Google is expected to present the latest features of its Android mobile operating system in detail at the Google I/O conference, held in Mountain View, California, May 18-20, 2016. You can download the OTA image of the Android N Developer Preview 2 and apply it manually on your Nexus 6P, 6, 5X, 9, 9G, Nexus Player, Pixel C, or Android One device.
Advertisement
If the European Union were to find Google guilty of market abuse it could lead to a fine of up to $7.4 billion or 10 percent of 2015 revenue, while forcing it to change its business practices.
Phones that run on Google’s Android software come straight out of the box with a defined set of Google services such as a browser, search tool and maps app. The fact that the phones are ready to go from the start has its benefits, Vestager acknowledged in a speech Monday at the Consumer and Competition Day in Brussels.
However, according to the Verge, Google is taking time in fixing the Android “to work better with VR devices ahead of its own smartphone-compatible handset”.
If you find that last bit about “virtual reality mode” a tad perplexing, you’re not the only one – it appears to be the first official mention of any sort of virtual reality mode for Android. In recent weeks, antitrust investigators have been pressing Google’s rivals and customers to hand over confidential evidence.
Google in an email to AFP defended the Android system against accusations that it crowded out rivals.
While it’s true that they don’t have to pre-install Google’s apps, it’s a requirement for access to the Google Play Store. Others claim the Silicon Valley firm gives its own engineers privileged access to new versions of Android, handing an advantage to Google’s own services. Among them were emoji that look more like people rather than blobs. “And in comparison to Apple-the world’s most profitable (mobile) phone company-there are far fewer Google apps pre-installed on Android phones than Apple apps on iOS devices”, added Lockheimer.
The Commission’s probe is not just crucial for Google and the wider mobile sector, but also for the Internet of Things. To date, Huawei is the only manufacturer who has already gone ahead and built its own version.
Advertisement
The Commission’s case could have a material impact on whether that number increases or declines.
