Prepare for the Android Invasion

Whether you’re a business professional with a Blackberry welded to your hip, or a pre-teen whose cell phone usage is used by scientists in their studies on brain cancer, you’re going to be interested in Android.

Developed by Internet superstar Google, Android is an open source mobile platform. Like any operating system, Android is responsible for telling your machine (in this case your cell phone) how to function. What makes Android unique is that “open source” bit. With the availability of the Android SDK (software development kit), programmers are able to write their own software for Android; in turn, that software can be used on any phone that uses Android.

This is significant because up until recently, wireless companies have tried to limit 3rd party companies from writing software for their phones, wishing to keep that revenue for themselves. Unfortunately for the consumer, that has typically equated to a lack of features.

But don’t get too downtrodden. With the announcement of Android, a group called the Open Handset Alliance was formed, which includes over 30 wireless companies, all of whom have promised to use Android. Get with one of these companies, and you can expect the freedom to pick and choose the software you want for your phone.

So what kind of software will there be to choose from? That’s where things get exciting. With an open-source platform like Android, developers are free to come up with whatever they want, introducing unique features once thought infeasible on cell phones.

A glimpse into this future of possibilities was had at MIT, where a class of students spent their semester developing software using Android. Of the projects that came out of the class, the one that I especially liked, called Locale, allows you to specify ranges on a map that dictate what your phone’s settings should be within those ranges. So the next time you’re heading into the office, you won’t have to remember to set your phone to vibrate - it’ll do it for you!

I strongly suggest you read over the article and glean what the future may have in store for your phone. Cell phones utilizing the Android platform are expected to be released in the latter half of the year, giving you time to start drooling over the possibilities now.