What Android Fragmentation Problem?

At last week’s Google I|O conference, the last session I attended was a “fireside chat” in which Google employees discussed the Android platform with audience members. Someone asked about Android fragmentation–the fact that Android is getting upgrades so frequently that there are phones powered by multiple versions of the OS for sale all at once.

The Android team member who fielded the question spent most of his time rejecting it as a valid subject of debate. He compared the situation to Microsoft releasing multiple versions of Windows in the 1990s. He said that it isn’t fragmentation if (for instance) all Android 1.6 phones are compatible. And he ended by adding that he didn’t even like to use the word “fragmentation.” The one he preferred was “progress.”

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Facebook Privacy Confusion: Relief Ahead?

It’s official: A Facebook spokesperson says the company will “shortly” roll out some new features designed to simplify management of the service’s famously complex privacy options.

Android vs. iPhone: It’s War–and That’s Great

As I sat in the audience at Google’s I|O conference yesterday morning, I watched Google VP of Engineering Vic Gundotra and others unveil Android 2.2 “Froyo,” an ambitious upgrade to the company’s mobile OS. Gundotra began the keynote by framing Android as a moral crusade against “a future where one man, one company, one device, one carrier would be our only choice.”

In case anyone couldn’t figure out who the man, company, device, and carrier were, he showed a slide that alluded to Apple’s most famous commercial. Then, for the rest of the Android 2.2 announcement, Gundotra and others punctuated demos of impressive stuff–such as dramatic speed boosts and Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities–with asides about the iPhone and iPad that appeared to be intended to elicit snickers from the audience. Which they did.

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Encrypted Search Comes to Google

Scared of snoops finding out what you’re searching for on Google? Have no fear: the comany has introduced encrypted search which gives the user the option to use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) to prevent packet sniffing which in turn could reveal user’s searches on the site.

“We think users will appreciate this new option for searching,” Software Engineer Evan Roseman said. “It’s a helpful addition to users’ online privacy and security, and we’ll continue to add encryption support for more search offerings.”

Accessing the secure version of Google search would be as simple as using https:// instead of http://, and should begin to be available to users starting today. As with any Google product, the service is launching as a beta (shocker!).

Users should be ready to expect a little slowness in the service as it does take longer for a secure connection to be established vis à vis a insecure one. At first, it will also only be available only for Web searches and not across Google’s other search options.

Memeo Connect Brings Google Docs to the Desktop

Trying to choose between Microsoft Office and Google Docs? Why not use both? Memeo Connect is a utility that brings Google Docs to the desktop. I’ve been kicking its tires for several weeks now using an account provided to me by Memeo, and have become a regular user.

I appreciate being able to access and share my documents on Google Docs, but still prefer to work in Microsoft Office. There are just too many advanced features that Google suite still lacks for me to take the plunge to a Web-only workflow. That is where Memeo comes in.

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Yes, Virginia, Hulu Hates You

OK, so maybe we can’t ascribe hatred to Hulu, an emotionless corporate entity and online pawn of the studio system. Let’s just say Hulu exhibits something akin to disrespect or disdain and clearly calls the shots as they reach into our homes and devices to decide what web browsing technologies are permissible. They talk about content licensing challenges, and I bet that is the primary factor driving their behavior. However, as content consumers, most of us don’t care on a conceptual level. All we know is that Hulu blocks select, legit Web browsing software and hardware from accessing their website. Which makes this a net neutrality issue.

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Subtle Jab? Google’s Pac-Man Works on iPhone, iPad

The playable Pac-Man on Google’s home page looks like all fun and games, but it may be hiding a little dig at Apple.

Firing up Google.com in Safari on the iPad, I was delighted to see the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button replaced by “Insert Coin.” Sure enough, once the game started, I was able to move Pac-Man around the Google-branded maze with finger swipes. Sadly, the mobile version doesn’t let you play as Ms. Pac-Man by clicking the coin button twice — arguably the coolest feature of the PC-optimized version. It also has no sound.

CNet’s Dan Terdiman reports that Google built the Pac-Man clone with JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Those are the same three tools that Apple chief executive Steve Jobs cited as suitable open standards to replace Flash.

