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June 29, 2012
The Android World Order
The Android World Order
The world
today is radically changing with each passing second. From climate changes
resulting in deadly earthquakes and tsunamis, economic meltdown pushing
countries to bankruptcy and mobile phones bridging the communication divide.
In the
evolution of the mobile industry, smartphones have been a major catalyst fusing
into the very fabric of our everyday life with convenience and ease enabling
users to execute the least to the most difficult tasks all-in-one place and on
the go
It all
started with IBM’s Simon in 1993 (Simon was part mobile phone, part PDA, part
fax machine and part pager with calendar, calculator and address book apps), followed
by Nokia’s Communicator series in 1996 (sporting Symbian OS they include Nokia
9000, 9110, 9110i), Ericsson dropped the GS88 smartphone in 1997 and R380 in 2000. The Kyocera
6035 brought the Palm OS into the market in 2001 before Palm Inc. merged with
Handspring in 2002 to bring on board the Palm Treo series. Microsoft made a run
for the smartphone world in 2001 with the Pocket PC as the first ‘Windows
Powered’ smartphone.
 |
| IBM Simon |
 |
| Nokia Communicator |
 |
| Palm Treo |
The years preceding
2005 marked a major era in the smartphone industry as Google Inc. buys Android
Inc. (2005) , Blackberry from RIM introduces
Blackberry Pearl (2006) Apple hits the market with the iPhone running on the iOS (2007), HTC launch the first Android powered device – HTC Dream (2008).
Basically
the Android platform is a Linux based operating system (OS) for mobile devices
developed by the Open Handset Alliance ( a consortium
of 86 hardware, software and telecommunications companies led by Google). The
name Android is from the Greek word andr- meaning ‘man
or male’ and the suffix –eides meaning ‘alike or of the species’. Together this
means ‘being human’.
Below is a
brief take on the different Android OS versions released since its
inception
§ Android 1.0 (released 28th
September 2008)
§ Android 1.5 – Cupcake (released 30th April 2009)
§ Android 1.6 – Donut (released 15th September 2009)
§ Android 2.0 – Éclair (released 26th October 2009)
§ Android 2.2 – Froyo (released 20th May 2010)
§ Android 2.3 – Gingerbread (released 6th December 2010)
§ Android 3.0 – Honeycomb (released 10th May 2011)
§ Android 4.0 – Ice Cream Sandwich (released 19th October 2011)
On a lighter
note, I feel more comfy knowing that all Android releases are named after foods
(who wouldn’t?)
Android’s market sucesses at a glance:
§
Current global market share pegged at
59% Q1 2012 (from a 2.8% global market share in Q2 2009)
§
331 million activated devices
worldwide
§
934 daily device activations
These explosive growth year on year have generated
questions as to the secret behind Android’s success. A lot of experts have
asserted that Apple’s iPhone success is resposible for this growth while others
claim Verizon Wireless is responsible for the ‘Droid’ brand success.
My take on this rapid success is that it is a function
of consumer satisfaction. I feel what Google Inc. simply achieved with the
Android platform is
1.
Accessibility
via Partnerships (Unity in Diversity)
Breaking the usual mobile norm of one
brand – one OS (which I feel is killing the giants like Nokia and RIM) Google
have partnered Samsung, HTC, Motorola, Sony and other big names in the industry
to ensure distribution within these brands and a healthy competition among
partners.
2.
Freedom
(The Consumer is King)
Google have blown up the consumers
ego by allowing them to have a platform that enables them to have things done
their way. Unlike the iOS with a lot of restrictions, Android users have access
to tweak a whole lot which has made it a goldmine for developers thus causing
the Android App market to jump 10 billion downloads as at December 2011.
3.
Good
Pricing (Who said Value for Money isn’t important?)
Google Inc. had to subsidize to keep
the pricing of these Android devices low. This has been a key winning strategy
looking at the global economy today. Infograhic II (above) shows the adoption
rate of the Android is 4x iPhone adoption rate.
After all the comparisons and business implications,
what are the real features that have made the ‘Android Rave’ so unique?
Considering its latest release Android 4.0 otherwise
known as Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) – Yummy!!
1.
Re-designed
User Interface – A whole new more solid interface giving the OS
a more consistent view and feel
2.
Virtual
Button – Away with all those hard home, back, menu and
search keys. All have been moved on to the touchscreen
3.
Better
Menu Organization and Navigation – Cashing in on the
functionality of widgets all menus have been reorganized for easy workflow and
navigation.
4.
Face
Unlock – Besides offering users the regular PIN and pattern
unlock, the slide unlock feature has been included (allowing Apple converts
feel at home) yet the biggest remains the face-recognition unlock system.
5.
Data
Usage View – A major break for Android over iOS lets you know
how your data plan is being used up.
6.
Android
Beam – A near field communication (NFC) based feature that
allows you make purchases by phone and even share data
7.
Better
Google Services & Apps – Improving on their core services ranging
from Gmail, Google Search, YouTube etc. Most notable is the 3D Maps with voice
directions. This feature has got Apple users asking for more.
8.
Better
Keyboard – More accurate and revamped keyboard offering better
error correction and spell checker.
Many more
transformations are expected from the Droid Development Labs so
the next time you see the ‘Droid’ give it the salute of a game changer!
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