China’s technology Ministry is worried about the dominance of Google’s Android platform, according to Reuters. The news agency links to a whitepaper authored by the research arm of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology which contains the above graph — so it’s not difficult to see what the Ministry’s issue is: Android has grown from a standing start in 2008 to saturate the local market, taking 72.4 per cent in Q3 2012 (Gartner sourced data).
According to Reuters, the Ministry’s whitepaper is critical of China’s dependency on a platform it argues is ultimately controlled by Mountain View. “Our country’s mobile operating system research and development is too dependent on Android. While the Android system is open source, the core technology and technology roadmap is strictly controlled by Google,” the whitepaper states.
It also claims that Google has deliberately impeded the progress of some Chinese companies seeking to develop their own operating systems (presumably by forking Android) by delaying code sharing, and accuses Google of using commercial agreements to restrain the business development of mobile devices of these companies. The paper goes on to pile praise on homegrown companies such as Alibaba, Baidu and Huawei for creating their own systems.
Google declined to comment on the allegations in the whitepaper when contacted by TechCrunch.
Alibaba’s Aliyun OS was going to be used by Acer to power a Chinese smartphone planned for launch last year — but cancelled, at least in part, after Google intervened. (Google argued that Acer was building what it described as a “non-compatible” Android device, having previously committed to building compatible devices.) Presumably this is the sort of commercial pressure the whitepaper is critical of.
Alibaba also declined to comment on the Chinese whitepaper when contacted by Techcrunch.
Another graph in the whitepaper pegs the Aliyun OS’s share of the 2012 Chinese market at around one per cent — versus 86.4 per cent for Android: Reuters speculates that the Chinese government could be planning to impose regulations on Android to try to rein it in and give Chinese companies a chance to take some a greater share. That could also be good news for smaller foreign players such as Finnish startup Jolla, which is using the MeeGo open source OS as the foundation of its new Sailfish platform. Jolla is targeting its debut smartphone at China first, as well as setting up a base in Hong Kong to build an alliance around Sailfish. It has also attracted investment from China.
The smartphone market in China is undoubtedly huge — Jolla’s CEO describes it as a “300 million device market”. China also passed the U.S. as the world’s top country for active Android and iOS smartphones and tablets last month so it’s also a growing market. But while Android undoubtedly dominates the OS landscape not all Chinese Android-powered device are equal since a large proportion of homegrown mobile makers heavily customise Android and do not carry any of the standard Google services such as its Play store.
Analyst Enders Analysis created the below chart last year depicting Android page view data, sourced from Baidu, which illustrates how smaller Chinese device makers are increasingly dominating China’s device landscape — accounting for 39 per cent of the page views on Baidu properties in September 2012 vs just 22 per cent for the otherwise globally dominant Android OEM Samsung:
“Almost none” of the ‘other’ category of devices in this chart have Google services on them, according to Enders analyst Benedict Evans — so you could say that while Google’s platform is huge in China, Google itself may have far less influence than Android’s spread suggests because such a large swathe of locally made Androids are cut off from its services and thus can’t generate advertising sales for Mountain View.
In a recent blog post discussing Google’s failure to deliver any Android activation data since September 2012, Evans also notes that: “The great majority of Android devices sold in China, which are probably a third of total Android sales, come with no Google services installed, including no Google Play, and hence are not even included in Google’s activation numbers, since signing into Google Play is what counts as ‘activation’.”
Once in a while we’d come across some cool DIY projects inspired by Doctor Who, the world’s longest-running sci-fi TV show, but nothing beats this little TARDIS that would actually make you gasp out the classic line: “It’s bigger on the inside!” Greg Kumparak, a former writer of sister site TechCrunch, initially built nothing more than just a convincing model of the iconic blue police box (with a functioning light at the top) by hand, but soon afterwards he wanted to somehow give it an interior as well.
By utilizing the Blender 3D creation suite (which was a first for Kumparak), Unity 3D engine and Qualcomm’s Vuforia AR SDK, the result is an Android app that renders the 3D interior atop the random wave-like pattern — visible once the door’s removed — on the TARDIS in real time (no pun intended). Once you’ve seen the demo video after the break, you’d probably agree that Kumparak’s only one sonic screwdriver away from becoming an honorary Time Lord. For more detail on how and why this project was put together, head over to Kumparak’s blog post.
Continue reading Mini TARDIS really is bigger on the inside, thanks to augmented reality (video)
Filed under: Misc
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Greg Kumparak
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Remember the previous Assassin’s Creed parkour video? I didn’t. Thankfully a tipster reminded me. And now free-runner Ronnie Shalvis is back at it, this time with an Assassin’s Creed III themed parkour video which may or may yes involve hanging redcoats and doing flips over fallen trees and stuff. It really is worth a watch. Also, I wish I could run around in the forest like that — then maybe all bears wouldn’t make fun of me so bad. Sad fact: one time I stepped in a hole and twisted my ankle and they just laughed and laughed. Then papa bear teabagged me while mama bear took pictures. I told them I was going to come back with a hunting permit but they know I’m not allowed to own guns.
