Editor’s note: This article was first published in February 2011. It reports on that month’s Mobile World Congress: the Nokia-Microsoft alliance, the iPhone 4 award and the race between Android’s app store and Apple’s App Store reflect that moment. Windows Phone was later discontinued.
In the war for the mobile phone business, the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona has made clear how interested visitors are in Google’s Android operating system, a direct competitor of Windows Phone. Crowds of both ordinary users and handset manufacturers packed Google‘s stands.
Manufacturers such as HTC, NEC, Motorola and Samsung want to strengthen their ties with Google’s operating system, while Microsoft has struck a deal with Nokia to compete with both Google and Apple, although rumour has it that this was the wrong strategy.
Google itself said it remains open to Nokia should the company change its mind.
Perhaps what stands out most about Google’s operating system compared with Windows Phone is its intuitive interface and the wide variety of apps that can be downloaded thanks to the Android Market.
This year’s top prize went to Apple, whose iPhone 4 was named best phone of the year. The bad news for Steve Jobs, however, is that Apple, which led the app business through the App Store, could soon lose that lead: the Android Market is growing at a dizzying pace in number of app downloads, even though Apple offers more variety.
The war between these tech giants is on, and Google seems to be putting together the best business strategy against its competitors.
Further reading
- Google Weddings: save time and money on your wedding day
- Twitter could be bought by Google or Facebook
Featured image: jon jordan, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
