Google has announced a new version of its Apps Device Policy application for Android devices. With this, customers can access new features such as locating their device on a map, changing passwords or PINs remotely, and making their phone ring if it’s near them.
Those using Android tablets can encrypt their data on Honeycomb too — a facility that was available only on earlier versions of Android.
Another addition is Google Apps Lookup, with which users can view details of their corporate contacts with ease. They just need to type or speak the email address or name of their colleague; a tap on the relevant contact on the phone screen does the rest, be it calling, or sending an email or text message.
The contact information is pulled from the Google Apps directory, but it first needs to be enabled by the IT administrators of the concerned business organisation.
These features from Google are supposed to enable Android to gain market share in the enterprise smartphones and tablet segments.
Google is working to bridge the gap between Google Apps and Android as it wants to use the popularity of Android to power Google App sales, targeting users who would otherwise have stuck to conventional software options from Microsoft.
It’s important for Google to evolve enterprise features for Google Apps users, or else this lucrative market will go to Apple, Microsoft and Research In Motion (RIM).
According to Google, 300,000 Android devices are being activated around the world every day. A recent Gartner report has claimed that Android is likely to become the most popular smartphone operating system by 2012.