Android Atlas

(Credit: Screenshot by Scott Webtser/CNET)

Effective Wednesday, T-Mobile customers with a Google Android phone running version 1.6 of the operating system will begin receiving an update to their Android Market. After installing the update and opening the Market, users can access a "T-Mobile Top Picks" section that showcases applications there were selected by the carrier. Besides being innovative, these applications can a great jumping off point for new users looking to personalize their handsets.

So far, there are 20 applications listed in the Top Picks. Though a quarter of the titles were developed by T-Mobile, most of the apps are free. The only paid titles are Absolute Fitness, FaceIT, FlightStats for Android, and Gem Miner: Dig Deep. Two included applications, Pandora Radio and Aloqa, are consistently ranked among the top rated and most download in the Android Market.

T-Mobile offers customers even more recommendations with the carrier's "AppPack." Serving as a filter for the Android Market, AppPack lets users browse apps that have been handpicked and tagged by T-Mobile. After launching with roughly 10 apps in its list, it expanded to include more than 30 yesterday.

The nice thing about AppPack is that it can run in the background and receive updates. Users will receive occasional notifications of new apps and will be directed to the Android Market to download them. With both Top Picks and AppPack, T-Mobile's aim is to introduce apps to people who might not have come across them otherwise.

Motorola Cliq

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

T-Mobile and Motorola have begun pushing a software update to the Moto Cliq. Google Android release 1.1.31 will offer the following changes. Motorola offers more information about the update on its support page.

• Longer battery life
• New battery management Feature
• Better Bluetooth
• Touch-screen accuracy
• TTY option
• Better business connections
• Improved caller connectivity
• Quick Office 2
• Accelerometer enhancements

Three developers made it past thousands of community voters and a panel of judges Monday to emerge as the winners of Google's second Android Developer Challenge (ADC2).

The top overall prizes went to SweetDreams, What the Doodle, and WaveSecure. These winners took home between $125,000 and $250,000 for their efforts. Smaller cash prizes were awarded to the top-three applications in each of 10 categories, which included media, entertainment, education, and travel.

SweetDreams is a lifestyle application that lets users sleep comfortably while knowing their handsets will block unwanted calls in the middle of the night but still sound the alarm clock at the designated time. You also can set a downtime for your handset, and disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other battery draining items.

What the Doodle is a multiplayer game that finds players drawing out pictures for phrases while others guess the answer. The real-time game includes Free-For-All and team modes, global leaderboard, and voice recognition.

WaveSecure is a security app that gives users peace of mind in the event of a lost or stolen phone. Similar to Motorola's MotoBlur interface, customers can track the location of their phone, lock out prying eyes, and remotely wipe their data. The backup feature allows for full restoration should the user recover the lost phone or purchase a new device.

The developers who didn't win money still stand a chance of gaining some added visibility. T-Mobile, which currently offers the most Android phones of any U.S. carrier, served as a judge. The carrier's "AppPack" features a hand-picked group of apps that is pushed to new Android users. Landing on this or a similar list might be more than some developers could have hoped for.

Android Market 1.6.

(Credit: Screenshot by Scott Webtser/CNET)

As I said last week, fragmentation with the Google Android operating system is beginning to frustrate Android developers. And according to a recent report by Skyhook Wireless, the issue isn't going away. Though developers are excited about the future of Android, the platform may face significant challenges if it does not soon improve options to monetize apps and take steps to protect against the risk of fragmentation.

According to the study, four out of five surveyed developers are finding it difficult to get their apps noticed in the current Android Market. Also, more than half polled (57 percent) are less than happy with their profits so far. The gripes found in the survey seem to point a finger at the way the Android Market is designed, not so much at Android directly. To these developers, the platform holds promise, but the current way of doing business simply isn't enough to satisfy the masses.

One potential reason for the lack of profit might be all of the free applications available. For the first few months of its existence, the Android Market offered only free applications and then opened up to paid selections. It's possible that Android users got too comfortable in the initial phase and are simply content with the free apps that offer most of the same functionality found in paid titles.

The lack of a desktop client also makes it difficult for developers to give potential customers enough information to make informed decisions. With only 325 characters and two screen shots to use in the Android Market, it's simply not enough room to convince people to open up their wallets. There are no clickable links, or videos, and good luck squeezing the change log in the notes if your app has seen a recent update. Yes, the market was changed with Android 1.6, but so far only three handsets in the United States have the new look portal. More than half of all Android handsets still have the old market application.

Skyhook also suggests that developers feel Google Checkout is a hindrance to better sales. Roughly two in five claim they'd sell more apps if the Android Market allowed for carrier billing or another system. So far, T-Mobile and Sprint have already jumped on board with carrier billing and at some point in the near future both will allow users to have apps added to their wireless bills.

