14 DAY TRIAL // Google’s Android operating system, as most of you already know, does not feature support for multi-touch, meaning that the technology that would allow a screen to accept multiple points of contact for input is not present, and users of T-Mobile’s G1 are very well aware of this lack of functionality on their devices.
According to the latest news on the web, it seems that Apple, the maker of iPhone, a multi-touch mobile device, asked Google to skip the implementation of the functionality onto its Android platform. It seems that Apple is not too tolerant when it comes to the use of multi-touch technology on other devices than its own, and this was shown by the conflict between the company and Palm, which included the functionality on its Pre handset.
In addition, some of the Android team members, cited by VentureBeat, seem to have stated that it was a good thing that Google didn't stand up against Apple. The maker of Android seems determined not to deteriorate its relationship with Apple, as Palm did, although it is still unclear whether the iPhone maker will pursue legal action against Palm.
Google and Apple are connected in many ways at the moment. There are a lot of apps developed by Google for the iPhone, including Maps and Google Search, as well as specially formatted webpages. In addition to that, Eric Schmidt, a member of Apple’s board of directors, is also Google's chief executive.
Considering the fact that the multi-touch might prove itself to be a rather important feature in mobile phones, Google will probably reconsider its approach on the technology. Especially given the fact that G1, which is made by HTC, seems to have the functionality, as showed in the video bellow, yet it stays unused. Not to mention that a wide range of new Android-powered devices are expected to come to the market this year.
Google might include multi-touch support in Android in the not too far future, and the release of Palm's Pre could accelerate the implementation. Moreover, besides handsets, it seems that we'll also see some netbooks powered by this OS this year. Intel has been reported to plan on rolling out such devices, although it is not too clear what the company wants to do. For what it's worth, several Android netbooks are confirmed to be in the works, along with other projects that involve the platform.