Exploring Andromeda: A Look at the Challenges Awaiting Google’s Next Voyage

With the release of the Pixel and Pixel XL phones coming up, rumors abound that Google will be announcing a new platform based on Android enhanced by Chrome OS features, called Andromeda. Google has already started bringing features from one to the other (Android apps in Chrome OS, seamless updates in Android, etc.), but questions remain about how Google intends to gain market share in the laptop and convertible market.

Chrome OS already has a substantial niche in the education sector thanks to the low price of Chromebooks and their ease of use, but how will Google grow beyond that? How can Google use that niche to expand Andromeda to other markets? What can Google do to compete against existing laptop operating systems with long histories of native program libraries and users growing accustomed to the design language?

Developer support is vital, and a major problem is going to be app development. Right now Android Studio does not run on Android or Chrome OS, but it will need to run on Andromeda if Google wants to succeed. With Chrome OS, everything is web focused, so you didn't really need a development environment for running anything locally (and development tools are limited). With Android, historically most devices weren't powerful enough to develop on, and developers typically didn't want to develop on smaller screens anyway. With Andromeda though, Google is targeting an expansion of Chrome OS's market share, by bringing Android (with some Chrome OS features added in) and the ability to run Android apps to the laptop and 2-in-1 markets. Full Android apps on, potentially, your primary laptop. If Google doesn't port Android Studio to Andromeda, they will be severely handicapping themselves. They would essentially be telling any developer that can only afford one computer "Too bad. We won't let you develop for our laptops while on our laptops." They would be directly harming the ability of the developers most interested in their products to develop for those products.

Google needs to make sure that it is easy for developers to get involved in the Andromeda development scene, and Google does know this. They've been pushing how easy it is to get into Android development for a long time (which is a big part of why they chose Java), and it has gone a long way towards helping grow the Android platform, and especially the platform's app store. They just need to keep pushing for it, they need to keep improving ease of use. Android Studio needs to be easy to install and update on Andromeda. It needs to run smoothly despite the low power processors (compared to what you see in workstations) that you will often see in Andromeda devices. It needs to be something that the students who will likely make up a significant portion of Andromeda's initial customer base will want to use.

Google has made it possible to run Android apps in Chrome OS, and that is helping to bridge the gap and ease transition pains by unlocking a huge repertoire of apps for the new OS, from both Chrome OS and Android, but even that doesn't come close to scratching the surface of the huge libraries that Windows, OSX, and Linux have (especially with Google discontinuing Chrome Apps). Andromeda will need substantial development to fill in the gaps, as even being able to do 90% of what people use their laptops for still means that for many people, Andromeda will not be enough.

Many companies have ported versions of their desktop software to Android for cheap or for free (like Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Word), albeit often with a reduced feature set, but will they block that version on laptops/hybrids in order to prevent cannibalizing their own desktop sales? What will Google have to do to convince them to target that market?

A developer may not want to sell a game on Andromeda laptops for $10, when the Windows/Linux/etc. version of the same game goes for $30. Some developers might split out the phone and laptop/tablet versions of the app into two different Play Store listings in order to try to keep their prices consistent in some ways. Andromeda will have a limited program library as it is, Google cannot afford to let it splinter.

If the program library problems weren't enough, Google is also going to have to deal with the issue of inter-OS compatibility if they want Andromeda to take off in the corporate world. Microsoft Office tends to not play nice with other office suites, often having issues with both opening and saving files in industry standard formats (which Microsoft claims to follow, but that's a different article), and Microsoft Office is extremely widespread. Google themselves have issues with it as well, with Google Drive sometimes struggling to export documents that won't lose key formatting when imported elsewhere. If Google wants to break Microsoft's hold on the office environment, they're going to have to take a shot at it from multiple levels. Just having a fantastic product alone isn't enough (as LibreOffice/OpenOffice has proven). Google needs to push for ODF support and for public adoption of open standards (especially at a governmental level), something that The Document Foundation has actually been seeing a lot of success with lately. Google needs to fight to ensure compatibility.

They also need to move beyond the web-first mentality of Chrome OS. We're already seeing it to some extent with the rumors of increased storage in the Pixel devices, and the increased focus on offline content (alongside Google's recently increased attempts to drive usage of their cloud services through things like Assistant). Most notably, earlier this week Google launched YouTube Go for offline YouTube viewing in India.

