After the first month of shakedown and hands-on coding experience, Android platform seems to have brought a lot of disappointment to the developer community. A news agency reported today that the developers are suffering with inadequate documentation, big holes in code and absence of some basic functionality. It was also reported that Google is not being very responsive to the issues submitted. The posts on the Android blog have reduced around four times in a month. With all this information at hand, some critics argue if this is a minor glitch or a sneak preview of things to come.
The report, though seem to be portraying the irritation and frustration of developers, seems to have taken the things too far. Till now, Google has a flawless reputation of providing excellent services and products. This is the first time the people have come so close to join hands with Google to create software. Thus, the expectations from the developer community and from everyone else are way too high.
Also Google seems to have played a smart game by passing on the beta tested Android platform to the developers, who have gone ahead and thought of a lot more possible innovative applications than Google would possibly have in so much time and found the gaps in design and code. Thus, using prize money as a bait, Google gets to test the platform for free because the prize money goes to the one who stays till the end and then also gets selected. Google gets free testing, genuine defects and free advertising.
The reduced number of posts is not at all the correct index of interest and involvement of the developer community. With time, only the serious developers will stay in the game and others will get off the bus. Also, as the development kicks off in various groups and start-ups, they will get a good hang of how the platform works and will have lesser things to ask. Further, these groups will avoid asking questions to the Android forum, as their ideas might get leaked out.
Overall, it looks like a reality pinch to the developers. With time, as the defects will be fixed and Android platform will mature, things will start to shape up.
Showing posts with label Google. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Google. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Googlization of Telecom Industry
Finally, the announcement (login required) of Android and Open Handset Alliance has put an end to all the speculations and rumors around the Google phone. Mr. Andy Robin, Director for Google Mobile Operations, quoted on Google official blog that this launch is more significant and ambitious than that of Google phone. As for now, his claim seems to be very right.
For the last ten years, Google has dictated the internet search market on its own terms, used non-traditional ways to do the business and stayed very successful. However, the arena of telecom market is much different than that of internet market. In internet market, the cost to reach the end user is negligible, thus the quality of content and service becomes the bottom line. However, the games in telecom market are still played by the old rules. The carriers and device manufacturers, which connect the end user with the content, play a huge role in shaping, guiding and leading the industry. These companies, in their own monopolized world, have been using the traditional methods of licensing and corporate alliances, in turn, discouraging innovation and creativity.
The Open Handset Alliance (OHA) and Android, provided things fall in place, have the potential to change the way telecom industry works. More than 30 companies such as Motorola, Texas Instruments, HTC and T-Mobile, which represent carriers, device manufacturers and developers, will take different roles to sustain the life cycle of a mobile phone. This whole approach brings a real hope to the whole telecom industry from the controlled business dealings of device manufacturers and mobile carriers. It also poses a strong competition to established players such as AT&T, Verizon, Nokia, and Symbian, which currently have more than 60% of the telecom market in their subsequent domains.
In the telecom industry, the entry of Apple and Google has received much fanfare. Although both the companies have been very focused in their strategy and future goals, their approach to these future goals and business strategy are completely different. Apple, as I see it, is a designers approach to an electronic device. It has been known to create things which are appealing and innovative. Thus, the launch of iPhone from Apple is not that big a surprise. This is what Apple is known to be doing for the past 20 years. Google, on the other hand, is an internet based software company and search is what they provide best. After making its mark globally in the internet search market, Google plans to expand its search from desktop to mobile world. After all, there are much more mobile phones in this world than PCs. But, to achieve that, Google needs to convince the device manufacturers and carriers to use Google as a default search engine. Further, similar to IP market, it wants to generate the revenues from the clicks on sponsored links, which on a mobile becomes Mobile Advertising. In a traditional telecom world, where Mobile Advertising is still miles away from being an established business, the idea of using revenue from mobile advertising on search based results to reduce the cell phone cost would have been very difficult for the bigger players to digest. In addition, companies like Nokia, which plan to launch its own internet mobile services (Ovi) will not like the new competition from Google. The idea of sharing revenue to the search company will not leave the telecom carriers in a comfortable position either.
