Android Operating System

Android Sees Substantial Growth Through January 2010

According to recent stats released from comScore Google’s Android jumped 4.3% in popularity from October 2009 through January 2010.

RIM is still the leader with a 43% market share, a 1.7% increase from October of 2009. Apple has gained 0.3% moving up from 24.8% to 25.1%. The bigger winner in comScore’s latest market share report is Google’s Android OS which jumped 4.3% from 2.8% to 7.1%.

Both Palm and Microsoft saw their numbers decline. Palm is down 2.1% from 7.8% to 5.7%. Microsoft dropped 4 percentage points from 19.7% to 15.7% market share.

comScore Reports January 2010 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share

[via: comScore]

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Is Fragmentation Going to Kill Google’s Android?

Is Android Truly Fragmented?

A lot of people are talking about fragmentation and how it’s going to be the downfall of Google’s Android Operating System.  I was beginning to buy into this mindset until it hit me on a recent trip home to Laguna Beach why that’s not true.

While I was back in the OC a friend asked me to help them set up their iPod (yeah, they’re tech challenged), so I jumped on their extremely outdated Dell running Windows 2000 Professional.  First I had to search for a compatible version of iTunes, after an exhaustive search I installed iTunes 7.something and hooked up their iPod.  Doh!  Their iPod needs iTunes 8 or higher in order to do its thing.  Guess what?   iTunes 8 isn’t compatible with their outdated version of Windows.  After 3 days of installing updates that dated back to when Jesus was a child I gave up, there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to update a rickety old slow as molasses Windows system.  I told them they had two choices either buy an updated version of Windows or invest in a new machine, preferably a Mac!

This experience got me thinking what is it about Google’s Android that’s fragmented?

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Sales of Android Phones Jump 3.5% in 2009

Smartphones based on the Google Android Operating System saw growth last year, increasing their market share in 2009 by 3.5 percentage points. Sales of Android phones should continue to surge, though confusion over Google’s presence in the market could put a damper on growth, according to Gartner.

Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner said:

“Android’s success experienced in the fourth quarter of 2009 should continue into 2010 as more manufacturers launch Android products, but some CSPs (communications service providers) and manufacturers have expressed growing concern about Google’s intentions in the mobile market.”  ”If such concerns cause manufacturers to change their product strategies or CSPs to change which devices they stock, this might hinder Android’s growth in 2010.”

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Android Powered AutoLinQ for Your Car

Continental will be offering a system that will bring Google’s Android OS into your car’s head units. The system, AutoLinQ, is obviously powered by Google’s Android, and is part of a new connected services platform that car makers can choose to install in their vehicles. Thanks to it being powered by Android, the head units will be able to download existing Android applications.

Continental is also planning to release an AutoLinQ SDK in the first quarter of 2010 with a specific app store in the 2nd half of the year. With all this tech wizardry in your car, you’ll be able to remotely connect to your car via a mobile phone or PC and check the status or location of your vehicle. Continental has also teamed up with Navteq to come up with map, traffic and location applications, and it seems that location-based social networking is also on the horizon.

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Google’s Android to Hit 68 Million by 2013

Google Inc.’s Android software will be the fastest growing operating system between now and 2013, when it will become the second most popular mobile OS, according to IDC.  The IDC projection nearly mirrors recent findings by Gartner Inc., which predicted that the Android OS will hit the second spot behind Nokia’s Symbian in 2012.

Will we all be dancing The Robot in 2013? Read more…

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