SEVENCLICK
Mobile Technology Evangelists

Android can´t stop moving, Google´s platform is hyperactive these days. Some hours ago Android Market opened up registration for developers, providing a quick way to upload our own apps and made them publicly available. On the other hand, now that Android is Open-Source a Roadmap has been published, unveiling Android next supported features.

We have talked before how Google wants its App Store (Android Market) as easy as possible YouTube. Pay the fee, upload your app. The concept seems a replica of iPhone´s App Store, just it´s cheaper ( 25 $ fee ) and quicker ( no approval required ). The percentages are the same: 70 % of the revenue goes to the developer, 30 % goes to Google “carriers and billing settlement fees” … not bad for an “open” system.

The Market opened with an initial catalog of 50 apps, and with these conditions it will grow quickly for sure… hope its rating and auto-control system works and don´t get full of useless and malfunctioning apps, as happens with Apple App Store. Don´t miss the links below if you want to check what´s on the Market.

Android code is also hyperactive. Just 4.5 hours after the release, the first community patch was accepted and this is just the beggining: Android website, suggests Android is going to evolve and mutate thanks to the community. “How will you shape it?” they say, showing variations of the Android logo.

But being open-sourced mean there is a need for common known objectives, so people know the correct directions, and Google has just published a short-term Roadmap. These are the future objectives:

Q4 2008

• Localization (Q4 2008: German; Q1 2009: French, Italian, es_es, zh_TW, Ja, NL, C)
• Support for multiple APNs. For example, a web browser can connect to an Internet APN connection while the MMS can connect to a separate MMS APN.
• SIM application toolkit (STK), providing operator-specific value-added services.

Q1 2009

• Input method framework (IMF). Will enable support for input methods other than physical keyboards.
• Input method engines (IME). Soft keyboards, a dictionary of suggestions, and a suggestion algorithm.

This Roadmap remind us that Android have just born, and there´s still lot to do, even a few basic things. In my opinion, this suggests G1 is a massive beta platform for Google. They have build an stable pillar and all the rest is going to be build as necessary, with nearly no foresight. If someone could do it right, it´s Google.

Links Android | Android Market | Android Roadmap
Via Ars technica | Android Developers Blog | Google Open Source Blog