New Android version, Froyo, aims to end platform fragmentation

One of the big obstacles to the success of any software platform is a phenomenon known as fragmentation. There can be many reasons for this phenomenon to occur, such as having multiple versions of one software product on the market, which can lead to the consumer being confused by the choice, and thus, on to fragmentation of the market, but it is clearly a very big obstacle to any platform's long-term success. This kind of fragmentation has been a concern for many commentators when discussing the Android operating system, as with each new version of the platform, the software becomes more fragmented.

This is essentially down to the fact that Google have been developing Android at a vastly increased pace, compared to other platforms. On the current market, there are four separate versions of Android available (1.5, 1.6, 2.0 and 2.1), and with seemingly arbitrary distinctions over which phone gets which version of the software have caused a certain amount of confusion amongst potential customers. For example, there are a lot of software differences between the Nexus One and the Motorola DEXT, despite these two mobile phones being released in a relatively short space of time.

To put it in simple terms, as Engadget notes, Google have developed Android too quickly for hardware manufacturers and the general public to keep up.

However, it would appear that Google have a plan in place to counter this fragmentation of their Android ecosystem, and it is a plan which involves two separate and distinct solutions. The first solution that Google intend to use is to separate the various apps and components that Android uses away from the central core of the operating system. These apps and components (for example, the web browser or the onscreen keyboard) would then be downloadable and updatable through the Android Marketplace. In this way, it separates the 'user experience' of the Android platform from the 'under the hood mechanics', allowing users of older versions of Android to download and use the same key features of the newer versions (such as an improved web browser), without actually having to upgrade their phones to the newer version of the OS.

The second part of Google's strategy is simply to slow down the development of the core operating system, so it no longer moves at the breakneck pace that it has previously been developed at. Android, as a platform, is beginning to reach maturity, and as such, development of the core operating system is not as important any more, because most of the key issues and improvements have already been dealt with. Thus, the development cycle will slow down, and this will happen at the same time as the core OS is split from the apps and components which customers will actually use.

Both of these changes are set to come into effect when Google releases the next version of Android, currently codenamed Froyo. It is with Froyo that Google intend to bring this plan into action, although as with any development, there is no guarantee that the end results will accurately reflect Google's strategy, or actually help to stop fragmentation of their software ecosystem.

It is interesting to compare this approach to the one taken by Microsoft, with Windows Phone 7 Series; where Google plan to split components away from the core operating system, and provide a solution that will also theoretically benefit earlier software versions, Microsoft have instead opted to completely rewrite their mobile operating system from the ground up, effectively killing off the original Windows Mobile platform as a viable operating system, and replacing it with something completely new.

It will certainly be interesting to compare the two strategies and see which one paid off the best!