Google’s operating system Android faces challenges in the growing mobile technology – Part 2

On the other hand, Google has seen a number of challenges with their operating system. First of all, the Android is available for any smartphone manufacturer in the market. Manufacturers with the likes of Samsung, HTC and Motorola have their own individual ideology of handhelds, for example, the screen size varies from 3.5 to 5.2 inches in different handsets. The processors vary from single cores to dual-cores clocked at speeds up to 2.2 GHz.

These variations in specifications challenge the operating system to work differently in different environments. The screen size effects the visual effects of applications designed for a specific version of Android. Due to the lack or excess of pixels, the visibility is affected.

Processors vary in different handsets and due to the lack of required speed in some smartphones, the efficiency of the operating system gets punched. Moreover, a number of applications developed for one version of Android do not run as smoothly on some phones as they work on the others.

The Android Application market is a challenge itself. Apple has reserved the right of accepting or rejecting an application on the basis of quality and performance, so there is negligible risk of malfunction or malware. On the other hand, Android works an open market and recently had to take down a number of malicious software from the market.

However, the problem does not stop at this. There are countless third party applications available on the internet, most of which either have malware in them or are ineligible to work on the phones.

Furthermore, due to open-source nature of the operating system, various companies try to subdue the Google-effect from the source code and tweak the OS to their own will. A recent example in this case has been Amazon’s Kindle Fire. The tablet, not even remotely, resembles the typical Android interface. Facebook is planning to follow the same track line in their soon-to-come Facebook smartphone.

These issues undoubtedly keep Apple at its toes in competing on the smartphone and tablet fronts but the loosely held Android platform might come apart in the near future if Google does not take some drastic steps in checks and balances of the software.

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Posted by Usman Khalid on Jan 12 2012. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.