Cornered!
Cornered! is a blog devoted, most of the time anyway, to telecommunications: local and global issues, technology, people and trends from the perspective of someone who's been reporting, analysing and commenting on the industry since the dark ages (BC - before competition). Sometimes serious, sometimes flippant, sometimes frivolous. Controversial, analytical, informative, amusing, but never boring; a vehicle for examinations of important issues and observations on my encounters and experiences in an industry where polarised views and hyperbole are the norm.

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Technology news and Jobs arrow Cornered! arrow Android's adversaries analysed - or are they?
Android's adversaries analysed - or are they? E-mail
by Stuart Corner   
Thursday, 03 January 2008
A new report claims to analyse the significance of Google's Android Linux-based mobile platform versus competitive platforms. It makes the headline-grabbing statement that unless Android is able to "galvanise the mobile Linux development movement" it will be obsolete before 2008 is out, but there is little indication that this report has the full measure to the mobile Linux movement and Linux-based competitors to Android.
The report: "Google Android and the Wireless Ecosystem" is the first product of a co-operation between the Mobile Commerce Lab at the International University of Japan  and MindCommerce in the US.

I don't have he luxury of access to the full report but the press release announcing its publication and the freely available summary provide little re-assurance that the report adequately analyses the nature and extent of competition to Android from other Linux mobile platform initiatives.

The report claims to "look through the hype and cynicism that has surrounded Google's official unveiling of Android and analyses the significance of Android versus competitive platforms such as Symbian, Windows Mobile and MontaVista, as well as competing devices such as Apple's iPhone and RIM's Blackberry."

According to Dr Philip Sugai, director of the Mobile Consumer Lab and lead author of the report: "Google's next (and most) critical challenge at this early stage of development actually lies in how it will address MontaVista, and galvanise the mobile Linux development movement. Without successfully accomplishing this goal, Android will become obsolete within 2008, never ever levelling a substantial competitive threat against either Symbian or Microsoft."

According to the report: "Android is the first legitimate attempt to re-create the success of Japan's 'Wireless Ecosystem' model within the context and realities of international mobile markets [and]...if successful...could spark unprecedented innovations within mobile content, service and application development."

But the mobile Linux Development movement is much larger and more complex than MontaVista - a Linux software company. There are at least two bodies, each with an impressive array of industry heavyweight members - that are backing open Linux-based mobile platforms, plus four such platforms within the aforementioned Japanese wireless ecosystem.

And the stakes are very high. As I reported on iTWire in August 2007 , Linux is being tipped as the fastest growing smartphone OS over the next five years and set to account for 31 percent of all smartphones on the market by 2012. So here is a quick overview of who's who in this market.

 
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Cornered! - Telecoms blog
Cornered! is a blog on all things tele-communication from the perspective of one who has observed, analysed commented and reported on the industry since the dark ages (BC - before competition).