Hit the jump for the worthwhile video.
Seen here stalking its human prey, a member of Boston Dynamics’ army of ‘Legged Squad Support Systems’ (the grandchildren of Big Dog) prepares to move in for the kill. Allegedly the robots were programmed for DARPA to be able to follow someone for the sake of keeping up with the leader of its group, but you and I — we’re not that stupid. You and I can see right through the government’s lies: this thing was made to track and kill. “You’re an idiot.” YES I AM. You still agree with me though, right?
This thing doesn’t need to be remote controlled. It’s smart enough to go along its human masters. Apparently, it’s also intelligent enough to follow paths and work in tandem with his robotic brothers.
Unlike cars or trucks, the robo-horse can travel through any rough terrain, and will carry 400 pounds of payload and travel 20 miles without refueling. It will carry more than one hundred pounds of cargo per Marine in the squad.
There’s a worthwhile video after the jump showing the thing destroying the hell out of mother nature by running through bushes and stuff like that, as well as showing off its follow-the-leader capabilities. So here’s my plan: I’m gonna run off a cliff. That way, when the thing chases me, it’ll plummet to its death. “But won’t you be dead too?” I didn’t really think that far ahead, I guess I would be. Just erect a monument in my honor. I want the plaque to read: my God he loved talking about peen.
Hit the jump for the video. Some pretty sick bush destruction around 0:32.
Because what good are insects if we can’t mutate them to giant proportions and ride them around crashing into things, scientists at North Carolina State University have fitted a cockroach with a microcontroller that allow it to be wirelessly steered. Next: doing the same thing to humans. You watch.
The microcontroller is wired to the roach’s antennae and cerci.
The cerci are sensory organs on the roach’s abdomen, which are normally used to detect movement in the air that could indicate a predator is approaching – causing the roach to scurry away. But the researchers use the wires attached to the cerci to spur the roach into motion. The roach thinks something is sneaking up behind it and moves forward.
The wires attached to the antennae serve as electronic reins, injecting small charges into the roach’s neural tissue. The charges trick the roach into thinking that the antennae are in contact with a physical barrier, which effectively steers them in the opposite direction.
The idea is that the cockroaches could be sent in after earthquakes to locate victims trapped under debris. My idea is that we just hire the Hulk to get in there and pick all the debris off them. “The more realistic approach” I like to call it.
Hit the jump for a video of a cockroach being controlled to follow a curved line (you can see the left and right input as they push them at the bottom of the screen).
sonyalphalab.com In this really quick and dirty open box, Layla and I go through each item one at a time. Starting with the remote commander, Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone, OLED Electronic Viewfinder, Sony Nex-F3 and lastly the YASUHARA Nanoha Macro Lens 5:1 for Sony E Mount!!
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Note: Picture shows soda flavors, beer coming soon.
Pat’s Backcountry Beverages have developed a powdered beer concentrate (not a new concept) that, when added to water and placed in their special carbonating bottle, makes “microbrew quality” beer anywhere. No more lugging a cooler full of beer when you go camping! Just filter some river water and PRESTO, you’re getting drunk by the campfire and telling your friends how you would totally fight a bear if it wandered into your camp right now. Pat is currently looking for investors to get the product to market, so if you’re rich and always wanted brew your own beer INSIDE the movie theater, get in touch. Rich but don’t drink? Contact me, I’ll literally do anything for your money. “Anything?” ANYTHING.
Thanks to chichi, who carries alcohol the best way possible: in the stomach. Awww yeah!
Question by : What is a really good software to make apps for android?
I am looking for a software to make android apps so that i can sell them. I don’t know all the coding and systems and stuff that actually build the app so I would like it to be fairly easy to use and a simple clean format. Can you please give suggestions? Thanks!
Thank you so much! All of your answerers where very helpfull 
Best answer:
Answer by WillTry the official android SDK http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
Look up some tutorials on youtube as well just to get you started
Good Luck 
Give your answer to this question below!
Related Posts:Question by : Is it really true that OLED TV price will come down in the next two years? My best friend is a gadget freak, and he is so excited that the price of the new OLED TV will soon come down and he will be able to finally afford it. But I am still not able to believe him because it sounds impossible for this extraordinary TV to become cheap
Best answer:
Answer by Khalil from Iranusually prices go up .
What do you think? Answer below!
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This video was uploaded from an Android phone. Video Rating: 3 / 5
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