If you thought the iPhone was a game changer, prepare for the arrival of what many are calling the gPhone – Google’s new operating system, called Android, for mobile devices. Apple did a great job of the iPhone, it’s a slick piece of design and it changed the rules by integrating with their proprietary online stores, eliminating the key hurdle many had of “so how do I get stuff on it??”
Now Google is looming on the mobile horizon, promising to change the landscape in its typical fashion. Forget Apple’s proprietary “our way or the highway” approach, Google’s vision is built to be shared. The key difference is that they build the software (or Operating System) and the services it delivers. Think of it more like your computer – you choose the hardware you like and install Google’s operating system, just like Windows. Hell, you can even build your own mobile phone to run it!
Google Android
So why is that so exciting? Well, if you consider the power iPhone draws from iTunes and the Apple app store, think of the possibilities of a phone connected directly to the largest online provider in history. Instantly the ever-growing list of features and functions Google is developing become integral to your mobile device – search is the obvious one but location based information driven by maps will become ubiquitous. Leveraging the upcoming explosion of the ability to link your friend’s together through your social network, your mobile becomes the always-on, goes-everywhere-you-do social connection.
- Here comes the gPhone (aka Google Android) – click to watch video
If you think that is just another me-centric plaything, take a moment to search for the nearest restaurant of your favourite cuisine on Google (or even better your mobile Google app). Not only will you see the nearest one to you on the map, but you’ll also be able to read a variety of user ratings and even reviews. If you’re having trouble finding the right place it can give you driving directions and even a shot of the storefront, courtesy of StreetView.
Watch the CEO of Google itself explain it in more detail here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FJHYqE0RDg
Might be a good time to dust off that SEO plan for your website!
Matt Scott, DraftFCB
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