Let me say up front that I think LINUX in perhaps multiple forms and flavors will become, by far, the most popular platform on mobile devices over time. This has partly to do with the fact that it's essentially free, that so many programmers know how to make it work, and that the iPhone, the most influential handset (after the BlackBerry line) ever, is really about cool interface, and LINUX will have that, too. Right now, depending upon whom you believe, the Symbian OS has more than 50% market share in the handset platform market. Symbian is going open source to counter LINUX and other competition, but I don't think that's going to matter. LINUX will have, within a few years, the largest installed base and the most momentum here. Which LINUX? Maybe Android, maybe not, but let's assume Android for the moment.
And we're just getting our first look at the first Google Android implementation, the G1 from T-Mobile (note this is a truly horrible, information-free site, but at least it's official). Not a good name for a product, in my opinion - sounds like 1G and I'm sure some people will refer to it as such, whether in error or not (the T-Mobile guy I spoke with on Tuesday called it a 1G; go figure). My initial reaction: it's a bit big, but that means more screen and (at least in theory) a more usable keyboard. The design is your basic slider; many will like the physical keyboard in favor of the iPhone's touch-screen-only arrangement. It has Wi-Fi (all successful enterprise-class products will), GPS (everyone loves Google Maps, don't they?), a 3.2 Mpixel camera (all enterprises hate cameras, don't they?), and an SD slot (but no tethered data), and it's cheap - US$179. It has to be cheaper than a low-end iPhone 3G, but it's not an iPhone killer - again, nothing is or can be.
I'm sure, once the second or third software release rolls around and it's debugged, that the G1 will be a player in the high-end handset space. There'll be local apps of many forms (without the tyranny and control that is at the heart of the App Store, but there is of course a downside here), and the core functionality will be just fine. But - this is clearly a product aimed at the vast consumer market (just like the iPhone); handsets alone are insufficient as business tools. In enterprise apps, it comes down to servers rather than devices. BlackBerry isn't so much about handsets as it is BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The iPhone wasn't a contender for enterprise attention until support for Exchange ActiveSync was included. And the G1 isn't a contender at all in the enterprise at present - but then, it clearly wasn't designed to be.
A user's (or enterprise's) choice of a particular handset will matter much less than many assume. It's ultimately all about information, and not a specific client device that, ultimately, has a very limited useful life. And enterprise information lives on the other side of the wireless link.
Yes, I'm still trying to decide if I want an iPhone or not. And the G1 isn't on my list.
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Mathias is a principal at Farpoint Group, a wireless advisory firm in Ashland, Mass.
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Android, iPhone and Enterprise Apps
I think we got all three distinctly different ingredients mixed up in one pot here.
I do not think Apple or Google ever, up to this point, have aimed their products at enterprise market at all. It is the wishful users, us, force ourselves upon such an idea.
As already answered in your article, if you are an heavy enterprise app user, stay with your BB Bold, buy an "1G" or "3G iPhone' for your daughter or son for their infotainment use. Having that said,can the BBB be used as a 3G - WiMAX modem that connects your PC to the Internet? If not, the Nokia E71 helps my daily enterprise tasks more than the BBB on the road.
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