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Huawei Is Working On Its Own Mobile OS In Case Things Sour With Google (theinformation.com) 97

Posted by msmash from the withering-relationship dept.
According to a report from The Information, Huawei, the world's third largest smartphone manufacturer is working on its own mobile operating system (paywalled; alternate source). The report adds that the team that is developing this new operating system includes ex-Nokia employees. The new operating system is "meant as a contingency measure in case Google further tightens its grip on Android or stops offering it to smartphone makers." Additionally, Huawei is also putting efforts on making big changes to EMUI, its Android-based skin. From the report:According to The Information, changes could include the addition of an app drawer, redesigned icons (they're all currently iPhone-like rounded squares), and a new, "very clean, fresh" color palette. EMUI's current color scheme focuses on unusually dingy and muted colors -- grays and browns. Abigail Brody (an ex-Apple designer, which Apple hired last year) is reportedly planning to change these for brighter tones including blues and whites, and is looking to animals like jellyfish for inspiration.
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Huawei Is Working On Its Own Mobile OS In Case Things Sour With Google More

Huawei Is Working On Its Own Mobile OS In Case Things Sour With Google

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  • Apple designer, eh? (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Oh good, another set of flat, interest-free icons. Joy.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by fyngyrz ( 762201 )

      One of my semi-recent Android OS updates also became infested with flat icons. Looks like crap compared to the release prior to it. Used to have some very sharp 3D-look icons. All gone. Looks like a cartoon now.

      To be fair, they were probably just copying Apple, though. So yeah.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Etcetera ( 14711 )

        One of my semi-recent Android OS updates also became infested with flat icons. Looks like crap compared to the release prior to it. Used to have some very sharp 3D-look icons. All gone. Looks like a cartoon now.

        To be fair, they were probably just copying Apple, though. So yeah.

        You know what I'd like? A set of classic Mac OS interface icons ("Platinum" era, so Copland / Mac OS 8) to use. Despite insanely-high dpi on modern displays, the 72 dpi icons (scaled up, of course) were still great and distinctive visually, and gave a useful feel to what you're interacting with. Not everyone needs to subscribe to this bizarre roller coaster of trendy design and re-design that we've been stuck with over the past 15 years.

  • Let me guess ... its just re-branded android anyway, like most of the other 'write their own OS' phone manufactures.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Which is perfectly fine as Google doesn't own Android.They might claim ownership to the main tree of updates, but it is Linux so everybody can have a go to make android however they like. It's open source most of it!!!

    • If they've hired ex-Nokia employees, it might be a descendant of Maemo.

      • I was thinking the same thing, and it would be little work for them since it's just a modified desktop linux distro...could be good news!

      • Much more likely to involve Qt for Android. [doc.qt.io]

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by HiThere ( 15173 )

          The problem with that is...Qt isn't an OS. It isn't even a desktop. It's a set of libraries, mainly, but not entirely, graphics.

          So while it may well use Qt for Android, that couldn't be the OS, or even the GUI...just a component. (Still sounds like a good idea, at first glance, but don't overclaim for it.)

      • Jolla's (company founded by ex-Nokia employees to continue their work on Maemo, and based in Finland - though it's up for debate if people really consider it part of scandinavia) Sailfish OS could fit the descriptions.

        Also, its base is open-source (except for a few GUI elements), the free community edition has already been extensively ported to nearly everything that already runs Cyanogen Mod (i.e.: as long as there's a Linux kernel and drivers on it, you could run Sailfish OS (i.e.: a full blown GNU/Linux

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tsotha ( 720379 )
        But wouldn't they need their own apps? When Android was launched nobody had a large range of apps. Today is a different story - people expect their bank to have one, they expect navigation, they expect messenger apps. If Huawei really launches a new OS they're going to have a chicken-and-egg problem.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Rob Y. ( 110975 )

      And then there's Tizen. Samsung keeps making noises about abandoning Android for Tizen. Of course, if they ever do that, they will have slapped on an Android compatibility layer. It's not as though they don't need apps...

      Ultimately the various 'roll your own' Android systems are the same old 'Android with a skin' setups - still incorporating Google Play and services. When they start replacing that, they're closer to having built their own systems. Amazon did that, and Microsoft is rumored to be working

      • I'm using fewer and fewer apps. It's making less difference to me which OS I use on a phone. I prefer and use Android but it's good to have a plan b.

      • One problem with all of these "alternative" Linux-based phone OSes, at least so far, has been that they all rely on Android for drivers. Because most of the chipmakers keep their drivers closed and proprietary, not getting a jumpstart from Android would mean the OS can hardly run on anything. The downside is that the alt-OSes are therefore dependent on Android, and not just the open source bits.

