Comments on: Underestimating Google can be disastrous

Don Reisinger thinks companies in the cell phone industry are underestimating Google. And based on its history, that could be disastrous for Google's competitors.

[TV James]

Yeah, while Gmail rocks, it's a distant fourth where I work (I run our outbound email marketing group).

Android can do whatever it wants, but there are three groups of people who won't flip from Apple quickly if ever.

(1) The fanboys.
(2) The sheep - the crowd that believes owning an Apple makes them cool. (Not fanboys because they don't "get" Apple.)
(3) Those that have made many purchases on iTunes. (My wife and I own two Motorola RAZR v3is and it's nice being able sync with iTunes but it's limited to 100 songs, no video, no podcasts, etc. and Motorola can't program a decent UI to save themselves. When they finally die or when I finally throw it out the window in frustration, then we'll final give in and commit to that extra $40-$50 it'll cost a month above our normal plans and get a pair of iPhones. Then I won't have to carry the RAZR and the iPod classic 5 80GB.)

I don't see Apple being unseated any time soon. I see the big losers being (a) any hardware manufacturer (Motorola, Nokia, Palm, RIM) that doesn't get on board with Android, (b) Microsoft (sorry, it's becoming perpetual), Symbian, Palm and the rest, (c) the carriers and their gigantic profit margins and once again (d) Google's normal competitors (Yahoo, AOL, etc.)

Maybe RIM in the long-run.

[dd13reis]

You're right about the three groups and I think that's Google's biggest problem right now. But what if Google forms its own cadre of fanboys? And what about Amazon's service? That's on the G1. I think Google has some opportunities to succeed, it just needs to somehow fight the Apple onslaught. I think it can.

-Don

[Malenx]

Man, so many people have it wrong, they are fighting tooth and nail against a beta phone.

Let's be realistic and straight here. Android is an organic OS. It will grow and change, flaws will disappear, it can adapt and become an amazingly better OS than it already is. It can be tweaked for ANY STYLE OF PHONE that the user wants it to be.

A phone is just a piece of hardware with options. With an open OS that can be tweaked to their liking, companies can make any type of phone that they want. IPhone style, big touchscreen, great speakers or bluetooth / 3.5 mm headphone jacks. Blackberry style, with great battery life, smooth look, full keyboard. If you can dream of anything you've ever wanted, they can make it.

Android is the tweakable, customizable, amazingly robust backbone that these companies can use to create any type of phone you could dream of. This first phone is the tip of Android's toe into the water, just wait and see when they're friends start diving in along side them.

[dd13reis]

That's a great point. Android will only improve over time thanks to its openness, can the same be said for the hard-headedness of Steve Jobs or the folks at Microsoft?

I doubt it.

-Don

[cerebral_but_dull]

Android will probably be powerful, but I'll take my iPhone for the foreseeable future. Everything has advantages and disadvantages and the physical keys on some phones mean you can't use ShapeWriter like you can on the iPhone's keyboard. And ShapeWriting is quite a bit faster than one-fingering tiny little keys, whether the keys be physical or touchscreen.

[dd13reis]

Yep, I agree -- the G1 just doesn't have what it takes to beat the iPhone 3G at this point. But I still think Android can...eventually. It needs time, improvement, phones, and most of all, a worthwhile experience.

-Don

[blahblah20001]

This article seems to be written from the point of view that Andriod is a cell phone.

Sentences like

It's too underpowered and its obvious omissions tell me T-Mobile and Google rushed it before it was ready.
And now, as Android finally hits store shelves next month, companies in the cell phone industry are making the same mistake.

Andriod is not a cell phone. HTC is the company that makes the cell phone, and T-mobile and HTC work together to customize the phone for the user.

Android is an OS. The missing features you are speaking of are mainly software ones, which will be added as developers program them and release applications

[dd13reis]

Uh, yeah we know that. Read it again and realize that what you're excerpting here is a discussion on the G1. Android is hitting store shelves because it's bundled in the G1.