One year after the introduction of the T-Mobile G1, three of the top-four carriers in the United States are offering Google Android handsets. And with each model bringing something new and unique to the market, everything is rosy, right? Not so fast. While differentiation is one of the key benefits behind Android, it's leading to fragmentation. Thus, one of the biggest benefits is becoming a drawback.

At the time of this writing, there are three versions of Android on the market. On Verizon Wireless, the recently released Motorola Droid has Android 2.0, while the carrier's HTC Droid Eris is running Android 1.5 under the Sense UI. The phones were released on the same day yet they are on polar opposites in terms of Android.

What's more, there are four other handsets running Android 1.5: Sprint's HTC Hero and Samsung Moment, and T-Mobile's Samsung Behold II and Motorola Cliq. And what about the first two Android phones, the G1 and MyTouch 3G? Both handset have Android 1.6 under the hood. Confused yet?

The differences stem from the desire handset manufacturers have to differentiate themselves. Rather than go for the stock Android experience, companies are opting to add their own flavors to help stand out. The problem is that Android's updates come from the handset maker and not Google. As we're learning, it could be months before HTC or Motorola catch their handsets up with 1.6, let alone 2.0.

By then it's not unrealistic to think that Google will be ready to push its next build (Flan) out to handsets. And remember that much anticipated Sony Ericsson Xperia X10? Though it's not expected until February, it too is slated to have 1.5 unless the company can get 1.6 or 2.0 loaded before it heads out the door.

This is becoming confusing and discouraging to current and potential customers. Normally, the newer the phone, the more advanced the operating system. But with Android, the two oldest phones have more software capability than the six that followed. Imagine the frustration of saving up a couple hundred dollars to get the latest and greatest handset only to find that older phones have more potential. Google recently made its Google Maps Navigation available to Android 1.6 devices. Sadly, this still leaves over half of all Android phones without the feature.

It doesn't get any easier for developers. Many are practically pulling their hair out over minor updates and bug fixes. With each new handset comes a different camera video tweak or extra line of code to address video drivers. Differentiation in hardware is just as big of a headache. It might not be a bad idea for Google to step up and set some standards or recommend specific hardware. The sooner all of these things are addressed, the better.

DoggCatcher

(Credit: Screenshot by Scott Webtser/CNET)

Sprint rolled out an over-the-air update to its HTC Hero earlier this week to address a couple of bugs and add a few small features. But since the release, some users are reporting that copyright-protected apps have disappeared from their phones. Did this "fix" accidentally break something entirely different?

Those who have lost the copyright-protected apps also report that they can't even find the apps in the Android Market even if they have already paid for them.

A quick look around a few Google and Sprint discussion boards shows that the problem is not isolated to a few users. And developers are hearing directly from frustrated customers who downloaded their apps.

SnoggDoggler, the creator of the podcast application DoggCatcher, received e-mails from users who lost the app immediately after installing the update. After a little bit of detective work, SnoggDoggler narrowed it down to the app's copy protection. The developer also conducted testing with a user and found that by toggling copy protection on and off, the app would appear and disappear from the Android Market.

SnoggDoggler offers a beta version of its application that's unaffected by the update, but as with most beta apps, it's subject to bugs and quirks. Until this issue is resolved, SnoggDoggler and other developers must either resort to a non-copy-protected version or simply make their app unavailable to select handsets.

Other apps known to be affected by the update are Twidroid Pro, Advanced Task Killer, My Backup Pro and Documents To Go. Are you a Hero owner or Android developer experiencing the same issues? Tell us below.

As Google Android is for the smartphone market, Chrome will be for the Netbook industry. At least, that is Google's hope. The company views its two platforms as not necessarily replacements to existing operating systems, but rather as alternatives. And as part of its quest to get users on the Internet and connect to their services, Google created Android and Chrome.

Much of today's mobile applications run in the cloud, pulling data from a server as opposed to loading files from a device. If you have an Android handset, you know about the constant sync between your phone and the Google cloud. Indeed, contacts, e-mails, and more are literally updated by the minute. Chrome looks to be an extension of this idea, but designed for larger screens.

With Chrome, there will be no need to worry about whether an app is compatible or updated because it will not reside on any hard drive. Instead, everything comes from the cloud. At first, people might think they'd miss out on some of the day-to-day function of their desktops, but a closer look will show that much of what you do offline can be replicated when online. Google Docs, Calendar, and Reader all have replaced native apps on my desktop. Android does this very well with devices like the Archos A5 media tablet.

What's more, there's the added benefit of not needing to carry USB drives or flash memory. I can create a document in the cloud and leave it there. Even often-accessed files like photos and music can be held for you. Photobucket can host all your images and the recently announced Google Music Search can help you find the music you want.

This is fantastic news for developers because they can create applications that work on all major platforms at once. Just write it for a WebKit-based browser (Android, iPhone, WebOS) and you're done. There will be no need to learn multiple languages and you'll no longer have the "which platform to write for" dilemma. Google already has committed to start building apps to run in the browser for Android, iPhone, and other handsets. They even showed off a concept of Gmail running in airplane mode on an iPhone.

