Android in a cloud

Why would you want it in a cloud?

What if you wanted to develop for the Android and needed a working Android set-up, but were having trouble laying your hands on the hardware?

Or what if you needed to support customers using Android applications?

That's the service DeviceAnywhere sells, and their latest move is to offer, not just an Android set-up, but an Android G1 set-up a la T-Mobile, on its Web site.

It's a good business. The company presently claims to offer over 1,500 online handsets, configured for use by 30 different operators. Sign up and your virtual team can develop from anywhere.

In the case of Android, the move represents an important validation of the platform. It's now on a par with every other phone set-up.

But it means more than that, since DeviceAnywhere also offers Mobile QoS monitoring and customer support services. Operators can help customers standing by, using the same set-ups as those customers.

One small step for DeviceAnywhere, one giant leap for Android development.