-Don

[Spanwite]

Just wait, this Phone got pushed out the door. To get a feedback, like a bigger field Test.
Spring 2009 there will be the big bang, I believe.
And maybe a bit later Android on you home computer.

See it positive, more choices are coming.
Is this not a good thing?
All MP3 Players look like an i Pod now, catching up with i Tune, everyone has to catch up with the i Phone.
If there was no real other Internet Browser a while ago, there was No big need for improvements!

I look forward for the new Toys ;-)

[dd13reis]

Yep, this is the first of many Android phones. I don't think we should expect TOO much out of the G1 -- it's a proof of concept more than anything.

-Don

[sixdonuts]

Hmmm... from what I have seen so far the G1 seems actually more usable than both the iPhone and Blackberry. Neither the iPhone or Blackberry does everything well - iPhone does internet and UI - Blackberry does email and scheduling. I also like that it has touch/haptic functionality and a keyboard.

If the G1 does phone calls well I think they will have a winner (iPhone and blackberry both are not great at phone calls - Nokia as far as I'm concerned is best at calls). One other point some seem to be overlooking overlooking is that the G1 is fully integrated with the Google web apps (email, contacts, maps, calendar, youtube, talk etc.) - impressive.

I'm also sure the Android GUI and functionality on the G1 will be improved before and after the phone is released in Oct.

[dd13reis]

More usable than the iPhone 3G? Interesting take. i think it'll be interesting to see, but there's one major problem -- the lack of 3G availability on T-Mobile's network is troublesome, to say the least. But you're right on the Google apps front -- that could be huge (and spell trouble for Apple).

-Don

[srebelo]

This article is not about T-Mobile G1... it is about android... GPS, and sliding keyboards are not Android features....

"Apple, RIM, Microsoft, and the rest need to wake up and realize that the G1's success isn't indicative of the future success of Google in the cell phone industry. Android is."

[dd13reis]

Exactly. The G1 isn't the future of Google or its success in the marketplace -- Android is.

Thanks for pointing that out.

-Don

[jazzmandan]

Google haven't really integrated the experience of their web offerings yet. It's still a choppy experience. I'd also question the usability of gmail, my wife, mother and I all have trouble with it, it's not very initiative.

The iphone is still a well rounded device that with the addition of a few apps can do anything from the helping the kids with the homework, to keeping the baby entertained.

Have we had the same raving about how it is to develop in Android compared to the iPhone. Not yet, strange since it's been out there a lot longer

[dd13reis]

Really? The G1 will feature all of the major Google apps and will work just fine with them. Granted, 3G (or lack thereof) may throw a wrench in those plans, but still -- they're there.

I do want to see what the quality of apps will be like though -- that's important and one of the major downfalls of RIM's and MSFT's apps.

-Don

[brian.lee]

Apple and RIM ignoring Android, is the same as handset manufactures ignoring the iPhone. Look what happened Apple changed the mobile handset industry. The advantage that Android has going for it... it's Linux to Microsoft, it's complete freedom. If you look at where Apple is going with app development it's a dictatorship, tons of apps have been banned because it competes with Apples out of the box applications.

[dd13reis]

I think that's exactly what we'll see here -- Android apps (many of them) will be rejected iPhone apps. And that could prove troublesome to Apple.

Look for Apple to change its policy if the Android store starts bringing in some hefty cash.

-Don

[donald17]

Anybody: If I were to give you the choice of a FREE Android or a FREE Blackberry... which would you choose?

[dd13reis]

Free BlackBerry.

-Don

[layclerk]

Android, hands down. I use Internet about 70% percent of the time, about 20% for email/SMS, the rest of the time for phone calls. Blackberry's browser simply doesn't cut it.

[williamblanchard]

FREE Blackberry Bold please :)

[myislanduniverse]

It will be compelling to see how this all plays out. I'm no market barometer, by any means, but a number of devices have come and gone with T-mobile in the last two years, and I've had many reasons to want to jump ship, as well (iPhone withstanding). The current (finally!) roll-out of 3G on T-mobile's network, a smartphone that finally has all the important things I've been looking for at a price point I can afford, and some bonuses like an open-platform seem like the moment and machine I've been waiting for.

