I meant to post this a few days ago but I got sidetracked with work and of course the new Zune launch. For those of you interested in knowing more about what Google’s Android software stack is all about – check out these two video clips over at YouTube. You’ve got Sergey Brin (co-founder of Google) himself talking a bit about the platform and then you have demonstrations of the software running on a variety of hardware platforms. Looks pretty neat from afar.. We’ll see how it all pans out when real devices with the platform actually comes out.

 

Some folks have asked what I thought about all of this. I think the Android platform COULD be a good thing for the mobile community IF it’s executed correctly. Getting folks to develop applications and tools for the Android platform shouldn’t be hard to accomplish. If the hardware is going to be there and the sales start racking up, then sure – the developers will come. However, I’m still a little dubious about the “altruistic nature” of the platform. Let’s be real folks – Google is still about making money at the end of the day. It’s able to do these projects right now because it’s flush full of money.. but if this were to subside, don’t think for a moment that Google wouldn’t reconsider how much it spends on projects etc. The mobile space is one area where Google can’t afford to stay out of simply because that’s where the user base is already at. Developing a platform that utilizes Google services and APIs will certainly ensure that people will continue to use Google.. which of course means more advertising dollars for the company which of course keeps the business engine running smoothly.

Ah yes.. so what do I think of this so far? The demonstrations certainly look cool…. but at the end of the day as proven by Apple, it’s about form and function. It’s clear that the functionality is probably there.. but will form follow? Will there be “cool” devices that revolutionize the space like the iPhone? Or will we simply have yet another series of mobile phones that look pretty much indistinguishable from others?  Enjoy the clips and let me know what you think of all of this so far..

[via NYTimes]

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