The call hasn't ended

May a thousand Google phones bloom! That must have been Google's intent when it recently unveiled an ambitious strategy that will make cell phones cheaper, and speed up internet surfing with its new 'open' platform called Android. Android includes a new browser and Linux operating system (OS) which will compete with platforms such as Apple's OS X on the iPhone, the BlackBerry OS, Microsoft's Windows Mobile, and the Palm OS. It is an "open" platform, which means the source code can be altered by developers for use on handsets. While the hardware costs of cell phones are dropping steadily, software functionality is becoming increasingly complex and costing more. Open source reduces the cost of the software, which comprises a major chunk of the cell phone's cost. Google expects Android to reduce the prices of today's $500 (Rs 20,000) phones to no more than $100-150 (Rs 4,000-6,000) in a year or so.

Google also describes Android as the "world's first mash-up platform which bridges the island between the internet and cell phones". Mash-up is a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool. A typical example is the use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information to real-estate data from Craigslist, thereby creating a new and distinct web service. This is expected to enrich the web experience on mobiles.

Comparisons between Google and Microsoft are inevitable. Android, for instance, is the name of Andy Rubin's (now Google's director of mobile platforms) former company, which Google bought to get him on board. Microsoft had to buy Ray Ozzie's (now Microsoft's chief software architect) firm, Groove, to get him on board and accelerate the 'Live' programme to tackle Google. Hotmail (now Windows Live Hotmail) is being hounded by Gmail. And Microsoft Office faces the Google Apps onslaught, while Microsoft's Virtual Earth is nibbling at Google Earth. Google has also teamed up with IBM on "cloud computing", challenging Microsoft's plans; and Microsoft Live is eating into Google's search lead. Now Google has struck again with Android to attack the Windows Mobile operating system. To add spice to the story, Apple too is in the game. Google CEO Eric Schmidt is on the board of Apple, which could well mean that iphones will be the first to adopt the Android platform.

Carriers like Verizon and AT&T could spoil Google's party. Besides being worried that open-software standards could expose users to software attacks and security breaches, they (more importantly) have financial worries. Google says Android's browser will be able to handle any type of web content that a desktop computer's web browser can handle. A cell phone that allows customers to use any mobile web application for free could threaten the revenue of carriers that charge customers for identical applications, such as access to e-mail, games, and GPS (global positioning system) features. Many of these services can be offered today but are not, largely due to the fact that wireless carriers currently offer basic browsers that restrict users to a minimum set of services. Nevertheless, at least one company has committed to commercially deploying handsets and services using the Android platform in the second half of 2008. Others are likely to follow suit.