Google continues to mismanage Android

Google is doing very well with its Android mobile phone operating system. But they could be doing better.

Google's weblink "google.com/phone," which used to sell the Nexus One, is now a list of phones with Android loaded on them. But because Android is an open source platform, manufacturers and service providers can modify it significantly from the plain vanilla (and very good) version that Google produces.

Questions:

1. How much should phone manufacturers and service providers be allowed to modify Android and still retain the "with Google" marketing label on them?

2. Why do some phones get the "with Google" label when nearly identical phones (same phone built for a different service provider) do not?

3. Does Google really have an objective set of criteria to earn the "with Google" label? Or are they influenced by business relationships to favor some phones and providers above others? It certainly appears as though the latter is true, which, even if not true, is not good for Google's credibility. After all, even the appearance of favoritism will hurt them in the marketplace.

AndroidGuys: Google Phone Gallery Launches, "with Google" Confusion Continues
http://www.androidguys.com/2010/09/30/google-phone-gallery-launches/

There are plenty of phones on this list that are heavily modified, to the point where I don't believe they deserve the "with Google" branding. Google is allowing its brand to be cheapened by bloatware and poor design choices by its so-called partners. I discussed this a while back ("Is Android open? Really?" on September 21, 2010).

On the other hand, some of the modified Android firmware builds improve on the base Android code in important ways. For example, my Motorola Droid X has separate timers for screen off and screen lock. That is, the screen goes dark after a minute but I can wake it up without entering my unlock pattern unless it times out to, say, 5 minutes (whatever I set). This is a huge inconvenience on my Nexus One. I have no idea why the base Android firmware doesn't include this basic level of functionality that many competitors have.

My Droid X also handles connections to computers better than the base Android firmware on my Nexus One. I can set up my Droid X in "charge only" mode so that it doesn't bother me with a notification that I must clear every time I connect it.


Google is also doing a miserable job with the Android Market.

I recently did a factory reset on one of my Android phones (in order to link it to my daughters' GMail account). After doing to, I had to re-install a number of the apps that my girls wanted on the phone. One that they don't care about yet (but they will!) is Google Voice. So I went to Market from the phone and searched for "Google Voice," the exact name of the app. Amazingly, it was the 8th listing as a result of that search! This is a Google-produced app on a Google phone searching a Google website. And it can't even place an EXACT NAME MATCH at the top of the search results! This is just ridiculous.

This is why I am so encouraged to hear that Amazon may be developing their own Android market. Don't misunderstand, I want the best for Google. But Google is simply not getting the job done here. More competition is good for consumers (including me) and I think that in the long run it will be beneficial for Android in general. People are more likely to choose Android if there are vibrant, competitive markets for apps. Which is not the case now, sadly.

Application Development Trends: Google's Android Market Store Faces New Threat from Amazon
http://adtmag.com/articles/2010/10/06/amazon-app-store.aspx

Gigaom: Google’s Android Market Neglect Opens Door for Amazon and Others
http://gigaom.com/2010/10/08/googles-android-market-neglect-opens-door-for-amazon-and-others/

"That’s a real issue. Gottlieb, who sells a crossword app, says he makes 20-30 times more selling his apps in the App Store compared to Android Market. It’s gotten a little better lately, but it’s still discouraging trying to sell in Android Market, which has more than 80,000 apps. Developers like Gottlieb say the store needs more recommendation and discovery tools, more categories, a better check-out system and more marketing muscle. These are all things that Amazon could immediately address."

Wall Street Journal: Amazon Amps Up Apps Rivalry
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704696304575538273116222304.html


Even BestBuy is rumored to be considering their own app store. From AndroidGuys: Best Buy “Exploring Concept” of an Android App Store
http://www.androidguys.com/2010/10/11/buy-exploring-concept-android-app-store/


The more the better, in my opinion. Competition is good for consumers. And if consumers have better choices then Android will be a more attractive platform. Not only for consumers but for developers.