What about Microsoft? Good question! In some ways, this whole iPhone/Android fuss must be extremely galling to the folks at Redmond, given that they have been grinding out Windows Mobile releases for years and that there are many innovative Windows Mobile devices out there, admittedly with strange names like HTC TyTn II. I don't think they're too worried right now. If I were Microsoft, I would be a lot more preoccupied with deciding if I should buy RIM/Blackberry, given that Blackberry devices are becoming the defacto way to connect to Microsoft Office from mobile.
What about you and me, the consumer? What should we expect? I don't expect our mobile lives to be changed by Android anytime soon. We are currently the beneficiaries of changes being driven by the iPhone, with full browsing, touch screens, combo WiFi/cell connections and so on. Android will usher the next generation of changes, unless of course, Mr. Jobs keeps innovating at his usual blazing pace, leaving Android to follow Apple. I did get to see a gPhone live recently and, while I did not get a chance to be too hands-on with the phone, my initial verdict is that it lies somewhere between a Treo and an iPhone in overall usability and innovation for basic functions such as browsing and email.
Then there's the impact on the agencies and marketers. Does the gPhone help or hinder the further opening up of the mobile channel to marketing and advertising? I think the answer must be a resounding yes on two fronts. The first is the profound impact the gPhone, like the iPhone, will have in finally making mobile devices easy to use not just for the tech-savvy, but for the rest of us. This should drive dramatic increases in usage for things other than making phone calls. The second is that it will make it a lot easier for online marketers and advertisers to transition advertising dollars (and euros, and rupees, and pesos) from the fixed internet to the mobile internet, safe in the knowledge that they are not trailblazing on their own, but rather drafting behind a real industry trend, with true commitment from industry heavyweights.
When all is said and done, if Google succeeds, the true revolution will not be in having a better mobile operating system or in great mobile user experiences, it will be that Google succeeded in wresting control of the wireless business model from the big established carriers and vendors. I believe that the business model change will not initially happen, in North American, European or Pacific Rim markets. Rather, I would expect to see first traction in India, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil and the like, markets where advertising-subsidized wireless services make sense because of the extremely high usage of the wireless device (i.e., more ad impressions). This may well be Android's lasting legacy, to foster a truly global wireless village.
Eswar Priyadarshan is CTO for Quattro Wireless Inc. Read full bio.