Google's Andy Rubin talks Android, demos apps

We've already seen plenty of screenshots and videos of Android in action, but it's not every day Andy Rubin, Google's Senior Director of Mobile Platforms, is behind the controls, and he recently demoed the open-source phone OS to a group of reporters. Rubin specifically demonstrated non-touchscreen versions of the platform, showing off a browser designed entirely for button-based navigation, and also hit upon Android's ability to multitask, using Google Maps seamlessly with a media player and a photo app running in the background. Take that, iPhone. Of course, the hardware itself was kept super-secret, but since Android is designed to work on any phone with at least a 200MHz processor, it's understandable that Google isn't interested in distracting us with specific phone models when the focus is clearly on the OS. We'll just have to wait until later in the year to get our hands on an actual device -- hopefully the screenshots at the read links will tide you over.

[Thanks, Tarek]

Read - CNET Asia
Read - HardwareZone

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 18th 2008 5:24AM]

I am so excited I could pee

[gad get @ Jun 18th 2008 4:41PM]

What does finally being able to pee again (it's so exciting!) have to do with anything?

[gad get @ Jun 18th 2008 4:43PM]

I'm so excited to be able to pee again, whee whee whee!

[Fusion Fuzo @ Jun 18th 2008 5:26AM]

Looks like the apple iphone OS, and that shirt hes got on looks tacky

[Tehseen @ Jun 18th 2008 5:29AM]

But is Open Source

[V.I. @ Jun 18th 2008 5:36AM]

I was about to say the same thing, could've atleast tucked it in. DAMN!

[MastrCake @ Jun 18th 2008 6:09AM]

It could be worse...

http://images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/20080220/293.ferrell.will.022008.jpg

[Gordon Page @ Jun 18th 2008 6:46AM]

jeans, a suit jacket, and an untucked shirt. lol

[aaronbareford @ Jun 18th 2008 6:50AM]

... but much MUCH better :)

[drakkor @ Jun 18th 2008 7:13AM]

@gordon


its a blazer not a suit jacket

also called a sportjacket

[Gordon Page @ Jun 18th 2008 7:58AM]

he still looks like he shopped at the charity shop

[Reader @ Jun 18th 2008 8:10AM]

Or the toilet store.

[Billy Bob @ Jun 18th 2008 10:10AM]

Your mom's tacky and in general, the Android OS its much better than the iPhone one.

[Omen_20 @ Jun 18th 2008 1:47PM]

Is it common for the modern geek to double as a metro? I mean I know its cool for geeks to be green nowadays but I was just curious... maybe its a California thing.

[SimbaDogg @ Jun 18th 2008 2:43PM]

yeah...too bad he probably has enough money to buy you, and your family...then and even a few members of your extended family.

[ivan1420 @ Jun 18th 2008 2:52PM]

hey retard have you ever seen palm os?

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 18th 2008 5:26AM]

I mean really, this is just what I want in a convergence phone. I have been waiting since Google announced this initiative, foresaking all other phones. I am so glad I waited.

[TareX @ Jun 18th 2008 5:39AM]

They said on CNET the phone he used was exactly like the one demoed at I/O, and had a form factor similar to an HTC Tytn II...

Loving it.

[david @ Jun 18th 2008 5:49AM]

I still can not decide between iPhone and Android, iPhone has very good hardware and OS and there is no doubt about that. While Android is very good designed, it is using Linux kernel, running Darvik virtual machine which is the same optimized Java machine, but there is nothing about the hardware. Will there be a phones with the same abilities as iPhone (of course there will be), but will it work so smooth as iPhone?

I will have to wait at least 6-9 months to get those answers. Damn, I already tried Android SDK and it's really amazing, while iPhone SDK has some cool tools when for optimizing applications. Dammit, can not find solution.

[mike @ Jun 18th 2008 6:04AM]

Android should be sweet. Remember Google is doing this for your eyeballs. They want to put ad on this thing. It should be nice but probably a step behind Apple in terms of Interface (obviously, due to Apple doing the whole widget)

As for the hardware, remember, Apple has a ton of patents. Don't assume LG can catch up...

[TomWBrowning @ Jun 18th 2008 6:47AM]

HTC are, ever so slowly, getting their act together with regard to handsets. The Touch Pro and Diamond are nearly there, they just need to think about Capacitive touch instead of Resistive, mutli-touch, and losing the useless touch sensitive buttons along the bottom edge.

By the time Android hits I expect HTC to have some nice handsets for it out. I hope.

I'm an iPhone user, but it's really great to see some worthy competition.

[Mike @ Jun 18th 2008 6:10AM]

You guys think it will be possible to load this onto current HTC phones?