Alongside the launch, Sundar Pichai published an op-ed in The Economic Times where he talked about why there has been such a shift in Google's behaviour. Specifically, he noted that while many of the data saving features that Google has introduced have been targeted at India, they have become immensely popular elsewhere when brought to other markets. It appears to have made Google realize that much of the world (even in Europe and North America) isn't as ready for online-only content as Google may have hoped.

"Moreover, we learned the issues Indians may have with connectivity, and data constraints can be universal. We dreamed up Maps Offline for India, but people in the United States and Europe are finding it just as useful. Simply put, solving for India is inspiring new Google innovations. … new things built for and inspired by India that move us a few steps towards the vision of making the benefits of the open Internet available for everyone."

Sundar Pichai

That only begins to scratch the surface of the issues that Google will have to face if they want Andromeda to succeed. The user interface will be a huge issue as well. Just stretching phone apps up to laptop sizes won't cut it. Google needs to prepare for users using a mouse and keyboard. You have to look no further than Windows 8 (and even current Desktop vs. Metro Apps) to see a whole crop of issues that pop up with focusing too much one way or the other. Large tiles in the center of the screen and gestures swiping in from the top and sides of the screen are fine for a tablet, but don't work so well on a laptop with a mouse and keyboard. Small little icons to click on around the edges of the screen are great for a precise mouse and keyboard, but don't work so well for our larger fingers and a touchscreen.

Proper button placement can be defined extensively by what is easy to reach. On a phone, that might be the entire screen. On a tablet, the center may be harder, but the edges and bottom are still fine. On a touchscreen laptop, you may want everything in the bottom corners to minimize how far off the keyboard you have to raise your hand. User Interface is affected by device form factor, and we need to take it into account if we want Andromeda to succeed. We may need drastically different UIs when in laptop and tablet mode (much in the way Windows 10 handles it), which kills a large portion of the benefit of having one device (as it creates two UIs that the average person needs to learn for the same device). That's not to say that it can't be done well. If there are two separate UIs many people will choose to use it in desktop mode at all times (and vice versa), as both UIs will have their own unique benefits and restrictions. Yes, a single UI that is a happy medium is often ideal, but two UIs that coexist can be just fine, as long as they work together in sensible ways.

Speaking of touchscreens, not every Chromebook has a touchscreen, and if Google wants to continue to target some Andromeda devices to the absolute low-end of the market (like the sub-$100 Chromebook), then some Andromeda devices likely won't have touchscreens either. It can be an absolute pain to use certain Android apps without a touchscreen, and developers will get flak for it. It's just a reality, some apps won't play well with a mouse and keyboard, and unfortunately some developers will prevent Andromeda laptops from installing their app in order to avoid those negative reviews. We will need an extension of Material Design with clear guidelines on how to best target both touchscreen and mouse + keyboard devices. It shouldn't be a requirement, but there hopefully will be some information to assist developers in preparing their apps for this change (and Google might have to change their stance a bit on tablet specific apps as a result).

" Unless Google intends for every Andromeda laptop to be ARM based, they need to work on getting developers to port their native apps to x86, and binary translation doesn't cut it"

The hardware platform itself also has some issues. Unless Google intends for every Andromeda laptop to be ARM based, they need to work on getting developers to port their native apps to x86 (and potentially MIPS) as well as ARM. Binary translation just doesn't quite cut it, although we have seen some improvements over the years. The NDK and Vulkan are very powerful tools, and will only become more so if Andromeda really takes off and we see Andromeda in increasingly powerful computers.

Support for Android apps definitely will help with Andromeda's initial program library, but it is a double edged sword. Having no historical program library is a huge issue, but having Android app compatibility might just result in developers not coding for Andromeda, and instead just creating Android phone apps and hoping that it will work (or work out) on laptops as well (we already see this mentality with Android tablets). We saw this with BlackBerry 10, we saw this with Windows Phone, and we've seen this fail many times over. While we have to hope for the best, the general idea is one that has been tried, and which has failed over and over again. You can argue that it came down to implementation, but we'll have to wait to see if Google can find the right implementation. Even without the issues associated with using apps designed for touchscreens on computers with a mouse and keyboard, Android already has substantial issues with scaling. Using apps on tablets often has an insane amount of wasted screen space, frequently because developers (even Google) either don't fully understand how to use Android's scaling functionality, or don't care enough about tablets to implement it properly (given the current Android tablet market, we can't really blame them). If Google wants solid app support for laptops, then they need to find a major way to encourage developers to actually prepare their apps for the different device styles. They need a format that will work well on the desktop, and they need to push it heavily.

