3 ms·

Does Google make the design files for the Pixel phones available to Android partners under NDA? The value of a reference design is basically zero without the s

Does Google make the design files for the Pixel phones available to Android partners under NDA? The value of a reference design is basically zero without the schematics/layout and BSP. Or do you just mean upstreaming BSP drivers?

nine_k 4y ago
Schematics can be reverse-engineered in a few days, I suspect; there's no point to hide it. The interesting part is the choice of components, the rationale behind that choice, and the software support. I suppose that Google makes available the Android OS with support for all the new capabilities as they emerge (OLED, NFC, fingerprint scanners, etc) which OEMs can leverage with their hardware and closed-source software (both apps and drivers). The Pixel line is the Google's vision of the platform, with Google's control over hardware implementation and a commitment to support it (longer than many OEMs but not nearly as great as iPhones).
- akiselev 4y ago
  “Reference design” is a term of art in electrical engineering, not aspirational product marketing. Reverse engineering 10-20 layer mixed signal PCBs with buried microvias is nontrivial and is the exact opposite of what reference designs are supposed to be.
  - sangnoir 4y ago
    > “Reference design” is a term of art in electrical engineering, not aspirational product marketing. Root comment author here: I used the term mostly in mockery of the hobby-level effort Google has put into Pixel in the past. However, when it cones to Android devices the lines are blurred between "reference design" and "competitor flagship". Consider: * Android's roadmap is controlled by Google, which decides which features go into the next release. Once those features are in the codebase, they can be used by any OEM * OHA OEMs get early access to upcoming Android versions and work with Google * Android devices share the same set of suppliers for sensors/chips/SoC/modems: this is highly commoditized. Once the API & drivers for a feature are there, any OEM will have an easier time implementing it; perhaps choosing a different part number in the same product line. So Google in not sharing its circuit diagrams & CAD files, but the OEMs don't have to reverse-engineer anything post-release either. The reality is someplace inbetween: cooperative development

nine_k 4y ago

Schematics can be reverse-engineered in a few days, I suspect; there's no point to hide it. The interesting part is the choice of components, the rationale behind that choice, and the software support. I suppose that Google makes available the Android OS with support for all the new capabilities as they emerge (OLED, NFC, fingerprint scanners, etc) which OEMs can leverage with their hardware and closed-source software (both apps and drivers). The Pixel line is the Google's vision of the platform, with Google's control over hardware implementation and a commitment to support it (longer than many OEMs but not nearly as great as iPhones).

akiselev 4y ago
“Reference design” is a term of art in electrical engineering, not aspirational product marketing. Reverse engineering 10-20 layer mixed signal PCBs with buried microvias is nontrivial and is the exact opposite of what reference designs are supposed to be.
- sangnoir 4y ago
  > “Reference design” is a term of art in electrical engineering, not aspirational product marketing. Root comment author here: I used the term mostly in mockery of the hobby-level effort Google has put into Pixel in the past. However, when it cones to Android devices the lines are blurred between "reference design" and "competitor flagship". Consider: * Android's roadmap is controlled by Google, which decides which features go into the next release. Once those features are in the codebase, they can be used by any OEM * OHA OEMs get early access to upcoming Android versions and work with Google * Android devices share the same set of suppliers for sensors/chips/SoC/modems: this is highly commoditized. Once the API & drivers for a feature are there, any OEM will have an easier time implementing it; perhaps choosing a different part number in the same product line. So Google in not sharing its circuit diagrams & CAD files, but the OEMs don't have to reverse-engineer anything post-release either. The reality is someplace inbetween: cooperative development