Android Challenge Pt. I: Balancing the Expected with the Experimental

Thanks Mashabale for this overview of some of the apps soon to be coming out on Andriod. I'll post each part as it comes out.

his week the first round of the Android Challenge drew to a close. And if it hasn’t already done so, Google will be distributing over half of the $10 million cash prize pool promised among Challenge I and Challenge II finalists/winners. Judges of Challenge I settled on 50 finalists, all of whom were granted $50,000 applications. Additionally, 10 were given $100,000 awards each, while another 10 received $275,000 each. Challenge II takes place subsequent the release of the first handset(s) arriving with Android software.

Over the last couple of days I’ve casually observed what has achieved placement on the Android Challenge leaderboard. Many - if not most - applications are devoted very much to location-aware activities. Some are interesting gaming developments. But of course what drew my interest most from titles of the winners and almost-winners displayed are those that will cater social services to users.

Sure, the social apps are but a segment of what will be available come the launch of Android and the Android Market. The finalist labeled PedNav and GWalk, to name two examples, are likely to be useful for city residents or visitors aiming to get the most efficient use of pedestrian infrastructure. Not to mention that City Slikkers could very well be a gamer’s delight if enough first adopters make an effort to partake in the virtual-plus-reality play. We all recognize the popularity bestowed on games within Apple’s own big-selling storefront. Nonetheless, I imagine that the social options will be among those that rank among the most popular for opening day and the weeks that follow. Game reviews

Maverick, for instance, is a local client that allows for the communication of text, location and media (audio, photos, and “scribbles”) through Google Talk. It also allows Blogger users to publish content to the Web and for Gmail users to get notifications about messages in their inboxes. Granted, it sounds very Googley, and it is, but to deliver something so multifunctional, if done right, will I think be very appealing. PebbleBox, alternatively, is central to one’s location. Learn about events, restaurants, and hotels in a given area, and, if you wish, write geo-tagged blogs to share with fellow users. A rough parallel to Loopt on the iPhone, you might say, but a bit more general-purpose perhaps. Just to note, both Maverick and Pebblebox were awarded $100,000 prizes.

Dropping down into the broader pool of finalists, there is Marvin, which according to creator Laurent Pontier will allow users to post “geo-localized rich messages” to one’s friends and/or the wider network. Marvin taps the powers of the Android OpenGL API, Google Maps, and Google StreetView to give the user a virtual 3D representation of the so-called social graph, from Google Earth-like outer space view to one at road level. Visually, it must impress. Whether it’s truly utilitarian, we’ll see. Google Maps Google Earth

LifeAware is one more location-sharing service that automates your interaction with those you know (and maybe those you would like to). There are many similar services already put into play over the past couple of years that exhibit virtually the same capability, but this pick may nonetheless be something proves popular. An application called SocialMonster also draws from your phonebook to keep you and the people in your life in sync.

Again, it is hard to escape the location-smart dimension of many of Google’s picks, which of course falls well into line with some of the items we’ve seen arrive in the iTunes App Store marketplace. And that seems the right direction to take the Android Challenge - at least the first round of it. With more phones equipped with GPS devices or with software capable of gathering rough coordinates from cellular towers in a given area, where you are will determine what you want to do. Which is sensible. Planning outings with friends will not be so tedious.

No mass phone call campaigns or SMS relays. The act of getting together or simply staying in touch will be much less cumbersome. And wonderfully enough, Google has made it a point to incentivize independent developers and small developer teams. Much as the iPhone App Store shows on its own adjoining software platform, the finalists in this event seem to take a very experimental approach. Some of course are quite ordinary. But some stretch one’s curiosity muscle a good amount. Which is unquestionably necessary if progress is to be made. If Google ensures the openness of Android, all the better. The experience may not always be as polished as that of the iPhone. But as with anything in the business, it is the software that makes the star. Android’s star power will be seen in short order.

As for Round 2, there’s still $4.75 million to be distributed. If T-Mobile releases its Android-based device in the fall, as many now assume, the Challenge will continue on schedule. Google offers a rough estimate of “second half of 2008.” T-Mobile