Hanging out for an Android Phone and for a new business model
Posted by Paul 17 October 2009
ZDNET has post HERE :
Android opens doors for Google’s next-gen search, ads and tools
“A year ago, there was only one Android device out there – the T-Mobile G-1. Today, Android is powering 12 devices in 26 countries with 32 carriers – and there’s more on the way.”
I am hanging out for a new Android phone because I think the operating system will work much better in the long term and the “ecosystem” will be less limited than the iPhone which is restricted by the Apple attitude. The trouble is that the value of these sorts of devices is now way beyond the value of the individual technology or device because the community of users and developers that grows up around the device is as important as the technology. That was why I was wary about purchasing new new Pre device. It looked form the reviews to be a pretty good device but the big question in my mind was would the applications, the support and the community be there and I very much doubted it. I think that sort of attitude is pretty wide spread and it gives a huge advantage to the first movers in the space that build a community and wide set of applications. I think that the Android system is on the verge of moving to the poin point where the explosion can happen and with the influence and coverage of Google it has a great chance of success. So I have started looking at reviews of phones.
I am in the same frame of mind about an e-reader that I can have books and documents on but I think that space is also on the verge of an explosion of models and offerings and I really want one that I can notate using pdf documents, will pass seamlessly to other devices and systems such as Evernote.
My more general question and one for readers to think about is how do the principles of what is happening around this market transalte into your business or not for profit model? One of the best ways to innovate in strategy is to look at other systems way outside of your normal business model and see what can apply with an open mind and a radical outlook.