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Video calling coming to Android, the location data debacle and Android offers more freebies
#11 | 5:21 |
Wednesday May 4, 2011
Android Weekly
Wednesday May 4, 2011
We've been waiting for video calling to make its way to Android smartphones... though we're not sure why, given that we have no real intention of using the feature. Looks like it may be here soon. We're looking to Google I/O 2011 as the place for the official announcement.
You've likely heard about the location data debacle where Apple stands accused of tracking your every move in iOS. It's yellow journalism at its finest; check out this NBC Action News fear mongering.
Finally, what Android users already knew has been confirmed; Android offers more free apps than iOS.
You've likely heard about the location data debacle where Apple stands accused of tracking your every move in iOS. It's yellow journalism at its finest; check out this NBC Action News fear mongering.
Finally, what Android users already knew has been confirmed; Android offers more free apps than iOS.
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Video calling is coming to Android
Despite the fact that we have no real intention of using it, we have been waiting on native video calling on Android ever since the first front-facing cameras started to appear on handsets.
It looks like the wait may be over.
On Android tablets, video calls are already supported via Google Talk. Handset users are left out in the cold though.
Perhaps not for much longer. A Samsung Application Manager, Saad Kayyali with the Twitter handle MAFIA303, tweeted about his experience trying video calling on Samsung's Nexus S.
We'll look to Google I/O 2011, the Google developer's conference starting on May 10, as the place for the unveiling.
Given that Honeycomb tablet users can already chat with Gmail / Google Talk PC or Mac users, this could be the cross-platform video chat that's required to make video calling actually matter.
Android dinged for the way it handles location data
With a degree of shaddenfreude, we watched Apple get roasted for the way it collects and subsequently stores and cloaks GPS location data. Now, we watch as Google gets pulled in too. For its part, Google claims that all location data collected on handsets running its Android operating system is anonymous and opt-in. Anyone that remembers the debacle of a couple of years ago when Google got dinged for collecting data from wi-fi networks as its Google Maps cars tooled around towns might be feeling a little deja vu.
A couple of angry Android users have filed suit against Google for claimed privacy breaches. They claim that their HTC Inspire 4G phones track whereabouts in much the same way a court-ordered location device does. A court-ordered device such as the fashionable GPS anklets sported by the likes of, well, many a young Hollywood starlet after repeatedly running afoul of the law.
Android has more free apps than iOS
iPhone switching Android users don't need a study to confirm this little fact. For everyone else, it's official: Android's Market offers up more freebies than iOS. Apparently, the Android Market has 134,342 free apps on offer where iOS is about 13,000 shy of that mark. Last week we talked about how iOS developers get paid on average 11% more for their work where Android devs tend toward the ad-supported model. This latest study coming from the Wireless Federation would seem to confirm that.
As Android's Market and market share continue to grow, we expect to see that gap shrink and disappear.
We all know Android is on the fast track to having the largest app store going. What's interesting though is the current landscape. iOS has the most apps going, Android is in second and in third? Windows Phone 7. BlackBerry and it's App World are apparently only managing to beat out Symbian and the Ovi store in a distant fourth position.
All the more reason for BlackBerry to align itself with Android to access the Android Market.
We're waiting.
Kongregate
Free app
Despite the fact that we have no real intention of using it, we have been waiting on native video calling on Android ever since the first front-facing cameras started to appear on handsets.
It looks like the wait may be over.
On Android tablets, video calls are already supported via Google Talk. Handset users are left out in the cold though.
Perhaps not for much longer. A Samsung Application Manager, Saad Kayyali with the Twitter handle MAFIA303, tweeted about his experience trying video calling on Samsung's Nexus S.
We'll look to Google I/O 2011, the Google developer's conference starting on May 10, as the place for the unveiling.
Given that Honeycomb tablet users can already chat with Gmail / Google Talk PC or Mac users, this could be the cross-platform video chat that's required to make video calling actually matter.
Android dinged for the way it handles location data
With a degree of shaddenfreude, we watched Apple get roasted for the way it collects and subsequently stores and cloaks GPS location data. Now, we watch as Google gets pulled in too. For its part, Google claims that all location data collected on handsets running its Android operating system is anonymous and opt-in. Anyone that remembers the debacle of a couple of years ago when Google got dinged for collecting data from wi-fi networks as its Google Maps cars tooled around towns might be feeling a little deja vu.
A couple of angry Android users have filed suit against Google for claimed privacy breaches. They claim that their HTC Inspire 4G phones track whereabouts in much the same way a court-ordered location device does. A court-ordered device such as the fashionable GPS anklets sported by the likes of, well, many a young Hollywood starlet after repeatedly running afoul of the law.
Android has more free apps than iOS
iPhone switching Android users don't need a study to confirm this little fact. For everyone else, it's official: Android's Market offers up more freebies than iOS. Apparently, the Android Market has 134,342 free apps on offer where iOS is about 13,000 shy of that mark. Last week we talked about how iOS developers get paid on average 11% more for their work where Android devs tend toward the ad-supported model. This latest study coming from the Wireless Federation would seem to confirm that.
As Android's Market and market share continue to grow, we expect to see that gap shrink and disappear.
We all know Android is on the fast track to having the largest app store going. What's interesting though is the current landscape. iOS has the most apps going, Android is in second and in third? Windows Phone 7. BlackBerry and it's App World are apparently only managing to beat out Symbian and the Ovi store in a distant fourth position.
All the more reason for BlackBerry to align itself with Android to access the Android Market.
We're waiting.
Kongregate
Free app
Tagged:
Android App
,Android Developer
,Android Market
,free Android Apps
,free app
,GPS
,iOS
,location data
,privacy
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