Google, MIT bestow App Inventor to the unwashed masses
Google must be feeling generous: it donated Sky Map to undeserving armchair astronomers and it’s letting the great unwashed get at its App Inventor development platform. The software toolset was cooked up in partnership with MIT : a web-based interface that lets anyone build Android apps without getting elbows-deep in code. Those Massachusetts king-geeks won’t be accepting submissions just yet, however: it’s still got to work out how it’s going to deploy the public server and foster a “robust and active open-source project” under its new name: the moderately unimaginative MIT App Inventor.
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Google, MIT bestow App Inventor to the unwashed masses
Facebook’s Open Compute Project shares plans for energy-efficient data center
We know, you’ve seen an awful lot of Zuckerberg and crew here lately, and the Facebook news just keeps rolling in. This time the social networking giant is doing some sharing of a different sort by offering public access to the specifications and best practices behind its new, more efficient data center in Prineville, Oregon. According to the company, the center, built in collaboration with AMD, Dell, HP, and Intel, has boosted energy efficiency by 38 percent while lowering cost by 24 percent. The information now available through the Open Compute Project includes technical specs and mechanical CAD files for everything from servers to building design. Basically, if you want to erect your own multi-million dollar Facebook-style data center, you’ve got the go ahead. Full PR after the break.
Continue reading Facebook’s Open Compute Project shares plans for energy-efficient data center
Facebook’s Open Compute Project shares plans for energy-efficient data center originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Google tightening control of Android, insisting licensees abide by ‘non-fragmentation clauses’?
A storm seems to be brewing over the realm of Android development. Bloomberg’s Businessweek spies have received word from “a dozen executives working at key companies in the Android ecosystem” that Google is actively working to gain control and final say over customizations of its popular mobile OS. That might not sound unreasonable, and indeed Google’s public position on the matter is that it’s seeking to stabilize the platform and ensure quality control, but it does mark a major shift from where Android started — an open source OS that was also open to manufacturers and carriers to customize as they wish. Not so anymore, we’re told, as apparently Mountain View is now demanding that content partnerships and OS tweaks get the blessing of Andy Rubin before proceeding. The alternative, of course, is to not be inside Google’s warm and fuzzy early access program, but then, as evidenced by the company recently withholding the Honeycomb source code, you end up far behind those among your competitors who do dance to Google’s pipe.
Things have gotten so heated, in fact, that complaints have apparently been made to the US Department of Justice. They may have something to do with allegations of Google holding back Verizon handsets with Microsoft’s Bing on board, ostensibly in an effort to trip up its biggest search competitor. Another major dissatisfaction expressed by those working with Android code is that Google needs an advance preview of what is being done in order to give it the green light — which, as noted by a pair of sources familiar with Facebook’s Android customization efforts, isn’t sitting well with people at all. Google and Facebook are direct competitors in the online space and it’s easily apparent how much one stands to gain from knowing the other’s plans early. As to the non-fragmentation clauses in licenses, Andy Rubin has pointed out those have been there from the start, but it’s only now that Google is really seeking to use them to establish control. The future of Android, therefore, looks to be a little less open and a little more Googlish — for better or worse. As Nokia’s Stephen Elop puts it:
“The premise of a true open software platform may be where Android started, but it’s not where Android is going.”
Google tightening control of Android, insisting licensees abide by ‘non-fragmentation clauses’? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 05:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
MakerBot’s Interface Board Kit does PC-less 3D printing, turns your superhero fantasies into reality
If you’re like us — that is to say, wildly popular and devastatingly good looking — then you’re probably wondering why someone hasn’t produced an action figure in your likeness yet. Well wonder no longer, for the folks over at MakerBot just announced yet another handy tool to make at home 3D printing even easier. An addition to the aptly titled Thing-O-Matic, the Gen 4 Interface Board Kit v1.1 is billed as a DIY interface that lets you operate your thingy printer without having to attach it to a PC. The kit comes equipped with an SD card slot for easy independent operation, and because the board’s fully hackable, you can use it to control your robots or homebrew CNC devices, too. It sports nine programmable buttons and an LCD screen for feedback, and allows you to set and read temperatures, view build progress, or start a new project stored on the SD card. So what are you waiting for? Your self-aggrandizing bobblehead isn’t going to make itself.
MakerBot’s Interface Board Kit does PC-less 3D printing, turns your superhero fantasies into reality originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 22:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Google reminds us that rooting and openness aren’t always at odds
You hear a lot of talk about rooting, especially when a new or difficult handset gets rooted. But what many of us forget, especially those new to Android, is that rooting, and having to root phones has nothing to do with openness. A post on the Android Developers Blog reminds us that they are pretty much the opposite of each other. Rooting is, well we’ve tried to explain it several times and settled with a nice little page about the whole root deal right here. It explains it much better that a few words here will, so it’s worth a read.