More importantly, Google will need to succeed somewhere that they have failed numerous times already. If Google wants Andromeda to take off, they will need to properly curate the Play Store. They'll need to make it possible to search specifically for mouse + keyboard optimized applications and touchscreen optimized applications. Phone optimized UIs, tablet optimized UIs, and laptop optimized UIs (which, admittedly goes against the "just let everything scale" mentality, but the differences between laptops and phones makes it necessary, as was mentioned above). People need to be able to find programs that actually work for them, and right now the process of discovering new apps on the Play Store is pretty bad. The "Top Charts" are filled with freemium games, flashlight apps, and even the occasional task killer still (the latter of which is outright harmful to your phone), although thankfully Google finally separated out apps and games into separate charts in August. You still see some embarrassing things while browsing the store though, like an app with a logo that was almost a palette swap of a competitor's logo making it into the top 40.

If Google cannot manage the Play Store more efficiently, then they may have to open up their platform a bit if they want to succeed. It seems unthinkable, but perhaps if Andromeda wants to compete against the vast library of programs available on other platforms, Google may have to target compatibility with the existing GNU/Linux software environment. Currently there are some very distinct differences between Android/Linux and GNU/Linux which prevent GNU/Linux programs from running on Android/Linux (namely the near complete lack of GNU libraries, although there are ways to install them if you are rooted), but the gap is shrinking. Google for years has been pushing code upstream where applicable (even if only just to reduce their code maintenance costs), and has been merging in features and potentially code in from Chrome OS (which uses a substantial amount of GNU libraries and can run standard GNU/Linux programs with a bit of tweaking). We have also seen Google go to great lengths to improve the graphics stack for Android (even dropping support of some devices at the last minute in order to add a requirement for Vulkan or OpenGL ES 3.1 in Android 7.0). While the stated reason is to improve the quality of games on Android and to make porting games to Android easier, it also closes the gap between Android/Linux and GNU/Linux a bit. With the recent major push by Valve to improve the Linux gaming experience, we actually see a decent number of AAA titles on Linux now, and having support for Dota 2 or Rocket League could make a huge difference for how the average user views the software situation on Andromeda. Then again, I don't think Google would be too happy to see an Andromeda devices shipping with an alternative program store like Steam.

That being said, there may be unintended benefits to merging code from Chrome OS into Android, and from the mentality shift that it brings. Android has struggled for years with some inherent differences between the platform and the traditional desktop environment. Namely, the fact that phones never had an "IBM PC Compatible" moment meant that there is a gross lack of standardization for both boot procedures and driver support. Google is trying to fix that to some extent with solutions like device trees, but a lot of work still needs to be done. Chrome OS is interesting in that a large portion of the devices using it ship with coreboot (as does the Android based Pixel C, which ships with a Chrome OS style boot image), which helps provide a specific platform for the OS to target. With Andromeda potentially following Chrome OS's model for its boot image rather than Android's, we may see Google attempt to leverage the existing Chrome OS infrastructure to make Android installations more modular, especially if the leaks that Andromeda will eventually be able to be installed on virtually any future x86, MIPS, or ARM device are true (which would tie in well with Google and Sony's recent work to provide enhanced theming support, which OEMs can use to apply their customizations).

"Two years of support just doesn't cut it. The support life of personal computers needs to be measured in many years, not a few months."

And that may be a key factor for Andromeda's future success. If Google can get carriers, OEMs, stores, foundries, etc. all onboard with the idea of having a single underlying OS (like Microsoft and Apple's products) with strong theming support and substantial extensibility (to allow OEMs to include their tweaks and enhancements), then they can completely change the update dynamic. No more waiting for OEMs and carriers to finish tweaking the update.

When Google pushes out the latest update, it would be immediately available for your device (assuming your device has the appropriate driver support of course, which will be highly dependant on development efforts like device trees). You could go and install it right away, and still keep your OEM themes as they would (theoretically) be built to hook into stable theming APIs.

