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Posts Tagged ‘Android’

When Google first introduced the Android operating system, few doubted that the search engine giant would be a major player in the smart phone market. The first release, the G1 on T-Mobile, opened to lackluster sales and there was concern that perhaps Google didn’t have the focus needed to compete with Apple and Microsoft. Sales were lukewarm and it debuted on T-Mobile, the fourth rank wireless carrier in the US behind Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. In September 2009, Google’s Android OS accounted for just 2.5% of the smartphone market. That number is now well over 13%. RIM is still entrenched in the first position, but their inability to offer an updated OS has seen their sales numbers drop each quarter. So how is Google taking over the smart phone market?

No doubt that Apple revolutionized how we think about smart phones. While hardware and OS are important, the ability to offer a robust selection of applications is so much more important to creating a successful platform. Google’s engineers are software experts and they understand the needs of developers. Google’s Android OS has seen a tremendous growth in the number of developers and more importantly the number of applications. At last check, there were well over 70,000 applications in the Android Market, Google’s version of Apple’s App Store. One of the significant differences between the two stores is the approval process. Google’s App Market is completely open and applications do not require any sort of approval process. A $30 application fee is all that is needed to begin selling applications. Google’s easy to use SDK and open App store have helped foster a bustling App Market.

It goes beyond apps and Google knows this. Customers crave the latest and greatest hardware. Google has partnered with leading manufacturers like HTC, Motorola and Samsung. Google doesn’t charge a license fee for Android OS, making easier for these manufacturers to make money. By having a few manufacturers, Google has created competition between them. Ultimately, this has led to a specifications war. Since they all run a version of Google’s Android OS, they need to compete on features. Consumers will ultimately choose their Android phone based upon the number of megapixels offered in the camera, the type of display used or the speed of the processor. In the past year, we’ve seen companies like HTC and Motorola push the envelope with 4.3 inch screens.

With an install base that increases daily, there is more incentive for developers to write apps for the Android OS. By the end of 2010, the Android Market will likely have over 100,000 available apps. With hardware manufacturers pushing the envelope and a healthy application store, expect more demand among consumers for Android phones. While RIM struggles, Google’s Android OS is slowly taking over the smart phone market.

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While AT&T has the veritable lock on the iPhone and BlackBerry, T-Mobile seems to be the wireless carrier poised to introduce the long-awaited Google Android operating system to the worldwide smartphone community. This according to the New York Times.

As RIM, Palm, Microsoft (with its Windows Mobile), and Symbian duke it out with industry leader, Apple and its Mac Mobile OS X, the Google Android OS looks like the singular contender most likely to unseat the current smartphone king.

The first Google Android smartphone will be manufactured by the leading smartphone maker in the world, High Tech Computer Corp, better known to the average consumer as HTC, makers of the original “iPhone Killer”, the HTC Touch and it’s follow-up, the HTC Touch Pro. Its name will be the HTC Dream.

The Google Android mobile OS, announced last November (2007) is the search giant’s effort to improve internet performance on smartphone devices. Chances are the company that seems to know the internet best is best positioned to optimize the mobile web. But one interesting question still lingering in both consumers’ and analysts’ minds is how the smartphone OS will perform as an actual telephone.

Lest any smartphone users forget (and we wouldn’t blame you one bit if you did, with all the distracting bells-and-whistles smartphones come with these days), they are first-and-foremost cell phones. And the best maker of cell phones in terms of consistency, reliability, and clarity of call quality is Nokia. So until we see a Nokia smartphone on the Google Android OS, we may never know how good it can really get.

Google said it will make its Android OS available for free to any smartphone maker that wants to use it. And, like the iPhone, it aims to appeal to consumers, business users, and enterprise customers alike by providing unlimited software downloads for free, allowing users the ultimate in device personalization and customization.

And despite “mum” being the sole word the insiders have on the subject, so far we do know that the HTC Dream will boast both a slideout touchscreen and a full 5-row QWERTY keyboard. It promises to be the closest to a miniature computer that smartphones currently come. Other companies that have announced plans to release a Google Android powered smartphone include Sprint (the world’s 3rdleading carrier, next to 4th placer T-Mobile) and Qualcomm.

This collaboration of Google, T-Mobile, and HTC looks clearly like a team to contend with. With its Touch Pro model, HTC has already given Apple and its 3G iPhone a run for its money. And T-Mobile continues to stay competitive with a practically unbeatable price point.

Though T-Mobile and Google are both keeping silent on the subject, rumors have it that the new device will be available for US customers to purchase as soon as October and probably no later than this Christmas.

Apple has held the number one spot for the past 3 years. But the mighty Apple iPhone is losing ground. Apple’ stock prices have flattened. The iPad isn’t the fix all that was predicted by Apple. Verizon won’t be carrying the iPhone this year, which would have boosted the iPhone sales. Is Apple in trouble?

The new Android trend is catching on quickly. With new devices, new apps and new service providers, the Droid is gaining momentum. Google’s willingness to upgrade the Android when new features come out is part of the draw. HTC has several Droids with more being released. Motorola has a Droid with Verizon and Google even has an HTC Droid of its own, an unlocked Smartphone available through Google’s website.

BlackBerry, once the leader for email syncing, is losing ground. Perhaps with Google Mail being available on the Droid, the BlackBerry needs to upgrade. With all the features being offered on other Smartphones, BlackBerry needs to get on the bandwagon and offer more.

Nokia, the Finnish manufacturer, is seriously in trouble in the Smartphone market. Nokia had no new device to show off at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona. With the trend moving towards feature rich Smartphones, Nokia better “smarten up.”

Palm is struggling to keep up. They released the new Pixi hoping to compete in the market, but sales have been weak and the lack of cash flow is crippling Palm. Palm has moved to a partnership with AT&T, which will hopefully bring in more phone sales. The analysts predict Palm is going to continue to be pulverized.

Where are you headed with your next phone? With the unlimited talk, text and web browsing options being reduced in price from the service providers, the new Smartphones are much more attractive to me. How about you?