I’ve just read that the Open Handset Alliance has been launched. Its not a Google-only project, its 30 companies that have got together to build an open, Linux-based platform for the future mobile phone. Microsoft and Nokia are, naturally, nowhere to be seen! HTC, the big MS Mobile-based handset OEM are involved though.
There really isn’t much information available on the alliance website yet but Google are calling it “the foundation for many new phones and will create an entirely new mobile experience for users, with new applications and new capabilities we can’t imagine today.” Today is not Gphone day and Im quite relieved. I’d rather see Google keep focusing on their applications.
The new platform will be called Android and, based on the fact that both Intel and Marvell are hardware partners, could come in both x86 and ARM flavors although I wouldn’t expect x86 phone hardware to be possible until Moorestown is available in 2009/2010
In the list of 30 partners I don’t see anyone offering a browser solution. I love the idea of making it easy to make apps but I really hope that this platform embraces a good browser and is not just relying on a suite of tailored internet connected apps. That could get really fragmented and messy. The extent of the software elements will be obvious when the SDK is released next week. The first phones based on the platform are expected in the second half of next year.