For phones, that is nice, but for tablets and laptops it is crucial. You (hopefully) don't constantly carry your laptop with you at all times and don't drop it from time to time. Tablets and laptops are expected to last a lot longer than a phone is. Replacing them every two years isn't quite as common, and two years of support just doesn't cut it. The support life of personal computers needs to be measured in decades (best case scenario), not months. There are computers that launched in 2003 that can still run Windows 10, and don't even get me started on the ridiculous support life that Linux has (earlier this year Debian finally dropped support for Intel's 586 processors from 1993, and they're still going to be providing security patches for it until 2020). If Google wants to be taken seriously in the the laptop market (beyond the niche of Chromebooks), they are going to need an update model that is drastically different from what we see on Android, and Andromeda might just be bringing it.

Looking back knowing that Google has been working towards this since 2013, it appears almost obvious that many features were added with this shift in mind. From the substantial expansion of multi-user in 2014 (that never really was pushed after being expanded), to split screen, to the return of full support for SD cards, and a whole list of changes. Google has silently been preparing for this for a while, and hopefully that preparation will translate into platform success.

Google really need to look at where other OSes have failed to get an idea of what pitfalls this OS needs to avoid, but they also need to look at where other OSes have succeeded. Remix OS and Windows 10 give a feeling for how to succeed in the convertible space, and they draw from both ends of the spectrum in order to do it. Large buttons that are easy to hit and easy to read, but not without being huge tiles like in Windows 8. Interfaces that are friendly to both scrolling with your fingers, and scrolling with a mouse. Taking the existing UX that people are used to, and tweaking it a bit to fit touch screen implementation, rather than a complete overhaul.

Google definitely has their work cut out for them with Andromeda, but we may just see something amazing come out of it.

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EU Plans to Fine Google for Anti-Competitive Android Practices

The road in Europe is looking to become rockier for Google and Alphabet, as the antitrust proceedings against the company in the European Union are looking to culminate with a hefty fine and some drastic changes.

As per a new report published by Reuters, EU's antitrust regulators are planning to order Google to stop offering financial incentives to smartphone makers to pre-install Google Search exclusively. This order is a result of the investigation against the search giant where it was accused to using Android and its dominance to shut out rivals, thus creating an anti-competitive environment.

The regulators plan to order Google to "halt payments or discounts" to OEMs given to pre-install Play Store along with Google Search. They also want to prevent the pre-installation of proprietary apps as well, if it restricts the ability to use competing OSs based on Android. The report mentions that Google "cannot punish or threaten" companies for not complying with its conditions.

In addition to all of this, EU also plans to levy a large fine because the anti-competitive practices are still ongoing from the time they went into effect in January 2011. The level of the fine would be "sufficient to ensure deterrence". The penalty could be based on European AdWords revenue, Google Search product queries, Play Store app purchases and AdMob's in-app advertisements.

These fines and orders are related to the anti-competitive nature of Android preloaded with the Play Store. There is one more investigation underway for the Search end of things, where Google is accused of favoring its own sopping service over those of its rivals. This could in turn be a separate fine, but the decision for this would be decided at a later stage.

All in all, the next few months could impact Google and Alphabet right in the pocket. The antitrust order also has the potential to change the Android landscape as Google would be forced to let off its aggressive hold on Android and loosen its stance on derivative forks. Companies like Samsung would then be open to test out Google Play Store-less routes like Amazon did with its Fire lineup of phones and tablets, without giving up the freedom to also continue with providing Android with the Play Store.

What are your thoughts on these purported fine and orders? Do you think Google deserves a fine for their anti-competitive practices? Let us know in the comments below!

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The OnePlus 3 and Axon 7 Show Affordable Phones Don’t Have to Come at the Cost of Software Updates

In the past, purchasing a "mid-range phone" meant a plethora of compromises: weak after-sales support, few and far between updates, and compromised feature sets (and, more often than not, an ugly user interface). OnePlus devices, too, had questionable software and update support.

The OnePlus 2 took ages to get a proper marshmallow update. The OnePlus X still doesn't have one one. However, things seem to be changing for the better as thus far with the OnePlus 3, the situation has vastly improved. In fact, while writing this article OnePlus sent out another OTA to version 3.2.7. Heading over to their official site, there are 9 software versions available for the 3. Some of these are community builds – essentially  refined betas – but the experience of installing them is pretty straight forward, and they do build upon previous versions with optimizations and great features (such as the increasingly-popular scrolling screenshot) that enhance the UX without taking away from what makes it pleasant. We've had our worries regarding the merging of the Hydrogen and Oxygen OS platforms through a unified development team, but OnePlus was quick to listen to criticism and ease concerns by announcing Oxygen OS would keep a Stock Android look in its System UI.

