These past few months have riddled the technological world with court case after court case. The strange thing is that Google seems to be in the middle of almost every lawsuit. Why? Here is the breakdown — Android is an open-source operating system built for smartphones. Not only has the Android platform appealed to many users it has appealed to so many that they are shaking up things in the smartphone market and it is making manufacturers and developers upset. So, what do you do when another company innovates faster and more than you?
Innovate and try to become better? No, you take them to court and try to stop their products from being sold.
Oracle claims that Google is infringing on copyright after copyright. Since Android itself is open-source they have used similar lines of code that are allegedly Java-related. The biggest retort from Google is that they did not realize that you could copyright a programming language.
This is equal to the “creator” of the modern English language to sue a man for writing a book that contains certain words and phrases.
Bottom line: It appears that everyone wants a piece of the pie. Just because an entity is open does not mean that it is always stealing from ones that are not. Oracle has proven that Google has infringed in certain areas leading to a partial verdict. Read more [HERE]
The marvel of the Android world as of right now is Android 4.0; users and critics alike love it because of it’s elegant design, fluidity, and speed. On the other hand, there is one company that does not seem to be convinced.
Sony.
On the Sony developer blog [HERE] there is a list of reasons outlined explaining why users would not want to upgrade to the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system. Sony even tried to point the finger and the browser stating that it is “quite intensive”. Read entire story [HERE]. Is it the fault of Google that Ice Cream Sandwich is not performing well or is it the fault of manufacturers such as Sony that consistently adds widgets, themes, apps, and more to the experience that eventually cause more harm than good?
Bottom line: It is remarkable how manufacturers try to “fix” and “mold” Android for their newly released devices but never put forth that same effort when an update is released to make sure that it works just the same. This really makes one wonder….is it really Google’s fault that Android fragmentation exists?
Microsoft has been hosting the Smoked by Windows Phone Challenge where the company is challenging that WP7 is faster than competing smartphones at everyday tasks. The challenge is hosted at participating Microsoft stores and winners can get a variety of prizes. In many cases that are posted by Microsoft the WP7 platform comes out victorious; of course. However, one brave opponent garnering a Samsung Galaxy Nexus running Android 4.0 won. How so? The task was to show weather from two different cities at the same time at the fastest rate. See example video below:
However, in this case for the weather showcase the Windows Phone was already setup to have two live tiles pulling weather information so by default it would’ve won; however, our friend with the Galaxy Nexus was prepared. The Android competitor had the screen lock disabled and two weather widgets by default which caused him to win and create a small uproar. The winner was even offered a phone and a laptop. Read more [HERE].
Bottom line: I am a fan of WP7, but this just shows that setting things up in your favor do not always constitute a win.
WiFi Tethering, carriers offer it but they charge those that use it. True, tethering is a service; however, when the data you are using has ALREADY been paid for, it makes less and less sense. Our smartphones can do great things — one of those is to become a mobile hotspot in a time of need.
Many early free tethering apps required you to root your Android or iOS device; however, FoxFi has caused a recent storm for Android users by bringing this convenient app to a variety of devices and let’s not mention the apps for iOS that allow the same option once jailbroken such as MyWi.
As long as there are users that believe that tethering should be part of their monthly data allowance there will be apps that allow it. I have never understood why you have to add the mobile hotspot to your data plan in order to use the ability that your device has without it.
Bottom line: Carriers, please wake up. We will tether…for FREE.
Microsoft is really pushing that Windows 8 will truly unite their platform across all devices and really give it a consistent look. However, the biggest issues are how well will Windows 8 tablets (slates) do and how will the OS fair on the desktop. Honestly, there shouldn’t be another OS that is better fitted for the enterprise than Windows 8. Sure there is a learning curve; but that SAME learning curve is there when one would hand an executive an iPad.
Things that could really work in Microsoft’s favor:
Unified across devices
Able to support many Windows applications; not just 500,000 apps
Windows tablets will provide more accessibility via USB input etc.
Multiple arenas for running applications (Metro or Windows desktop)
Bottom line: If Windows 8 turns out to be truly portable and is not overly expensive on a tablet this could potentially be a shifting in the tides.
Tech for the masses, meant to empower, educate and inform by Dexter Johnson.
DexJohn's PC 