Microsoft Drops Android, Samsung Still Needs Google, And Android Wear Reaches Consumers

Taking a look back at the week in news across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit highlights a number of stories, including Samsung’s reliance on Android as the Tizen Z is delayed, a review of Android Wear and the LG G Watch, Google’s Q2 2014 results, academic courses for developers to switch to Android, and how Android and Chrome can work together to become established in the Enterprise market.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the very many things that have happened around Android over the last seven days.

Tizen Delayed, Android Still The Only Game In Town For Samsung

Developers attending Samsung’s Tizen event in Moscow this week were hopeful of seeing Samsung’s Tizen devices, alas the launch was delayed, although Samsung still has Tizen down for a Q3 launch in the BRIC country.

Tizen is one of Samsung’s alternatives to Google’s Android platform, and any delay in the platform will have a knock-on effect to the Android ecosystem. The longer the South Korean firm stays 100% Android, the better it is for the Android ecosystem. Fracturing the sales effort to take in a Samsung Tizen smartphone range weakens the marketing budget and the power of a coordinated message around Android.

Taking A Closer Look At Android Wear Software And Hardware

Google’s vision of wearable technology is now in stores to but, and I’ve been taking a look both at the Android Wear software and environment, and at one of the first smartwatches to use the OS, the LG G Watch. Android Wear is still in its early days and is probably lagging behind the efforts of both Samsung and Pebble, but I expect it to be iterated frequently over the next twelve months:

The first consumer version of Android Wear is incredibly rough, and the focus is not perfect. That is to be expected, and perhaps I’m being down on Google just now because I expect more from my smartwatches and Google hasn’t managed to match the current competition. I’m also pretty confident that Google is going to iterate massively, quickly, and regularly, with Android Wear. I look forward to seeing where Android Wear is going to be in twelve months time, after the development team collates and works with all the user feedback, after manufacturers can work on the physical designs and iterate their wrist based offering, and after consumers feed back their thoughts to all the parties involved.

But Can It Tell The Time?

The classic retort on smartwatches is asking if they tell the time. Well, yes they can, and in many different ways. One of the biggest features that I love about smartwatches is the ability to change the watchface  to suit my mood and circumstances. Google has announced details on the upcoming watch face API, and has asked developers to hold back on the current hacks in the Google Play store. Why? To ensure forward compatibility Google’s Wayne Piekarski:

As we work on finalizing the API, we would suggest not posting your apps publicly to Google Play until there is a stable, published API (we’d suggest using Alpha or Beta channels, available through the Play Developer Console, in the meantime). These changes mentioned above are coming soon and will make it easier for you to create great watch faces, but the existing unpublished API may not be compatible with the next Android Wear release, and no one wants to disrupt the experience for users in the future.

The LG G Watch (photo: Ewan Spence)

Google Reports Net Revenue Ahead Of Expectation, Mobile Growth Will Be Key

“In its second quarter earnings report Thursday, Google reported healthy revenue — 22 percent over last year, higher than expected – but lower earnings per share than analysts expected.”

Ellen Huet covers Google’s Q2 2014 report, highlighting Google;s transition into mobile advertising, both through mobile display ads and in-app advertising. Naturally Android plays a large part in this ecosystem, but more of the mobile ad spend in the US is going to Facebook and not Google. While mobile ad market in the US will double over the next year, it’s important for Google to be a significant player in that market for it’s long-term growth.

Switch To Android Development With The Help Of Google And Udacity

It’s not just about  the next billion smartphone users, it’s also about getting the next wave of developers on to the platform. If they have Android as one of their first choices for applications, that can only help the ecosystem. I suspect that’s part of the reason that Google has partnered up with Udacity to provide a free course on developing for Android.

Titled ‘Developing Android Apps: Android Fundamentals,’ the coursework is available for free, and anyone who signs up to Udacity will also received feedback and guidance from the online staff. This is geared towards existing developers making the move to mobile, and the course has contributions from Google Developer Advocates Reto Meier, Dan Galpin, and Katherine Kuan,

If the engagement and uptake on this course (and the UX design course for Android) is high, expect to see an ‘Android for Beginners’ course in the near future.

Microsoft Exits The Android Handset Manufacturing Business
As part of Microsoft’s new strategy, the Nokia X family of Android Open Source Project powered devices will now be rolled into the Lumia brand and subsequent models will be powered by Windows Phone. Microsoft’s short time as an Android handset manufacturer – which made partial sense if the company’s focus was on ’cloud first’ is no more. What could have been an interesting side project that provided consumers with an alternative to a Google powered Android device will now join Nokia’s Asha and Series 40 families in the ‘reject’ pile of Microsoft’s Devices Group. The decision was detailed by Stephen Elop in an email to staff on Thursday:

 In the near term, we plan to drive Windows Phone volume by targeting the more affordable smartphone segments, which are the fastest growing segments of the market, with Lumia. In addition to the portfolio already planned, we plan to deliver additional lower-cost Lumia devices by shifting select future Nokia X designs and products to Windows Phone devices. We expect to make this shift immediately while continuing to sell and support existing Nokia X products. To win in the higher price segments, we will focus on delivering great breakthrough products in alignment with major milestones ahead from both the Windows team and the Applications and Services Group.

This would be Stephen Elop, who turned towards Microsoft’s Windows Phone instead of an Android solution when he was CEO of Nokia, and implemented a strategy of targeting the more affordable smartphone segments while focusing on breakthrough products in higher priced segments.
Chrome OS and Android Ready To Double-Team Enterprise For Google
As Android evolves, it is bringing in more features and more functionality to help it work in an enterprise environment. But it’s the pairing of Android with Chrome OS and the Chromebooks that could open up enterprise to Google. Tech Republic’s Jack Wallen has taken a look at the combination and believes the two platforms together create a potent mix for Google in this space:

Finally, and this is the big one — Chromebooks will be able to run Android apps as if they were native. This update, alone, will give a huge boost to the Chromebook’s ability to navigate the waters of daily business usage. These apps will run in both online and offline mode, but not every Android app will be available for the Chromebook. In fact, Google has yet to say which apps will; but my best guess is that this feature will focus heavily on apps that are business-centric. Google already demonstrated Evernote running on Chrome OS (at Google I/O).