Android Mobiles

Uhohs! It appears that the Google Android Code has been deleted from the Linux Kernel. The change is explained in depth at Kroah.com but the folks at RegHardware sum it up nicely:

“No one cared about the code, so it was removed,” writes Kroah-Hartman. “As I’ve stated before, code in the staging tree needs to be worked on to be merged to the main kernel tree, or it will be deleted.”

But the larger problem, he continues, is that Android uses a new lock type, new hooks for its “sometimes bizarre” security model, and a revamped framebuffer driver infrastructure. All this, he says, prevents “a large chunk” of Android drivers and platform code from merging into the main kernel tree.

Google, he ultimately argues, has forked its mobile OS.

Kroah has a ton of great things to say about Google and Android. The removal of Android from the Linux Kernel isn’t the end of the world, but more an admittance that Android is paving its own path. If Google doesn’t alter directions now to account for this, it’ll probably be too late to turn back.

What does Google have to gain?

Because Google doesn’t have their code merged into the mainline, these companies creating drivers and platform code are locked out from ever contributing it back to the kernel community. The kernel community has for years been telling these companies to get their code merged, so that they can take advantage of the security fixes, and handle the rapid API churn automatically. And these companies have listened, as is shown by the larger number of companies contributing to the kernel every release.

It seems like, according to Kroah, we would get more secure builds with less bugs and quicker OTA fixes/patches if Google were to follow the necessary Linux procedures. Kroah is reluctantly hopeful… and I’m less optimistic. I definitely recommend reading the full article for those interested.

I’m no Linux expert but I’m sure we have plenty of readers who understand this on a much deeper level. So chime in – how does this affect us and what’s your opinion?

Putting all the other specs aside, which screen is best across all Android phones? Many would choose the 3.7-inch screen on the Nexus One, but unlike number-backed specs, video playback and overall look/feel of a screen are mostly conclusions of opinion. But evidence always helps and that’s what the guys from HDBlog (translated to English) came up with:

The contestants?

• MyTouch 3G
• HTC Hero
• Motorola Milestone/Droid
• Acer Liquid
• Nexus One
• Samsung Galaxy

Who do you think comes out the winner?

Dwight Silverman of the Houston Chronicle traveled to the big iFail event last week and decided to turn his trip into a little test; he brought both the Nexus One and iPhone 3GS and pit the two head to head in a battle of the best smartphones. His conclusion?

Overall, the Nexus One made for a better travel experience, at least to San Francisco which, ironically, is in Apple’s backyard.

Keep in mind this test was before the 3G fix. Also keep in mind this is one man’s test during one period of time in one location. Not to mention that half the public are probably rocking iPhones on AT&T so the network drag is a comparison you have to keep in mind. But all in all… it’s nice to see the appreciation for Android… at an Apple event… in Apple’s backyard.

After seeing this “test” was done by “Dwight” and with tomorrow being Thursday, I couldn’t help but hope that an episode of “The Office” has Dwight comparing/testing mobile phones with an Android and iPhone among them. THEN what would the result be?

“Question: What type of bear is best?”

With the launch of Apple’s new iPad this week, everyone seems to have their eyes tuned into the tablet market. Well jump on over to Gizmodo for the full review and comparison of the iPad, HP Slate, JooJoo, and a few Android tablets (Notion Ink Adam, Dell Mini 5, Archos 7 Android).

We obviously have our favorites but would like to hear from you. The great tablet debate of 2010 is just about to begin – where do you stand right now?

[via Gizmodo]

This is SURE to stir up some fierce debate and there is no right answer – different people have different wants/needs. The casual phone user will likely NEVER want to root their phone and even the majority of competent smartphone users will find Android more than capable of doing whatever they want. But we all know it’s the things you CAN’T have that we often want the most… and that is exactly what rooting allows.

For folks wondering “Should I root?” or “Why would I want to root?”, Sarah Perez from ReadWriteWeb wrote an interesting and thorough article discussing just that.

Her favorite reasons for rooting include:

• Multi-touch, Pinch & Zoom, etc…
• Performance improvements, speed, etc…
• Extra Apps/Features (Like Apps2SD)

Now WE want to hear from YOU – what makes rooting your Android phone “worth it”? Or… are you happy rocking out with your robot as-is?