Google: Android Currently Not Optimized for Tablets
Google: Android Currently Not Optimized for Tablets
Posted 09/10/2010 at 5:11am
| by Pulkit Chandna
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Android is expected to be a force to be reckoned with in the tablet market and some of the upcoming Android-based tablets have already generated a fair amount of buzz. But Hugo Barra, director of products for mobile at Google, reckons Android, in its current avatar (Froyo), is not “optimized for use on tablets.”
The Samsung Galaxy Tab is being seen as an iPad rival, but to Barra it is nothing more than a supersized smartphone. "Android is an open platform. We saw at IFA 2010 all sorts of devices running Android, so it already running on tablets,” Barra told TechRadar.
"But the way Android Market works is it's not going to be available on tablets that don't allow devices and applications to run correctly. If you want Android market on that platform, the apps just wouldn't run, [Froyo] is just not designed for that form factor.”
Point taken, but isn't the iPad a supersized iPhone?
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library-geek
September 11, 2010 at 7:39am
As I read this on my step-child of a tablet (Augen Gentouch) I'm amused at some of the commentary.
First, if all you can think of is watching movies or making a grocery list don't get one.
-I use mine for e-mails,instant website updates, homework on the road, and surfing. The larger screen is much easier to work with.
-This is not a flawless piece of equipment though. But thankfully Android is more customizable than other OS's and there is a cadre of people working to get things the way WE use them. Isn't that why we like andoid? Because it is so customizable?Another thought... how long did it take MS to get Windows right? (Some would argue never.) Why should we expect perfection from Google so soon?
novatvstdios
September 10, 2010 at 11:04pm
Back when I saw the first palm touch devices, I saw a vision of the future, 10 years later, I wonder if I wonder if I'm clark kent and I've been sleeping while Metropolis burnt. I recently downloaded the Android SDK and I was kind of shocked that this was the approach used to develop apps for the most dynamic devices we(YOU) currently use. Aspect ratio, resolution, why is this even an issue? I'll take an Android tablet anyday, but for anything past reading PDFs I'll wait till it's not a miracle for a full fledged operating system to run on a small form factor device.. wait.. what did you say, that's been possible for years now? Really? I wouldn't have guessed it.
violian
September 10, 2010 at 10:46am
The screen aspect-ratio on that Samsung tablet just looks whack. It's so tall height-wise. Besides watching movies in 16:9, what kind of applications is it going to be good for? Looking at your grocery shopping list?? I'm not going to spend $500 on a tablet just for watching movies on the go - I'm not that desperate to watch movies, and I don't have ADD.
majorsuave
September 10, 2010 at 7:35am
"But the way Android Market works is it's not going to be available on tablets that don't allow devices and applications to run correctly. If you want Android market on that platform, the apps just wouldn't run, [Froyo] is just not designed for that form factor"
But why? shouldn't you make every possible tweaks to make sure that ANYONE that buys an Android device, no matter which one, will not want to go back ever.
This kind of stance is amazingly dumb.
majorsuave
September 10, 2010 at 7:35am
"But the way Android Market works is it's not going to be available on tablets that don't allow devices and applications to run correctly. If you want Android market on that platform, the apps just wouldn't run, [Froyo] is just not designed for that form factor"
But why? shouldn't you make every possible tweaks to make sure that ANYONE that buys an Android device, no matter which one, will not want to go back ever.
This kind of stance is amazingly dumb.
aviaggio
September 10, 2010 at 8:18am
He's specifically talking about Froyo, Android 2.2. Android 3.0, Gingerbread, *will* support tablets.
aviaggio
September 10, 2010 at 8:17am
"but isn't the iPad a supersized iPhone?"
No, it's a supersized iPod Touch. The iPhone is an iPod Touch with a the cell radio. Yes, revolutionary indeed...
oihorse
September 10, 2010 at 6:52am
The OS and apps are tweaked specifically for the iPad...
Did you do any research before typing out your last sentence, Pulkit?
aviaggio
September 10, 2010 at 7:16am
Actually, most aren't. The vast majority of apps in the iPad app store are recycled from the iPhone/iPod store.
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