After a good 6 months of will it, wont it arrive, and one pulled release at Christmas, Google’s Android 4.04 mobile operating system update arrived today for many with a complete overhaul of the Android interface. Most Nexus S users have jumped completely past the Gingerbread release from Froyo directly to ICS.

Confused with all these cakes and desert names? Get the lowdown.

Other devices via carriers will have to wait and may take up to six months if at all, but if you can’t wait, follow these instructions.

Still only a leaked screenshot, but GDrive is finally coming after years of rumours. Slightly confusing with Google Docs allowing pretty much the same upload of just about any file, but the more the merrier. With many already using Dropbox still nice to see competition.

Another great tweak to the Google home page. Find more doodles at http://www.google.com/doodles

No more one app marketplace, one G book store, one G music account, it’s all in one area now called Google Play. Games such as Need for Speed, Music from Lady Gaga and many others, ebooks, movies and android apps.

Strategically this is a better way forward, it’s all online, mobile, and all centralised for all your media. (Hurry up with that Google TV dammit!)

That said apart from a few lucky Australians like me who have Google music, this new play service is pretty useless here. It’s the Android market with some new wallpaper. Meh!

Ideally less fannying with the name Google, more on sorting out region restrictions and inconsistent pricing for music, books, and (lack of) movies.

Still it’s not iTunes and a humongous lump of bloatware I must drag around download and be forced to sync with (which invariably wipes your device more often than not) so it gets a bloody big plus from me : )

If you are not yet aware that your future is categorically tinted green, courtesy of Android, then you need to take the red pill dude. You cannot hide behind your iPhone any longer, either get balanced and have both devices, or be a chump and ignore the ever increasing market stats.

The reality is market wants choice and that is only a good thing for all. Monopolistic & forced control damages market creativity and stifles innovation.

In February 2012, Android Robot had 22.67% market share, followed by Opera with 21.7% and iPhone‘s Safari with 21.06% share.

Related Android posts
http://stephenrossscott.com/tag/android

Nice and simple mobile site checker for those that have not yet entered the mobile world. Hint-hurry up! ; )

Well, without saying I told you so, Android continues to grow, and develop at a rapid pace.
As said before I use multiple devices on multiple platforms, so no iHating (well only really towards iTunes) but balance and choice are incredibly vital to growth.

All to often in all walks of life, when absolute power is given to one, it corrupts and skews development for others.

Android commanded 48 per cent of the market compared to Apple’s 43 per cent, according to NPD.

This news vis the Sydney Morning Herald is ushering in a new age of development, choice and innovation and is a major win for us all.

Told you so : P

Android handsets now account for 30% of Australian smart phone sales to iPhone’s 40%. (IDC survey) So the divide is becoming less and less, and competition is a very good thing for consumers and customers. The screen shot above shows the dual options business are now taking as having iPhone only options, is beginning to offer a kind of ‘older generation/not quite getting the mobile space’ attitude.

Still, as I posted the other day, many businesses will choose to be i-Myopic for some time, but glad to see ‘choice’ finally becoming statistically a major factor.

Choice being a point I’ve stood firm on personally from my own preference, ( I see iTunes as a giant venus fly trap for consumers) but for some time also from a commercial perspective I wanted to ensure RMIT’s brand was not able not fall in to the Apple only trap. (Or any other sole mobile vendor for that matter)

I wrote back in Aug 2009;

RMIT is keen to offer an experience that’s open to all, and not locked in to just one platform, device or provider.

Choice never goes out of fashion, and it still holds true today. So nice to see this article on the future of mobile being multi-platform which warms my mobile heart.

Despite Androids now 5.4% growth this quarter and now 42% dominance of the US smart phone market, (Apple 1% growth and 27% share of market) still many choose to remain deeply myopic in Europe and Australia to Androids viral growth.

Ignorance is ‘i-bliss’?

Even ignoring those childish and bitter mobile patent wars from Apple & Microsoft towards…well, just about every mobile manufacturer, you can see why these two behemoths are trying to stop Google every.which.way.they.can.

I think this is the droid were looking for…

Read the com score report