OnePlus 3 Update Screen

My most recent experience with updating my OnePlus 3 truly impressed. My device was on OxygenOS 3.2.4 rooted, with Xposed installed, a custom DPI, and TWRP as the recovery — if you are used to these features, you know how they can often complicate updates. However, OxygenOS detected my device was rooted and downloaded the full version of 3.2.6, rather than just the OTA. My OnePlus 3 then rebooted into TWRP and updated to 3.2.6 with no data loss, no hiccups, no booting issues. This process did replace TWRP with the standard OnePlus recovery, but it's rather simple to get back to TWRP anyway.

These frequent updates to the OnePlus 3 have added key features that the community asked for from day one such as RGB mode, but also the aforementioned  scrolling screenshots, improved auto-brightness, updated 4K recording codecs (as we pointed in our OnePlus 3 review, they were a mess around the time of launch!), and improved RAM management (which, again, is something we determined to be pretty bad early on). The OnePlus 3 is also up to date with the September 1st security patches, and all of this makes for a device that has improved every few weeks in tangible ways. We aren't sure if the merging of both ROM teams has already begun or if this continuous support is a product of that, but it's terrific to see this effort either way, and OnePlus has so far redeemed its poor reputation on this front with this product cycle.

One of the OnePlus 3's biggest competitors has to be the ZTE Axon 7, which actually carries some higher specifications in some areas, while still being in the same bracket. Thus far, after purchase support and updates have also been impressive as well.

Axon 7 Update Screen

The Axon 7 just received an update to version B27, and this is the third update my Axon 7 has received since launch. The phone's only been out for a few months and we've already have seem updates help with UI tweaks, battery life improvements, camera enhancements, and the latest September 1st security patches. ZTE has been communicative and responsive on their official forums regarding updates and features additions, too, which is always a plus.

Of note to our audience here at XDA is that ZTE has also come up with a method of unlocking the bootloader. There are some caveats such as losing the warranty, but the having the option is great and ZTE should be commended for at least giving us the option (albeit the OnePlus 3 is certainly much better in its warranty policy for us tinkerers). More manufacturers providing this option is good for the community, but we would really like to see this not come at the cost of losing the warranty.

Overall, both of these devices offer terrific hardware packages and incredible value for the money. There was a time when a $400 device would also come with a cost of reduced software support, infrequent updates, or drastically-reduced features (quantity or execution). The OnePlus 3 and the Axon 7 both seem to be defying this trend and, in turn, changing our expectations. Both of these devices right now have the latest security patches and both are running 6.0.1, and we have no issues recommending either device based on support thus far. It's especially reassuring to know that these companies have improved their communication channels with their respective communities, and are throwing us enthusiasts a bone or two by allowing us to tinker and customize.

Both devices should also get Android Nougat in due time, with the recent OnePlus Software AMA giving us some vague hints regarding its development. In any case, the openness of the OnePlus 3 means you can already try out Nougat on the device. Features like Dash Charging are also now available on custom ROMs, and OnePlus has also stated that they plan on finding ways to improve the camera quality on custom ROMs too, so the custom ROM experience is bound to only get better on this device. But if you don't want to go that route, OnePlus' official support is better than ever with promising prospects (assuming they keep their word), with more than just promises: tangible results in the form of feature-packed updates, and internal changes to accommodate for a new software model for faster updates. Devices like the OnePlus 3 and the Axon 7 are so far squashing the notion that more affordable devices come at the cost of software support, another item in the long list of preconceptions that these "flagship-killers" challenge when it comes to their price. At a time where updates are some of the biggest headaches in the Android world for a multitude of reasons, we couldn't be happier about that.

How important is software support to you? Share your opinion below!

 

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MechDome is a Developer Tool that Automatically Converts Android Apps into iOS and OSX Apps

Cross-platform development has presented a major challenge for most independent developers for many years. Quite often, it's simply too much of an time and resource investment to learn a new programming language in order to port your app over to another platform.

For years, this fact of resource allocation is what has pushed many developers to primarily focus their efforts on iOS, due to the more lucrative market. Thanks to projects such as Xamarin, however, developers who are familiar with C# have been able to push their projects across iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile. But Android developers are most familiar with writing in Java, so using Xamarin would require a developer to familiarize themselves with a new language and build platform. We've covered one project aimed at bridging the gap between mobile operating systems by providing a cross-development platform for Java developers – Intel's Multi-OS Engine – but there's no telling where that project is headed. That's where MechDome comes in.

