Android Seems Built for the "Cloud"

One thing is clear with the release of Android version 2.2: Google seems to be much better positioned for a "cloud-based" approach to features.

The new Android version has a “cloud-to-device” feature that Apple doesn't seem able to match, at least for the moment.

If a user buys an app from the Android Marketplace using a PC web browser, he or she can select an Android device, and the item you just purchased will be pushed directly to that device over the air.

If a user is working in browser, then wants to leave and resume on the Android, that can be done. It is possible, using version 2.2, to push the the current URL from the PC web browser to the Android, over the air. If it’s a web page, it’ll open in the Android web browser; if it’s a Google Maps URL, it’ll open in the Android Maps app.

To the extent that mobiles do have a shot at "replacing PCs" in many cases, such cloud-based features likely will be important.

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