I think you may be right that this is being underestimated. A quick look at Engadget will at least reveal a healthy troop of T-mobile enthusiasts (who knew they were there?) who have been long-awaiting this convergence.

[dd13reis]

Great point and a major issue: T-Mobile enthusiasts are few and far between and Google has yet to develop a fanboy following of any great measure. That could prove troublesome -- just look at the minimal hype surrounding this device compared to the iPhone 3G. It's amazing.

-Don

[webuser0001]

"it offers full Google integration, which is a key concept in today's age of Google domination"

This comment makes no sense. Google is a set of web services. Any phone that can do HTTP can talk to google maps, email, or whatever. The iphone SDK is open and you can build whatever you want to talk to whatever you want.

[dd13reis]

Ah, but it's not native and it doesn't work nearly as well than if it was running the way it will on Android. And don't you think that having the icon on your phone and being able to run it without needing to connect to the Web counts for something?

I do.

-Don

[n0th3r3]

I really want to be wowed by it but I'm just not. There's no single feature I can point to that makes it stand out amongst the crowd. And their decision not to reject and third party content is a double edged sword. There'll be lots of innovation, but there'll be a whole lot more crap you'll have to wade through. The compass mode and street view are kind of cool but not worth getting a phone over. Android has the potential to someday be a game changer but as is, I don't think people will notice.

[dd13reis]

If you're talking about the G1, I agree. But if you're talking about Android, I absolutely disagree.

-Don

[ppapageorgiou]

The real news will be when there's a choice of carriers supporting Android handsets. My objections to buying an iPhone are:

Showstopper: Tied to one carrier.
Showstopper: Closed software publishing model

In every other respect the iPhone is fabulous. Compare that with the G1:

Showstopper: Tied to one carrier. Duh! Google. Duh! What were you thinking?
Concern: Quality and functionality may be poor initially.

Fix the single carrier, and geeks will embrace the Android so that they'll recommend it instead of the iPhone. Vendors will also sort out the initial roughness of the software soon enough.

[dd13reis]

You can bet that an Android-based phone for other carriers is right around the corner. And you're right -- that's step one in making it a success. You can bet on it.

-Don

[Mav373]

It?s amusing to read people?s thoughts about Android all over the web. Everybody has a point of view and personal experience to back it up. Everybody is somewhat right and somewhat wrong. Putting aside the obvious flaws and banalities of the original article I?d like to point out that it?s possible but practically not feasible to create the ?dream? smartphone (or anything else for that matter) in the ?real world?.

As one wise guy said, ?Everything is best for something but worst for something else?. For example, the openness of the OS (widely dubbed as ?the best feature? of Android), may be a good thing for computer geeks but casual consumers could care less. In the real world the issues of cost, stability, marketability, hardware limitations and god know what else will chime in, want it or not.

To make a long story short, a company doesn?t create a market for a product. It?s the other way around. And Nokias, RIMs, Apples and Microsofts of this world understand this - make no mistake about it.

Apple, with all the iPhone limitations people moaning about, was able to break into mobile world because it created a beautifully crarfted device with interface that is 3-5 years ahead of the competition and a multi-million army of iPod users to draw upon.

In fact, based on the success of iPhone, it?s Apple, which was underestimated by everybody else and who are now scrambling to ?copy-paste-sell? by any means possible, including opening their OSes, providing a ?me-too? touch screen etc. And need it be said it?s not the first and the last time?

[dd13reis]

Great point. We haven't even had an Android-based phones in our homes yet, nor have tried a G1 and already everyone is talking about Android like they've played with it for years.

-Don

[lanigan427]

Had a Treo for years, loved the PDA, hated the phone. Now I have a Blackberry and for the life of me can't understand why they own the smart phone market while Palm is headed for the grave. The blackberry o/s lacks everything I liked in my Treo. No search function no customizable buttons, no Word to go, and did I mention that the calended and contacts are deplorable, at best. I don`t care if Googles' new phone looks like the original game boy, if it functions better than this piece of crap, I'll buy it. I don't need sizzle, nor is my phone any form of expression. I need functionality, period. I agree that betting against Google is foolish.

