Google phone - Incoming

Google phone news

The Independent

Footage from the conference



What is particularly interesting is the "Android" O/S and the "Developer Challenge"
Google are offering $10 million to developers who produce the best apps. That should spur a few people on. Details on the Android SDK here

It also looks like devs won't have to get a stamp of approval when releasing their stuff. Unlike iFone developers who require approval from Apple

What are the chances of seeing a Blitz-like development language for Android? -- Android SDK
The guy from the conference talks about access to the hardware buffers which is good enough to get me interested

Example "Android Hello World"

package com.android.hello;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.TextView;

public class HelloAndroid extends Activity {
   /** Called when the activity is first created. */
   @Override
   public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
       super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
       TextView tv = new TextView(this);
       tv.setText("Hello, Android");
       setContentView(tv);
   }
}

That's pretty nifty. I'm not sure I like the slide away screen revealing the qwerty keyboard. I like Apple's solution of keeping the whole thing very simple with the keyboard built into the software. It also cuts down on "blackberry" thumb. I'll have to get my hands on one before I pass judgment though.

No multi-touch, no ipod, no coverflow, no proximity sensitive keypad. I'd not last five minutes with it :/

It does more than just make and receive calls? I'd not last five minutes with it. :)

I'm currently browsing this forum on the Android emulator, it isn't too bad, seems like it will work quite well.

Yawn - something else not to buy.

Ouch ... what Banshee said too!

Multi-touch - not with the first phone being released, but there's nothing stopping phone manufacturers from releasing a phone with one.
*EDIT*
however, the only uses I've observed for multi-touch so far are for zooming and for playing a crappy guitar simulator. This doesn't mean I think it's useless, but I haven't seen it used for anything I couldn't live without.

No iPod - You could easily install one of the many music players that are going to be available and play anything you want.

No proximity sensitive keypad - not sure what this is or what it would be used for.

I like the separate keyboard over multitouch graphical version on the screen for games.

[quote]no coverflow, no proximity sensitive keypad{/quote]
I'd normally call myself a geek, but I have no idea what these things are. I would just use a normal MP3 player on it though, don't get the whole fad with IPod, does it make the music sound better?

I'm sure this is what the world has been waiting for: Another ugly thick brick and iPhone-wannabe.

My bets are on the iPhone. Why? Because it's user friendly and "hip" and it has a smaller sibling, the iPod Touch, which is an alternative for people who want the toys without having to buy another phone.

I don't know what Android has, but the iPhone has a real web browser. That's a big selling point.

Then there is AppStore: Apple's policies for developers suck and the need for an "approval" from Apple to distribute one's own software is an outrage, BUT the AppStore concept is a great and easy thing for USERS (and secures Apple's monopoly on the distribution channel).

Unless they squeeze tons of hardware into that thing, you won't see the league of 3D games on the Android phones that you can already see on the iPhone. Java is not known for excellent gaming performance, no matter how the marketing departments and Java zealots want to turn it. It might have a slightly nicer syntax than Objective-C and it might also be the most popular programming language among pointy-haired bosses, but I personally don't like either. But at least you can use other languages on the Java VM, so that's a huge plus for Android.

I doubt that there will ever be a BlitzMax for the Java VM, and the big question is what advantage it would bring. BRL positions BlitzMax as a game programming language, and the Java VM certainly is not what anybody here would call a great platform for that. Except for Tribal Trouble, I still have to see a Java game that does not kill your CPU and heating fans. But, wait, Tribal Trouble also heats up my system. Oops.

Pretty good actually. I'm thinking a port of jython would be fairly simple accomplishment, and Python is superior to Blitz in almost every metric, so meh.

In Java? Interesting.

What? And there's no Google store? Believe in the conspiracy theories, Google *will* own the world.

Puzzle Pirates? Or indeed anything else from Three Rings? Just because you aren't a good enough programmer to utilize Java properly, doesn't mean the platform isn't viable. With Google throwing their considerable weight behind Java/Linux and the rumours they're gunning for acquiring Valve, I'm thinking you might be charitably described as being wrong on this one.

Google will be a huge contender in the gaming market there's no doubt. The question is weather they can take on Microsoft, Sony, and Apple. Personally I think the iPhone is the best gaming platform in a long while. It's like a Nintendo DS mixed with a Wii and a PSP. So essentially it has the most innovative features mixed with the style. That's not to mention the incredible apps like levels (to see if something in the physical world is straight), FTP, and remote desktop that essentially eliminate a lot of PC time. Heck there's a G-Force app to measure acceleration in your car! Also the phone is just so sleek and simple. You might think you want a physical keyboard but once you get used to the near fricionless interface of the iPhone it's damn near impossible to go back to tapping on tiny buttons.

Google phone - just another way on spying on us...
they obviously can't get enough from spying using chrome

It uses webkit, the same as safari does and the same as the iPhone.

I would prefer this to the iphone.

A real keyboard is far superior to an onscreen one any day, i dont care what anyone says.

Have you used the iPhone's on screen keyboard extensively?

