The Next Engine: Beyond Campaign Thinking

As is being widely reported, Google’s Android mobile software platform is getting delayed.

You can check out the details at the links above — I’m more interesting in the implications of the carrier-specific hurdles Google is finding itself trying to jump over.

During the worst, most contentious years in the Browser Wars, there was never anything approaching the level of experience variability seen to this day in the mobile space. Sure, this random effect would work on that browser, but not the other, and this certain manner of coding a layout could not be accomplished in the same way on both, but by and large, the desktop browser web experience was uniform and consistent. It was in large part due to this regularity and sameness that web browsing elevated into a core life activity from a past time hobby.

The fact that even the mighty Google is being (at least temporarily) humbled by the carrier device-dependency morass is a chilling reminder of how far we have to go, and how ridiculous the hyperbolical claims of “major new initiatives by 2010/2012/etc.” are (imho feeble press release fodder/investor bait at best).

Sure, in isolated pockets of customers and carriers, a given innovation (connenction speed, games, interface user experience) may see the light of day, but won’t be spread out for a critical mass of users for multiple years hence.

“Oh, I’m sorry, you’re still using the latest-and-greatest smartphone from 18 months ago — the manufacturer of the device (no, not the carrier, we just put our branding all over the thing) is focusing on this month’s latest-and-greatest device — they’re evaluating whether or not they’re going to release a firmware update with Android. Hold steady. Right there. I promise it will be soon. Soon-ish. Soon-like. Look over there! (scampers away impishly…)”

Ridiculous. Over-involved. Unacceptable.

The whole thing reminds of the glory days of tracking down printer drivers on a Windows machine. Entirely too much work for a consumer. Apple and Microsoft eventually got this (largely) down for printers via Plug-and-Play interfaces, but the equivalent has yet to take hold in the mobile space.

I hope there’s a significant contraction in device variability via efforts like Google Android and (soon-to-be) Nokia’s Symbian OS. Content creators and distributors will be free(er) from the voracious and specious lock-in and exclusivity agreements, and more like the pubicly available web we all (mostly) uniformily experience on the desktop.

Unless, of course, everyone wants to just roll over and play dead for the totalitarian model Apple utilizes to create some of the most sublime UIs known to man.

Don’t miss: Om Malik looks at the issue of mobile platforms, the equivalent history on the desktop side, and who’s likely to draw more developers and thus win out in the quest to become the platform of choice.

Tags: Android, browser wars, cell phones, innovation, iphone, mobile, mobile platforms, nokia, symbian, upgrades