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The Huawei Disaster Reveals Google’s Iron Grip on Android

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Re: The Huawei Disaster Reveals Google’s Iron Grip on Android

#291

Post by Ultramanoid »

jackpeterfletch wrote: post #262
Ultramanoid wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use several devices, lately usually HTC or SONY. I run my own build based on a barebones cleaned up LineageOS ( no Lineage applications or many libraries ), just need the core OS and monthly security patches up to date. Applications are my own binaries, packages available through Termux, and from developers either through F-Droid, GitHub or XDA forums. I only need LTE and very rarely WiFi, so Bluetooth and NFC if a…

How do you message people? SMS only?

Mostly E-mail. ( We had mail in phones in Japan way before iOS or Android. SMS has always looked like a regression if you ask me. )

Re: The Huawei Disaster Reveals Google’s Iron Grip on Android

#292

Post by gtirloni »

_Understated_ wrote: post #136
Roritharr wrote: post #9

Google invested Billions into Android. Samsung tried to hedge for this by building Tizen(Bada) and realized how much needed to be invested to get an Android competitor going, so they kept the development going, but focused for their Smartwatches, as this would have to be a "if the worst happens" plan, not something that could be a profitable venture. LG has the Palm/HP borne WebOS for their TVs, i suspect with a simi…

I wonder at what point it makes sense for Samsung, HP, Huawei, LG etc. to get together to make another OS... they sell a lot of phones across the globe. Hell, even include Microsoft in there too.

windows Phone was a viable OS and none of them jumped in completely. I don't see collaboration happening now. It's still more profitable to play ball with Google and profit from Android.

Re: The Huawei Disaster Reveals Google’s Iron Grip on Android

#293

Post by kpremote »

clwg wrote: post #281
kpremote wrote: post #267

Curious to know, are there ways that a country (in fact mainly the U.S.) can 'flip the switch' (weaponize, if you will) on fundamental internet tech, such as DNS, TCP/IP, HTTP and many many others, to severely affect a foreign adversary's business (either a company or a country)? Sure those are merely standards/protocols, still, is it possible these tech and their current world-wide setup be effectively used in confl…

Fundamentally I would say yes, however most of the countries that the US would likely do this to (Russia, Iran, China, Cuba) have contingencies in place through the implementation of country wide intranets[0][1]. Within those countries you also have localized social, financial and e-commerce services that minimize the general populations dependency on foreign companies and services. So the US could cut cut them off o…

China's economy is very export dependent. If Chinese businesses cannot use internet to access a lot of U.S. allies, it would suffer badly.

For example if, say, all U.K's companies are not allowed to use email or skype to talk to the Chinese, or all U.S., Canada and Australia, etc. web sites are not accessible from China because of some executive orders or laws by the U.S. (similar to google complying with the order currently), then I guess China's economy would be severely affected.

Re: The Huawei Disaster Reveals Google’s Iron Grip on Android

#294

Post by lern_too_spel »

sbarre wrote: post #140
snaky wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huawei could make their own Play Services, API-compatible with Google, then all apps would work the same. Maybe that's what they actually do now.

As the article says, Amazon spent _years_ trying this approach and ultimately failed with their phone project. So sure it's possible, but it's not as easy as you perhaps think?

Huawei already does this in China, where Google services are blocked.

Their problem isn't implementing these things. Their problem is convincing non-Chinese developers to port their apps to Huawei's ecosystem.

Re: The Huawei Disaster Reveals Google’s Iron Grip on Android

#295

Post by writepub »

luckylion wrote: post #12
writepub wrote: post #4

Such iron, much grip. You can trivially install Google play store and services on 98% of the non-licensed phones in China. The fact that a $50B Chinese domestic Android market is thriving with zero control by Google proves the thesis to be untrue. Then there's Amazon's fire product line. The only reason it lags Google's play store is quality. If Amazon's hardware and software/store selection were 80% as good, they'd…

> You can trivially install Google play store and services on 98% of the non-licensed phones in China. You can. I can. My mother and 95% (99? 99.9?) of the android users cannot. > The fact that a $50B Chinese domestic Android market is thriving with zero control by Google proves the thesis to be untrue. In Western countries it's true. You also can't build an online business in Europe if you're blocked by Google becau…

Agree that the install process is convoluted. Like someone else noted, if one's not signatory to Google's partnership, there are ways to remove most, if not all, of the friction.

