The future looks a bit brighter for Android enthusiasts as Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) looks for more developer to preview partners.
This is a clear indication to strap the application seatbelts on as the company gears up to bring more user intensive applications on board through its developers. The efforts come just one month after Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) published instructions on how to install a developer’s preview of Android M, Google’s latest operating system. At first, the program seemed to give application developers an advantage for including more support and new features exclusive for both Sony’s Xperia devices and Android M.
This is a huge upward step for Android development. Unfortunately hardware partners such as Sony have been disadvantaged because they will not get a preview of the operating system until it is officially released, probably in the summer. This is unfortunate for Sony because the company needs to test the compatibility and a few software customizations.
Google’s developer previews have been exclusively designated for the Nexus devices over the past two years. This makes the Nexus line of devices the ultimate Android developer phones to test on, something that the folks at Sony are not happy about. One this is clear. Sony really wants to get in on the action. The publication that the company had released earlier was confusing because many people thought that Google had changed its policy by giving its partners a full preview. Unfortunately, that is not quite the story.
Sony later released an update for the original publication to clarify that it was just instructions and not a signal to anything else. Leo Liberman, an Android engineer from Switch Communications, claimed that developers would mostly not have benefited from the release if it were on a full access basis. Despite Sony’s shortcomings, the company was able to shed some light on a problem that needs to be addressed.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) should bring developers on board with full access if the company wants them to exploit the features fully.
