It is also destined over the next few years to become a major player in all sorts of other smart devices, including digital
Jessica Pare washing machines. That has been the
Christa Miller Lena Gercke clear view of several top executives
Andrew Adamson I’ve talked to recently who are making chips for all manner of electronics.
The
Andy Williams most
Nina Moric Harrison Ford enthusiastic for Android was Sehat Sutardja,
Rachel Grant Jeffrey Dean the chief executive of the Marvell Technology Group, which makes processor chips
Saving Jane for phones as well as other gadgets, including
Lisa Marie a new $99 computer the size of a
Sandra Mccoy cellphone charger.
He argued the world needed a
Aaron Boone standard, free operating system for all the devices that increasingly
Tracey Ellis Ross have powerful computers inside.
Google appears to be committed to using its resources and prestige to make sure that Android continues
Paul Leyden to grow. At the same time, Google
Kristy Hinze doesn’t need to charge money
Tim Meadows for
Elise Neal its contribution. Rather, it
Sasha appears to
Christian Slater believe its effort
Cristian De La Fuente is worthwhile because it will help expand the
Jennifer Sky universe
The Honorary Title of
Richard Hawley Internet-connected devices that
April Scott can be used to connect to Google services. Oh yes, Android
Anthony Michael Hall also helps
Jordana Brewster Joanna Kerns destabilize Microsoft, Google’s
Anneliese Van Bobby Edner biggest rival.
The case for Android is that it combines the benefit of open-source software with the benefits of
Priscilla Barnes Lauren Bush a product of a big, reliable
Anetta Keys company. By being open, there are
Zdenka Podkapova potentially many thousands of developers who can contribute code, solving little problems, often for little compensation.
“Open source is
Valentino Garavani great
Jon Favreau because you have the smartest people in the world working simply because of principle,” Mr.
Katja Schuurman Anna Nalick Sutardja said.
There
Joan Allen is an argument to be made that the
Klaus Meine same forces that
Blu Cantrell helped build Microsoft are
Toledo Diamond now aligned
Bonnie Somerville behind Android. Microsoft made some good products, was a tough and savvy competitor and benefited disproportionally from its first deal to make
Jc Chasez the
Kate Clinton operating
Elena Anaya Janice Dickinson system for I.B.M.’s personal computer. But
Connie Selleca the main reason that Windows become
Peter Capaldi the dominant operating system and Office became the
Amy Brenneman dominant
Eric Winter productivity software is that the market wants
The Offspring a standard and
Tamsin Egerton will settle on the most plausible alternative.
When it comes to phones
Across Five Aprils and other devices, Microsoft has lost its presumptive argument for being the most plausible choice. Despite a head start with Windows CE and Windows Mobile, it doesn’t
Claire Danes have the hearts and minds of the engineers
Chris Addison and business executives making decisions about
Zachary Levi what product to use.
Moreover, its
Jennifer Tisdale business model
Rodney Atkins simply can’t make operating systems that are free. Google is in what the
Alex Turner Pentagon calls
Kristen Wiig an asymmetric war.
Tiffani Amber Thiessen It wins simply by
Toni Basil undercutting Microsoft’s prices. Microsoft essentially can’t offer products that cost less than Google’s already free search and other ad-supported products.
Right now, all this has many big executives making excuses for the bugs and
Dweezil Zappa limitations in the current versions of Android.
“Android has problems, bugs and all,” said Eli Harari, chief executive of SanDisk. “But there is so much energy going
Cheryl Hickey into Android.”
Donal Logue That makes him argue that the
Mackenzie Phillips operating system will
Michael Caine be an important rival to those offered by
Richard Dean Anderson Steely Dan Apple, Microsoft,
Almudena Fernandez Palm
Tom Hanks and others.
Mr. Sutardja was even more enthusiastic arguing that Android
Dee Wallace will become much
Morena Baccarin better
All Time Low over the
Tracy Shaw Eric Mabius next five years.
“It will become pervasive,” he said.
Nick Adams “It will
Cassie be used
Lulu in everything from TVs to
Jermaine Jackson I.P. phones to digital
Ross Mccall picture frames to washing machines.”
Washing machines, I asked?
“Why
Marianne Faithfull not?” he replied. A
Paul Wall washing machine
Joey Fatone Robert Prosky may well be better with a
Kevin Spacey user interface that shows pictures of
Minnie Driver various types of clothing and stains, he said.
Aftab Shivdasani In any case, the machines will have microprocessors and graphical
Kelly Lynch interfaces. An
Buddy Guy appliance company isn’t going to write its own
Amanda Lepore operating system, and a free version
Adam Sandler of Android will fill the
Wentworth Miller bill.
“A lot of
Kimberly J. Brown our customers are people who cannot afford to develop their
Mathieu Amalric own software,” Mr. Sutardja said. “Android practically is the only
Ann Rutherford option for them.”
Mathew Growney, the chief executive of Isabella Products, a start-up making Internet-enabled
Matty Rich Alfonso Ribeiro Terry Gilliam digital picture frames, says that for now
Damon Albarn Android uses too much processing power and simpler versions of
Tailor James Linux are better for simple products.
So I don’t want to say that Android has the market locked up, at this early stage. But there does seem to be
Nelly Furtado a great
Rachel Wood demand for something
Dawn Hudson Jim Beaver Emily Lloyd very much like Android in any case.
As for smartphones, however, you’ve got to wonder whether the
Mercedes Ruehl market dynamics are a bit different. For
Leslie Easterbrook a picture frame or
Twista washing machine, everybody is served
Nicole De by an operating system that is
Oliver Platt good enough
Debra Stephenson and cheap. But isn’t the standard higher for
Alexander Gould your phone, which you carry with you
Alex Meneses all day and need to be powerful, responsive and
Billie Piper easy at a moment’s notice? Isn’t that where Apple,
MC Harvey Research in Motion, Palm and maybe even Microsoft can compete against the free,
John Patrick Amedori open
Katherine Narducci source
Chris Jones world?
Mr.
Wallace Shawn Sutardja of Marvell agreed that the Apple model
Freddie Prinze Jr will
Ben Kingsley continue to thrive. But the market is so big, he argued, that there needs to
Carter Oosterhouse be a standard operating system for the companies that make handsets but don’t have the ability to make
Courtnee Draper Barbara Walters phone software.
“There
Jan Anderson could be two billion smartphones,” he said. “The proprietary operating systems
Destinys Child could have
Vicky Leandros Vail Bloom one billion phones. That means
Naomi Harris half of the phones
Lisa Kline will be open source.”
just how much computing do
Garrett Hedlund i need to wash a load
Wilmer Valderrama of
Harry Shearer socks & underwear? my iPhone or iPod Touch can give me the info i
Justin Berfield need about “fabrics & stains”. this seems to be more a direction for the haves, than the have-nots.
Julie Dreyfus i don’t have nor do i forsee the
Elden Henson need
Shane West for most of us
Shinedown to have these computer-enabled washers, dryers,
Catherine Mary fridges, etc… i pick the settings
Emmanuelle Vaugier for these as well as my microwave oven. maybe a need smarter, greener HVAC system but that’s about it. then again, many of
Raymond Cruz us in the industrialized Old & New World are just too conspicuous w/ our consumerist consumption
Lisa Rogers to have
Brian White the newest latest
Wade Williams &
Tina Barrett greatest, just because it is so &
Kudai we can. to paraphrase, “if you build it surely some, maybe many will come.”, these companies certainly hope so.
