Neutron :: Bomb

by John Calian |
Topics: ActiveSync | Android | iPhone | Smartphone Marketplace

Though a 'wave' of Android phones has not overwhelmed the US Smartphone marketplace as many have predicted, a small splash will be made next month (July 8th, to be specific) when T-Mobile releases the second HTC-built, Android powered device, the myTouch (or Magic abroad). And the key feature that makes this device, and any entering the marketplace, have great potential is ActiveSync availability.

Costing $199 (with 2-year contract) and lacking a physical keyboard, this new device will offer direct competition to the iPhone in price, features, design and more. The Android Marketplace, the Google equivalent to the Apple App Store, puts the device in almost complete parity with Apple's iPhone. One advantage the Marketplace will offer is the ability to bill the application purchases directly to your T-Mobile phone bill (coming by end of year), a feature Google is hoping to offer on all carrier billing systems in the future (rather than using Google Checkout, as you currently need to). And one significant deficiency is the fact there is no equivalant to Apple's iTunes on your computer to manage and purchase content. Google only offers the device based store as of today.

It will be interesting to see the first month numbers on this device. T-Mobile is the smallest of the big four carriers in the US, sitting behind VerizonWireless, AT&T and Sprint (and not too far ahead of US Cellular and MetroPCS), and it needs to grow a strong smartphone business to stay relevant (and it does a decent job with its WinMo and Blackberry selections). Additionally, there are a lot of Google lovers and open source devotees out there that want a better device than the original GPhone, the HTC G1. That device left a lot to be desired, especially in terms of form. This new device is sleek, cool, and keyboard-less, just like the iPhone.

The key feature of this phone: it has Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync integration (provided by HTC, this is not an Android built in feature). This is important because business users are the largest buying segment of smartphones, and if they are going to move from Treos, Blackberrys and WinMo phones (or iPhone?) to the Google devices, this is the most key element. Certainly a large group of non business users are buying smartphones (hello, iPhone), but the 'wealthiest' group of buyers for smartphones are business users. And almost all of them use Microsoft Exchange for corporate email, contacts and calendars. Not having this on a smartphone is the ultimate non-starter.

I have ActiveSync running on my iPhone now, and it is wonderful. One device for personal and business needs, and a device that does it all.

Palm Pre, Apple iPhone and Google myTouch. Three sweet smartphones that could be pacing the marketplace over the next 6-12 months. What does Blackberry have in store? Nokia? Anything powered by Windows Mobile?