All these reasons force Google to build its own mobile phone and create business completely from scratch rather than fit in the existing model. As Mr. Andy Rubin said, “It's important to recognize that the Open Handset Alliance and Android have the potential to be major changes from the status quo -- one which will take patience and much investment by the various players before you'll see the first benefits.” It will not be surprising to see the alliance falling weak if the first Android release does not prove to be a successful one and a lot of future investment and growth will depend upon the initial few months feedback after Android is launched in mid 2008. So far, the telecom carriers have waited long in hope of a killer application which will make data services publicly accepted but have avoided taking any solid steps in that direction. More than anything else, the OHA and Google are doing the best thing to make data services click on mobile phone - by making it cheaper so that more people will take these services and thus breaking the status quo.
For the last ten years, Google has dictated the internet search market on its own terms, used non-traditional ways to do the business and stayed very successful. However, the arena of telecom market is much different than that of internet market. In internet market, the cost to reach the end user is negligible, thus the quality of content and service becomes the bottom line. However, the games in telecom market are still played by the old rules. The carriers and device manufacturers, which connect the end user with the content, play a huge role in shaping, guiding and leading the industry. These companies, in their own monopolized world, have been using the traditional methods of licensing and corporate alliances, in turn, discouraging innovation and creativity.
The Open Handset Alliance (OHA) and Android, provided things fall in place, have the potential to change the way telecom industry works. More than 30 companies such as Motorola, Texas Instruments, HTC and T-Mobile, which represent carriers, device manufacturers and developers, will take different roles to sustain the life cycle of a mobile phone. This whole approach brings a real hope to the whole telecom industry from the controlled business dealings of device manufacturers and mobile carriers. It also poses a strong competition to established players such as AT&T, Verizon, Nokia, and Symbian, which currently have more than 60% of the telecom market in their subsequent domains.
In the telecom industry, the entry of Apple and Google has received much fanfare. Although both the companies have been very focused in their strategy and future goals, their approach to these future goals and business strategy are completely different. Apple, as I see it, is a designers approach to an electronic device. It has been known to create things which are appealing and innovative. Thus, the launch of iPhone from Apple is not that big a surprise. This is what Apple is known to be doing for the past 20 years. Google, on the other hand, is an internet based software company and search is what they provide best. After making its mark globally in the internet search market, Google plans to expand its search from desktop to mobile world. After all, there are much more mobile phones in this world than PCs. But, to achieve that, Google needs to convince the device manufacturers and carriers to use Google as a default search engine. Further, similar to IP market, it wants to generate the revenues from the clicks on sponsored links, which on a mobile becomes Mobile Advertising. In a traditional telecom world, where Mobile Advertising is still miles away from being an established business, the idea of using revenue from mobile advertising on search based results to reduce the cell phone cost would have been very difficult for the bigger players to digest. In addition, companies like Nokia, which plan to launch its own internet mobile services (Ovi) will not like the new competition from Google. The idea of sharing revenue to the search company will not leave the telecom carriers in a comfortable position either.
All these reasons force Google to build its own mobile phone and create business completely from scratch rather than fit in the existing model. As Mr. Andy Rubin said, “It's important to recognize that the Open Handset Alliance and Android have the potential to be major changes from the status quo -- one which will take patience and much investment by the various players before you'll see the first benefits.” It will not be surprising to see the alliance falling weak if the first Android release does not prove to be a successful one and a lot of future investment and growth will depend upon the initial few months feedback after Android is launched in mid 2008. So far, the telecom carriers have waited long in hope of a killer application which will make data services publicly accepted but have avoided taking any solid steps in that direction. More than anything else, the OHA and Google are doing the best thing to make data services click on mobile phone - by making it cheaper so that more people will take these services and thus breaking the status quo.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
AT&T's first step towards Mobile TV
Only a couple of days ago, I wrote about the much talked auction of 700 MHz spectrum. While everyone in the industry is waiting to see who is going to get those channels and how much are these going to cost, AT&T, surprising everyone (especially Verizon), closed a deal with Aloha Partners purchasing spectrum licenses in the 700 MHz frequency band for $2.5 Billion.
