Microsoft is like a 3 year old. You can always tell exactly what they are thinking by what they are doing. They can't hide anything.
As you probably know, Google has just released detailed plans pertaining to the Gphone. They call it the Android. It is, according to one fairly reliable and up to date source:
an open source mobile phone platform based on the Linux operating system and Java programming platform and developed by the Open Handset Alliance.[1] The release of the Android platform on 5 November, 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 34 hardware, software and telecoms companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.[2] When released, the Android platform will be made available under the Apache license.
This, of course, is the phone we've all been waiting for. The phone that will be truly upgradable and will not link you to a particular vendor. All other phones are immoral. This phone will be, well, a little less immoral.
Microsoft tough-guy CEO Steve "The Piss In My Pants Every Time Someone Installs Linus" Balmer reacted very badly, according to a report in Slashdot:
Bergkamp10 writes:
"Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tried to shoot down Google's new mobile platform at a press conference in Tokyo. Ballmer called Android a mere 'press release' at present, and said the mobile platform market is 'Microsoft's world.' Ballmer dodged requests to comment on specifics of the Android software platform, preferring instead to highlight the successes of the Windows Mobile platform which he said is on 150 different handsets and is available from over 100 different mobile operators. 'Well of course their efforts are just some words on paper right now, it's hard to do a very clear comparison [with Windows Mobile],' Ballmer said. 'Right now they have a press release, we have many, many millions of customers, great software, many hardware devices and they're welcome in our world,' he added."
(Psssst, hey, Steve ... they're coming for you. The Androids are going to be on your ass like ugly on an ape. Sooner than you thought...)
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I would think the makers of the overpriced and cartoonishly castrated iphone would be even more worried. Going to crazy measures to kill 3rd party apps... why? why screw your own stupid customers? But on second thought ipeople don't seem to have much interest in value or functionality, so no threat.
Any word on whether the Android platform is shiny?
Posted by: Fnord Prefect | November 12, 2007 11:58 AM
I've just seen the Steve Ballmer (Microsoft CEO) and Nigel Clifford (Symbian CEO) speeches about Android (http://www.weshow.com/us/p/22898/microsofts_ceo_discusses_googles_smartphone) and they really don't seem to be worried about Android, as we can see in their smiley and calm faces. I think this competition is very healthy to IT market and good to costumers.
Posted by: William | November 12, 2007 1:10 PM