    • Its harder than that. You'll need to re-write the whole set of gapps, and this is something really hard, as most of the apps are clients to some google service, and the hardware manufacturer now has to start its own cloud business just to replicate those services.

  • meant as a contingency measure in case Google further tightens its grip on Android or stops offering it to smartphone makers.

    They are going to build an OS which can compete with android as a contingency? and then what sell it to Microsoft?

    • No, as others point out, this will almost inevitably be a variant of Android. With Blackberry clearly approaching the stage of abandoning its BB OS, and Windows Phone going nowhere, there are only going to be two mobile OSs for the foreseeable future; iOS and various shades of Android.

      • That's fine. I could care less what Apple does as I don't do business with them for a multitude of reasons. Forking Android is a great idea. What I want is not to have to root and flash my phone to get a non-spyware OS. If a handset manufacturer offered a "real" OS that respected it users, then my guess is that that would be very very well received. ...just sayin'

    • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

      by magarity ( 164372 )

      They are going to build an OS which can compete with android as a contingency? and then what sell it to Microsoft?

      No, they'll code in security back doors and automatic user monitoring and get the Chinese government to outlaw Android in favor of their system.

  • My number one feature in an Android phone... (Score:5, Funny)

    by JMZero ( 449047 ) on Thursday June 23, 2016 @12:11PM (#52374415) Homepage

    ..is that they haven't added or changed a bunch of stuff. Currently I'm on an LG G3; I really appreciate how the LG apps are minimal and unobtrusive.

    I don't think I'm alone.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Eloking ( 877834 )

      ..is that they haven't added or changed a bunch of stuff. Currently I'm on an LG G3; I really appreciate how the LG apps are minimal and unobtrusive.

      I don't think I'm alone.

      While they are far from Samsung, any forced software is a bad one in my book.

      I also have a LG G3 and it happened many time that I had to root my phone to remove it's stuff. Hell, even LG's emoji are root-binded on the phone and you cannot remove them. Talk about sending LG signature every time you text someone...

      If I cannot remove a supplier custom software and return the phone in it's stock status, it's crapware.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by JMZero ( 449047 )

        Sorry - yes - I totally agree, I would like zero crap. As it stands, I was coming off worse bloat so the G3 seemed really clean, but it does have some crap definitely.

        Anyway, I understand manufacturers want to differentiate themselves via their exclusive software, but I think a growing percentage of Android users just want none of it and hopefully start pushing for it. I wouldn't be surprised if we start to see brands start emphasizing their phones being "clean" in terms of software.

  • A mobile OS by itself isn't worth much... what makes smart phones so, well, "smart" is a rich ecosystem of apps (even if there is a lot of shovelware crap to slog through).

  • how?? (Score:4)

    by lkcl ( 517947 ) <lkcl@lkcl.net> on Thursday June 23, 2016 @12:15PM (#52374447) Homepage

    the source code of android, albeit under an inappropriate license which encourages closed and proprietary behaviour, into which the linux kernel is "lumped" due to ignorance, is entirely and fully available. copyright law is simple: if the source has been released under a license, it may not be retracted (unless copyright law is changed and changed retroactively). therefore there *is* no way that the code can be "yanked".

    however, what *could* happen is that because companies are critically relying on google - trusting them to just keep on rolling out releases that are blindly trusted, huawei and other companies could get themselves into a situation where they have no developers, have no expertise, have no knowledge of how OSes work *at all*, in-house.

    in *this* way they could potentially end up over a barrel, so it makes more sense that they are just making sure that they have the programming expertise in-house, not least so that they have people that they can trust to review the source! what amazes me is that they are in effect admitting that they didn't have this expertise in-house before.

    • Android had two problems, fragmentation because different vendors made changes to Android, and lack of updates on some devices. To improve the situation, Google started putting more of Android into the Google Play Services app, which can be updated on older devices and can't be changed by vendors. Rather than relying on OEMs and carriers to provide OS updates, Google just updates the Google Play Services app. So a lot of "Android" isn't in the open source OS anymore, it's in this critical app. That has

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by kqs ( 1038910 )

        Just as it reduces the ability of OEMs to make undesirable changes to Android, it also makes them more dependent on Google. An OEM who wants to be able to fork Android can take the OS itself as open source, but they need to re-implement Google Play Services themselves.

