Google tries to clean up Android, telling carriers and manufacturers that they can't get too crazy with their modifications. So it gets whacked by pundits. Damned if you do...?
It's hard for Andy Rubin and his Android creation to catch a fair break. Partnering with just about every carrier and smartphone manufacturer, Android has come from nowhere to be the dominant OS in the smartphone industry in under three years. Windows Mobile was scrapped, Symbian was cut and now Blackberry and Windows Phone 7 are in a fight to gain some pittance of market share against the surging Android.
Android's growth has even made Apple's iPhone, which continues to grow in numbers, flat in market share.
When I go into a Best Buy (BBY) nowadays, I see about 40 Android devices next to a few feature phones, an odd BlackBerry or Windows Phone 7 and a few iPhones. Walk into a Radio Shack or most U.S. carrier showrooms and you'll see the same thing.
So you'd think the news would constantly be on what Android is doing right?
That's hardly the case. More
The fusion of cutting edge hardware and radical user interface improvements proves iOS has catching up to do.
Depending on who you asked at yesterday's Android Honeycomb launch event in Mountain View, California, the latest upgrade to Google's (GOOG) mobile OS was either a revelation or another iterative upgrade.
Some of the attendees I spoke to shrugged when I asked what they thought.
"Looks like just the next natural step for the MORE
JP Mangalindan, Writer-Reporter - Feb 4, 2011 12:19 PM ET
Android users have been waiting for the just released Gingerbread upgrade. But yesterday Andy Rubin leapfrogged them by demoing next-gen OS Honeycomb, and chatting about the time Google bit off more than it could chew.
Andy Rubin at D: Dive Into Mobile Credit: Asa Mathat | All Things Digital.
The latest version of the Android operating system, Gingerbread, is barely out of the oven but Andy Rubin, who heads up Android MORE
Beth Kowitt, Writer-Reporter - Dec 7, 2010 1:14 PM ET
As developers decide whether and how to support Microsoft's nascent mobile OS, some have found that creating augmented reality and video chat apps isn't possible, at least for now.
For Microsoft (MSFT), Windows Phone 7 represents an attempt at righting its serious fumbles in the mobile space. In recent years, as Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) introduced and aggressively updated iOS and Android, Microsoft's mobile OS fell further and further behind, MORE
JP Mangalindan, Writer-Reporter - Oct 22, 2010 10:44 AM ET
The new smartphone OS from Microsoft is receiving praise for usability on par with iPhone and Android's experiences. But to reel consumers in, Microsoft will have to court app developers first.
Image by Michele Ficara Manganelli via Flickr
In an exploding market where an estimated $6.2 billion will be spent on 4.5 billion mobile apps this year alone, consumers find themselves essentially deluged with a large selection of smartphones powered by MORE
JP Mangalindan, Writer-Reporter - Oct 21, 2010 11:39 AM ETEvery morning, discover the companies, deals and trends in tech that are moving markets and making headlines. SUBSCRIBE
Receive Fortune's newsletter on all the deals that matter, from Wall Street to Sand Hill Road. SUBSCRIBE
Covering the digital giants of Silicon Valley and beyond, an in-depth look at enterprise companies, and the startups disrupting them. Written by Michal Lev-Ram and emailed twice weekly. SUBSCRIBE
Anne Fisher answers career-related questions and offers helpful advice for business professionals. SUBSCRIBE
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 7.95 | -0.16 | -1.97% |
| Microsoft Corp | 31.27 | -0.17 | -0.54% |
| Ford Motor Co | 12.28 | -0.25 | -2.00% |
| General Electric Co | 19.39 | 0.17 | 0.88% |
| Citigroup Inc | 32.36 | -1.00 | -3.00% |
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 12,938.67 | -27.02 | -0.21% |
| Nasdaq | 2,933.17 | -15.40 | -0.52% |
| S&P 500 | 1,357.66 | -4.55 | -0.33% |
| Treasuries | 2.00 | -0.04 | -1.96% |
.
