Google's Android vs Apple's iPhone

The web is abuzz with talk of Google's new mobile OS, Android. What I find interesting is the stark contrast between Apple's tyrannical stance against people developing their own apps for the iPhone, and Google's stance that outside apps can only lead to the melioration of their product. Apple has blocked users from developing apps for the iPhone, going as far as causing all outside apps that were developed for the iPhone to be bricked. Google has done quite the opposite. Their new Android mobile operating system not only is designed specifically to allow programmers to produce apps for it easily and is not tied to any specific phone or carrier, but the entire operating system will be made open-source sometime next year!

For those of you guys that missed it, Google today announced that they are in fact not making a cellphone or mobile device, but instead were actually developing an open-source operating system for cellphones and mobile devices. The software is known as Android. C'mon, are you really surprised that a software company developed software and not a device? Here's the scoop on Android:

• It's wide-open:
• An SDK will be available November 12th.
• The OS is free for mobile providers (or anyone else) to put it on their phones. Google plans to make their money off ads displayed to the users of the phone (not sure if it's on the phone itself or simply when browsing Google's pages.)
• The OS itself will go open-source sometime next year.
• It has been suggested that the design of the phones may be similar to the iPhone (with touch screens and what-not) but I'm guessing the OS's interface will not be tied to one particular navigation or input system.
• Google will continue developing mobile versions of its web-based applications such as Google Maps and GMail for those of us with non-Android phones to continue to use.
• Google has also announced the Open Handset Alliance: A group of developers, manufacturers and providers to "commercially deploy handsets and services using the Android Platform."
  
• Android-powered phones are not expected to be available until the second half of 2008.

Again, all of this is such a contrast to how Apple has handled outside development on their iPhone. Jobs was quoted as saying, "These are devices that need to work, and you can't do that if you load any software on them." And that, "'Cingular doesn't want to see their West Coast network go down because some application messed up." People figured out a way to get their own apps on their (own) iPhones, but instead of voiding their warranty (or thanking them for making the iPhone waaaay better), Apple blocked their apps with their latest patch. It has taken a huge public outcry and several lawsuits to get Apple to finally open the iPhone a bit. They've now announced that they'll be releasing a developer kit this February.


As you can see, I'm a little pissed at Apple for locking down the iPhone. It would be a glorious device to develop on, but right now isn't worth the risk of Apple killing any apps one would develop on it. As for me, I'm not holding my breath for iPhone's developer kit release, either. As a developer, why should I settle for semi-open-source when the real thing is right around the corner?