Android is Good Business for Google, and Oracle Too
Android has grown from being the underdog of the smartphone industry to the number one mobile platform in terms of market share, and it seems Google has managed to maintain this momentum. This week several examples of that surfaced, starting with the debut of two new Gingerbread-powered LG devices: the Optimus Pro and the LG Optimus Net. The first handset comes with a QWERTY candybar keyboard designed to appeal to BlackBerry users.
Some details on some of the Pro’s other features:
“…the screen comes in at just 2.8 inches (mostly due to the keyboard taking up nearly half of the face), and the processor clocks in at a relatively sluggish 800mhz. The Pro will ship in white, black, and something LG calls “titan” (alas, I have absolutely no idea what the hell color “titan.”
The second device, the Optimus Net, comes with a 3.2-inch 320×480 screen, a 800mhz processor like the Pro’s and a native social widget on the homescreen. Some models will be NFC-enabled in certain regions. In addition to LG, Amazon may soon have an Android tablet launch of its own. The WSJ reports that the company plans on releasing an Android tablet by October; one that won’t feature a camera, but will instead put an emphasis on media and content that can be purchased from Amazon.
Manufacturers are jumping on the Android bandwagon by pushing out new devices, while developers are looking to strengthen their position in the app ecosystem. The latest is Zinio, a digital magazine download server that launched on all Android devices today.
Yesterday during Google’s earnings call, Larry Page reported that 550,000 Android devices are being activated every day. That came along with the news that Google saw 32 percent year-over-year growth in Q2, and the mobile platform is a big focus for the company. The same can be said of Oracle, which is suing Google for billions of dollars in claims that the mobile OS infringes several Java patents. In the latest twist, the company requested permission to depose four Google execs, including Page himself.
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