Despite Google’s best efforts, the company’s Android mobile phone operating system has yet to take off in a big way. Upon its release, many pundits opined that Google would soon “own” the cell phone world in the same way that it has dominated online. But even after receiving mostly very favorable reviews from critics, Android still remains something of an “also ran” in the world of wireless communications.
But Google is teaming up with phone manufacturers for a new push to make Android a household name in the US and abroad. The first salvo in this latest marketing effort is a collaboration with mobile phone manufacturer Samsung. The company announced on Monday that it will debut an all-new smart phone, unfortunately dubbed, the Samsung I7500, throughout the European community beginning this June.
Samsung has yet to clarify a release date for the new phone in North America, and it seems likely that once the I7500 has been launched in Europe, Asia will be the second market with access to the new Android-based device.
The I7500 is a tri-band mobile device, with all the usual bells and whistles you would expect from a modern phone. It also takes advantage of the HSDPA high-speed mobile network, which has wider coverage in Europe and parts of Asia than the United States. Perhaps that is why Samsung is delaying the release of the I7500 in the US?
The specs of the new phone are impressive indeed, including an HVGA touchscreen for easy navigation, standard 8 GB internal memory with an expansion slot to increase up to 32 GB, a full five megapixel built-in camera, Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, and a quite robust media player supporting both music and video.
But at the heart of the I7500 is Google’s Android operating system, capable of supporting many ubiquitous Google services, including GMail, Google maps, Google calendar, and many others. The Android operating system is now up to version 1.5, and includes new features and enhancements such as stereo Bluetooth capability, on-screen keyboard, and recording of video in several different quality levels.
With the introduction of the Samsung/Google I7500, it appears that Google is setting its sights on dominating the cell phone world in Europe. Upon its initial release, many pundits predicted that Android would soon come to “own” the American wireless industry in the same way Google has dominated the online world for years now. Unfortunately for Google, this eventuality never came to pass.
Perhaps the new Samsung/Android device can at least help Google get a solid footing on the European continent, the world’s second largest cell phone marketplace after North America.
