[WaterSponge]

Universal search (once a part of Android) has long been stripped out due to patent issues with Apple.

The app permissions system on Android is all or nothing. Which I think would benefit from a more rigorous approval process. All the access is disclosed though before install.

Glad the world has options.

[e12e]

Oh, is that why it's gone? I just recently realized that the search (which I never used, much anyway) didn't actually work any more.

Really scary if that's due to patenting though. Does that mean the patent covers all desktop style search as well? Or is "for a square device that fits in a pocket"-type thing?

[ed: Ok, it's not as gone as I thought, it's just slower than it should be (to get hit in eg: contacts). Still I seem to recall you could get hits in eg: emails from k9 before?]

[estel]

Was it definitely a patent issue? The change [0] was originally claimed to be the result of performance issues.

[0] https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/apps/Quic...

[ProCynic]

Rather ironic that someone has an advantage over Google for universal search.

[higherpurpose]

Unlike Apple, Google isn't so keen on enforcing its patents. Do you really think Google doesn't have hundreds of search related patents that they could use against anything Apple does with search, including Siri?

Personally I prefer them not doing anything like that, though, because I'd like them to stay out of this vicious patent war circle. But it's a shame that means the war has to be one-sided. Apple and others can fire at them, but they can't fire back.