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Google’s Two-Pronged Mobile Strategy and the Future of Chrome OS

January 2, 2023 By Mike Abundo

Nexus One

When the unlocked, Google-branded Nexus One handset hits the market next year, Google unleashes a two-pronged attack on the Apple iPhone. On one hand, normal people will continue to buy subsidized but locked Android handsets provided by the cellular service carriers. That’s the space the iPhone plays in right now.

On the other hand, hardware geeks will buy expensive but unlocked Google phones provided by the Mountain View powerhouse itself. Thanks to Steve Jobs’ five-year dark bargain with AT&T, that’s a space in which the iPhone simply will not compete.

Thus, Google’s mobile platform allows third parties to maintain walled gardens (carrier-branded handsets with contracts) while maintaining a completely open playground (unlocked handsets). They take on two imporant market segments simultaneously: the common consumers who flock to the walled gardens, and the early adopters in the playground who influence the common consumers. Time will tell if such outflanking will make a dent in the iPhone’s market share.

In the meantime, you have to wonder what the Nexus One bodes for the direction of Google’s upcoming browser-based operating system, the Google Chrome OS, slated for release almost a year after the Nexus One. The potential parallels are certainly intriguing.

Chrome OS will come bundled as an OEM release with very specifically-designed SSD netbooks from various computer manufacturers. Those machines would directly parallel the carrier-locked Android handsets provided by various cellphone manufacturers. If the parallelism holds, could Google release its own hardware for the Chrome OS, the same way it’s now releasing its own hardware for the Android mobile OS? As demonstrated by the Psystar case, Apple is willing to do the latter (provide its own hardware), but not the former (allow branding from third-party manufacturers). The Mountain View geniuses would outflank the Cupertino tyrants once more. Could Google’s two-pronged mobile OS strategy serve as a miniature version (no pun intended) of its future two-pronged desktop OS strategy?

Either way, the current geek hullabaloo over the Nexus One undeniably proves one thing: the existence of a strong demand for Google-branded consumer hardware among the influential blogging-and-twittering digerati. Google can leverage that demand in future consumer hardware projects. We can still expect the bulk of Google Android’s market penetration to come from the carrier-locked handsets, but the geeks will continue to generate buzz about the Google-branded handsets. That’s why T-Mobile and Verizon, who both carry Android handsets, aren’t freaking out right now: the buzz around the expensive Nexus One will help drum up sales for the subsidized G1 and Droid.

Though the actual manufacturing of the Nexus One has been contracted to HTC, there is absolutely no HTC branding on the Nexus One. It’s a Google-branded phone, through and through. High-end hardware manufacturing as word-of-mouth marketing is not a new concept. Though not traditionally a hardware provider, perhaps Google will become the next industry titan to apply that concept — for both Android and Chrome OS.

(The photo above is courtesy of Engadget.)

Originally posted on December 14, 2009 @ 4:50 am

Filed Under: Gadgets, Google, Mobile Tagged With: Gadgets, Google, Mobile, nexus one

Droid Ad Calls iPhone Digitally Clueless

January 2, 2023 By Mike Abundo

Once again, Verizon plays up the hardcore techie appeal of the Google Android-based Motorola Droid. Their latest advertisement contrasts the Droid’s raw mechanistic power with the iPhone’s glitz and glamour. In the words of this particularly edgy ad, the iPhone is a “digitally clueless beauty pageant queen”.

Contrary to Apple’s claims, more than one frustrated developer would probably agree with that assessment. After all, the iPhone app approval process is as fickle and arbitrary as any blonde bimbo. Sure, you’d show off your beauty queen girlfriend in public, and you’d certainly have lots of fun with her in private — but she probably wouldn’t make the most engaging conversationalist, or the most effective executive assistant.

With the open application development offered by the Google Android mobile OS, Verizon is clearly positioning the Motorola Droid not as a buxom blonde beauty queen, but as a fluent and flexible executive assistant. That certainly jives with their thrust to get developers and early adopters using the thing. Geeks love girls with glasses.

Originally posted on December 4, 2009 @ 6:53 am

Filed Under: Gadgets, Google, Mobile Tagged With: Android, Droid, Gadgets, Google, Mobile, Motorola, Verizon

Nokia Pirates Nintendo Games in N900 Demo?

January 2, 2023 By Mike Abundo

Nokia N900 SNES EmulationOh Nokia, how far you’ve fallen from your once-lofty mobile gaming ambitions. The Nokia Mosh repository carried so many wild and wacky games — until you threw away your entire developer community in favor of your clean and shiny Ovi app store. Now you can barely give away top-tier titles for free. N-Gage held so much promise as a mobile online gaming service, boasting such big titles as Tomb Raider and The Sims and Metal Gear Solid — until you unceremoniously killed the whole thing.

Now, to demonstrate the gaming capabilities of your new N900 smartphone, you’ve resorted to running classic games on retro console emulators. Never mind the sheer absurdity of using software emulation to sell the native capabilities of a piece of hardware. Sure, emulators are legal, and hardcore mobile gaming aficionados love emulators, but the game ROMs in your promo video are of questionable legality.

Now Nintendo’s thinking of taking you to court for copyright infringement. Considering that you’re the world’s largest cellphone manufacturer, that’s pretty frickin’ embarrassing.

Originally posted on November 29, 2009 @ 2:51 pm

Filed Under: Gaming, Mobile Tagged With: emulation, Gaming, Mobile, N900, Nintendo, nokia

Joel Comm Appeals to Steve Jobs for iPhone App Approval

January 2, 2023 By Mike Abundo

Love him or hate him, Internet marketer Joel Comm has been bringing us fun stuff decade after decade. In 1996, he founded the company that Yahoo bought and turned into Yahoo Games. At the end of 2008, he released iFart Mobile, which spent three weeks at the top of the iPhone app charts.

That’s why Apple CEO Steve Jobs should listen to Joel when he vents his frustration over the rejection of his latest iPhone app — especially when the app store carries so many other applications with similar functionalities.

Joel’s appeal should help remind Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller that, contrary to his deluded claims, developers are not happy with the arbitrary and opaque iPhone store approval process.

Originally posted on November 27, 2009 @ 7:09 am

Filed Under: Apple, Gadgets, iPhone, Mobile Tagged With: Apple, Gadgets, iPhone, Joel Comm, Mobile

Mobile Skype Client Fring Releases Video Support

January 2, 2023 By Mike Abundo

Even the best hardware features need support from services with decent traction. Otherwise, they just become useless decorations. Some Nokia smartphones come with a front-facing camera, supposedly for video chat. Thanks to inconsistent network support for videocalls, nobody actually uses it. That may change soon, as mobile Skype client Fring releases video support for Nokia 5800, N97, N95 and N82 handsets. More models coming soon.

The front-facing camera on my Nokia feels as useless and disappointing as the Nokia app store. Since Skype is my primary VoIP service, the latest version of Fring should ease that disappointment.

Originally posted on November 24, 2009 @ 2:53 pm

Filed Under: Mobile, Skype Tagged With: Fring, Mobile, nokia, Skype

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