Aplus.net Blog

Some of ZDNet’s expert bloggers weighed in recently with some further details on Google’s plans to take over … um, “get into” the cell phone market.

“Despite all of the very interesting speculation over the last few months, we’re not announcing a Gphone,” the article quoted Andy Rubin, Google’s “director of mobile platforms”.

“However, we think what we are announcing — the Open Handset Alliance and Android — is more significant and ambitious than a single phone,” Rubin continued. “In fact, through the joint efforts of the members of the Open Handset Alliance, we hope Android will be the foundation for many new phones and will create an entirely new mobile experience for users, with new applications and new capabilities we can’t imagine today.

That all squares with what we’ve previously written on the topic. But the bloggers then offer up some more juicy details:

* Android includes an open platform for mobile devices and includes an operating system, user interface and applications. It’s a mobile bundle “without the proprietary obstacles that have hindered mobile innovation” …

* The company also outlined its key partners in the Open Handset Alliance, which includes 34 companies. However, AT&T and Verizon Wireless aren’t in the alliance. Will this alliance need at least one of the big two domestic carriers?

* Android is expected to be platform agnostic. Rubin wrote: “Android will complement, but not replace, our longstanding mobile strategy of developing useful and compelling mobile services and driving adoption of these products through partnerships with handset manufacturers and mobile operators around the world.”

* A software developer kit will be available in the next week. Phones will be shipped in the second half of 2008 with Android software. Regarding this kit, the alliance had the following to say in a statement: “The Android platform will be made available under one of the most progressive, developer-friendly open-source licenses, which gives mobile operators and device manufacturers significant freedom and flexibility to design products. Next week the Alliance will release an early access software development kit to provide developers with the tools necessary to create innovative and compelling applications for the platform.” …

* René Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, parent company of T-Mobile, said the plan is to launch a device based on Android “in the course of 2008.” “We see the opportunity to prevent a better than Internet experience on mobile devices,” said Obermann, who also talked up social networking and Web 2.0 possibilities. He didn’t discuss product plans. You have to wonder if this lineup can succeed with T-Mobile as the sole carrier.

* Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corp., said the first Android device will come in late 2008. …

* Handset makers were asked whether they would continue to use other mobile operating system. Chou said Android is an opportunity to innovate more, but the commitment to other operating systems is the same. Zander said Android is an accelerator for open source development. He added that there is a commitment to other operating systems, but seemed to hint that Motorola was going down the open source path.

* Rubin said Google will advertise via a Web browser as it does today in the mobile space. Rubin said you won’t see a completely ad-driven handset “for quite some time.” Android will include a robust Web browser, said Rubin.

* Were Nokia, Apple, RIM and Microsoft asked to be in the alliance? Rubin said each company in the alliance contributed something. It’s open to people that want to join and contribute. Reading between the lines it sounds like those aforementioned parties didn’t want to contribute technology.

* How will new services be different than current Google offering? Schmidt said the big difference is that Google won’t have to “shoe horn” in an application because there will be a full featured Web browser on the phone in Android.

And, my personal favorite:

* If there were to be a Google Phone, Android will be a fine platform to run it with. Of course, Google isn’t preannouncing anything. Sure sounds like Google isn’t ruling a Gphone out.

The article is packed with many more intriguing details of this nature. Check it out for yourself: Visit “Google outlines the Open Handset Alliance; Will it succeed?” as posted by Larry Dignanan over at ZDNet.