D11 Hints At The Future of Android
Now that Android phones have taken over the iPhone in market share, the future of Android is a big question. It is on Google to keep things fresh as a new iPhone lurks around the corner. D11 has given us a glimpse of what the future might hold.
More Cohesion Among Devices
Something that is both a strength and a weakness for Android is the lack of a uniform experience across the mass of devices out there. This is largely in part because of manufacturer’s tendencies to modify Android to their liking. In an interview at D11, Android chief Sundar Pichai said himself that the Android network is bigger than he expected.
He says that in the future the intention will be to create more common ground among devices, while still giving manufacturers room to innovate. As for a practical step forward on this front, Pichai said that the HTC One and the Google S4 will be available on Google Play with the Nexus interface.
Motorola’s New Phone
Motorola’s Dennis Woodside confirmed the existence of the Moto X. Its name suggests that it is the long rumored Google X phone. While he stated the phone was in his pocket, he did not reveal it to the audience. The information is still vague, but Woodside said that the phone will have sensors that enable it to be ‘contextually aware’.
It seems reasonable to think that this feature will integrate with Google Now. In addition to this feature, Woodside said 70% of the product will be assembled in a Fort Worth, Texas plant. He described it as the first smartphone to be built in the U.S. Beyond these concrete aspects of the phone, ideas were tossed around for the future. Electric tattoos and a pill you can swallow were suggested as potential forms of verification.
Unlike YouTube, Motorola’s identity still seems to retain an air of independence after their acquisition by Google. It has to be remembered that if Motorola’s new phone is a success, it is a success for Google. It could be a game changer capable of taking on the Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5S, but we will have to wait to find that out.
Samsung: Will They Stay On Top?
Overall, we didn’t see any big reveals or huge hints at Android’s future. The coming year seems to be more about refinement than anything else. We may see the market shares evening out between manufacturers. Google’s Nexus phones along with the Moto X may help them to expand their reputation as hardware developers.
On the other hand, with Samsung’s new Design 3.0 paradigm on the way, a more uniform design may establish them as an even bigger presence in the Android market. While Pichai denies any sense of competition with Samsung, suggesting greater collaboration between the companies in the coming year, it is hard to deny that Google wouldn’t mind seeing more of their phones moving off the shelves.
Guest post from Paul Williams. Paul is a part-time tech blogger, and full-time copywriter with internetserviceproviders.com. Please feel free to ask him questions in the comment section below. You can also connect directly with Paul for questions or guest post requests via email.
