The term "Android" is the hot topic of the tech world since its launch of by Google. But, what is Android? How useful it is?
Android:
Android is a software platform and operating system for mobile devices, based on the linux kernel first developed by Google and later the Open Handset Alliance. It is the first, complete, open and free mobile platform and includes an operating system, middleware and key applications.
It allows mobile software developers to create new applications using Android SDK. Applications are written using the Java programming language and run on a custom virtual machine which runs on top of a Linux kernel.
Features of Android Software:
Android includes an Application framework enabling reuse and replacement of components, Dalvik virtual machine optimized for mobile devices, Integrated browser based on the open source WebKit engine, SQLite, Media support, GSM Telephony, Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G, Camera, GPS, compass, accelerometer.
Features of Applications using Android:
# Applications will have no borders. Through standard APIs, these applications can enter core mobile device functionality and also transfer capabilities for other applications to use.
# Any application can be replaced or extended.
# Applications can easily embed common web design codes like HTML, javascript and style sheets.
# Applications can run in parallel, one side running in the background and giving notifications in the front. Android's multitasking environment reminds me of JAVA's multiplatform environment feature.
Android is designed for the everyman. So teenagers might use the social networking applications and built-in GPS to stay connected to friends onm mobile and housewives may use its barcode-scanning and price-comparison features to save money on their weekly shop.
In all, Google has helped develop a software that handset manufacturers can install in their devices.
The first phone running Google Android is the T-Mobile G1. The phone was demonstrated in September, 2008, and went on sale on October 22.
The G1 runs Google's Android and is designed to bring the desktop computing experience to mobile devices. Scores of mobile phones in coming time will be launched that run Android - the G1 being the first in a long line of "Google phones".
Google had already lined up a series of hardware component and software partners.
Samsung, LG Electronics and Motorola are ready to produce phones that run on Android.
Apple has announced a similar inititiave which allows developers to create software for the iPhone.
If Google can bring out a perfect mobile device software through its Android platform, then it will not only be first in the line for online domination, but it also has the potential to gather mass audience all over the world. Also, Android has to find place in different forms, especially in developing nations where no. of mobile users is increasing exponentially.
Google Inc. on Wednesday launched adsense for Web-based video games. The software is still in beta testing and allows video, image or text advertisements to be placed at the start, end or change of level in an online game.
The advertising industry has got a huge boost with Google's entry into video advertising.
AdSense for Games will deliver video ads based on intended placements, as well as image or text ads based on contextual targeting with keywords and tags supplied by developers and publishers.
Advertisers are charged on a cost-per-impression or cost-per-click basis, and ad revenue is split between Google and game developers or publishers.
Google is working with game makers including Konami Corp and Demand Media, run by former MySpace Chairman Richard Rosenblatt, as well as advertisers like Sprint Nextel Corp and Sony Corp's Sony Pictures.
Among the initial advertisers participating in the program are eSurance, Sprint, and Sony Pictures Entertainment and the in-game advertising field already has several well-established players, including Microsoft's Massive, DoubleFusion, and IGA.
On Google Adsense Blog, a post mentions that as a beta user of AdSense for Games, one can display video ads, image ads, or text ads within your online games to earn revenue.
There seems a big future success for Google and if that were the case, Goggle will surely add this service to mobile games and then finally to console.
Related Links:
http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/annc/adsense_games.html
http://www.google.com/ads/games
http://snipurl.com/46uts (YouTube example of AdSense for Games)
Google In-Game Advertising
Google Chrome's share of the browser market is fading as users who abandoned Internet Explorer and Firefox start to return, an Internet measurement company said today.At the end of its third week of availability, Google Inc.'s Chrome accounted for 0.77% of the browsers that visited the 40,000 sites tracked by Net Applications, down from a 0.85% share the week before.
"The trend line on Chrome still has a slight downward angle, and these weekly numbers reflect that," said Vince Vizzaccaro, Net Applications' executive vice president of marketing. Although Chrome popped above 1% within hours of its release, the new browser now reaches that mark only in the middle of the night, U.S. time, Vizzaccaro added.
Chrome's numbers, like those of Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox and Apple Inc.'s Safari, typically climb after work hours and then fall as work resumes the next day. Many businesses standardize on Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer (IE) and don't allow employees to use alternate browsers.
IE and Firefox still showed share erosion compared to the period immediately before Chrome's Sept. 2 debut, but both browsers regained users last week, Vizzaccaro said. IE picked up 0.24 percentage points last week, while Firefox regained 0.06 points. Both, however, remained down for the month, as was Opera Software ASA's Opera and AOL LLC's now-defunct Netscape.
Safari, the only browser to escape Chrome's impact, was still on the plus side for September, ending last week up 0.45 percentage points before Chrome, although that was down from the prior week's 0.68-point net gain.
Last week, Vizzaccaro said Safari's immunity could be traced to the lack of Chrome competition. Although Google has promised a native Mac OS X edition, its browser is currently only available for Windows XP and Windows Vista.
Computerworld's site metrics echoed Net Applications' trend for Chrome. The percentage of visitors to Computerworld.com who used Google's browser dropped to 4.01 points last week, down from 4.96 points.
Chrome's slow slide may be because of Google's low-key promotion, Vizzaccaro said. "The only marketing effort I've seen from Google is in sponsored links on search results for 'browser' or 'browsers' search terms," he said. "On Google, Chrome is naturally the top sponsored link.
On Yahoo, it was second. And on Windows Live, I couldn't even find it in the first five pages of organic results."
Week starting Aug. 24 Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 15 Net Change
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IE | 72.39% | 71.03% | 71.24% | 71.48% | -0.91% |
Firefox | 19.54% | 19.78% | 19.35% | 19.42% | -0.13% |
Safari | 6.27% | 6.67% | 6.95% | 6.73% | 0.45% |
Chrome | ----- | 0.67% | 0.85% | 0.77% | 0.77% |
Opera | 0.74% | 0.75% | 0.70% | 0.68% | -0.06% |
Netscape | 0.77% | 0.83% | 0.67% | 0.66% | -0.11% |
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