320 karma · joined March 11, 2009
"To all the apple fanboys: the emulator code is open source. Go ahead and fix it yourselves. Apple doesn't provide a multi platform SDK. If I want to develop an app for iPhone I must own an Apple PC. Now, that's messed up!."
Being exclusive to AT&T was as much Apple's choice as Android's was to be on them all.
Yes I'm sure it impacts adoption rates, but we didn't see a huge rush to the Verizon iPhone. But, as you say, the real test won't come until people's contracts end over the next 2 years.
In reality, we'll probably see something that's half-way between a web-app and a mobile app. In the meantime, can we stop predicting the doom of mobile software and get on with fixing what's broken about it?
The fact remains that Android's fragmentation is something I deal with on a daily basis. Any time spent fixing issues that crop up on particular phones is time I don't spend adding features to our application. Keeping customers from knowing the joys of fragmentation is one of the things I spend a lot of thought and work at.
This is a required step if Google wants the platform to be taken seriously. The only way to keep fragmentation out is to exert a fair amount of control over the OEMs and Carriers who wish to differentiate (or Fragment) Android for their own purposes.
It's going to be a fine balancing act for Rubin. If he pushes the carriers/oems too far, they'll walk. If he doesn't push them hard enough, the platform will disintegrate Java ME style.
Google is using the only leverage they have (early access and the google apps) to make the platform one worth developing for. I, as someone who makes his living doing it right now, am all for this move.
I didn't learn to really hammer out the words until I started dialing into the local collage modem pool to play muds.
Further, the headline is misleading, as they're talking only about groupon and nothing about how this might impact the tech economy as a whole.
-Turned 30
-Proposed to my girlfriend of 7 years
-Got a new job
-Wrote an app that was (briefly) #1 in the paid section of the Android Market
-Moved to New York
It's been a big year for me :-)
I haven't look at it much yet, but you might have some luck with the new Quallcom AR SDK.