So, you can look at Google Pac-Man for iPhone two ways: The more benign explanation is that Google on some level agrees with Apple, and wanted to create a version of Pac-Man that was as widely accessible as possible and not as resource-intensive as Flash. I prefer to think that Google’s beating Apple at its own game by creating a version of Pac-Man that runs nicely on the iPhone without App Store approval.

It’s also possible that I’m reading into this way, way too much.

Still, I want to see more HTML5 HTML game development like this. There’s one other recent example, another Pac-Man derivative called Pie Guy. It also lacks sound, but it’s a start. With Google’s take on Pac-Man making waves through Twitter and the blogosphere, maybe more mobile game developers will start showing interest.

Pac-Man is Thirty

Google is celebrating Pac-Man’s thirtieth birthday in the most appropriate manner imaginable.

(Me, I hope this sets a precedent and that they remember the thirtieth anniversary of Marble Madness, which is only four years away…)

Ten Million iPads a Year? Not So Silly

All Things Digital’s John Paczkowski is reporting about an analyst report that says the iPad is outselling the Mac and closing on the iPhone, at 200,000 units per week–putting Apple on a pace to sell eight million iPads this year, according to the analyst firm’s forecast. That’s a lot of iPads–and if the firm is right, it means that the rumors from months ago that Apple expected to sell ten million iPads in the gizmo’s first year on the market aren’t so nutty.

(Of course, when folks were doubting that Apple could sell ten million iPads in a year, many of them were expecting the “iSlate” to sell for a thousand bucks or so. Only Apple knew that the most basic model would go for a relatively affordable $500.)

After the jump, a rerun of the numbers on sales of past Apple products I pulled together when the ten-million-iPads rumor first surfaced. Now that we know a lot more about the iPad, I don’t see why it can’t sell about as many units in a year as the iPhone did last year, assuming that the international rollout doesn’t suffer any further major hitches…

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Logitech’s Google TV Box: Google, Intel, and Harmony Inside

This morning’s unveiling of Google TV was so dense with stuff that needed to be explained that we didn’t hear much about Logitech’s Google TV “companion” box other than that there’d be one, and it’ll ship this fall. But I visited with Logitech after the keynote and got a few more details.

• This isn’t a replacement for your cable box with a tuner and CableCard slots, or anything else  too fancy, technically speaking–it’s a black gadget about the size of a thin hardcover book with HDMI in (for your cable connection) and HDMI out (for your TV). There’s also a SPDIF connector, two ports for IR blasters, a couple of USB ports for accessories such as game controllers, Wi-Fi, and an Intel Atom CPU and related electronics. That’s about it. The big benefit here: It’ll work with any entertainment setup you’ve got, as long as you have an HDTV.
• The box incorporates Logitech’s Harmony software, which powers the company’s popular universal remotes. You’ll be able to use an existing Harmony remote, an iPhone or Android app, or future Logitech remotes (including one with a touchpad and QWERTY keyboard) to control the box and all your other living-room devices, such as the TV itself or an AV receiver (the quick demo I got even included the iPhone app controlling a TiVo). The Harmony angle helps to explain why Logitech–a company synonymous with accessories–is making a set-top box.
• The fact the remote will be able to control a TiVo doesn’t mean there’s Google TV-TiVo integration that would let you find a show using Google TV and then record it on the TiVo. Dish’s DVR is the only one which will allow that.
• The box won’t come with a controller–you’ll choose one separately, or use one of the smartphone apps. (Correction: I misunderstood. It will come with a remote, but you’ll be able to opt for one of the other smartphone apps or other Logitech controllers instead.)
• Logitech isn’t talking about a pricetag. I predict $199 or thereabouts…

Google TV: It’s Official

Google’s I|O conference includes two–count ‘em , two keynotes–and the company definitely saves the sexier stuff for day #2. This morning, we saw a long preview of the next version of Android, version 2.2 “Froyo,” plus some beyond-Froyo features. And then we got an equally lengthy preview of Google TV. Most of the rumors about it were true: It combines TiVo-like navigation and search with Web access, supports Flash, runs Android with third-party apps and a marketplace, and is built around a special Intel Atom CPU. Sony will be making TVs and Blu-Ray players based on it; Logitech will have a standalone box and accessories.

More thoughts on both Froyo and Google TV soon–for now, a few fuzzy photos of the Google TV interface after the jump.

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Adobe Cozies Up With Kongregate For Android Flash Gaming

Even if the Android Market never blossoms into a gaming powerhouse, online Flash gaming portals such as Kongregate may fill Android’s void.

