How Google Can Save Android from Patent Lawsuits - Android's open-source code and ready availability to manufacturers are boons to developing economies and high-tech corporations alike, from "community knowledge workers" in Uganda to companies like HTC and Samsung. Both corporations are under fire by Apple, though, which is trying (and succeeding) to ban their Android smartphones and tablets using patent law.
Meanwhile, well-funded "patent trolls" like Lodsys are going after indie Android app developers, for supposedly infringing patents they didn't even know about and can't defend themselves against. What is Google to do, as the Android world fractures around it?
Google Exec John Lagerling says that "we have very strong paths that we can take to protect the values of Android". He wasn't very specific about what those "strong paths" entail, but I have an idea that might help:
Indemnify all Android manufacturers and developers.
In a nutshell, Google should step up and take responsibility, by assuming the costs of the ongoing patent lawsuits and protecting all current and future Android device manufacturers. It should also revise the Android Market developer's agreement, so that instead of shaking down Android developers individually, a patent troll like Lodsys will have to deal with the titan itself.
A bold move? Expensive and potentially suicidal, maybe? It's not completely unprecedented: In response to Microsoft's vague patent threats a few years ago, business software vendor Red Hat indemnified all of its customers against lawsuits. The key difference, though, was that in Red Hat's case, nobody ever sued anyone. The company wasn't stepping up to bat for others, it was calling Microsoft's bluff.
Google's, and Android's, situations are far more dangerous. For all that Apple's patents may be spurious (Apple sued Nokia over the exact same patents last year), Samsung's devices really do bear an uncanny resemblance to the iPhone and iPad. And Google itself seems to have been aware from the get-go that Android would have lots of patent issues, and to have decided to go ahead anyway.
That's why Google needs to do this.
The tech titan needs to own up to what it's done. Google's right when it points out, in blog posts, the unfairness of the patent system and the way it destroys innovation. But at the same time, Google widely touts Android's open-source code and supposed openness, while keeping mum about inconvenient truths like HTC's royalty payments to Microsoft.
Should HTC have to pay Microsoft, for the privilege of using something that neither of them invented? No way. So instead of paying the patent trolls, companies like HTC and Samsung should instead be paying Google a fee for the privilege of using its closed-source, exclusive apps, like Google Maps and the Android Market. That fee could go towards the costs of a long-term assault on the broken patent system. Meanwhile, Google could increase its Android Market developer fees, and win some decisive battles against Lodsys in order to dissuade other trolls from setting up literal toll booths.
It's either that, or downplay Android's "openness" in favor of a warning label: If you write any apps or build any smartphones that use this, you will be attacked.
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How Google Can Save Android from Patent Lawsuits
Google to Open-Source Android App Inventor
Google's App Inventor is a free online tool that lets you build your own apps, for smartphones running its Android operating system. It doesn't require any programming experience, so you don't need to type a single line of code; just fit pieces together like in a puzzle.
Android is open-source, which means that the programming code is available online for free, for anyone who wants to take it and make something with it. App Inventor, however, is not, meaning that those who use it are dependent on Google's good graces to keep it open.
The bad news for App Inventor fans: Google's good graces are running out. The company has announced that it will take App Inventor down within the next 90 days. But the good news is that it has also said it will make the programming code open-source, so that anyone can use it on their own. It will also give special attention to "support[ing] the educational use of App Inventor."
Educational use? What's that mean?
A lot of high school computer classes use App Inventor to learn the basic concepts of programming, like how an app works behind the scenes, without getting hands dirty with code. Judging by the comments on Google's announcement, a lot of teachers and students are upset by Google's decision to take App Inventor down. Perhaps Google edited in its intent to support schools after the fact.
Can I still get started using App Inventor?
Yes, but keep in mind that Google's official App Inventor site is going to shut down in the next few months.
What do I do then?
Google will have someplace where you can download the open-source code to App Inventor, along with instructions for how to install it on your own web server.
I don't have a web server, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't understand the instructions.
It's possible that somebody else likes App Inventor enough that he or she will create a new public version for others to use. That's what happened to Etherpad after Google bought it out; the Etherpad code was open-sourced, and pretty soon afterwards a bunch of public Etherpad sites opened up.
Can I use App Inventor to make and sell apps on the Android Market?
The App Inventor FAQ says no, you can't. But it's a well-known secret that you can perfectly well, as long as you know how to turn the file App Inventor creates into one that the Android Market will accept. Fortunately, there are a bunch of tutorials online that explain how to do this.
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Giant iPhone table features working camera, buttons
iPhone owners are a dedicated lot, but we doubt many would go to the lengths that Benjamin Bachmeier did to show his devotion. The German Apple fan took it upon himself to built a larger-than-life version of a white iPhone 4, complete with massive display and working buttons. He calls his creation iTableous, and it's almost certainly the coolest iPhone tribute we've seen.
The massive phone — which can make calls through Skype functionality — stands nearly 4' tall when upright, but is much more useful as a table when secured to its custom stand. The screen is made of a 1080p HD widescreen display and is protected by 8mm of high-strength Plexiglass. The guts of the white monolith are capable of running both Windows 7 and Mac OS X operating systems (through dual booting), and a massive 500GB hard drive ensures that the mega smartphone will have plenty of room for apps.
The phone's gigantic buttons serve purposes like volume and fan speed control, and the front-facing camera is a fully-functional 5.7 megapixel lens. Unfortunately, if you're drooling on your keyboard at the prospect of owning the goliath iPhone, you better have your do-it-yourself hat on, because Bachmeier isn't planning on making another. Though if you're feeling ambitious, a collection of in-progress pictures can be found on Bachmeier's website.
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