Google Earth Arrives in Android Market for 2.1

3 Responses to Google Earth Arrives in Android Market for 2.1

1. James M. says:

   February 22, 2010 at 10:40 pm

   I still think this says plenty about the Android strategy from the standpoint of both the manufacturers and the carriers. As an iPhone 3GS user, I know where I stand with Apple. Right now, apart from storage, I stand at the pinnacle. That’s what I paid for when I finally upgraded to a new phone after four years. Later this year, when Apple releases what will probably be an evolutionary upgrade, I bet I’ll still be able to run the latest OS and apps – maybe just a bit more slowly. Two years from now, when Apple will put out an iPhone with 4G and Lord-knows-whatever other features, I’ll accept my fate and acknowledge that I’m not the flashiest out there, as I did with my last smartphone, a Treo 650 that was purring like a kitten less than a year ago. At least I’ll have spent 12 months as king of the world and I’ll save my nickels and dimes for the next gadget.

   Compare that with the Android world: Around six months ago, the myTouch 3G was the belle of the ball, now it’s running an OS version which could be considered third-class in that ecosystem, with no clear path to an OS upgrade. Less than four months ago, someone who picked up a Motorola Droid got the chance to stand at the top of the Android foodchain. Two months later, the Nexus One upset the apple cart. Now, not only does Motorola not have top device for the purpose of showing off, their handset can’t even run the latest apps. The update will undoubtedly come, but still, I’d chafe as a consumer and be nervous if I were managing a company preparing to release a “pinnacle” Android device. I still don’t know why Motorola’s CEO participated in the Nexus One launch. Does the Nexus One do a single thing for Motorola other than steal sales from the Droid?

   It’s not great for developers, either. If Google can’t release an application for its own platform for all the devices released in the last six months, what hope does a developer have of keeping track?

   Everyone keeps saying that Android’s path is the way of dominance, but that only seems to apply to raw OS deployments. This is Windows v Mac all over again, except that at least a manufacturer of a Windows computer knows his OS will be updated along with everyone else’s and that Microsoft isn’t going to try to jump in on the desktop hardware business. Does Michael Dell sleep any better at night knowing that he’s selling computers with the dominant platform when his profit margins are razor-thin and there are hundreds of other manufacturers selling products that are indistinguishable from his on paper?

   Apple and RIM will watch Android take marketshare and still laugh all the way to the bank because they aren’t looking at Android as a platform. They’re looking at a series of manufacturers – HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, et al., who have much more to worry about from each other and from their own OS provider. Each individual manufacturer is a bit player who couldn’t dream of moving as many units as Apple or RIM do, or enjoying the same profit margins.
2. Graham N says:

   February 23, 2010 at 10:16 am

   Some good points there. I just bought an HTC Hero. I spent a long time debating whether to get it or not because of the new Adroid phones here or just around the corner. HTC have promised that Android 2.1 will be available for the Hero but sometimes these things don’t materialise. It’s a gamble.

   Over the years I have learnt to buy things based upon what they do now and not upon what they might or might not do. The Hero does everything I need it to do. If HTC keep updating it I will be pleased but even if they don’t it is still a brilliant device.
3. James M. says:

   February 23, 2010 at 2:22 pm

   Yeah, I really enjoy reading and writing on the subject, but I really don’t consider myself a gadget nut or techie. Given that I held on to my Treo 650 for four years, you probably figured that out. You’re very right to grab a phone that does what you want/need it to do and leave it at that. Barring something truly mind-blowing from Apple that entices me, or hardware failure, I’m guessing my 3GS will probably stick with me for four years.

   The real fact of the matter is that most users neither know nor care about the differences between their phones, or at least not to the extent that they know their OS version and carefully track its capabilities. What’s left to throw into a phone these days anyway? Just “more” really – more speed, more memory. 4G is undoubtedly the next bullet point waiting to be thrown into a phone’s sales pitch. I can’t think of anything else on the horizon, unless I’m missing something.

   I think Android’s going to be the biggest OS of them all, but will actually be a more “quiet” OS, with most consumers having little idea about what’s going on under the hood of their phones and rarely taking full advantage of their phone’s capabilities. Sort of like Symbian. Look at the ads – they don’t say “with Android 2.1.” They say, “with Google.” They’re selling on brand, not specs. Technically speaking, the iPhone is “with Google” too.

   But the only benefit of Android to the common handset manufacturer is the Google brand and the fact that it’s free. Nobody’s going to have an “iPhone killer.” If Motorola thinks it’ll ever truly repeat the success of the Razor, it’s in for a really big disappointment.