Comments on: The Google Phone: A tactic without a strategy http://www.infobhan.com/archives/538 Ishir Bhan's web log Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:32:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: infobhan http://www.infobhan.com/archives/538/comment-page-1#comment-12124 infobhan Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:32:36 +0000 http://www.infobhan.com/?p=538#comment-12124 It still seems like a half-baked idea. They choose some phones to sell directly, while others don't have that advantage? Independence from the carriers is a nice ideal, but in practice I think unsubsidized phone are going to appeal to a very small group, especially since these phones are largely carrier-restricted for technical reasons. T-Mobile and AT&T use different frequencies (in fact, the Nexus One that Google is selling doesn't operate on all AT&T frequencies), and Verizon and Sprint use fundamentally different technologies (CDMA vs GSM). This is a huge barrier to the ideal of separating device from carrier, and I think we are stuck with the old model for some time to come.<br><br>I think the Nexus One model is an experiment, not a clear plan for the future. It still seems like a half-baked idea. They choose some phones to sell directly, while others don't have that advantage? Independence from the carriers is a nice ideal, but in practice I think unsubsidized phone are going to appeal to a very small group, especially since these phones are largely carrier-restricted for technical reasons. T-Mobile and AT&T use different frequencies (in fact, the Nexus One that Google is selling doesn't operate on all AT&T frequencies), and Verizon and Sprint use fundamentally different technologies (CDMA vs GSM). This is a huge barrier to the ideal of separating device from carrier, and I think we are stuck with the old model for some time to come.

I think the Nexus One model is an experiment, not a clear plan for the future.

]]> By: Brian Sloane http://www.infobhan.com/archives/538/comment-page-1#comment-12123 Brian Sloane Wed, 06 Jan 2010 08:20:02 +0000 http://www.infobhan.com/?p=538#comment-12123 "Will they do they same for other companies each time a new Android handset is launched?"<br><br>While you say it's a rhetorical question I still am going to answer it because of something I read earlier. In the Q&A after the press conference, Jason Chen of Gizmodo got the following from the Googlers on stage.<br><br>"Q: ...And, is Google going to retail other products online?<br>A: ...This is not the only device that is going to be part of the offering."<br><br>I've taken out the relevant parts but you can see more here: <a href="http://live.gizmodo.com/page/1/" rel="nofollow">http://live.gizmodo.com/page/1/</a><br><br>So while I'm not ready to jump on the Google bandwagon completely, it seems that they are implying that they will actually be selling other devices directly in the future. I think that this will lead to their goal of letting consumers choose which phone they want first....and have the service provider play less of a role in influencing which phones a consumer must use. “Will they do they same for other companies each time a new Android handset is launched?”

While you say it's a rhetorical question I still am going to answer it because of something I read earlier. In the Q&A after the press conference, Jason Chen of Gizmodo got the following from the Googlers on stage.

“Q: …And, is Google going to retail other products online?
A: …This is not the only device that is going to be part of the offering.”

I've taken out the relevant parts but you can see more here: http://live.gizmodo.com/page/1/

So while I'm not ready to jump on the Google bandwagon completely, it seems that they are implying that they will actually be selling other devices directly in the future. I think that this will lead to their goal of letting consumers choose which phone they want first….and have the service provider play less of a role in influencing which phones a consumer must use.

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