More About Android Smartphones

The cat is out of the bag. Lifestyle gadget enthusiasts are whispering to one another the prospects of Google Android – a new OS that looks to be a strong contender against Apple’s iPhone. For years, Apple has had very little competition. The iPhone appeared to have dominated the mobile community, and to date, it’s still the most popular mobile gadget around.

One of the main reasons why the iPhone is so popular is because Apple allows third party developers to develop applications for the iPhone. The applications are then distributed through Apple’s website. This is a highly strategic business move adopted by Apple, and one that has proven to work very well.

This concept is not new. Other non mobile platforms have adopted a similar concept, and have achieved great success as well. For example, both MySpace and Facebook, 2 immensely popular social community sites, have launched their own developer platform. Like the iPhone, developers can develop third party applications on these platforms.

The trend is rather obvious – user generated application based on an open concept is in. The iPhone’s success didn’t go unnoticed. Google is a strong player looking to compete in this sphere.

Recently, lots of buzz has been generated on Google Android – a brand new mobile OS. The key difference between Google Android and the iPhone OS is that the Android is an open OS. That means the OS can be used on any phone, not just the iPhone. By limiting the OS to the iPhone, Apple had isolated the rest of the phone manufacturers.

For years now, Apple had the upper hand. They can charge whatever price they wish to charge, and fans will still pay because they can’t get a similar system anywhere else. Google Android is looking to change all that. By leveling the playing field, consumers now have more choices. For sure, the prices for mobile gadgets (i.e. smartphones), will plummet once the Android gets adopted by other smartphone manufacturers. Already, major brand names like HTC, Motorola, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson are working closely with the Open Handset Alliance (the company now running Google Android) to realize this goal.

Being such a new technology, and with limited developers, enthusiasts will have to bear with a great number of useless mobile apps that will be released in the first few years. This is a common trend because developers are mostly experimenting with the system to see what works and what doesn’t.

As the OS matures, and more and more developers jump on the band wagon to release applications, there will be more and more useful applications. Consumers may then enjoy the full benefits of having an open mobile OS.

T-Mobile’s G1, based on Google Android, is already enjoying a fair amount of success. For sure, a G2 looks set to be launched in the near future. Lenovo is also looking for a piece of the pie with its very own Lenovo oPhone. Mobile enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to.

Android OS Market Share Steadily on the Rise

In the mobile industry, the hand phone operating system (OS) is currently being dominated by Apple’s iPhone. The Apple iPhone is still the leading OS in the marketplace, with no sign of slowing down. In fact, other competitors like RIM, WinMO, Palm and Symbian have all posted southward trends. If there is no new player entering the market, it seems like the iPhone OS is set to take over the entire market.

The primary reason behind iPhone’s huge success is that the OS allows third party applications to be installed in the phone. These applications are developed by third party software developers, and distributed through the Apple’s official website. Having an open platform allows developers to respond quickly to consumers’ requests. There is no need to wait for Apple to release apps. Based on the feedback received, developers can release useful applications in a matter of weeks. So far, no other OS has been able to match this capability. To date, the Apple iPhone has already captured an estimated 50% market share.

Fortunately, there is a new player in town – the Android OS. This new contender in the marketplace is developed by Google, and is based on a similar open concept. Developers can develop apps using managed code in Java. As Java is a mature programming language, many developers will have little problems picking up the development work. While the Android OS is still far from overtaking the iPhone, it is catching fast. In fact, it is the only mobile OS to have posted an upward trend (besides iPhone of course). In just a few short months, it has captured a market share of 5%.

As this is a new OS, only HTC has released Android supported phones – namely, the G1. Since the G1 phone is a new release, it is mainly used to gather information from the market place. Consumers who have picked up the phone are providing priceless feedback to the company. Based on the feedback, the next generation of the Android phone is currently being developed (the G2). Enthusiasts in the blogosphere are watching the developments very closely. So far, a lot of interest has been shown in the development of the Android phone.

This new development poses exciting possibilities. Other mobile companies would be keen to manufacture Android phones so that they remain relevant and competitive in the marketplace. Samsung and Sony Ericsson are both rumored to be working on Android phones. China telecommunications giant, Huawei Technologies, already announced that they will be releasing an Android phone for the Chinese market in the third quarter.

It will be interesting to observe the developments when more and more companies start to manufacture Android phones. Will iPhone be threatened in the marketplace? How will consumers choose between the iPhone and the Android phone? Much depends on the applications developed by the third party developers. The OS with the most active platform will eventually emerge as the winner.