wadecherry.com
Saturday November 17th, 2007
Android
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Check out Google's Android Platform, an open source operating system and platform for mobile phones. Lots of folks balked at Android, as is usual for anything open source (think Linux versus Windows operating systems). For example, CEO of Microsoft: "Their efforts are just some words on paper right now. They have a press release, we have many, many millions of customers, great software, many hardware devices and they're welcome in our world." Nokia stated "If we would see this as beneficial we would think about taking part in it." So, is this really a big deal?

Here's why Android is a big deal. The fact that the platform is coming from Google IS a big deal in and of itself as it will inspire software developers to create mobile applications especially because of the flexibility provided by the platform, breaking the stranglehold wireless carriers place on the existing platforms. This is a step in the right direction: unlocked phones, unsubsidized phones, and carriers concentrating on service with handset makers concentrating on handsets. AND, most important, unleashing the creativity and desire of the mobile phone community to create new and exciting applications. This quintessential Web 2.0 way of thinking is at the heart of Google's platform.

The Android platform is multimedia-centric, designed and architected with rich graphics and audio, desktop-like web browsing capability, and standard APIs for application interaction. The handset makers know that multimedia phones are going to dominate the market in the next five years and this new platform is well suited for the future. Motorola, HTC, LG, and Samsung all support the Open Handset Alliance, but notably missing from the group is handset-giant Nokia.

What happened to the gPhone? There was no gPhone and Google has no intention of making a Google phone. Android is a platform and therefore has a much broader reach. As a platform, it's not competing against the RAZR2 or the iPhone, it's competing against Symbian, Windows Mobile, and OS X. Motorola was working on the same idea: a multi-media centric Linux-Java platform upon which to develop a rich variety of phones. The idea is not revolutionary nor will it change the cell phone arena instantly. But because it is a platform not limited to a single handset maker (such as Motorola), the power of this platform is much greater.

If done right, which so far looks to be the case, the new Android platform may be the answer to the multimedia user's frustrations with restricted, glitchy, and clumsy UI, as a multitiude of options will exist upon which to update and customize ones mobile phone.

More info on Wikipedia's article.
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Tuesday November 27th, 2007

Wade says:

Verizon Wireless To Introduce ‘Any Apps, Any Device’ Option For Customers In 2008, see more here.