[dd13reis]

Great point. You illustrate something important: no one is offering everything we want/need. Honestly, it's pathetic and ridiculous. I have a Treo too and guess what...I hate it. I don't have a BlackBerry, but after using this iPhone for so long, I'm starting to think it's time to switch. Not sure yet though.

-Don

[sixdonuts]

Totally agree! Why can't someone make a phone that just performs the basics well? I wish there was some way I could cobble together a phone using the best features from all.

[zephirdx]

Luck 5+ times in a row... Comparing something closed to open architecture... Mediocre at everything that doesn't involve a search (I guess we forget G-Mail and Google Earth) ...

Typical comments from commuters on the Google hate train, please go crawl back under your rocks. Hardly any of you use Google anyways. But I guess that's what Google wants. Its PR either way you put it. Those of us who like free quality stuff and don't get grouchy because we were foolish enough to pay for it in the past, will keep using Google's products and services.

Any feature not currently present on G1 will be there sooner or later, whether Android's open nature motivates a hobbyist or a major developer to create it, or Google does it themselves. And more of it will be free to the end user than on any other device. AppStore is laughable, considering Apple's many attempts to control what its users get there. I'd link an article, but I really don't care that much. I really despise Apple as of late, especially because of their typical end user's brainwashed responses on anything that comes to close competing with their precious colored toys. Apple caters to the trendy, which is cute, but not innovative. "I'm a PC". Grow up.

And while other devices, like the Blackberry, are all well and good, they would be better if one could easily develop anything more than Jar for them. (And if you think I'm talking about a round glass container, I must that this moment to laugh)

Keep hating people, because that's all it is.

[dd13reis]

Right on all fronts. Google has done the right thing in countless occasions and somehow we're supposed to count it out because Apple is in the same space for once? Please.

I look at Google as a real powerhouse. Apple can beat up on MSFT all day and probably beat RIM, but I think Google is an entirely different story.

-Don

[krovvidiusa]

iPhone has been in the market for over a year. Google & HTC are very well aware of the capabilities of iPhone. Why would they release a phone with fewer features than whats already in the market and expect people to buy it?When you dont have as big a brand name as Apple, dont you want your product to speak & market for itself? Afterall that was how Google grew in the first place. I admire Google for its search engine and other research, but I think they are forgetting their basics while trying to step into every field possible.

[dd13reis]

Interesting point, but Google didn't really have a say in the device when it was all said and done. We need to remember that Android is a software platform and that's all Google is providing. Nothing more, nothing less.

-Don

[qaz478]

This author is weird, what do you expect the other companies to respond, they should say they're scared? off course you say adroid is not a threat, regardless it;s true or not. Saying you're scared will just give more power to your competitor.
And where microsoft when google build seach engine, you asked? well, what you expect microsoft to do? hijacked google and distroy all their server?
this article doesn't make sense, or lack of entrepreneurship or marketing sense, obviously not a business player.

[lil-yankee]

I would flat out have to agree with you. This phone as many are mistaking, is not googles to worry about, is t-mobile's. Google's only worry in this category would have to be android and all its potential. Heck, this might not beat apples iphone but the other one would and thats the problem. This would be more of an OS competition as opposed to an antual phone. HTC delivered the G1 and its not quite as elegant as an iphone but how about if you could get that os in the experia? that would change it all.
I think that everybody in the mobile phone business should be worry about this movement if they are not part of it because it looks like something big.
Im eager to get it on my phone, I saw it and it looks like fun.

[kksing]

That's the thing...

Google will NEED to convince SE to put this on the experia. They were not able to convince HTC to put this on the Touch series, so one has to wonder how successful they would be in convincing the other handset manufacturers to adopt Android.

This is not like the PC market where you can replace Windows with Linux. The phone's OS is hardcoded in and is generally not replaceable by the user. If Google cannot convince the SEs, Samsungs, and LGs of the world to put Android onto their top-of-the-line handsets, then Android will soon be consigned to another failure in Google's history.