Android App Developers Create Great Competition for Apple iPhone
Nov 27th, 2009 by Kolleen
Not so long ago the choices in smart phones were limited to the Apple iPhone or the Blackberry but today individuals will have more choices by way of the marriage of Verizon Wireless network and Motorola with their Droid phone featuring Android technology from Google inside.
The Blackberry, the Apple iPhone and the Verizon/Motorola Droid are more similar than they are dissimilar in that each has the capability of making a phone call, taking a photograph, searching the Web, sending text messages and checking e-mail. Each has a touchscreen interface and all play music and videos; a couple have more buttons than others but overall they are very similar to each other.
Android app developers, which could be an individual or a group of people, are busy developing and creating apps or application for the Android Market or the Droid Store as it sometimes referred to. Sure it has only about 10,000 apps at the moment and compared to iPhones over 100,000 apps, that seems like small potatoes, but the people at Verizon/Motorola are not worried because the apps they do have are the ones people can use and not just “frivolous fluff” like ‘farting’ games.
What the droid does have is the capability of running several apps at one time, including Adobe Flash which is not available on any other smart phone, only phones running the Android software inside.
With Apple’s outlet, part of the reason for their success is the marketing support they receive from AT&T, the big carrier with exclusive U.S. iPhone rights. Once Verizon Wireless begins to preload Android Market on their new smart phones and offering their own application and games through their store, the Market’s usage and content will increase. According to a top executive consultant at IDC, within approximately 12 to 18 months, there should be a lot more interesting applications coming out of the Android app developer companies.
The Verizon Wireless network has long been disputed to be more reliable than AT&T in many key markets. Add to that fact the prospect of more features and the Android phones become a viable alternative to the iPhones. The fact that Verizon Wireless partnered with Google, shows more initiative and less incentive for concessions when it came time to partnering with someone.
