Lots of Google news to catch up on:
- Google and Intel are expected to launch a “Smart TV” platform this week. Intel’s Atom microprocessor and Google’s Android operating system are spearheading their assault on set-top boxes and TVs featuring integrated internet services. Reportedly, a deal with Sony will be announced during Google’s annual developer conference in San Francisco for bringing web services to its televisions. “The revolution we’re about to go through is the biggest single change in television since it went colour,” Paul Otellini, Intel chief executive, told analysts last week.
- Android is now a mainstream operating system that is increasingly butting heads with Apple’s iPhone for mindshare among consumers and developers. At the Google I/O show this week Adobe will demonstrate Flash Player 10.1 running on an Android phone, and Google will like launch Android 2.2, code-named Froyo, which has Flash support built-in.
The Nexus One smartphone will be dropped from Google’s online store.
In a blog posting Friday, Andy Rubin, VP, Engineering, wrote: “While the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the Web store has not. It’s remained a niche channel for early adopters, but it’s clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to chose from.”
Phone support was lacking and now similar Android-powered devices are available from other carriers. Ruben says Android handsets like the HTC Evo 4G from Sprint and the Verizon Droid Incredible provide similar features.
- Nvidia’s second generation of Tegra, the Tegra 2, will target Android devices first, reports Engadget. Their new focus will be on Android smartphones and tablets in the third and fourth quarter of this year, making a viable competitor to Apple’s A4 SOC, says nVidia’s CEO Jen-Hsun.
- Google has apparently updated the Android Market website, says Tech Crunch. It’s nothing dramatic, however. The Android Market still no search, no way to download apps OTA, or statistics.
- European officials are still miffed over Google’s “accidental” Wi-Fi data collection and seek an in-depth investigation that may lead to harsh penalties for the search engine giant.
It was revealed that Google’s Street View cars were collecting more than images and coordinates for its sophisticated GPS site. As much as 600GB of data from Wi-Fi networks — in more than 30 countries — has been snagged in Google’s fishnet. Google apologized and said they accidentally recorded that information —although the project leaders did not want, and had no intention of using, payload data.
“As soon as we became aware of this problem, we grounded our Street View cars and segregated the data on our network, which we then disconnected to make it inaccessible”, said the company on its blog last Friday.
HTC Evo 4G won’t be supporting Flash 10.1 because the phone needs to run on Android 2.2 in order to get the latest version of Flash up and running on the device, says EVDOforums.com.
