The Future of Android

Unlimited possibilities

With its openness and the support of Google, Android is set to be the dominant mobile operating system for years to come. With the US$12 billion plus Motorola takeover, Google did not just secure 16,000 patents for disputes about hardware and software innovations; it also showed how important Android is for its business model.

In the future, Android will be more than just an operating system for a smartphone. The integration of a wallet app for mobile payments via NFC is just as likely as Android becoming a regular household feature. The Smart Home could soon include the lime-green color of Android. 2012 will see the development of Google TV and its introduction in Europe. Google also intends for all services to be able to be used at the same time across all devices. And the possibilities for smartphones and tablets do not end there; Android applications may feature in cars.

In addition to Google's own projects, cloud-based services on Android smartphones will also play a key role, be it for private customers accessing their own music collection or for employees accessing sensitive company data. High costs and low speeds used to be an obstacle to this, but now LTE has enabled brand new cloud services. Data will no longer be saved locally. It will be saved and processed directly in the cloud.

Permanent networking

These services will be even more convenient and efficient. But there is still a mountain to climb because more networking is needed – and more networking is always risky. Increased protection is a must in order to safeguard data security. This calls for a reliable user ID and special protection of business-critical data and sensitive personal data.