AT&T bought 12 MHz of spectrum covering 196 million people in 281 markets. The spectrum covers many major metropolitan areas, including 72 of the top 100 and all of the top 10 markets in the United States. $2.5 Billion seems to be a very reasonable price, given the heat that has gathered around the auction. Companies like Verizon, which will try hard to get a good share of this spectrum to strengthen their position in the market; and Google, which is determined to take its first step in the telecommunication industry with this auction, can push the price of these channels really high. The 700 MHz frequncy has total 9 channels for auction (also known as auction 73) and only 3 channels with 12 MHz frequency spectrum, all in the lower 700 MHz band. While FCC expects to generate no less than $12 Billion from auction 73, industry experts believe it to be worth $30 Billion.
Aloha Partners is the largest owner of 700 MHz spectrum in United States. Wireless analysts and industry experts agree that this spectrum is much better than other wireless frequencies, because it travels significantly farther and penetrates foliage and buildings significantly better, hence saving billions of dollars to build a network on these frequencies compared to other frequencies.
This purchase has put AT&T in a very strong strategic position, much ahead of its competitors. With the auctions still 3 months away from today, AT&T can get significant advantage in the market by launching early and ahead of everyone else. However, at the same time, it also puts AT&T under pressure to offer its products and services in stipulated time and maximize the benefits from the opportunities. Another potential risk associated with being the first is that the followers can learn quickly from the mistakes of AT&T and adjust their strategies in a short time, reduce risks and make better profits.
In the past years, Aloha Partners has been busy developing market trials to provide high-speed, wireless broadband Internet services and broadcast mobile TV and music service in several of its markets, and most probably, AT&T will be thinking on the similar lines to leverage the incredible capacity of this spectrum. While the commercial and mass deployment of these products and services are still far away, it will be very interesting to see the way this spectrum will change the face of the telecom industry and what percentage of ancient telephony is actually left in a mobile phone.
AT&T bought 12 MHz of spectrum covering 196 million people in 281 markets. The spectrum covers many major metropolitan areas, including 72 of the top 100 and all of the top 10 markets in the United States. $2.5 Billion seems to be a very reasonable price, given the heat that has gathered around the auction. Companies like Verizon, which will try hard to get a good share of this spectrum to strengthen their position in the market; and Google, which is determined to take its first step in the telecommunication industry with this auction, can push the price of these channels really high. The 700 MHz frequncy has total 9 channels for auction (also known as auction 73) and only 3 channels with 12 MHz frequency spectrum, all in the lower 700 MHz band. While FCC expects to generate no less than $12 Billion from auction 73, industry experts believe it to be worth $30 Billion.
Aloha Partners is the largest owner of 700 MHz spectrum in United States. Wireless analysts and industry experts agree that this spectrum is much better than other wireless frequencies, because it travels significantly farther and penetrates foliage and buildings significantly better, hence saving billions of dollars to build a network on these frequencies compared to other frequencies.
This purchase has put AT&T in a very strong strategic position, much ahead of its competitors. With the auctions still 3 months away from today, AT&T can get significant advantage in the market by launching early and ahead of everyone else. However, at the same time, it also puts AT&T under pressure to offer its products and services in stipulated time and maximize the benefits from the opportunities. Another potential risk associated with being the first is that the followers can learn quickly from the mistakes of AT&T and adjust their strategies in a short time, reduce risks and make better profits.
In the past years, Aloha Partners has been busy developing market trials to provide high-speed, wireless broadband Internet services and broadcast mobile TV and music service in several of its markets, and most probably, AT&T will be thinking on the similar lines to leverage the incredible capacity of this spectrum. While the commercial and mass deployment of these products and services are still far away, it will be very interesting to see the way this spectrum will change the face of the telecom industry and what percentage of ancient telephony is actually left in a mobile phone.
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