Can they get the marketing right or will it be another Betamax - ie better than VHS but failed due to not getting enough of a market.

Time will tell. The N900's an impressive piece of kit though.

I think that Google have got the right approach with the open nature of the Android system. By releasing the reliance on a particular piece of hardware, they are trying to do the same thing that Mircrosoft did with the IBM Compatible PC - make the software completely hardware independent. We have already seen Android being adopted on phones, netbooks, tablets, televisions and set-top boxes.

If apple started licencing iPhoneOS to other hardware manufacturers, then that may be a different matter, but unfortunately Job's paranoid and controlling attitude towards Apple's technology is likely to constrict and limit their market.

I think it's a very similar situation to Acorn Computers back in the 80's/90s - technically superior products, with an awesome OS, but jealously guarded and incredibly hardware dependent. It's no wonder that Microsoft was able to dominate the [particularly education] market - users could go out and buy a cheap clone IBM PC, and not have to buy expensive proprietary hardware.

They are interesting times, but I think that the open nature of Android for both software and hardware developers gives it the edge over Apple's paranoia.


S

Not just Acorn. There was Sinclair, Commodore, Apple, Amstrad etc all with their own proprietary OSs all competing against each other. The current mobile phone market is just a repeat of the micro computer market of the 80s. Steve Jobs hasn't learnt from history.

Save yourelves a few quid

Except that Apple's market share is increasing albeit slowly, it is getting there.

Actually no it's not. If you look at market share of iPhone vs Android in the US you will find that iPhone sales have diminished and Andriod has just overtaken it. On top of that there are a few tablets about to be released that will compete with the iPad, are technically superior and look set to blow that away as well.

Not the case in Australia but Australia is 10 years behind the rest of the world anyway.

Ok, but I was meaning more generically as a company as a whole. Only a few years ago Apple's were in the realm of geeks and techies (esp for graphics) - a bit like Linux now. Today however (and probably in part due to the iPod success) Apple is much more high street and well known. I think on the back of their niche products Mac's are generally getting more acceptance and market share. I'm no expert just my opinion.
I think for that reason iPad will succeed - no doubt there will be technically better products in both hardware and software but they're running a slick operation.

And the biggest problem is that Apple locks the user down into iTunes and it's other proprietary formats. When something completely open like Android comes out it's only a matter of time before Apple go in the same direction they did when the PC took over the micro computer market.

Well, I spent most of the morning playing with an iPad which one of our contracted developers kindly leant to me while he was in meetings. It's every bit as good as I thought it would be. That's the thing that the Android advocates don't get - it's not just the fact that it's an amazingly versatile device with a gorgeous screen and a superb operating system, it's the fact that it all works so well together - the sum of its parts - app store and all.

I've had a play with Android based devices and they're very pale imitations of iPhone OS and iPhone hardware (most of the Android apps I played with sucked royally). Similarly I've had a play with Windows 7 tablets and they're pale imitations too. Some people will knock it simply because it's from Apple, it's their loss. While the Google apologists whinge on the owners of Apple products are happily using their devices out in the real world.

Have you used Android 2.1? Apparently it's much better than the earlier versions.

So what does it do that a tablet doesn't or is it interface design? At the moment Google has no tablet/tampon product.

In what way does that out perform the Samsung Omnia HD?

The Omnia HD is a way better phone/camera/video playback device, and it hasn't managed to knock the iPhone of its perch.

JTL

Nope - not used it - have used previous versions though. As I said earlier - these products are the sum of their parts. The simple fact is that it's the apps that make these products just as much as it is the OS. Where there was a direct equivalent (something like a Facebook app) that I could test, the Android versions were weak at best. To be honest, the only product I've seen that looks like it might get anywhere near the amazing integration of the iPhone is Microsoft's new Zune-ish phones.

It's everything. It's the amazing screen, the solid build quality, the OS, the apps, the connectivity. It's an incredibly natural product to use that requires virtually no instructions.

What do you make of the iPhone 4G/HD leak?

You have to be joking, right? For a start the Omnia HD runs the Symbian OS...

HTC Desire review:

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pho...iew?artc_pg=13

Quote "as a piece of hardware it's without par in the mobile world."