Some iPhone users got a bit of a surprise recently when they fired up Google Maps and performed a search. For the first time, they reported seeing advertisements appear alongside their results. Should Android users keep their eyes open for ads when they use Google Maps?
Google Maps for iPhone features “sponsored links” when users perform a search. When looking for sushi, users are now treated to a featured result from a paid sponsor that sticks out from the bunch of restaurants nearby. Clicking on a sponsored result brings up small, text-based advertising and information about the location.
Thanks to the guys over at blog.iphone-dev.org, Android is moving ever so close to being run on the iPhone. Yesterday saw them announcing that they’ve reverse engineered the iPhone and first generation iPods to run Linux. The official announcement was the basis for a new Blogger site aptly called Linux on iPhone.
I’m pleased to announce that the Linux 2.6 kernel has been ported to Apple’s iPhone platform, with support for the first and second generation iPhones as well as the first generation iPod touch. This is a rough first draft of the port, and many drivers are still missing, but it’s enough that a real alternative operating system is running on the iPhone.
Here’s a video showing how it looks and works.
There’s still a long way to go until Linux, or Android, works fluidly on the iPhone. A lot of vital elements are missing, including sound, touchscreen, and accelerometer support. However, this has to please both iPhone and Android camps.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is forced to slow down on Android. The original plan was to have Android phones on the market in the second half of 2008. But in the WSJ several carriers complain that they’re having problems getting Android handsets ready for a roll-out in 2008. These ar logistical issues, but there’s also lack of time to get Android applications ready for the operating system.
A number of application developers have already switched their focus to the iPhone platform, hoping to get a slice of the cake when the iPhone 3G is released in July. Some of them say that the iPhone is easier to develop for. What makes it hard, is that developers have to work for an OS that is still in development. We’ve seen a couple of prototypes, but developers need to check and rewrite their apps with each change of the OS. The Weather Channel admits that they already had to “rewrite a few things”. The iPhone seems a better choice: the SDK is readily available, the device will arrive in just a few weeks and many developers are already familiar with Mac software.
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