2008/05/30

Android gets ready to take on iPhone

Google showed off it's new Android mobile operating system at their developers do in San Fran.

They showed it running on two phones, one a basic version and one with a touch screen that supported 3G.

It seems to operate in a similar fashion to the iPhone with its "home' button and applications accessible via icons. It can utilise systems like accelerometers to measure the devices position, GPS, etc.

Google demo'ed Google Maps which panes in sections as the users moves from location to location.

Though Android is similar to MacOS X on the iPhone, it's different as Apple does not release any of the iPhone's core OS and applications can only be officially distributed through iTunes. Android in theory is completely open and based on Linux (the OS is officially distributed through the Open Handset Alliance) and the development environment is available to anyone (though winners of the Google applications prize are gaining early access to pre-release betas of the new dev systems).

Android could be a real threat to traditional mobile operating systems (WindowsMobile, Symbian, etc) as there are no license fees to pay. Google will leverage Android to move into the hosted app market (which they want to own) as the mobile apps generally are front-ends on to hosted systems.

There are other threats such as LIMO and OpenMoko but currently these are niche players.

Silverjet down the tubes

The business class airline Silverjet that flies from Luton to New York and Dubai has shut its doors, stating it couldn't find further financing.

Other airlines that fly those routes have said they'll try and help out, but it's likel to cost passengers something.

Silverjet is the latest cut-price business airline to go under.

A New Pricing Framework for Openreach | Ofcom

A New Pricing Framework for Openreach | Ofcom

BT Openreach is a part of BT Group that offers network level services to other companies.

These include WLR (wholesale line rental), LLU services and Ethernet services.

BT (Openreach) wants to increase the price of various services as they say the cost of providing these services has increased.

BT (and Ofcom) reason that there are now more than 4m unbundled LLU lines and they no longer have SMP (significant market power) in various areas of the country.

Ofcom is holding a consultation about this and will make a final statement later in the year.