Rapidsoft Technologies

While the iPhone and Blackberry have gotten the lion’s share of attention from users and branded media application developers in recent months, the Android mobile operating system has been sitting in the wings waiting for its chance on stage. That moment seems to have arrived. On Friday Verizon released its Droid family of smart phones that run the Google-inspired Android platform. Until now, Android phones like the G1 were restricted to the second tier T-Mobile network. While major brands like AP and USA Today did port their apps to the alternative smart phone platform, the OS was overshadowed by the iPhone and Blackberry’s far superior market penetration. With a high-profile launch of a well-reviewed phone now running on the nation’s largest carrier, Android has a shot at last of making a case with consumers and developers.

By most estimates, the Android Marketplace of apps has about 10,000 titles (compared to 100,000 in the Apple App Store). The sheer numbers are less important than the brand profile the platform attracts, which has not been strong for Android. This weekend, TheStreet and developer Polar Mobile announced an Android version of the financial and stock news service’s mobile app, which already appears on the iPhone and Blackberry. The development community does seem to have been activated by the Droid launch, as analytics firm Flurry reports that app project starts increased 95% between September and October. Simon Khalaf, CEO says, “Developers who used to develop only for iPhone are now adding Android applications to their lineup in record numbers.”

With its open platform approach, the Android OS has always had the potential to outpace both iPhone and Blackberry in the smart phone market because it is designed to tap into almost any carrier worldwide. The market potential is simply staggering if most carriers decide to follow Verizon’s lead and offer their own Android phones. Verizon’s entry into the market not only makes a robust iPhone/Blackberry competitor available on the nation’s largest network, but it incentivizes competing networks to launch Android models if only to defend their smart phone positions in the market.

Perhaps even more enticing about the Android OS is that some e-book readers like Barnes & Noble’s upcoming “Nook” will use the mobile OS. This means that applications written for the mobile phone should also run on this next generation of e-book readers. For media publishers who have found the rendering of magazine content poor on electronic ink readers like the Amazon Kindle, an Android-powered alternative might offer an easier platform for mobile media distribution.

We have only had a weekend to play with the Verizon Droid ourselves, and it certainly is a credible contender in the space. The Android 2.0 operating system is generally more attractive than the klunkier 1.0 we used on the T-mobile G1. The device itself has a longer and higher resolution screen than the iPhone and offers excellent video and audio playback. The Android Marketplace remains a disappointment. The 10,000 or so apps purported to be in there are of very mixed quality and contain very few major media brands as yet.

But as a platform for future media development there is no question that Android has arrived, both in technological quality and in potential market penetration. Publishers should look carefully at the evolving numbers associated with Android user access and the various demographics the unit are selling into to determine development strategies.

Source : http://www.minonline.com/news/Is-Android-Ready-For-Mobile-Publishing_12633.html