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Not content at helping private companies land rovers upon the Moon, Google recently sent several Nexus S devices  into the stratosphere and was able to capture a humorous video of their mascot becoming lost in space.

Recently, we travelled to Ione, CA and sent seven payloads up, up, and away into near space, each equipped with a Nexus S. We took some cues from others who have sent homemade weather balloon rigs far up, and we wanted an opportunity to collect some interesting data about the sensors in Nexus S – GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer. We also couldn’t resist what looked like a great way to spend a weekend. Sending the balloons up also gave us an opportunity to capture some stunning imagery and videos of Earth. (Google Mobile Blog)

Previously an iOS fans was able to send his iPhone 4 into space via weather balloon, although Google’s attempt might be the first time a company officially sent over half a dozen smartphones to embrace the final frontier.

It will be interesting to see if other companies (like Microsoft) attempt similar feats in order to raise publicity of their device, although truth be told the space geek in me is hoping that Google will consider sending one of these devices beyond Earth orbit (or even better land an Android device upon the Moon).

Originally posted on December 22, 2010 @ 3:37 pm

With Google’s Nexus S now available to the masses, the search engine giant’s favorite smartphone has been facing some criticism over the fact that the mobile OS can be easily rooted (or hacked for you non-geeks), making the device insecure.

Not desiring to let this myth fester unopposed, Google decided to take on the critics by enlightening them on how Android is designed.

The Nexus S, like the Nexus One before it, is designed to allow enthusiasts to install custom operating systems. Allowing your own boot image on a pure Nexus S is as simple as running fastboot oem unlock. It should be no surprise that modifying the operating system can give you root access to your phone. Hopefully that’s just the beginning of the changes you might make. […]

Android has a strong security strategy, backed by a solid implementation. By default, all Android applications are sandboxed from each other, helping to ensure that a malicious or buggy application cannot interfere with another. All applications are required to declare the permissions they use, ensuring the user is in control of the information they share. And yes, we aggressively fix known security holes, including those that can be used for rooting. Our peers in the security community have recognized our contribution to mobile security, and for that, we are extremely grateful. (Android Developers Blog)

Google goes on to explain that unlike their Nexus S, rooting a device is not a feature, but rather a user exploiting a weakness within the device in order to gain deeper access to the mobile OS.

Unlike many other smartphones (including heavily customized ones running Android), the Nexus S is designed with rooting in mind to make it easier for users to modify their phones instead of locking it down (something manufactures and carriers prefer to do).

Although it’s great to see Google taking a stand in favor of granting users greater access to their phones, the company will probably need to make a greater effort to convince more developers that building upon Android is safe (which could help convince a few iOS developers to finally port their apps upon Android).

Originally posted on December 20, 2010 @ 5:01 pm