Android Apps on Any Device

[lexipixel]

This is from my local newspaper:

Framingham company breaks the apps barrier

"...Emma Angelo, the 6-year-old granddaughter of OpenMobile's co-founder and CEO Robert F. Angelo, and her cousin and brother, Harry Zajac and Luke Angelo, were playing games on their parents' smartphones in Robert Angelo's living room

Emma was frustrated because she didn't have access to the same games on one of her parents' smartphones as her brother Harry did on his. Emma quickly sought out her grandfather and asked, "Papa, how come I can't get the same apps on my phone that Harry has on his?"

After pausing for a minute, Angelo responded, "You know Em, I think we can." And thus began OpenMobile.

[metrowestdailynews.com...]

[coopster]

Interesting. I can see the reasoning behind the effort and it makes sense but I wonder what direction the company will take as apps are more and more hardware-specific? Examples are already in the market today like the Vizio Tablet Remote Control app that interacts with their built-in IR hardware. And a lot of buzz surrounding CES looks like hardware manufacturers are considering apps for their products, including refrigerators, etc.

So what might happen when the device does not have the necessary integrated hardware for the app? Are we going to see some form of accessory market open up? And ports added to hardware to accommodate the accessory? Just thinking out loud I guess.

Here nor there, the apps barrier is and will continue to be an interesting topic of discussion and worth watching over the next year. Thanks for sharing that article.

[lexipixel]

I wonder what direction the company will take as apps are more and more hardware-specific

Hardware specific apps will obviously depend on hardware -- I think the "apps" they are focusing on are more OS, data and UI oriented, (e.g.- games, productivity, etc).

As smart phones and tablets gain market share and computing strength, I can see where things like external IO devices, (keyboard, mouse, display, printer, etc), will need to be universal -- so it's either multiple versions for varied hardware, or platform/device specific (software) drivers, or some type of "universal translator" like OpenMobile hopes to be that will be needed.

I've got a bag of phone chargers from all the various phones everyone in the house has owned over the past few years -- still, it seems every time we get a new phone, we need yet another new charger. I would hate to invest in an external keyboard or printer and have it end up in the same bag...

Anything that helps break hardware vendor's nasty little ploy to be so divisive, (or as a pun: "device-ive"), is good for consumers.

[coopster]

I think the "apps" they are focusing on are more OS, data and UI oriented, (e.g.- games, productivity, etc).

Yes, I realize that although didn't explain it explicitly in my response.

Using the Vizio tablet example I am looking at the iPad2 and wondering if an externally attached IR device could be purchased and then using the OpenMobile interface to utilize the Vizio remote control app? Not likely, in my best guess. There would probably be some type of licensing issue with the app as it was developed by and for Vizio. Anyway, you can see where my thoughts are headed here.

"device-ive" ... hehe, made me LOL!

[lexipixel]

"...wondering if an externally attached IR device could be purchased and then using the OpenMobile interface..."

I always think about the quote "All problems in computer science can be solved by another level of indirection" whenever I have two things that can't talk to each other.

That applies to hardware and software. Like a translator at the U.N., anything from a serial break-out box to a data format conversion routine can add that level of indirection.