What’s next for Android? Qualcomm and others speculate
By Justin Montgomery
With the news of T-Mobile’s G1 handset over and done with, speculation has already begun in regards to what the future holds for the open source mobile platform. Beyond mobile devices, many are already talking about Android in netbooks, game consoles, and even vehicle dashboards.
“Android will go broader- with more features and functionality," said Andy Rubin, Google’s senior director of mobile platforms, at the company’s Tuesday press conference with T-Mobile. The open nature of the Android platform will allow for different devices to be brought to market much faster than previous mobile operating systems. Different gadgets, beyond mobile devices, could even sport the Android OS sooner than you think.
According to Forbes, Qualcomm- which made the chipset used in the G1, said that it’s working with five phone manufacturers on more than five new Android handsets. Google’s consortium of Android partners, the Open Handset Alliance, is expanding fast- the OHA currently counts only four handset makers as members; G1 manufacturer HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung, but there are clues that Sony Ericsson will also produce an Android handset. "This is the first of many designs based on Android," said Jason Bremner, senior director for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies.
The Android platform is already making its way into other devices. Google recently invited Asus, the maker of the surprisingly popular Eee PC netbook, to the Open Handset Alliance, signaling a possible shift from mobile devices to laptops very soon. With so many members constantly joining the OHA, there will constantly be additions, upgrades, and enhancements to the core Android platform, which is a totally different approach than many operating system’s models. "Manufacturers will be able to choose the latest and greatest version for their phones and devices,” added Bremner.
This is where Google’s “open” way of doing things will shine. By getting its mobile platform into as many mobile devices, and those beyond just cell phones, will broaden Google’s reach even further. The overall goal for Google is to have a consumer running its OS on not only their cell phone, but their media player, game consoles, navigation systems, etc. It makes much more sense than the traditional model.
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September 23rd, 2008
With the launch of Google’s 1st Android phone over and you are wanting more info on the T-Mobile G1, do check out http://www.g1tube.com for all the newest Video’s from around the net.
September 24th, 2008
I think that other handset makers are likely in wait-and-see mode to see how the G1 will do and that handsets are likely to be Android’s primary hardware platform.
It will be interesting to see if people start to adopt Android for other embedded tasks like set-top boxes or home routers, but those are well-established niches where I’m having a hard time seeing how switching to Android will benefit the hardware makers?