Android Excitement!!!

Initially there was some confusion on what Android was. It was thought of as a cloned or dubbed version of iPhone. However compared to Apple, Android has far more uses!! Apple’s iPhone, is an operating system too, but works best on the one phone from Apple. Google’s open source operating system, which also encourages the development of mobile applications, is eventually expected to land on a variety of devices. There is a wave of other interesting ideas on Google’s open-source operating system that might eventually reach maybe TVs or even cars!!!

But for now Google’s focus is on the mobile phones. Today a number of handsets beyond the iPhone are Internet ready, they bring ability to browse web pages as seamlessly as it can be and Google wants to supply those mobile users with the information they’re seeking.

Well to an extent, Google is already doing that by enhancing its mobile offerings. Applications like Gmail, Reader and Search are already available through WAP. In addition, a number of other operating systems - iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and others - are supporting these apps as well. There was a launch of a slick version of Google Maps including street view images last week, and on top of these there already exists service offering like text based search, etc..

Some of these apps like Maps, Search are commonly used on handsets already. It is really interesting to see the excitement around gPhone. I’ll certainly check out Android but the debate is will I go for it? I have these apps on my phone now so a switch to gphone does not feel compelling.

The question is what can android do to make me switch. the iphone has a really slick interface as the primary reason. Andriod right now has none.

Mobile Device Profiling

Mobile devices are released with various capabilities depending on market demand and user preferences. There are currently no standards defined that requires developers to make the device’s mini browser support at least a minimal set of common capabilities. This makes the browser incompatible with many web applications deployed and accessible over the internet.

Device profiling helps a web site or application understand a device request and respond with only those elements that are supported by the requesting device’s browser. This is achieved using conditional markup constructs, style sheets, etc.

Profiling a Device
Manually profiling a device can be many times challenging and time consuming for developers or even dedicated profiling teams. Typically profiles are created by doing a series lab tests like running pre-created .htm files with various Xhtml elements (image types, tables, Nested tables, css styles, etc.). Tests are also run to check what the maximum size of markup and/or styles that the device browser can render without any rendering issues.

Tools can also be developed in-house for testing a device browser capabilities.

Mobile Device Profiling Tool
The Microsoft ASP.NET Mobile Controls Device Profiling Tool allows you to determine the capabilities of a mobile device so you can extend ASP.NET mobile controls to support it and then stores the profile information in a list accessible to you.

This is a wizard driven tool and can automate the generation of device configuration file. This tool doesn’t support WAP devices.

You can find more information here

Wurfl DB
This is a public repository from the open source communities. This is a large xml file with many device profiles and new profiles are added as when a device get available and some one from the open community got their hands dirty.

Profiles can be found either by Device Id or user agent information. For the DB and more info

Note- The article is specific to .Net platform and for Java please look for MIDP (Mobile Information Device Profile).

Google and Apple's disruption plan

Google and Apple have filed patents which could change the way the current wireless mobile industry works. Both companies would like to allow consumers to choose between different carriers pretty much at will (or at lower cost). Imagine being able to switch to T mobile at home, to Verizon when in the mall and to AT&T when in the countryside. 

Imagine the carriers embedding rate cards in the signal towers that your device can read, and switch to lowest rate carrier dynamically. As phones will soon allow voip calls, theoritically the instrument could use a nearby wifi signal hub as well. 

The iPhone does deliver this experience today by switching to a wifi signal when possible. Apple would like to take this to the extreme and be able to switch between carriers dynamically. 

Google's patent too envisions a similar world, where carriers are bidding in realtime for the ability to provide services to device and guess which company has a real time auction platform to enable this. I would not be surprised if this where the road that starts with Android will reach.  

The walled garden is going to come down. Both these companies are capable of introducing disruptive changes in a well established space, witness the ipod and the iphone phenomenon. It will be interesting to watch what happens in a few years.

You can read more about the Google application here

Similarly Apple's patent details are here