        To translate:

        Initially, Google let the OEMs do whatever they wanted with Android. But as the OEMs proved to be incompetent, Google has started taking away that power. So now some of them (Samsung with Tizen, now Huawei) are throwing temper tantrums and building their own systems. Of course, they've already demonstrated their competence at maintaining an OS, so this is likely to fail badly for them.

        Remind me again why anyone would trust an OS from one of these OEMs?

      • And if anyone is wondering why we have fragmentation, it's because of moves like this from Huawei. Android can't reign in device manufacturers, because they hold the stick "Oh yeah? We'll switch to our own OS if you do!". Google gave them the stick by making Android OSS and letting it be forked. That stick was a coaxed manufacturers to jump onto Android in the first place.

    • the source code of android, albeit under an inappropriate license which encourages closed and proprietary behaviour, into which the linux kernel is "lumped" due to ignorance, is entirely and fully available. copyright law is simple: if the source has been released under a license, it may not be retracted (unless copyright law is changed and changed retroactively). therefore there *is* no way that the code can be "yanked".

      No, the open code can't be taken away, but it is possible for Google to place additional constraints on manufacturers. Look at any slashdot topic that references the Android fragmentation and update problems, and you'll see a lot of calls for Google to tighten the screws and demand that manufacturers do things in a particular way.

      However, the mechanism by which Google might "tighten the screws" is really completely unrelated to the sort of thing Huawei is described as doing here. Google's control is deriv

  • If it ever gets released, will users actually own their own phones? Will we be able to download apps without having an account, and without being tied to an email address? Will we be able to actually use the GPS functionality without the device phoning home and telling everybody who's interested our current whereabouts? Will it be easily and safely rootable, or even rooted by default? Will it be easily configurable, so I can avoid the kinds of rank UX stupidities that are baked in to even the stock Android

    • It looks like you should be building your own OS that suits your precise needs. You could monetize it as you see fit since it is yours.

  • maybe they should all pool their resources in to one open source OS like a mobile Linux distro, i hear ubuntu is making a smartphone and/or OS too maybe something along those lines, a GNU/Linux type of system would fit that job nicely

    • maybe they should all pool their resources in to one open source OS like a mobile Linux distro, i hear ubuntu is making a smartphone and/or OS too maybe something along those lines, a GNU/Linux type of system would fit that job nicely

      Yeah, more Fragmentation FTW!

    • Sounds a lot like what they tried to do with Symbian [wikipedia.org].

  • It would be really nice if someone would do something meaningful w/ all the code for PenPoint --- it was one of my favourite operating systems, and amazingly capable for its time, and interface-wise, is still nicer than pretty much anything other than the Newton OS, or NeXTstep (or maybe HP's NewWave).

    For those who don't remember it: http://www.digibarn.com/collec... [digibarn.com]

  • Seems to mirror the breakup of the EU (which directly benefits Imperial Russia); 'screw cooperation and openness!! I'll build my own amusement park!!'. Soon, we'll be back to the good ole days of siloed phone OS = phone manufacturer. FTW.

    • Its only good for the EU to be rid of forces that oppose an ever closer EU. Out with them!

      Really the worst that could happen is that the UK votes for staying in the EU, but by 200 votes or something. If they had voted with 70% for staying in the EU, the ukip may have shut up. But with 200 votes, the matter will be brought out at each and every occasion. However, if the UK votes for leaving the EU by 200 votes, its just good, because then they see the consequences of their actions. A hard border in ireland a

  • chinese government spying os?

    • Uh, I think Huawei is all open source in response to spying allegations made several years ago.

  • The pro move would be to get rid of Java and put in a reasonable execution environment.
    Fixing the silo security model would be nice too.

  • ...but I guess they think Samsung has too much control over it.
    The problem is that if any smartphones is to compete with Android or iOS it's gotta be backed by a good amount of big companies. Although, at this point it's probably too late since even Microsoft has been unable to gain much marketshare despite their enormous resources.
    Btw, I hate the artificial limitations that the current smartphone OS impose on users. They should give the user total freedom, they should be like PCs just smaller.
  • Remember this is the company that released routers and switches running Cisco's IOS. They didn't even bother to remove the the word Cisco from the code.
  • why bother when there is a good alt everyone forgot hp made now open source.

  • The company that does not update its OS to today's standards complains when Google gives them a little shit.

    I own a Huawei Ascend P7 L-10. Once a flagship phone 2 years ago... it is still running Android 4.4.2. Never an update.

    A week before Google came out scolding cell manufactures for not updating the OSs shipped with their phones I bought a Google Nexus 5x. I'm not defending Google. But Huawei has dropped the ball like many manufacturers.

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