[twoboxen @ Jun 18th 2008 8:38AM]

My brother has this working on his Tilt (though it was still an early release, so it was buggy), so, yes, it is possible.

[Mike @ Jun 18th 2008 9:40AM]

Excellent. I just hope that for android they will be able to write proper drivers for the video acceleration. I can just about imagine.

Xperia 1 running an uncompressed xvid ))))) Would be good to watch some TV shows on the road ))))))

[SmartMarc @ Jun 18th 2008 6:12AM]

Like you can't hear music on the iPhone while using Maps or Photo...

[TomWBrowning @ Jun 18th 2008 6:45AM]

Quite.

What does 'multi tasking' mean. If it means receiving one feed of data at the same time as another (music while viewing a map, podcast from the web while checking your stocks) then the iPhone can do it.

If it means letting one app run uselessly in the background while you do something else on top then, well, it's just a waste of resources isn't it?

[Eric @ Jun 18th 2008 9:32AM]

Actually the iPhone closes non iPod applications that are in the background. It's one of the reasons they needed to design a separate maps function because safari gets clobbered so quickly and reloading google maps from javascript every time would be painful.

The iPhone docs even point it out specifically. Your app can be closed without notice or feedback to the user at ANY TIME. This includes web pages where any data not saved in a cookie is lost.

[jatt @ Jun 18th 2008 6:37AM]

Nice one google.

[Sil3nt_B0b @ Jun 18th 2008 6:50AM]

Kevin Spacey ???

[Hiro11 @ Jun 18th 2008 7:48AM]

As Android is open source, how can we say that this is what Android "looks like"? Android doesn't look like anything, the interface will be entirely swap-able and there'll be countless options. That's the true power of OHA.

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 18th 2008 8:27AM]

Hiro11,

You are dead right I believe. OHA does mean that the Android phone's IU could look nothing like this. It could look completely different on EVERY phone. That is the beauty to some extent. You will be able t o make it whatever you want it to be.

I suspect that there will be a good deal on synchronicity, in the same way as you could customize your Firefox skin, but don't, generally.

Remember Google sees the not so distant future as being zero capital cost for the phone unit itself and then zero monthly fees.

That is a ship I want to tie my colors to.

[neofolklore @ Jun 18th 2008 8:28AM]

System requirements? on my PHONE?

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 18th 2008 8:38AM]

ocean,

what does that mean ???

Are you suggesting that Apple is the 35th of the 34 company involved in the OHA. ? If so I don't think so. I think that Apple would have said something about that.

Or are you saying that the Android software is what the iphone software should have, or could have been ? If so, I don't think that I agree.

If you are saying that proprietary software companies like Apple and IBM before them are heading for the door / or looking for new strategic models. Then yes, I agree; Google is leading the way here.

Wait till Sept/Oct, you will probably see a "phone" arise that has what you have been waiting for; Whatever... but I am almost certain that you will be able to copy and paste, and it will have true GPS capabilities with turn by turn directions.

There is a $10m incentive to the companies that come up with the best and most innovative applications.

Perhaps, since Apple pays its employees, the worst out of the bunch, some of its employees, who apparently are the most gifted poeple in the world, will write software for Android.

I can't wait for Android.

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 18th 2008 9:09AM]

Ocean,

Are you really sure that Android copied the iphone OSX.

Do you know when OHA started ?

Don't you think that it'd be more accurate to say that they copied the HTC Touch. Since the HTC touch came first. Or are you saying that HTC would have copied Apple if the iphone HAD been first.

What bits of the iphone are you saying they copied. Touch Flow technology ? Voicemail ? Number pad ? Volume controls ? Ear piece ? Digital Technology ? Alphabet ? Glass ?

Let me think, you must be right somewhere. Hmmm.... Android is based on Linux, linux is based on ....UNIX. OSX is based on UNIX. Yep, you are right UNIX copied OSX. OK you got it ! Well Done !!!

[dj-kenpo @ Jun 18th 2008 9:21AM]

where do these apple fucktards come from?

[natels @ Jun 18th 2008 9:31AM]

Is this clak reincarnated?

[retro77 @ Jun 18th 2008 9:33AM]

Can't wait to put this on an HTC Touch Pro on Verizon...it'll probably never happen.

[cbellman @ Jun 18th 2008 9:54AM]

...apple fanboy much?

[ShadowKain @ Jun 18th 2008 11:20AM]

nice...

[ShadowKain @ Jun 18th 2008 11:21AM]

:) I robotz will take over!

[Jash Sayani @ Jun 18th 2008 11:58AM]

Thats cool !
I was waiting to see Android. But I guess Google hasn't done much with the interface, compared to what Apple offers!

On the whole, I go with Apple's iPhone. Mac OS on the iPhone is better with features and interface even though it lacks some of the basic features...