Comments on: Google's Android: It's not just for phones

Android is for phones, right? One influential partner backing Google's open-source operating system says it'll show up in consumer electronics and cars, too.

[BlitzBoy1120]

Google will soon take control of our refrigerators, don't you agree?

I love Google products, but couldn't they make them a little bit more appealing?
Like Flickr and Picasa. Everybody uses Flickr while few use Picasa.

Google needs to get the nerd look out, and bring in some fun.

Onto Android:

Yay?

[mdarmocida]

Microsoft, are you watching? Like I predicted in another post, Google and Android are best positioned to knock Ma-Microsoft out of the OS monopoly. When that happens, lets hope Google stays creative and doesn't morph into the new bully on the block.

[knowles2]

Yeah could predicted this a while ago to be honest, google wants android everywhere they can get it. Then eventually make that everything with android have easy to the internet or actually just their adverts really. Including the desktop pc

[theveggiedude]

Yup, I expect Android to end up on the desktop and be a direct competitor to Microsoft Windows. Give it 5 years or so...

[AppleSuxLeo]

I like MSFT...but I must agree. Why not a PC on Android ? I think Android is the flavor of Linux that will finally take off.

[xxczxd]

Java will be included in the proposed GPL ,and the agreement between the companies.

[Starfires]

Google certainly makes some very useful tools. Yet they are not all that much fun to use. I tried their Google homepage attempt for a few days and it was pretty dull. google Earth is useful but... dull. Same goes for my impression of Android so far, compared to what I have on my iPhone. Yet, that simple usability is what we all need, so Android may well make it to places that difficult-to-use Linux has yet to travel.

Good or bad? Bit of both, as the no-frills approach has worked wonders for Google and I can't see them abandoning it, as while people appreciate smooth style, there are many areas of their life where they can't see the point in paying for it.

[uber1337]

google is gonna do what apple does (make competition for windows) but better, and more widespread due to their already strong brand.

[wango2007]

by mdarmocida
Microsoft, are you watching? Like I predicted in another post, Google and Android are best positioned to knock Ma-Microsoft out of the OS monopoly. When that happens, lets hope Google stays creative and doesn't morph into the new bully on the block. ????
--------

Microsoft has nothing to fear from this boring phone by Google which is distributed by second-rate T-mobile.

Microsoft remains dominant in the marketplace because they deliver products that people want, not because they have some imagined "monopoly."

[zzzphone]

hi john
if your interested in a follow up story to your earlier story on zzzphone in new york times please read this; you can call me at xxxxxxxxxx for more details T-mobile. also we have the names of 3 MIT students who have been working summers for google android. they have been offered full time after post grad from MIT. the MIT android team were awarded $350,000 in the contest while our 4 submissions were thrown out. we have since applied for china and USA patents on our 4 software/hardware apps.
further we have been bad mouthed on the official google android blog , saying we are not recognized by google. while the android system is revolutionary and complements our revolutionary process of custom making each cell phone to each customers requirement,(including free uploading 3 android softwares of customers choice),it is anything except "open source"
as david killed goliath, we are beating google to worldwide markets (except we lose the first battle by 1 month in USA). and with a far superior, unlocked(really open sourced), 2 sim card phone. at less than half the true google phone price($179 plus $840 in extra t-mobile charges over 2 years) price.
to my knowledge only google and zzzphone are taking orders as of now.
our engineering team has 22 Chinese in shenzhen as opposed to the 1000s working in the "alliance" you can see the press release (attachment) and our phone at www.zzzphone.com beta
larry horowitz, president

[AndroidMobileRevolution]

Google revolutionized and democratized information by becoming THE portal that allows users to find and connect to the websites that they need. Google would not be Google if it restricted our access to only certain websites with specific products and services. Yet, in today's mobile landscape of fragmented and incomplete cell phone products, application services, and communication servers, this is exactly what is happening.

We at TeleSynergy believes that Google, with its GrandCentral and Android play, is uniquely positioned to revolutionize the mobile communication industry with built-in VoIP infrastructure and servers (at home, in the office, and in the cloud) that make Android as the end device and GrandCentral as the portal that allow consumers to freely choose which services and servers they want in their life. When the end users can access a wide range of open source products (mobile phones offered by chip set vendors which leverages the great R&D effort Android has already invested,) open source services (applications built onto Android's platform, fully integrated and working flawlessly with the services from mobile phone operators in the cloud or service rendering servers at home and in the office,) and open source service rendering severs (small home server, the modern-day answering machine, and office phone system that take the place of the expensive ?Class 5? switch of the Phone Companies,) then Android's smart phone will truly be THE phone that we all must have.

For a simple analogy, let's say that the mobile phone is the iPOD, the services are like the iTunes', and the servers are like the PCs.

In real life, we choose our iPOD (our cell phone) because it allows us to easily access the iTunes (the service that connects iPOD to a wide variety of content) that we enjoy. The iPOD would be useless without music, movies, pictures, and other applications to use it with! We also love iTunes because it sits easily on our own PC (server) so we have a full control of when and how we connect with the iTunes (services).

However, in the current mobile landscape, the iTunes (services) sits on old traditional mainframes (servers) that only the big companies can build and own. There is only one supplier of the service, and there is no server (PC) that you can easily work with. Can you imagine how annoying it would be if you had to take your iPOD to the mall and wait in line with thousands of other people while they downloaded a limited music selection from a restricted iTunes? (Of course, today?s iTune is not open enough, but that is another story?)

Yet, that is exactly what our mobile phone system is like. We are under the control of the big servers that control the end-services we access. Thus, the innovations in the services are also slowed down because it is difficult for the server to create different services to serve all the unique customer demands. So we are still forced to choose from pre-made packages that never quite meet our needs.

But, just like personal computer became smaller, cheaper, and even better than the best of the old, large, and expensive main-frames, so too have home and office phone servers become more affordable, scalable, and customizable than traditional large servers that sits in telecommunications' companies' infrastructure. The time has come for all people to have a home and office server that they can control with rich features such as one number follow me, advance voicemail, and other applications that are still not available on services from the dominant player of the mobile services.

When people have this home and office server, they need a phone with built-in VoIP SIP standards and well architect application program interface that can connect with their service rendering servers. People make the majority of their mobile phone calls at home and at office, so it only makes sense to use the VoIP phone to replace our current, outdated analog phone systems and cordless phones that sits our own home or office. What this means is that people can have only one phone that they can use for any situation, anytime, anywhere, and with anyone. They will save thousands in their phone bills by using VoIP for phone communications at home and at office. With functionalities like One Phone, Many Numbers and ReachMe Control, they can easily control which calls reach them while in the office, out of town, in the car or at home. They can even block numbers. They can also route incoming calls to a series of phone numbers and devices, ensuring they get the message no matter where they are.

We wrote a little article called The Missing Pieces in Android's Mobile Revolution Play: Service Rendering Servers, VoIP, and Chip Set Vendors.

We would love to hear your thoughts on our suggestions.

http://androidmobilerevolution.blogspot.com/