

Android is splintering, just not how you think it is... - ubernostrum
http://www.russellbeattie.com/blog/android-is-splintering-just-not-how-you-think-it-is

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mjs
In what other ways is Android splintering?? This post talks about the sort of
splintering I thought everyone was talking about when they talked about
splintering: multiple devices, different hardware capabilities, different
versions, carrier and manufacturer-applied customisations.

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Elepsis
There is also splintering in the Linux sense, where the actual software is
branched into a number of moderately-compatible versions that include
different features, different ways to manage the software, and different
interfaces.

Despite its open-source nature, we haven't actually seen any real forks of
Android yet. I'm assuming that's the sort of splintering the article refers
to.

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mseebach
The outlook gets quite a bit brighter when you limit the field to actual
phones -- which is where the development is focused.

I understand that the promise of Android is compatibility across many
different kinds of devices, but at this stage it's a bit of a strawman to pull
out the Archos which is a: not a phone, b: a very early device and c: not
Google sanctioned.

In other words, I'm with Tim Bray on this one.

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martythemaniak
A lot of people talk of splintering as if it doesn't exist on the iPhone.

1\. different devices have different hardware capabilities: my 1G doesn't have
bluetooth, early iPods don't have a camera, etc. Apps have to deal with that
on every platform and it'll only get worse as Apple ads more hardware
features.

2\. different screen resolutions: Android is simply ahead of the game on this
one, the iPhone isn't going to stay at 480x320 forever (I'm willing to bet a
lot of money next year's iteration will not have that resolution)

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deepster
The challenge that Android faces is that multiple versions of
software/hardware are available to purchase at the same time. While Apple only
has one version of the iPhone in stores.

I hope Android succeeds to keep Apple innovating and honest.

~~~
ams6110
Android's challenge vis-a-vis the iPhone will be that Google doesn't know a
lot about consumer electronic devices, and the wireless carriers don't know a
lot about consumer software. Apple is among the best at both.

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pieter
_I recently bought an Archos 5, which I'm very happy with as a gadget.
However, it's stuck on v1.5 of the Android OS right now, with a custom GUI
extension added to make up for its lack of keys and home/menu/back.
Additionally, it's not a Google-sanctioned distribution, so there's no Android
Marketplace, nor able to run any of the important Google apps: Mail, IM, Maps,
etc._

OK, so everybody can take Android and run it on their device.

 _Google needs to get control quickly. I had originally suggested using the
Android logo and trademark (which they may or may not own) as a way of
ensuring compatibility, but it seems the logo is creative commons. So maybe
they need to come up with an "Android Approved" logo or something._

Doesn't that give even more confusion to the customers? Companies can change
Android in whichever way they want and still call and market it as Android.
Adding another method of distinguishing Android devices won't help solidify
the brand.

(Also, people will still try to run your app and complain when it doesn't
work. It's like your application breaking because of injected code on a
jailbroken device -- you shouldn't have to worry about it, but those users
will still leave negative feedback, so you'd better fix it quickly).

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Daishiman
I don't know if this is the case, but Android should have a set of guidelines
specifying the current known hardware variations to test against in terms of
screen size, memory and processing power. That devices take into account
physical and on-screen keyboard should be a give, however.

The most likely thing is that different manufacturers will have some sort of
certification process a la Appstore, but less restrictive in terms of allowed
functonality. I know for a fact that Sony and Motorola are pointing that way.

I'm still pretty sure that within a year this situation will be normalized as
more specific guidelines come up. Indeed, some devices will be left out.
However as long as most devices have access to the important applications I
don't think anyone will be too worried.

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manvsmachine
I had this exact conversation a few days ago with a friend who is just
starting to play around with Android. They really should define "capability
classes" of some kind - ie, a 'Class A' device has minimum screen resolution
of u x v, physical keyboard, GPS, etc. This would allow us to have specific
targets to build against, but still allow manus to create a variety of
devices. This would allow for building elegant degradation into apps so that
people without the latest and greatest phones aren't completely left out (as
is currently the case).

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srn
Carriers and HW companies may not like making side-by-side comparisons so
easy. Alternately there should be names other than A,B,C which are not
inherently ranked.

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kilps
Trying out a bit of Android development is one of those things I want to try
over my holiday (just need to get a device...) - how big a deal is testing an
app on different devices at this point? At least amongst Google sanctioned
ones?

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scotth
Not a big deal.

Just plug in a device, and press play in Eclipse.

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Tichy
Except you need the actual device. For J2ME development this has become
impossible for "small guys".

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srn
Someone (nokia?) has/had farms of different devices which you could test on
remotely. However this is unlikely to be available to run-of-the-mill
developers.

