Android is growing like crazy on smartphones — and stagnating
everywhere else. That's because Google is keeping its app store off
all Android devices that aren't smartphones. Such an approach is
understandable only in the sense that it gives the company more
control over the Android experience, but it will ultimately serve to
send consumers in search of devices that offer them more freedom.
Take the ARCHOS Internet Tablet that debuted in September of last
year. The 5-inch slate device offers a mobile web experience powered
by the Android platform, yet doesn't offer access to the Android
Market — preventing its owners from making use of even the most basic
Google apps, like Gmail.
So how does Google deem a device worthy of the Android Market? Wired
reports that the Market won't appear on a device if it's missing key
hardware elements that could hamper the full experience, such as a
camera, persistent data connectivity or integrated GPS radio. I can
understand such an approach — to a point. After all, it's a downer to
install a video-capture-and-upload app to a device that has no camera.
In this case, the end user is no better off than if he or she didn't
have access to the Market in the first place.
I reached out to Google myself, expecting to be pointed to a simple
list of what it takes to gain market access — Android is an open
approach, right? Not so much. Here was the response I got from a
company spokesperson:
"We ask our partners to build compatible devices, and we provide
handset manufacturers with a Compatibility Test Suite. This tests
devices on a range of factors to ensure they are compatible with the
Android platform. Only devices that pass this test will be allowed
access to Android Market, which ensures only compatible devices can
download apps from our market."
And what, exactly, makes a device "compatible"? According to the same
spokesperson:
"The Compatibility Test Suite tests the device on a number of
different factors and covers a majority of the APIs to see if anything
inadvertently got broken. Sometimes merely porting Android to a
different processor platform reveals issues with the port. This test
suite makes sure all the APIs are present and behave as expected."
Hardly an illuminating answer, and precisely the sort of approach that
needs to change if Google wants to move beyond smartphones.
One way to mitigate this issue is for Google to open up access to the
Market but manage software installation at the application level.
Google already has the tool set to do this — when you install an
Android application, the Market provides a list of device functions
the software will have access to (see image). If the Android Market
already knows what hardware a given program requires, why not let that
mechanism work at the application level? For example, if an
application requires the presence of a camera, simply don't allow for
installation of it on a non-camera device. I'm sure there are
technical issues I'm not addressing here, but from a strategic
directive, this ought to be possible.
If Google did this, then consumers wouldn't have to worry if their
device meets an esoteric list of hardware requirements — they could
enjoy the software for which their device is equipped. Developers
could gain a wider audience and earn more revenue in this scenario
because of more potential customers. Hardware makers could offer
devices with more appeal and functionality through software titles.
And Google would come out ahead by offering a better experience with
fewer restrictions on a potentially larger range of devices.
Access to the Android Market doesn't have to be an either-or scenario.
And given the open nature of Android, I don't think it should be.
--
Salam,
Agus Hamonangan
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