MechDome is a start-up company based in California and incorporated in January that has developed a conversion tool to automatically create native iOS and OS X apps from your Android app. No need to learn how to use a new IDE or API. All you need to do is send an APK file to MechDome (no need to send them your source code), and the fully automated tool will compile a standalone binary in seconds for iOS and OS X that the developer can then distribute on Apple's App Store. We sat down in an interview with MechDome's founder and CEO, Mario Kosmiskas, to see a demonstration of the tool in action – and it works. Although there are some limitations due to fundamental differences between how iOS and Android operate (which we'll discuss below), the tool has already produced a few live apps on the Apple App Store such as the open-source Reddit client RedReader and an open-source Sudoku client to prove it works.

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Android Apps on iOS with MechDome

The stated goal of MechDome is to allow developers to convert an unmodified Android app into a native iOS or OS X app. Compared to technologies such as Intel's Multi-OS Engine or Xamarin, an Android developer does not need to know how to bind an Objective-C library because the tool will handle that for you. Nor is there any need to use a UI builder to modify your Android app, as MechDome handles converting all Android UI elements. Yes, even Android tablet apps translate nicely into a format suitable for iPads.

 

MechDome's biggest promise is that the converted Android app will function in a manner that users of the target OS will be familiar with. For instance, the Android share menu will be replaced with the native share sheet in iOS, and will include the ability to use AirDrop if applicable. Apps that post notifications in Android will instead display a notification in iOS's Notification Center. Certain intents such as opening a camera on Android will indeed open the camera on the iOS device, and URL intents on Android will call Safari on iOS. Content providers on Android that access contacts or the calendar will instead access the relevant iOS or OS X databases for this information.

In general though, all hardware functionality required for the use of an Android app will be mapped directly to use the relevant hardware in iOS. Software functions, though, can be split into 3 distinct categories: 1) functionality that doesn't exist on iOS (such as the toast message) will be implemented directly, 2) functionality that exists on both iOS and Android are replaced with the relevant iOS method, and 3) functionality that exists on iOS but not on Android (such as Apple's 3D Touch library) cannot be converted but can be implemented through the use of a library. Most activities, views, services, toasts, and basic content providers should be convertible from Android to iOS, according to MechDome's founder.

But as mentioned previously, there are indeed some limitations to this tool that are imposed by the nature of how iOS works. One of the biggest challenges facing an Android developer looking to convert his or her app to iOS is how to handle a background service. iOS is much more stringent with when and what kinds of background services that third-party applications can run, for better or worse. Furthermore, the rich intent system present in Android that allows for inter-app communication is largely absent on iOS. Finally, the Google Play Services API is currently not supported, so any app relying on Google services will not function. Thus, developers will be mostly limited to functionality that is accessed directly by manual user input, which should not pose a significant problem for most games or apps.

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MechDome In Use

In a private demo, the tool does indeed seem to function as advertised. Mr. Kosmiskas demonstrated compiling several fully functional Android apps into working iOS and OSX apps. Toast notifications, notifications in the Notification Center, webview, location access, text input, and general functionality of UI elements all worked in demo. The AOSP calculator running on iOS looked and functioned exactly as it does on any Android device.

Updating an application and re-compiling it for iOS was also shown, and the process fairly simple. The developer, in this case Mr. Kosmiskas, demonstrated changing a text box to display "XDA-Developers" in Android Studio. He then exported the app, generated a signed APK, and compiled the iOS and OS X binaries in seconds from the MechDome server. When the iOS app was started using an emulator, the changes made in Android Studio were present.

Currently, MechDome is undergoing a free public beta program. Developers can register their app on the MechDome website to receive an invite to test converting their Android app. No pricing information has yet been unveiled for the service, unfortunately. Still, it's an interesting project to stay on the lookout for if you're an Android developer looking to eventually make waves in Apple's ecosystem without having to expend much effort of your own.

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Google Reportedly Wants OEMs to Integrate Google Home in Products

October 4th is going to be a big day for the Mountain View internet giant. It's all but confirmed to be the day Google officially announces the upcoming Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. We've seen mock-ups created, the the front display assembly leaked, photos showing the front and back of the devices, and software details about how they will have 2 of each partition and how that could allow community developers to do a number of unique things with custom software.

