Will Android Survive iPhone Dominated Market?

Will Android Survive iPhone Dominated Market?

Apple iPhone has taken the world by storm, overwhelming the market in just a few short years. Today, there is not a person on the planet that at least has not heard about iPhone. Apple wooed people with iPhone’s highly intuitive user interface and a host of addictive features. Meanwhile, Google was lying in wait to introduce its own iPhone counterpart – Android. Like anything that comes out of Google, Android immediately acquired its following, but has Google waited a tad too long?

Apple’s iPhone has an enormous fan following, with their iTunes App Store offering well over 100,000 apps. Apple controls the distribution of iPhone applications through a centralized online hub, which every app maker has to go through to publish its products to the public at large. Apple requires that all applications submitted to its App Store follow a very strict set of rules, prohibiting adult content and Apple imagery. Google’s version of App Store is called Android Market, which, in a nutshell, implements a similar workflow. Compared to App Store’s, however, Android Market’s rules are somewhat lax, allowing for all types of apps to be submitted.

Google is no stranger to fame. But is Google’s name alone sufficient to propel Android to the top of consumer lists? Despite the name recognition, the giant’s entry into the smartphone market was a risky affair, since the company has never attempted a similar move before. Unlike the iPhone, which is branded with the all-familiar lower-case “i”, the Android name does not bear the name of its host. Because of this disassociation, it may take time before there is a widespread recognition of Android as a member of Google family. That time will be a real test for Android’s ability to survive.

One advantage Google has over Apple is its access to mass marketing channels that Apple cannot compete with. Today, Google controls not only the largest share of internet search, but also the most powerful online advertising engine, called AdWords, accessed by millions of internet users daily. Unleashing this marketing machine on the smartphone space may go a long way to promoting Android platform to both the consumer and the wireless carrier.

Selecting an Android device can be a painstaking task. It is sold under many manufacturer names and through many wireless carriers. Today, Android apps are not nearly as popular as the apps offered for the iPhone, bulk of them struggling to reach a decent number of downloads. Implemented using an open source technology, Android applications lack the usability and slick user interface found in iPhone apps. On the positive side, Android operating system allows multitasking – running multiple applications simultaneously. You can quickly switch back and forth between your favorite Android apps without the need to shut down any of them. Lack of multitasking capability on the iPhone has traditionally been a sore spot for its users.

Android being an open source project has its advantages. It can run on many different phone models and work with many wireless carriers. The Android application framework itself can be easily customized by any developer to fit a given purpose. In contrast, the iPhone software engine is kept strictly proprietary, limiting its operating capacity to a single phone device – the iPhone. The latter is currently available only through AT&T and is sold by Apple via its network of sales vendors.

Android comes pre-built with the host of apps and service Google has been offering for years, such as Google Voice, Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Wave. Google has seamlessly integrated most of these services into the Android operating system, so they require the least amount of resources to operate and act just like their browser counterparts.

Will Android survive in the iPhone centric market or be written off as a failed Google experiment? At this point, the former is probably closer to the answer than the latter. Google has a lot vested in Android because of its crucial role as the gateway into a multi-billion dollar industry. The next few years will be challenging for Android. It will have to compete with an already established brand that has revolutionized the way smartphones operate. Google has all the heavy gear to fight this battle, but it will take more than that to compete with Apple’s well thought-out iPhone infrastructure? Whatever the outcome, the battle between Android and iPhone will surely transform the smartphone market as we know it.

Michael Dorf is a professional software architect and instructor with M.S. in Software Engineering and 12 years of industry experience building Java and J2EE solutions. He teaches for LearnComputer! (learncomputer.com), which offers public instructor-led Android training courses. Whether you prefer to sign up for our Android course or just read an article on iPhone vs. Android, you will find many useful resources on our website.

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How To Locate Your Kids With An Android Tracking App

Android Tracking – How To Locate Your Kids Anywhere In The World With An Android Tracking App

In today’s society, keeping track of your kids has become paramount, especially if you need to locate them in case of an emergency. Knowing where your kids are in case of an emergency can be made easier using Android tracking apps.

When using an Android tracking application, you’re able to locate exactly where your kid/s are. There is no need to call the cellphone, and maybe encourage them to be less than truthful about their whereabouts. Lets take a closer look at how the Android GPS tracking application works.

HOW DO ANDROID TRACKING APPS WORK?

Android, Google’s operating system for mobile phones, was created as an alternative to the nearly ubiquitous Apple iPhone OS, Windows Mobile, and Nokia’s Symbian OS. Android is an open source operating system allowing literally tens of thousands of applications run on an android cellphone. It is nearly impossible to come up with some function that can’t be done on an Android phone, as long as you have the right app.

An Android GPS tracking application, uses the phones own GPS functionality to locate the phone, and therefore the user. After purchase and installation the user gets access to a website that allows remote tracking of the cellphone. The Android location tracker is updated in real time so you will always know where your kids are.

This type of Android tracker may sound like the subject of science fiction movie plots, but the arrival of Android and the low cost of Android tracking apps make science fiction a reality. Now any concerned parent can track their child’s location using affordable and accurate Android GPS tracker. These apps can remove any concerns you may have about the phone users location at any time.

WHAT KIND OF ANDROID GPS APP TO PURCHASE?

There are two types of android GPS tracking app, visible and hidden. The visible apps are entry level, tend to be at the cheaper end of the scale and involve the phone user co-operation. If your kid doesn’t mind you knowing their location and is happy to switch on a visible app then these apps are appropriate. However, if you are not sure your kid would co-operate fully with a tracking app then you should opt for the hidden app. If you require the app to work quietly in the background you will probably have to spend a little bit more, something in the price range of to 0. For your investment you will get an Android tracking app that resembles James Bond’s latest technology. The decision on visible or hidden is one for you to make based on your knowledge of your kids.

If keeping track of your kids whereabouts is important to you (especially having a way to locate them in case of an emergency) then an Android GPS tracking app is the perfect solution.

WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION?

For the BEST ANDROID SPY SOFTWARE & TRACKING RESOURCE, check out this Android tracker site that is full of Android tracking reviews and news.

VISIT: www.androidtracking.org