FlameDuck, troll somebody else, will ya? You're no longer amusing, and I've had enough of that continuous crap from you. Just because you run out of arguments and obviously don't have any manners doesn't give you any rights for (repeated) personal attacks. Try making a constructive contribution for a change. And read up on netiquette, you badly need a refresh.

Although it might be less fun than behaving like a jerk and probably the thought has never occurred to you, being polite won't hurt you and maybe people even start paying attention to -what- you say instead of just to -how- you say it.

Game Over. Insert another coin somewhere else.

What personal attacks? I don't even know (or particularly care) who you are. Why would you assume I would want to attack you? Oh you thought I meant you, as-in you personally, not you generally. Hit a nerve did I?

Wait what? You post a completely unfounded fabrication about Java, that is demonstrably wrong, and I know you know it's wrong because I posted a link that demonstrates it, right before that bit you just quoted! Yet I'm the one trolling and in bad need of a refreshment course in netiquette? How precious.

Well it might, you don't know that for sure. I don't really see any reason to be polite to people displaying willful ignorance. If you choose to remain ignorant about an issue, regardless of the mountains of evidence to the contrary, I don't see how that makes me a bad person.

What's the matter? Run out of real arguments, since you felt it necessary to attack my person? Ka-Chink!

... speaking of netiquette and inflammatory comments...

FYI, you did sound like you were attacking Winni when you said "Just because you aren't a good enough programmer to utilize Java properly", so be careful when you blame him for your ambiguous phrasing.

I think both of you are getting off topic though. It's a fact that Java is slower than C/C++, and probably Objective C (when all languages are used properly), so I see Winni's point about the Google phone possibly not being as good as the iPhone / iPod Touch when it comes to games.

Regarding any "proof" that Java is fast enough for games: yes, of course it is. It's just not fast enough for all kinds of games, especially when computing power is considerably limited as is the case with any cell phone / PDA-like device.

As to whether it's good enough for most cell phone games? I don't know. I've actually made a simple 2D game in Android using OpenGL calls a while back, and it seemed to work just fine, but I was using the embulator. As long as their embedded OpenGL implementation is fast enough (it's done in C/C++ IIRC), there should be no problems because you're not going to be doing heavy work in the Java code anyway (as you would need to in a complex dynamically streamed 3D game).

I'm glad google are widening the phone OS (and possibly hardware) market. More choice for the consumer is a good thing. Someone really needs to step up to the plate and challenge apples design superiority complex. It might not be google that do this, but it will happen (at least I hope so).

Nothing has been more fun for me than watching the Apple lovers line up to buy each new version of the iPhone and then be unable to use the iPhones because of the problems with the devices that Apple has to fix. Not unique to IPhone of course, this seems to be an official Apple company policy.

I firmly believe that you could paint a brick white and design a nice iBrick logo to put on it and sell it to Apple lovers for $200.00 each.

Love them or hate them, Google seems to know what they are doing in most areas they enter. The cell phone is no different. Google won't lose on this because they were smart. They are leaving the hardware to the professionals and concentrating on the OS for the phone and keeping it accessible for developers and various phone manufacturers.

The main problem with the iPhone has been the main problem with anything Apple releases, the software may be nice, but it has to run on Apple hardware which is what usually causes the problem. Although to their defense, iTunes and Safari are horrid and buggy in their PC versions.

Since Google is known for making good software and software that works well, is powerful, yet streamlined, I think they will have the advantage in the cellphone market as soon as the Android powered phones are officially on sale.

Given Google's power in advertising, I would not be surprised to see phone fees and texting fees become somewhat subsidized by advertising in the future for Android powered devices. Given the economy problems, customers would flock to this.

They have already made the first step to success and that is making it accessible to developers and providing a solid SDK for developers. Google will not make you go out and buy an overly-priced Google computer just to be able to use the Android SDK. This will ensure there is an endless supply of apps and games for Android.

Google seems to be the next conspiracy theorists favorite to some.

I for one welcome them with open arms. Bring it on.

@GaryV: http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=8916472

And I don't understand why, really, considering that Google Chrome and Android are open-source - if you think they're spying on you, simply take a look at the source code and find out.

Waste of energy, real keyboard works best.
Apple sucks.
?
What?

Yes i have. Its alright, but i wouldnt want to type anything more than a name or address on it. With a real keyboard, if you suddenly get inspired on the bus or train you can start bashing out some design or pseudocode. I certainly wouldnt want to try that on the iphone.

@Lumooja: Hmm... Maybe I will clean the cat's litterbox and start selling iTurds.

I wouldn't want to write out pseudocode etc with any phone ...
my eeepc already has a keyboard thats tiny enough to be annoying after a while, but a 2-3" keyboard ... haha, no way.

It is an interesting concept but I agree on the spying point. Google for my personal preference already collects by far too much data and I wouldn't want to give them the possibility to not only do that with my written stuff but also my spoken.

I'm currently considering getting an XPERIA X1 from Sony or HTC Touch HD
Don't need an iPhone, have an iTouch for development purpose, that will do it.

Really? I find it's much easier on the fingers than the little nub buttons most phones have. Your fingers just kind of skim the surface and it's very ergonomic not having to apply a lot of pressure. I think it takes a bit of getting used to but after I had the phone for a week or so I was hooked.