One Finite Planet

One Finite Planet

Microsoft Phones: Dead, or a real opportunity?

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maxresdefaultThere are rumours that Microsoft will introduce a Surface Phone.  There are other rumours that Microsoft will exit the phone software platform business completely and admit defeat.

Now consider, what if Windows could run any Android applications along side current Windows and in addition to Windows programs, would you then consider a Surface Phone?

shashlik-logo-svg_This may sound far fetched, but with current projects already under-way running Android applications in Windows is almost there already.

Technically, this is almost done already.

Consider these two projects:

  • Unbuntu on windows.  Produced in collaboration between Microsoft and Ubuntu (canonical) This already works, although only within the ‘insider community’ until July 2016, and does not currently offer support for graphics programs although this can work.
  • Shashlik. Android apps on Linux, including on Ubuntu. No, it does not yet run on Ubuntu on Windows (as far as I know), but this would be so easy if Microsoft decided to assist.

Would Google Support This?

Technically google cannot stop the Shashlik project, but Google could be supporting or obstructive. Currently, it is likely not significant enough for Google to care.

Both the current Shashlik project and an extension to Ubuntu on Android would increase the market reach for play store apps, and play store apps are revenue for Google.  If this ‘Android on Windows’ launches buy this path it would mean Android Apps on not just those Windows Phones, but potentially on every Windows Device.

This has much greater potential revenue and reach for Google than the Shashlik project in current form. This should be attractive to Google independently of being offered by Microsoft on Phones.

Should Microsoft Follow this Path?

It is hard to see why not. Surface devices are already successful, but this would certainly enhance their appeal as laptops that can also be a tablet (or the reverse). None of the potential negatives (see below) seems to have substance.  Microsoft may have a strategy that is going to make a phone platform compelling without this, but it would be hubris to not also permit this path.  Or Microsoft may also simply give up on mobile devices, but that would also be a big risk in terms of possible futures.

Possible Negatives?

What reasons exist for not following this path? Possibilities:

Microsoft is worried App developers will drop windows for Android.

Microsoft currently does not earn significant revenues in the tablet app market.  Not all windows users are going to start enabling Android apps.  This could be installed by default on phones, but require steps to activate on the desktop.  An app developer currently supporting the windows platform would be lose potential market by assuming widows users will now install the android app.   For app developers, you need to know there will be a market, and a step like this will save Windows Phone app developers from seeing their market fail completely, which would damage the entire Microsoft ecosystem.

Conclusion.

This is a path Microsoft should follow, and the sooner they announce a direction like this, the better the future for Microsoft in Mobile Devices and hence in general.  There is no need to specifically use Shashlik, but they are an example of what can be done.

 

 

 

Table of Contents

Categories

RCS – The SMS successor and blue bubbles vs green culture war.

The world and usage of SMS has moved on since the introduction in 1992, and the system lacks many features now seen as essential, including even the ability to see if a message has been received.

Apple has its own proprietary “iMessage” SMS/MMS successor for communication between iPhones within the Apple walled garden and the bubble wars, Facebook has its own messages system and has “What’s App”, but is there room for a true SMS successor that is not a walled garden fully controlled by one technology company to create division into “tribes”, and instead is able to connect all devices just like the original SMS system?

RCS is simple to enable and is the best messaging solution for Samsung and other Android phones and to end culture wars and walled gardens.

Read More »

A different perspective: Humans maybe the greatest threat to life on Earth but also the only hope.

The title ‘one finite planet’ can be mistaken to be yet another proclamation of how we live on this amazing planet which could even be unique, and we humans are foolishly placing it all at risk. Boring.

No. Instead, the perspective is we are living on a planet that is naturally hostile to humans, where nature dictates only a limited total amount of life, can only exist for a limited time, and that time is almost at an end. When seen from this perspective, even the environment mission changes from just not interfering, to the more complex task of tackling the challenge of overcoming nature, while yes, quite importantly, not bringing life to an early end in the process.

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Surprise, Shortest day ever recorded: Not just the solstice, but climate change?

This page is more under the heading of ‘fun facts’.

The first ‘fun fact’ is that while everyone knows how the length of daytime and nigh time vary throughout the year, it may come as a surprise to realise the length of the entire day, also varies. Partly because, second fun fact, the a day is a longer than one rotation of the Earth, which lead to the third fun fact: we just had the shortest total day ever recorded.

Read More »

WordPress.com to the Next Level: Plugins, Elementor, CoBlocks?

Something completely different. A discussion on how this site is hosted: on wordpress.com.

Anyone who has started a “blog” or other site on wordpress.com, may get to wonder, what are the options for upgrading the website? What is the value of the free, personal or premium plans and beyond? What real world benefits are there, and, alternatively, what would you lose and/or gain from moving away from wordpress.com. This is a page discussing being in that situation. If you are not considering having a website, it may be of little interest.

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Images, Making Animated GIFs & Solving colour problems.

This is part of series of pages I will be adding on things I have learnt as part of building this website, and I will soon try and enable following by topic (when I get this page working), so people can separately select notification on building websites and/or population or other issues, without being notified of things outside their interest. Standby for that update.

Meanwhile this page provides general help on making an animated GIF for a series of images, specific help on a challenge with animated GIFs, and a list of sites with free images as a resource for those building images.

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Hydrogen Future of Fool’s Gold & Scams: “Where does the hydrogen come from?”

The race to stop CO2, has led to many ‘scams’ projects involving hydrogen, but it is not always clear who is being scammed: the public, or the proponents of hydrogen projects. What is the attraction behind the obsession with hydrogen? This is a look at the motives, the myths and the facts around hydrogen projects.

Spoiler: There are some valid roles for hydrogen, but hydrogen has no remaining role as an energy source, and even any potential role as an energy carrier is highly questionable.

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