Google takes aim at Apple's iPhone
By Dan Warne - Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday, 16 September 2008

If you've ever wished you could put Google in your pocket, you'll have the opportunity soon - quite literally.
The search-engine company is on the verge of releasing a software suite to run all aspects of mobile phones.

Google is not manufacturing phones but instead making the software for them - called Android - and relying on a consortium of hardware partners to make handsets in an array of shapes and sizes.

In stark contrast to Apple's "one handset fits all" strategy with the iPhone, Google is hoping to mix Nokia's approach of "a handset to suit every style" with Microsoft's tactic of making the software, then winning market share by roping in many partner companies.
However, while Microsoft charges phone makers for its Windows Mobile software, Google's Android software will be free. Google says it just wants to create the ultimate internet-enabled mobile phone. The payoff for Google is obvious: more consumers of Google services, especially in large developing countries such as India and China, where many people have their first contact with the internet through their mobile phone.

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