The spirit of hacking

A couple days ago I stumbled upon a post regarding the HTC HD2 on Engadget. Although it wasn't the first post on that particular subject, the attached video got me really thinking. Here it is:

Android and the “F-word”

This has been a debate ever since last fall, when Android 1.6 (codenamed "Donut") started hitting devices like the G1/Dream and the MyTouch 3G/Magic while other devices like the Hero or Moment were left behind with Android 1.5. Since then, this situation has been commonly described as "Android fragmentation". Now, we don't know who used this word for the first time, but we do know who's trying to use it for the last time: Google. It all began at last month's Google I/O, when Google gave their view (for the first time) on this matter, and now, it's time for some reflection.

 

Our Google I/O 2010

We told you we would be there, and we were. We haven't picked up on what happened at Google's most important event of the year, and in light of recent events (WWDC 2010), we thought it was about time we gave our views on this year's Google I/O. If you want to jump back in time, and live Google's largest developer event from within our eyes, we suggest you hit the link underneath, and jump back in time.

The road to Google I/O 2010 (Part II)

Here we are, less than 48 hours way of the opening keynote of Google's most important developer event of the year. What awaits us, good or bad, we don't know yet. There are rumors about a new home TV system made by Google, with Intel and Sony, which are getting stronger by the hour. Rumors are also pointing at a revamped Android Market, due to the recent changes in the webpage. 

However, what we're most interested in, is in the latest and greatest release of Android, which we're expecting to see on Wednesday's opening keynote; it might not be the star of the show, but we just can't wait. If FroYo is nowhere to be seen in Wednesday, then we can expect it to be the star of Thursday's keynote, like Google Wave was last year. Smart Mobile World will be reporting from San Francisco to bring you the news and our thoughts on the matter. Until then, here's the ending of this two part series on what we've covered with Android so far.

The road to Google I/O 2010 (Part I)

 Yup, we know it's been quite some time, but we're here. And to celebrate the fact that Smart Mobile World will be at Google's most important developer event, Google I/O, we want to remember the history of Android, the road that's brought us here, dreaming about what's coming our way in the next couple of days when, if everything goes right, Google will show the next version of Android, FroYo.

For now, let's look back and remember how Android, was born.

On an Android 2.0.1 Security Flaw

The recent discovery of an Android 2.0.1 security flaw got me thinking. I developed a prototype of an app I want to put on the Android Market, it was my first attempt at building a mobile platform application; to protect the information stored in it, the first thing you saw after starting the app was a screen asking you for a password. For months, I used it, storing valuable information within it, and one day, instead of touching the "OK" button to input the password, I touched "Exit". I started the app again, and found out... it did not ask me for the password. Similarly, the Android 2.0.1 flaw is found in a situation we, as developers, do not usually think about.