Other companies are following suit. Adobe recently unveiled its Photoshop application for Android. The title includes an autouploader that sends your pics to Photoshop.com's cloud storage. For a preview as to how this could work, check out Aviary. It has been offering cloud-based photo editing for desktops and laptops for a few years.

Google also announced today that data connections on Chrome Netbooks will come from 802.11n wireless cards. Yet, it wouldn't surprise me to see notebooks integrated with 3G or 4G capability running on Sprint's nationwide Clear network by the time the devices go on sale. Google has invested in Clearwire and has agreements in place for mobile advertising and search. This partnership also will see devices based on Android being deployed on the network.

With new features like turn-by-turn navigation and a self-correcting soft keyboard, Android 2.0 is enticing new customers who've never owned a smartphone.

But is Android ready for business customers? With support for corporate e-mail and calendar accounts, Google Android isn't just for consumers, but some IT managers have raised concerns over the operating system's ActiveSync client, its encryption, and its security.

A quick look around the Verizon forum indicates that users are confused on several fronts. We've already put to rest the confusion over its consumer data plans, but the Microsoft Exchange support remains a relevant issue.

As we see it, customers need to know two things: the Droid does not offer full ActiveSync support and the Android OS as a whole doesn't meet many corporate IT security policies--at least not out of the box.

In brief, the ActiveSync capabilities found within Android are similar to the iPhone. Both can synchronize e-mail, calendar, and some contacts; however, it lacks syncing Tasks/To-Do lists and Memos. Some users may consider those minor issues, but we think that IT managers would disagree.

On the other hand, its lack of real encryption is a serious concern. The security measures that are built into Android 2.0 are limited at best. Yes, end users can set up finger-swipe passwords for when their screens time out or after the handset reboots. And yes, Droid lets you secure your information with an alphanumeric password.

Unfortunately, that's about it. IT professionals can't define security policies, perform a remote wipe, or remotely provision handsets, which means that your IT manager would essentially have to physically touch every device to set it up. And if you lose your handset, your data might be as good as compromised. T-Mobile's Motorola Cliq allows for remote wipe, but only through the MotoBlur interface.

So what are your options? Two that we've found are Good Technology and NitroDesk's TouchDown. Both go above and beyond the native client and address many security concerns. For instance, Good Mobile Control lets IT managers determine which users are authorized for access, remote wipe handsets, define and enforce security protocols, and more.

TouchDown involves no third-party infrastructure to act as an intermediary between the Exchange server and the handset. Rather, it connects exclusively with the corporate Exchange server using ActiveSync and moves data directly from server to device.

Beyond enabling IT administrators to enforce PIN security to the corporate data, TouchDown also offers remote wipe support and the capability to connect to Exchange servers that require client certificates for authentication. What's more, an upcoming release will encrypt data stored within TouchDown's databases when requested by server policies.

The costs for Good for Enterprise for Android is based on server and client licensing and will vary depending on the number of licenses purchased. If you're interested in Good's Enterprise solutions, you can learn more at its Web site. NitroDesk is currently offering TouchDown at $10 per copy with unlimited updates. There's also a 5-day trial edition in the Android Market that gives full functionality for free during the trial period.

We love the unified in-box.

(Credit: Google)

As Verizon Wireless prepares to unveil its new Motorola Droid smartphone tomorrow, Google today released the SDK for the much-anticipated 2.0 update to the operating system. Code-named Eclair, Android 2.0 offers a number of feature improvements and interface tweaks. As expected, we will get multitouch support (yay!), but Google has some surprises up its sleeve. Here are the highlights that users should see.

• Syncing for multiple e-mail accounts, including Exchange accounts and contacts. According to the small print, however, "handset manufacturers can choose whether to include Exchange support in their devices." Ick.
• Developers can create sync adapters for additional data sources.
• The capability to e-mail, text, or call a contact by tapping their photo. What's more, this "Quick Contact widget" can reside in multiple apps such as such as e-mail, Messaging, and the calendar.
• A combined e-mail in-box
• Improved camera controls with digital zoom, a scene mode, white balance controls, color effects, and a macro focus
• A revamped Android virtual keyboard layout for faster, more accurate typing. Also, as Google puts it, "the multitouch support ensures that key presses aren't missed while typing rapidly with two fingers."
• A smarter dictionary that will include contact names
• Bluetooth 2.1 with object push and phone book access profiles
• Refurbished browser user interface with improved search and navigation, bookmarks with Web page thumbnail support for HTML5, and support for double-tap zoom
• Text and multimedia message search
• In the calendar app, the agenda view has infinite scrolling. Events indicate the attending status for each invitee and you can invite new guests to events.

Verizon's Droid will offer the new OS, but it's unknown at this time when, and if, it will push out to existing Google Android devices. Once we get a Droid review model, we'll consume Eclair and report back on how good it tastes.

Google Android OS 2.0 photos