making improvements that the Iphone didnt have!

[TheAidan2312]

Apple is confusing. You need to do a ton of crap to change...say the font on a device. Android is not. I have the HTC Evo 4G and I can honestly say it is the most amazing phone I have ever owned and possibly the best Smartphone I have ever seen. To get an app on the app store on iOS, it needs to be aproved by apple. To get an app on the market, just upload it their. Freedom is why people jailbreak. Apple is recognizing this too.

[LIT0187]

Apple sucks.

[LIT0187]

I don't like restrictions. I love that Android allows customization. Also lack of flash on Apple iPhone sucks. People that have iPhones always wish they had Android web browser.

[marcandsebe]

Yes Android will be just like Windows. Plenty of spyware, viruses etc. Apple all the way for me. I love the fact that it's locked down and not an open platform like Android.

[xlazzer]

My favorite part was 7:49

[doitdeviant]

@tangleass Haha, I have my likes and dislikes for both operating systems. I can't wait for Windows Phone 7 to launch in October and November.

[kjelltp]

@Nomoreidsleft Lol, dude, sorry to rain on your parade, but it has already happened.

[tangleass]

@doitdeviant its like you saw into the future! still love android though.

[tangleass]

@nomoronsleft you are an idiot sir.