As most of you know who follow the tech gadget market, and what Gen-Yers don’t, Google & T-Mobile this past Tuesday rolled out their new cell phone offering, the $179.00 Android, available 10/22/08. At the high end of full service, that is voice, web, and unlimited texting, the Android @ $70.00/month beats the iPhone’s $90.00/month [don't forget the taxes!]. However, there is much much more at stake here than meets the eye.
Writing in SiliconValley.com’s “Good Morning Silicon Valley,” John Murrell in a very insightful article points out:
“…it comes down to closed vs. open. In political terms, the Apple environment is like Singapore, where some freedoms may be ceded in favor of providing a pleasant and orderly experience, and Google, with its Android platform, is like a loud and messy New England town meeting. Apple has one iPhone, a tightly controlled App Store for third-party programs, and a touchscreen design that favors consumption of iTunes entertainment. The G1 is but the first of many Android-based devices to come, all of which will be served by the wide-open Android Market, and its design, featuring a real keyboard, leans toward typing-oriented functions like mail, messaging and mobile search, not coincidentally all Google strong suits. If you’re already happy in the Apple ecosystem, or with an “it just works (most of the time)” approach to tech in general, and you’re in the smart-phone market, there’s probably not much that Android handset manufacturers can come up with that will tempt you away from the iPhone. If you’re already happy in the Google ecosystem, then the tight integration of Google applications and services and the breadth of third-party development possibilities will make an Android-based phone more appealing. At the core, the iPhone and the Android phones may not really be the direct competitors they’re made out to be, but rather comparable alternatives whose appeal depends mostly on whether your tastes and needs put you in the closed or open camp.”
Me, I prefer Open Source and am willing to give Android a chance. BTW, Google yesterday released the 1.0 version of the Android SDK; not beta, but 1.0. It’s going to get interesting! And you, the customer, will be the winner. There’s more talking head stuff in the video below. Hank
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