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OVUM: Ovum comment Adam Leach, principal analyst at Ovum; T-Mobile and
Google launch first Android-based phone
(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge)
RDATE:24092008
T-mobile and Google have announced the launch of the HTC-made T-Mobile
G1, the first device to use Google's Android software platform. The
iPhone-like device will debut in the US on 22nd October for $179
followed by launches across Europe. However, Google now needs the other
members of the Open Handset Alliance to build critical mass for the
platform if it is to fulfil its mobile ambitions.
Google needs broad industry support for Android: the G1 is only the
start
The critical question for the industry is: will Android make it easier
for Google to roll out its applications and services or will it provide
a platform for mobile operators to launch their own services? At its
launch Google's raison d'etre for Android was to reduce the vast amount
of software fragmentation that currently plagues the handset market, in
order to encourage the roll out of applications and services. This can
only be achieved if the platform is shipped in sufficient volumes and
accounts for a significant amount of the market; it cannot be achieved
by a single product even if it does live up to the high expectations
set by the iPhone.
If we use the G1 as a guide it unsurprisingly has Google's services
built in, including Google Search (for local and web searches), Maps
(including Street View), Gmail, Youtube, Calendar, and Google Talk.
T-Mobile and Google have not disclosed any details of their commercial
relationship but it would seem that T-Mobile, at least in the US, is
content to have a product that competes directly with AT&T's
arrangement with Apple with the iPhone. There is also no information on
if or how Google will extend its advertising business model to the G1
or other Android-devices.
If, as Ovum suspects, other Android-based devices are equally as tied
to Google's services as the G1 this will ultimately impact how quickly
the Android platform is embraced by other mobile operators. As we have
seen with the iPhone, Apple's stance to restrict involvement from
network operators has reduced its appeal for some networks.
Google's move to provide all of the source code of the Android platform
and the G1 after it is publicly available is at least a sign that
operators can build their own services if they have the will to do so.
Application compatibility will be the key to Android's success Beyond
the issue of mobile operators' own services, the other major challenge
that Google faces with Android is building and maintaining momentum for
innovative third-party applications within a horizontal ecosystem. As
Apple has demonstrated with the App Store, building developer momentum
is the key to success, driving device usage and adoption by consumers
and operators.
However, the iPhone, unlike Android, is part of a tightly managed
environment with device and services vertically integrated. If Android
is to become a credible platform in its own right (achieving volumes
beyond HTC and the G1) it needs to be used in multiple handsets by a
variety of phone manufactures. Android will need to be modified for
different hardware platforms but crucially it must maintain
compatibility for the third-party applications that run on top.
This is not a trivial exercise, as demonstrated by Sun Microsystems
with its mobile Java platform, a technology that is not dissimilar to
the application environment used within Android. Failure to maintain
compatibility between Android-based devices will severely inhibit
demand and innovation for the platform.
About Ovum:
Ovum is a global advisory and consulting firm. Its primary activity is
providing value-added advisory services and consulting to retained and
project clients. The company acts as a well-respected and trusted
source of industry data, knowledge and expertise on the commercial
impact of technology, regulatory and market changes. Ovum engages in
continuous research and industry analysis to determine market dynamics
in its specialist sectors.
Ovum has developed long-standing relationships with many of its
corporate clients, which include major international blue-chip
companies such as Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, BT, Cable & Wireless, Cisco
Systems, Deutsche Telekom, Fujitsu, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Telstra and
Vodafone.
Ovum is part of the Datamonitor Group.
CONTACT: Maria Di Martino, PR contact, Ovum
Tel: +44 (0)207 675 7529 (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
e-mail: maria.dimartino@ovum.com
Sara Kaufman, PR contact, Ovum
Tel: +1 617 722 4602 (North America)
e-mail: sara.kaufman@ovum.com
Tanisha Kuckreja, PR contact, Ovum
Tel: +61 3 9601 6723 (Asia-Pacific)
e-mail: tanisha.kuckreja@ovum.com
((M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information
provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties.
Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at
http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to
info@m2.com)).
Copyright ? 2008 M2 Communications Ltd.
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