Google calls Android-related press event, smartphone rumours fly
- 30 December, 2009 09:39
- Comments 2
Google has called an Android-related press conference at its Mountain View campus in the US for January 5 and has the tech press abuzz in what is usually a quiet time of the year for announcements.
While official details of what will be discussed at the event are scarce, several reports have suggested it could be centred on the Nexus One, the HTC-built handset many think Google is developing.
It might be something entirely different that is presented at the press conference, but that hasn’t stopped the media juggernaut getting into full swing.
But regardless of whether Google decides to announce a smartphone now or later, the question for many organisations is whether they would bother switching over from their current devices.
BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and even the iPhone have a well-cemented place in the enterprise. Will Google even rate a mention in smartphone policy discussions?
In the short term I doubt it will have much impact, except for those organisations that are about to undergo a refresh.
But Google has an unnerving ability to succeed with its developments and will surely put its considerable resources behind making any smartphone a success in the long term.
What do you think? Have your say in the Computerworld Poll.
We are asking the question:
Are you likely to evaluate the impending Google smartphone for your organisation?
- Yes, absolutely
- It's a possibility
- Perhaps, but not for a while
- Nope, we're not interested
Vote now
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Comments
Nathan Sollenby
"Yes, absolutely".
I will definitely consider Google's Android OS. The mobile phone scene is changing very rapidly. In the enterprise, BlackBerry is still king. However, iPhone is now number 2, and Windows Mobile is falling from enterprise use. Statistics from InformationWeek:
http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/business/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222000504
Gartner's stats from Q3 2009 show that Windows Mobile's new handset sales have plummeted to just 7.9% of the smartphone market. From a business perspective, this makes it difficult to invest in the Windows Mobile platform in the state it's currently in. Windows Mobile has been decimated in the market place, handset OEMs are phasing it down, and software developers have deserted it for Android and iPhone.
And that's why the scene is changing. iPhone and Android are growing in popularity, but each new revision brings more enterprise features, and more enterprise applications. Bit by bit they become more appealing to enterprise users and consumers alike.
BlackBerry is currently doing very well in the enterprise, but it will need to be successful in the consumer realm to remain a viable platform against the competition.
Michael Manning
Yes, absolutely.
We are currently running with a BES environment and I have been using Android and Gapps for about 9 months as a pilot and in terms of functionality and features, even with the existing handsets their integration and ease of administration are definitely on the money and worth consideration and evaluation.
In terms of security for enterprise use there are some hurdles to overcome, but with the open platform which has already proven a winner for development it will take no time to have an in house app developed to manage that, with very little investment.
If you are currently using or looking at Google Apps Premier for business then this platform (on a whole slew of hardware) is a definite i big contender.
The previous comment by Nathan Sollenby on the "top 2 platforms" is an interesting one. When you consider the open platform which Android brings to the market and can be used by any handset manufacturer however they see fit - IMHO this is a game changer in the mobile smartphone space and one to be watched closely. Never before could any enterprise settle on a piece of hardware and have apps developed (or sourced and built upon) from a community of this size in such an "open source" way. Stay tuned I say!
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