Despite being a keen iPhone user since the 3G model was released 18 months or so ago, I’m always on the lookout for the next big thing, and there’s no doubt that the only two platforms that are really challenging Apple for the mobile internet platform market are Blackberry and Google Android.
Having had a number of RIM devices in the past and supporting a number of current customers with BES infrastructures, I’m pretty confident about their value proposition.
However, the Android platform is new to me, and I know that Collaboration Matters needs to get up to speed with the implications of this vibrant new mobile platform with regard to enterprise social computing and collaboration. There are a number of significant mobile device vendors that have Android solutions out in the market, but Google itself seems to have the most impressive Android device available so far – the Google Nexus One.
With a much faster CPU than the iPhone 3GS, full Google Maps Navigation including Street View and traffic, a 5-Megapixel Camera, 3.7″ touchscreen and voice enabled keyboard, it has the a combination of usability and technical specs that very few other devices can match.
The Nexus One has been available in the US since the start of the year, and has now made it to the UK. Vodafone are offering the Nexus One in the UK as a free device on a £35pm 24 month contract or a £40pm 18 month contract. At least until the next iPhone due to ship sometime this summer, this might just be the next handset on the list.
