Andrew Seybold: Android winners lack innovation

The Google Android developer contest is over, 50 companies entered and the winners have been chosen. Let me say right up front that I have a lot of respect for people who can design and code applications, they are a special breed of people. However, I must say that in reviewing what one would think would be the best of the best when it comes to applications, I was underwhelmed with the offerings. (Click here to see the winners).

Many of the applications, or ones like them, are already available on other platforms and some were launched years ago and failed. Very few of them seem to solve a problem I might have or help me do something faster and easier.

The top applications where the winning companies were awarded $270,000 from Google are particularly disappointing to me. One is a program to help locate a cab--there are at least two other companies out there doing the same thing. I recently saw similar applications from companies that entered the SiRF Location 2.0 Summit application contest, of which I was one of the judges. Two of the applications help comparison shop by providing product reviews and finding the best prices. Been there, done that. One of the issues that may not be obvious to those who write such applications is that each major chain store--at least in electronics--has its own model numbers that are specific--not only to the equipment--but to the store chain as well. This is why you see so many ads that state, "We will beat any price for this model."

One of the Android winners tracks your mobile carbon footprint and suggests transit and carpooling alternatives, which might be interesting to a very limited number of people. One changes your phone's settings based on location and other undetermined events, which might be fun. There is also one for workout enthusiasts. One is a social media player and social networking app, one enables personalization of your pictures and sharing with friends or sending them off to photo sites and, finally, one application helps you in the event of major and minor disasters.

I was pleased to see some of the programs using location-based services, which I believe can add real value to a number of applications. There were a lot of music and several game applications and one that will help with virtual storage and remote file access so you can keep your files in the cloud, accessible anywhere (or at least where you have data coverage).

A few of the applications look as though they might appeal to a larger audience including one designed to help keep track of personal events, track severe weather and emergencies in your area. There were also many social networking applications where you can share your location, track your friends and so on. I find it interesting that diverse groups of developers seem to have the same idea and develop applications that do essentially the same thing. None of the applications I saw listed make me think that the Android platform will come out of the chute with some really great applications or services.

What I did not see were applications that would enable me to select people out of my address book and then, without having to retype their name, locate them on Google Earth, get turn-by-turn directions to their houses or businesses or find their status  (online, not available, etc). Nor did I see any really good navigation and/or turn-by-turn direction programs using Google Earth, any mapping platform or claim to report real-time traffic. And not a single application listed was compelling for the business community.

I guess I am disappointed. I like the Android concept and I like the fact the platform is open to all who want to develop on it. But similar to the Apple iPhone applications, I don't see any new thinking or new ideas emerging. Since Android is a brand new platform, it should be easy to turn my calendar into a "living" calendar so when information is put into it, it controls a smart back-end that tells me, for example, what time I need to leave to arrive at my on-site meeting, if my plane is on time, if there has been a gate change, whether I got my upgrade or the weather conditions in my destination city.

Google, like Apple before it, was starting with a clean slate and I was hoping to see some integration of products and services, not simply a bunch of standalone applications. I am sure serious work is being done by other developers, but I believe many share Google's apparent belief that the browser is the first and best way to access the Internet for information, which means that most of the applications on the Android platform will be more of the same, only on a different platform. Someone please prove me wrong!

Andrew Seybold is an authority on technology and trends shaping the world of wireless mobility. A respected analyst, consultant, commentator, author and active participant in industry trade organizations, his views have influenced strategies and shaped initiatives for telecom, mobile computing and wireless industry leaders worldwide.