Post from: Google And Blog
Google IO Was the Android I Opener Developer Conference
Google IO 2009 was a very Android centric developer conference with day long Android sessions and access to Android engineers.
I was lucky to be invited to cover Google IO for GoogleAndBlog as I flew into San Francisco Wednesday May 27th and took a cab directly to the Moscone West Center.
Once there I arrived during the keynote session just before the discussion shifted to Android where they went over some items in the upcoming Donut release such as the phone talking back for turn by turn directions and language translations.
Also they FINALLY brought back the promised 2nd round of the Android Developer Challenge.
Then they dropped a bomb on the audience of approximately 4,000 people - each attendee will get a specially customized Google Android Ion phone plus a T-Mobile SIM card with 1,000 minutes and unlimited data for FREE.
I then went to several Android sessions and then spoke directly to the Android engineers who I have often only conversed with via email or Google Groups, such as those in the photo below: Brian Swetland, Jean-Baptistie Queru (JBQ), myself, San, & Romain Guy
The Android engineers were really friendly but cringed at anyone calling the next Android phone the G2, they prefer Magic or Sapphire.
They said they are including more Bluetooth improvements in Donut but couldn’t say what it was, but they all hope some other company in the Open Handset Alliance can help pick up the ball in driving Android as they don’t envision Google being front and center with Android too much longer.
Then in the press room I was able to ask Google founder Sergey Brin a question on Microsoft chronically changing the name of their search engine which he replied that he likes the name Google to the laughter of the room captured in video on TechCrunch.
I then went to the Android Developer Sandbox area to check out the showcasing of the latest Android apps such as the one from Zagat.
Finally at the end of the day there was an Android Fireside Chat.
I waited in line to ask the team a question after hearing many demands of when we will get what and why so and so wasn’t put in, so when it was my turn I prefaced that I wanted to thank the Android team for all their hard work and that I am appreciative of what they have done, which got the team a deserved loud applause.
I then asked the 2 questions I get the most here on GoogleAndBlog and that is whats the status of FLASH on Android and could running apps off the SD card be in the Donut release.
Their response was that FLASH is out of their hands, privately they told me its a nightmare and doubt the G1 has the hardware to ever handle the vast majority of FLASH out on the web.
They also provided a plethora of reasonable security reasons why its not good to have apps run off the SD card and they don’t plan to do so in the Donut release.
I then concluded with saying that my vote for the name after the Eclair release should be Fried Dough.
After this was the Google After Hours party and met with Taylor Wimberly and his brother Clark Wimberly of the excellent Android site AndroidAndMe and finally got the taste of CupCake
