Google Mobile Challenge

Read cellular-news story on Google's mobile take. The story posted yesterday highlights the timing of Google's move as pointed out in previous post with data and figures. Mobile advertising seems to have not worked out so far in a big way. Google has brought "Open" in a big way to mobile and it has to be seen if this could do what IBM PC did for personal computing. Let you do your own thing. Imagine what will happen when a device manufacturer provides a basic compatible device on which you can download a binary image from an open source choice. While such a scenario might not involve users switching software too often, what it will provide is the decoupling of hardware and software. Applications can be written on their own as a business and they will sell. The Android-based platform would give rise to the first true geek phone. And Google is very intent on making this happen...



The big bet is that quality internet is available on the phone and Google makes money out of it. That's the thought. However I think that the bigger challenge is to have the users to use the internet in the phones immersively and it calls for innovative experiences with MMI. With the $10 million purse availble for the developers of new apps for Android platform we can expect some action here..

Google's mobile foray

Google might have timed right its move(IHT) into the mobile phone software business with the announcement of the Android platform through the Open Handset Alliance. Data services are playing an ever increasing role in the revenue models of telcos and with burgeoning 3G services and increasing handset processing power, the handset market may well overshadow the traditional PC market and this is happening in some markets like Japan already. ( I'll try to write a story about this one sometime).

The Google business model for handsets seems to rely on replicating their successful advertisement-based revenue model on PCs onto handsets. Though there will be no Gphone, like iPhone, phones running on the Android platform are expected to rival the latter in terms of usability and applications.

There is a promise of "open" systems and standards with Android which is supposed to open up the networks and devices. This is expected to bring to the consumers a rich internet experience at low to moderate cost.

Google has lined up an impressive array of partners in its mobile venture including semiconductor players, telcos and software companies. The first phones may well take into second half of next year to appear.