Google & Verizon Announce The Android Deal, Team Up Against ‘Apple-AT&T’? [Updated]
Verizon Google Deal
Google and Verizon announced a ground breaking deal earlier today that will bring Android phones to Verizon.
Deal:
1). 2 Android powered handsets on Verizon’s network will be released in a couple of weeks and many more coming in 2010.
2). Google-Voice will be available.
3). Verizon’s phone will be pre-loaded Android App-Store.
4). No revenue sharing details were disclosed.
5). Talks about the deal were going on for past 18 months.
Apart from this there are couple of very interesting things about the deal-
One of them is obviously Verizon supporting “Carrier killer” Google-Voice. Apple earlier rejected Google-Voice and the rest is well… a long long long long stroy! Today Verizon CEO openly supported Google-Voice stating (in press-conference) “You either have an open device or not, and this will be open”. What did Schmidt have to say on this? Well, even he was quite surprise – “We did not know that they would also take a leadership position on openness, which was surprising”.
Other is, default search-partner of Verizon is Microsoft i.e. Bing, so how will this turn out? Are we supposed to Bing and decide on a Verizon handset or we will have the openness to Google?
Upadate : Handset Photos Out @ Verizon News Center mistake or intentional? One of them is HTC for sure… other should be Motorola!
Photos of Upcoming Verizon Android Phones
Follow-Up
GigaOM: Google Links Up With Verizon to Fight Apple by Stacey Higginbotham
CNET News : Two Verizon Android phones coming in 2009 by Tom Krazit
ReadWriteWeb : Android Phones with Google Voice are Coming to Verizon by Frederic Lardinois
TechCrunch : Is Verizon More Open Than Apple? New Android Phones Will Support Google Voice by Erick Schonfeld
Search Engine Land: Google And Verizon Announce Sweeping Mobile Deal For Android by Greg Sterling
MobileCrunch : Oops! Verizon’s two Android phones get caught on camera by Greg Kumparak
Image Credit – mobileguerilla.com , TechCrunch
bull shit. and is ther any one out ther who thinks this will even remotely help Google compete iPhone? Have deal with verizon or AT&T or wat ever but hw on hell will you bulid awesome prds like iPhone? and hw on hell will you instill Steves vision the company?
The iPhone is anything but awesome. Yes, it has a nice display, but the UI is not good for business users.
1. Mail client is aweful
2. Soft Keypad is not even marginal
3. Turning on Bluetooth takes too many button clicks
4. IM support is difficult without multi-tasking.
Do I need to go on? Steve’s vision is not that great. On the other hand, VZN will almost certainly take an open platform and neuter it (al la Apple)
Your lack of spelling skillz speaks highly of your knowledge. The only people who care about “Steve’s vision” are those who just have to have a wormy apple. For the rest of us who consider it just another brand and not some stupid chic name like they like to portray themselves, it’s a bunch of overpriced and, as it turns out, dangerous garbage.
Android is nice, but “openness” and “Verizon” mix about as well as oil and water: I’ll believe how “open” it is when some real geeks get their hands on them. Also, there are parts of Android that are not open that should be.