Android: Let’s Get Fragmented

Android fragmentation was inevitable. This is the nature of open source projects that have lax guidelines and include manufacturers from so many different nations. Unlike stern Windows Phone 7, Android’s hardware specifications are much wider, and because of this, smartphones bearing Google’s logo have widely varying features and technical abilities; ergo, app fragmentation was always going to happen. Flash 10.1 will not run on any North American machine not named the Droid or Nexus One (though the Incredible and Evo 4G will join that prestigious class). Android App Market splits were also unavoidable due to the number of nations involved. Vodafone has announced that it is opening its own App Store in select European countries.

Motorola is working on Shop4All in China, and now carrier Vodafone will be starting an Android App Store in Greece, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Spain, and the UK in June.

Eventually, we will reach a point where application compatibility will be so specific that you would need a particular handset, be in a defined nook of the world, and have access to a certain carrier to use an app.