I’m not at Google’s I/O conference, but the folks at Kongregate tell me their site will be one of the headliners when Adobe shows off Flash on Android 2.2. Kongregate has already set up a mobile Web site with Android in mind, containing over 100 games optimized for the touch screen. That’s nothing compared to the 28,000 games hosted on Kongregate’s full Web site, but it’s a start.

Kongregate co-founder Jim Greer said eight developers optimized 30 of their own games for the mobile site by reformatting text and icons for the small screen and in some cases adding touch-based substitutes for keyboard input. The remaining 70 games are basic ports of their PC counterparts. None of the games were designed specifically with the smartphone in mind, but that will probably change if Flash 10.1 for Android launches smoothly.

Kongregate’s mobile site is also missing some of the main site’s extra features, such as achievements, community chat and the ability to donate money to developers. There’s no advertising, either. Greer said he’s not worrying about revenue yet, though I’m sure developers who make money on Kongregate will want answers soon.

As for offline play, Greer said he’s looking into possibilities for native apps, but he’s waiting to see what Google does for the Android platform. This led me to ask him the extent of Google’s involvement with Kongregate. As I’ve said before, a strong social glue across all games is one way to boost Android’s status as a gaming platform. Greer clammed up when I pressed further, stuttering for a moment and falling back on “no comment.” It’s my opinion that Google is planning some sort of Android gaming network, but I couldn’t pry anything solid out of Greer.

For now, the important thing is that when Android 2.2 goes over the air, users will immediately have more than 100 free games to play. Steve Jobs is free to deflect the argument by talking about how many games are in the iPhone’s App Store, but it’s just not the same.

Sprint EVO 4G Speed: Not Spectacular

The Wall Street Journal‘s Walt Mossberg has the first review I’ve seen of Sprint’s upcoming EVO 4G, the first phone that does data at 4G speeds. He doesn’t exactly rave about it–while it’s faster than a 3G phone, he didn’t find it as quick as he expected based on Sprint’s claims. And he couldn’t eke a day’s worth of life out of the battery. And he wasn’t able to test one of the phone’s most intriguing features, its two-way video chat.

The Further Adventures of “Fanboy”

I had fun writing about the history of  the word”fanboy”–hey, Technologizer may never have another excuse to publish a 2800-word etymological essay. And I’ve been just as tickled to see the story spark conversation on several other Web sites.

Two posts elsewhere demand a bit of follow-up:

1) Word expert Ben Zimmer (who is, among other things, the New York Times‘ On Language columnist) was nice enough to notice my story. He blogged about something I knew about but didn’t thoroughly investigate: The use of the acronym “FANBOY” as a mnemonic device to remember the coordinating conjunctions For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So. As he explains, that convention dates to at least 1951–but turns out not to be very useful. He reasonably wonders if there was any “cross-pollination” between the use of FANBOYS and “fanboy.”

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May One Web Codec–Any Web Codec–Win

“The great thing about standards,” as a wise person once said, “is that there are so many of them.” One of the major pieces of news at today’s Google I|O conference was the company’s introduction of a new standard for Web video. It’s called WebM, and it’s based upon the VP8 video codec created by On2, a company Google acquired last August. WebM is open-source and free of royalties–which means that anyone who builds any product relating to video is free to use it without seeking permission or paying anyone for the privilege.

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Verizon Plans FiOS IPTV Service

Verizon is in the early phases of deploying an Internet Protocol television (IPTV) system in a move to bring its FiOS brand to the Web, according to a well-placed source within the company. The service will extend beyond PCs to gaming consoles.

While I was was not given any timetable for the service’s arrival, Verizon is operating under a sense of urgency. “We are late to the game,” my source told me. Internal testers at Verizon are already using the service, including software for Sony’s PlayStation 3. A Verizon spokesperson said that the company did not comment on “rumor or speculation.”

“Verizon is a clear leader in video entertainment innovation, and as such, we are always looking at new ways to transform and enrich the user experience,” the spokesperson said. “Consider all of the features and services that FiOS introduced first: widgets; online video programming, including HBO Go, EPIX and last week’s announcement that we’ll be launching Turner networks online in June; social media (Facebook and Twitter) and Internet Videos (YouTube, Dailymotion, etc.) on TV, and more…”

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