It's fair to say the Pixel and Pixel XL have not been shy over the last couple of months. We're looking forward to seeing these two devices officially announced next week, but rumor has it that smartphones won't be the only thing Google unveils on October 4th. If true, we could see Google announcing hardware products like the Chromecast dongle that can support Ultra HD video, the Daydream View VR headset, and Google Home.

You can think of Google Home as their way to compete with the Amazon Echo. A standalone device that allows you to access your entertainment (like playing songs and playlists), manage your everyday tasks (like setting reminders, making reservations, controlling your lights and thermostat), and having access to Google search all with just your voice. It was originally thought that Google would be the sole manufacturer of this device, but a new report says otherwise.

Variety is reporting that Google is wanting other OEMs to integrate Google Home into their own products. At first it seemed like this meant something similar to how they did their OnHub router where multiple manufacturers could make their own, but it could go beyond that. At a closed door meeting with Google, it's said that Google wants other OEMs to utilize Google Home like they have been with Google Cast. The report also says that Google might be displaying "aggressive muscle-flexing" in its negotiation by telling manufacturers that they'd have to incorporate the service if they want their products to be able to use Chromecast at all.

Either way, we could see a number of products like smart TVs, soundbars, Bluetooth speakers, and more have Google Home baked right into the product and as early as next summer.

Source: Variety

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Qualcomm is Reportedly in Talks to Acquire NXP Semiconductor

Qualcomm's financial standing seemed to have started going slightly down hill when Samsung opted for their own Exynos chipset over the traditional Snapdragon variant in select markets last year. The company had to revise their sales targets for the entire year because of this and while they did beat analyst expectations in Q3 of 2015, revenues were still down $7.1 billion during the same quarter the year before.

The company saw profits increase during Q1 of this year, but overall revenue was still down 19% YoY due to a fall in shipments. Qualcomm losing some of its modem business to Intel puts pressure on them too. So we can see Qualcomm hasn't had the best track record lately (more specifically, last year), but a new report suggests they can even this out with a possible acquisition. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Qualcomm is looking to acquire NXP Semiconductor for upwards of $30 billion.

Less than a year ago, NXP had acquired Freescale Semiconductor for a cool $12 billion that made the company the "the world's top maker of automotive electronics." See, while NXP does offer some ARM SoCs, they are focused more on the low-power components for integrated devices. The company sells a number of automobile products like temperature sensors and power management controllers.

During the first two quarters of this year, NPX saw over a 50% increase in revenue growth compared to the same quarter a year before. So while we could see some overlap here with NXP's SoC business, this acquisition could be more about expanding away from smartphones and diving into other markets. This type of diversity would allow Qualcomm to still thrive if they happen to have another slip up like they did with the Snapdragon 810, and at the very least it allows Qualcomm to expand without as much risk by acquiring a repertoire of established designs.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

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LeEco Sends Out Press Invites for an Event in the US

LeEco, formerly known as LeTV, is a massive Chinese conglomerate that has their hand in all sorts of industries. The company deals with music, sports, smart TVs, cloud computing, driverless cars, and has made a big splash in China and India with their smartphone business. Much like Xiaomi, LeEco's smartphones are priced very competitively and with impressive build quality for the price you pay.

The LeEco Le Max 2 was already a popular phone for the company in India, and they just gave it a temporary price cut, down to Rs. 17,999 (~$270USD). It is hard for OEMs to compete with LeEco when it comes to price, and lately we've seen the company start to plan an expansion into the United States. They opened up their first United States headquarters in San Jose earlier this year, then bought over 48 acres of land from Yahoo a month later, and finally confirmed something big for the US this fall season.

At the time they announced their fall surprise for the United States, LeEco had already hired 400 employees. The company says they they are on track to grow this number to 1,000 before the end of the year so it seems obvious they are planning for something big in the states. Now, LeEco has started to send out press invites to various technology publications for an upcoming event that will take place in San Francisco on October 19th.

They have yet to confirm exactly what this event will be about, but many are speculating it will be the first time their products will officially be sold in the country, and some reports claim they might be bringing their services too. But again, LeEco is involved in a number of industries so it's hard to pinpoint exactly what they're planning. We would like to think they will announce plans to sell their smartphones in the US (and we believe it makes the most sense, given other similarly competitive companies are doing the same lately), but this could be about smart TVs, smart bikes, etcetera. We'll just have to wait a few weeks and see how things turn out.

Source: TechnoBuffalo

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