Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 29th May 2008 16:16 UTC
Multitouch and touchscreens really are all the rage these days, especially in mobile devices. Apple's iPhone set the bar, and now it's up to the rest to either catch up to Apple, or outdo them. Google is trying just that with its Android mobile phone operating system, and it has demoed the capabilities of its new mobile phone operating system.
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Member since:
2006-01-06
So who is Google partnering with? Who's actually shipping Android on an actual phone?
My two cents: It isn't in any carrier's interest to create a truly open platform that anybody can leverage. That's why the mobile phone market has evolved the way it has, with carriers having a chokehold on all services. They want to be the ones to sell you the ringtones, carry the messaging traffic, sell you the applications, etc. If applications can use the data pipe to bypass the carrier's SMS messaging stack, for example, it means a huge loss of revenue for the carrier; instead, the carrier is relegated to charging for data bandwidth, which is a lower-tier service and one in which traditional wired ISPs make the bulk of their money (in other words, not as desirable). Consequently, based on the economics of the situation, I have to believe that partnerships between Google and carriers will be difficult to come by. Sure, they may use Android as a platform--but will they open it up completely? Call me skeptical. It just isn't in their interest to do so.
Don't get me wrong. I HOPE that most phones eventually use an open platform. It's just that I'm not so deluded as to think that carriers will forego economic realities in favor of handing all of us the keys to their kingdom. They are in business to make money, after all, and they're probably not going to do anything which jeopardizes their revenue stream. That said, there may be other revenue opportunities (eg. advertising, search, etc) which could replace existing opportunities; but, put yourself in their shoes: why would you RISK it, when you have guaranteed revenue from SMS, etc?
Edited 2008-05-29 22:00 UTC