The Nexus S, and the Nexus One are a bit different. Google specified that these phones have their hardware open to the user. With a few commands, you can set the bootloader to allow the installation of custom software — "fastboot oem unlock". After that, you can pick and choose what you want running on your phone.
Nick Kralevich, an Android Security engineer, sums it up nicely:
"Legitimately gaining root access to your device is a far cry from most rooting exploits. Traditional rooting attacks are typically performed by exploiting an unpatched security hole on the device. Rooting is not a feature of a device; rather, it is the active exploitation of a known security hole."
The way things are now, carriers have forced users to choose between device openness and perceived security. We can only hope this changes one day. [Android Developer Blog]
Google reminds us that rooting and openness aren't always at odds posted originally by Android Central
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HTC releases Desire HD source code
For you tinkering types, HTC just released the source code for the Desire HD. As always, some proprietary code will remain under wraps. That’s not going to mean much if you don’t like taking apart ROMs and seeing what’s inside. But it’s early in the week yet, and there’s always time to take up a new hobby. [HTC Developer Center]
Posted originally at Android Central
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Android sends Steve Jobs over the edge, Andy Rubin responds in code
If you haven’t heard by now, Steve Jobs pretty much lost his sh– (shut yo mouth!) yesterday during Apple’s earnings call — going way above and beyond his usual diatribe over Google and Android. To say it’s entertaining is pretty much the understatement of the year. And what’s more — these were prepared remarks. Somebody thought about this for a bit.
Jobs calls stock Android "a commodity" and invents the "Twitterdeck" Twitter client to rail against all of the different handsets developers must contend with. (Of course he meant Tweetdeck — only one of the more popular Twitter clients out there.)
And of course the topic of "openness" came up yet again (and Jobs dared manufacturers to release Android sales numbers). He calls it "a smokescreen" that Google’s using to hide Android fragmentation from the customer. (News flash, Mr. Jobs: Most regular customers don’t care — or even understand — fragmentation).
Anyhoo, Android’s Andy Rubin fired up Twitter this morning to post his first Tweet, which you see above. Pretty much speaks for itself.
Our take? It’s telling how much time Jobs spent on his competitors in the earnings call. Best way to downplay the competition is to dismiss it. No longer. And in the process, Jobs is coming off more a loon and less a sage. Listen for yourself after the break.
For the other side of the coin, see "Why Steve Jobs
took a flamethrower to BlackBerry and Android" at our sister site, TiPB.com
Update: Oh, and speaking of Twitterdeck (erm, Tweetdeck), here’s what CEO Iain Dodsworth had to say about the whole thing (via All Things D): "Did we at any point say it was a nightmare developing on Android? Errr nope, no we didn’t. It wasn’t."
Posted originally at Android Central
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What does ‘open’ mean to us?
In this crazy little world we called Android, we’re all guilty of throwing around that four-letter word: Open. From the top — Google CEO Eric Schmidt — all the way to the bottom — your friendly neighborhood blogger — we wield the word like a sword when convenient, or as a shield when necessary.
The exact definition of "open" in the general sense has been debated long before Android arrived on the scene, and it’ll be debated long after Android assumes its rightful position atop the smartphone heap. (See what we did there?) You have your ideas of what "open" means. We have ours. And we share them, after the break. You’re not going to agree with them all. Hell, you’re not going to like them all. And that’s OK.
Posted originally at Android Central
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Why ‘open source’ isn’t always ‘open’
Our pal Robert Werlinger from sister site PreCentral.net has been at the O’Reilly Open Source Conference this week in Portland, Ore., and sat in on the "Your Smartphone May Not Be as Open as You Think" session. And, obviously, that’s been a topic of discussion in these parts, what with the whole Droid X eFuse conspiracy, and the usual general Android hacking.
And we get an interesting look at why things often are the way they are. Why despite Android’s open nature, some code needs to remain secret. Why when you strip out the proprietary code, you’re left without a lot of what you’d consider to be basic functionality. Anyhoo, it’s a great read, so head on over and check it out. [PreCentral]
Posted originally at Android Central
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Google Voice opens up for all (in the U.S., anyway), no invitation required
Finally! The days of lurking in forums, begging on Twitter, and hounding everyone you know just to get a Google Voice invite are officially over. Google announced that they have decided to open up Google Voice to the public, no invitation required, so long as you’re in the United States. If you’re not familiar with Google Voice, you need to be. Especially if you’re hooked on smartphones in any way, shape or form. Google says it best:
"We’re proud of the progress we’ve made with Google Voice over the last few years, and we’re still just scratching the surface of what’s possible when you combine your regular phone service with the latest web technology."
You can learn more about Google Voice, as well as get signed up HERE. Get into everything Android and Google Voice related HERE. And finally, hit the source link to learn a little of the history and work that went into Google Voice. Enough talk — free SMS awaits! [Google Voice Blog] Thanks Duvi!
Posted originally at Android Central
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