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Market, Maps, Gmail. And it's nothing like Windows (I'm sick of this analogy) Android is open source, you can and many do, sell non-approved phones, they can u
by yanw 16y ago
Market, Maps, Gmail.
And it's nothing like Windows (I'm sick of this analogy) Android is open source, you can and many do, sell non-approved phones, they can use the Amazon store (another app store is the biggest testimony for openness).
Android is also the only platform to have multiple browser options (Firefox 4 was recently released for it).
- blub 16y ago> Market, Maps, Gmail. I think the comparison IE-Windows vs. Google services-Android when it comes to coupling is relevant. Google is using services to force manufacturers down certain paths. An Android phone without Market, Maps and Gmail isn't much of an Android phone: * No maps => apps can't use any mapping capabilities. * No Gmail => can you still send e-mail from the SDK? I've heard that pretty much all other e-mail provider integration sucks. * No market => Your phone customers can't buy any apps out of the box. Today there may be alternatives such as Amazon's app store, but back then you either did what Google said or no Android for you! (I think you couldn't even use the Android name in fact)
- yanw 16y agoIt's open source software given for free so any slight bit of control Google tries to exercise doesn't really tip the scale to the other side, specially when alternatives exist. Also I recommend the K-9 mail client, it's very good: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.fsck.k9 https://market.android.com/details?id=com.fsck.k9
- blub 16y agoOk, so let's say that you make phones. 1. MS comes and says we'll give you 3Om$ if you use Bing as a search engine. 2. You say "Cool!" 3. Google comes and says, if you use Bing, you can't use Gmail, the Android Market or Gmaps any more. You also can't call it Android any more. You call this "slight bit of control", I call it extorsion. P.S: Why do you keep mentioning that Android is open-source? This is completely irrelevant to the discussion.
- yanw 16y agoThat's not true, the Verizon Android phone that uses Microsoft's search engine has the market and gmail installed, it just doesn't have the sticker. And the fact that it's open source is very relevant here as it implies minimum restrictions.