Re: The Huawei Disaster Reveals Google’s Iron Grip on Android

#296

Post by JohnFen »

Roritharr wrote: post #9

Google invested Billions into Android. Samsung tried to hedge for this by building Tizen(Bada) and realized how much needed to be invested to get an Android competitor going, so they kept the development going, but focused for their Smartwatches, as this would have to be a "if the worst happens" plan, not something that could be a profitable venture. LG has the Palm/HP borne WebOS for their TVs, i suspect with a simi…

> so that THEY had control over mobile eyeballs.

I am getting ready to leave the commercial smartphone world entirely, in large part to escape Android. I want to escape Android primarily (but not only) because of the very thing you said here.

Google is making it harder and harder to use Android devices in a secure way, and for me, the cost/benefit of using it became too high a while back.

Re: The Huawei Disaster Reveals Google’s Iron Grip on Android

#297

Post by muyuu »

necovek wrote: post #52

The article links to an interesting view on how even AOSP is a no-go for Huawei: https://www.xda-developers.com/analysis-huawei-aosp-google-b... What I find interesting is that Apache Licensed software can be relicensed even in proprietary form (as long as you make it a derivative work, with your derivative bits with a proprietary license), thus the easy way out seems to be to have a non-US entity make a proprietary…

Lock-in through privileges in access to infrastructure, control via default services, "system as a service" etc means OSS licences no longer provide much of a guarantee towards the ownership and control of your own software and hardware.

But this has been the case of a long time already.

Maybe a consortium of China-backed companies (Huawei, Xiaomi, OnePlus, etc) could create a viable fork of Android and/or put enough weight behind an alternative app store that it could be a viable alternative for the mainstream (say, F-Droid, Aptoide, etc).

Thing is, on such short notice they will struggle and it doesn't seem like they have preemptively prepared to a full-blown switch of OS/ecosystem AND also an architecture switch (British ARM also joining the US sanctions).

Re: The Huawei Disaster Reveals Google’s Iron Grip on Android

#298

Post by excpudesigner »

harryf wrote: post #204
dogma1138 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? Do you think Samsung and LG would be more likely to develop not to mention support an Android competitor? This ban is the best thing that happened to Korean mobile phone manufacturers for years. Huawei was breathing down Sammy’s neck things are looking much bright for them now.

Oh sure - short term yes this is a win for Samsung over Huawei but long term it sends a very clear message that the future of their business depends highly on Google and the winds of US foreign policy. You don't want to be the person presenting to the Samsung board "Future Risks: Donald Trump"

US foreign policy doesn't change on a whim as some people like to make it out to be. The economic dispute with China has been in the making for decades at this point.

Re: The Huawei Disaster Reveals Google’s Iron Grip on Android

#299

Post by muyuu »

wpdev_63 wrote: post #239

Huawei is a massive company with a large lineup of affordable Android phones. Why can't they just fork Android just like Amazon and Microsoft? I guess they would have to come up with alternative to google play marketplace, gmaps, gmail, etc. but it's not really a big deal with the resources they have. Not to mention that the open source equivalent of these apps are serviceable.

Both Amazon and Microsoft have essentially failed in the mainstream mobile market. I can see why they don't want to lose money.

Re: The Huawei Disaster Reveals Google’s Iron Grip on Android

#300

Post by JohnFen »

NicoJuicy wrote: post #265
jdright wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After this fiasco, I'm more than ever willing to change to Huawei. Best yet if they change to a platform not based on Android. I'm done with Google (and Android soon) in every possible way.

Uh, so an app store without: Netflix, YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook, Gmail, Outlook, Chromecast, Dropbox, OneDrive, YouTube, Twitter, Google search ( or duck duck go), Amazon, Amazon video, 2fa authenticator, iftt, Wikipedia, Skype, messenger, Snapchat, Instagram, Waze, Google maps, Ted, Wolfram Alpha, ... I'm pretty sure there is one of them that you use recurringly. You're going to use that OS? The only Chinese app I…

> You're going to use that OS?

I would. Nothing in that list is indispensable to me.

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