Open Mobile: What Does Android Mean for Nonprofits?

There's been months of buzz about when Google would release the "Gphone", its answer to the iPhone. This week instaed of unveiling a new mobile phone, Google announced the Android platform and the creation of the Open Handset Alliance.

The Open Handset Alliance is a group of over 300 companies across wireless and technology industries. Together they've developed Android, an open source software platform for mobile devices. Later this month, the group plans to release an Android Software Development Kit to encourage developers to freely design and develop applications for the Android platform.

So what does this mean? Eric Schonfeld at TechCrunch notes that it represents a huge market opportunity for Google to bring the Internet--and contextual ads--to mobile phones. Yet as Garett Rogers over at ZDNet points out, the platform is open enough to where the Google software can be replaced with other software, which suggests this might truly be a move towards openness for everyone and not just Google spreading its market reach. And as Michelle Murrain writes at Zen of Nonprofit Technology, companies are realizing that open platforms are crucial to success and this can only lead to more new kinds of interesting software and applications. Katrin Verclas at MobileActive.org discusses the many postive benefits that this development can bring nonprofits, from improved disturibution of mobile applications internationally to improved communications among activists.

Android opens up not only a platform, but also a host of possibiliites for new ways of connecting with and serving others. I'm looking forward to seeing what new applications come about for this new mobile platform--as well as competing mobile platforms--in the coming months.

..........................................................

Discuss This in Our Forums

What do you think about the Android platform? Share your thoughts on open mobile in this Wireless Connectivity forum discussion.