Beyond Google Android

Google is a very influential company these days, but entering a completely new market means that the firm should offer the best device possible. With the first Android device, Google will have to rival Apple’s iPod as well as huge family of Nokia business and multimedia phones. Google’s Android probably has a long way to go but certainly it should make the mobile applications space a little more interesting. Interestingly enough users will be required to have a Google Gmail account for the phone to work.

Google has pledged to make most of the Android platform available under the Apache free-software and open-source license. The new HTC phone, powered by Google’s Android software platform, will have an iPhone-like touch screen that will also slide out to expose a full five-row keyboard. Google as a whole will have a lot less control in the long run on how their platform evolves and what applications are put on it. This will be interesting. Google and T-Mobile boast that the Android’s most appealing feature is the Android software that’s designed for easier mobile web browsing.

The first phone to utilize Android,T-Mobile’s HTC Dream; unless it’s an outright failure, most cell customers can expect to see their carrier hawking an Android phone in the not-too-distant future. Google expects the Android software to be the dominant platform for hand-held Internet access. This is partly because the software is open source, meaning that interested companies are free to use the Android technology. HTC needs to get that up and going if they want to sell that phone. HTC, which is expected to be the only device maker to have an Android phone on the market this year, also declined to comment. HTC was quick to throw its support behind Android despite its long term alliance with Windows Mobile.