Android 1.5's Live Folders: Looks nifty
Updated: April 24, 2009, at 1:10 p.m. PT with a comment from Google.
Last week Google tantalized Android developers with an early version of its software developer kit for Android 1.5, the upcoming version of its mobile operating system. Included with it is a laundry list of new features coming out, many of them suspiciously familiar to those Apple's iPhone already has. But here's one, highlighted on Friday, that the iPhone doesn't have: Live Folders.
(Credit:
Google)
Loosely lumped into the category of "more home screen widgets," Live Folders are essentially shortcut views into a folder on the phone where you'll be able to view all the contents of your e-books, e-mails, RSS feeds, and playlists for example, without launching the application itself. Live Folders will also include real-time updating, so if a new e-mail comes in while you're viewing the in-box from your home screen, you'll see it appear.
The Live Folders feature could potentially be available on any third-party app you download from the Marketplace, though it seems to lend itself best to social, informational, and entertainment content--I'm thinking your Netflix queue, Facebook status updates, video playlist, and so on.
It's not entirely clear from the Android team's blog post how exactly the feature will display on the home screen, but Google tells us that Live Folders will live on the home screen like a shortcut icon; developers can choose to make them read-only or to give them the ability to launch the app from within a list view. For example, selecting a "favorite" contact from that folder would open their record in the phone book.
Live Features will include a few basic Live Folders to get you started when Google Android 1.5 phones ship, like a view into your contact list. The rest will be up to developers.
Jessica Dolcourt reviews the latest and greatest smartphone apps, in addition to a healthy dose of Windows software. E-mail Jessica and follow her on Twitter. 
This is the reason, Apple patents everything.
Lot of copycats...
That exact practice is what causes innovation to stall & pointless lawsuits to pop-up.
Anwyays...am I the only one who read "live folders" and immediately thought of something like Microsoft's Live Sync folders?
If Google were smart, they would introduce something similar to what MS has done with their Live Sync/Sky Drive service but tie it all together with the Google products.
They aren't required to charge to use their patents, but if they didn't patent anything, in this "patent anything you feel like" culture our government has fostered, MS, Apple, Google, etc. couldn't do anything at all.
To counter the "copycat" front. Yes, Microsoft has copied what works from Apple just as Apple has copied from others. In the same way my car manufacturer (Nissan) did not invent the round steering wheel, the manual transmission, or disc brakes. Yet all/most cars use some of these devices and don't get any of the huff that Microsoft gets.
That's why open source tech is licensed under the GPL.
LOL
I'm still waiting for decent Android hardware though
The G1 is quite frankly appalling !
why must we all keep having these lame pointless Fanboy fights on Cnet
just respect other people's choices and move on
think different my friend
(Seriously, I am so sick of this 3... 2... 1... garbage.)
Why would you be granted a patent for something that was already done before?
This goes to show how bad the US patent is.
Dell could not trademark/patent the term "Cloud Computing" because everyone started using it
- by DarkHawke April 26, 2009 6:46 PM PDT
- Until Google can get some compelling hardware to go along with their software development, Android will remain a "What's that?" OS. I'd like it to be more than that, though, 'cause the only way Apple will release more of their banked goodies for the iPhone/iTouch is when the competition pushes 'em to do so.
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