Google’s G1 – Here we go again…

Submitted by Brian Robertson, NetScout Product Marketing Manager

Yet another phone with content-rich mobile capabilities is about to hit the streets – With AT&T and Apple paving the way for symbiotic cell phone / carrier relationships – Google, yes, that Google, just added its Android OS to a cell phone manufactured by HTC called the “G1” that will be available only to T-Mobile subscribers as described in Yahoo News.

Let see what the G1 offers per articles in Telegraph.co.uk, InfoSync and Information Week:

• The G1 runs Android, an operating system that is designed to bring the desktop computing experience to mobile devices, allowing people to surf the internet and carry out everyday tasks on the move. - Very nice!
• The G1 gives one touch access to popular Google online services, such as Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk and Goggle Maps – Good!
• Users can instantly share photos taken on the 3 megapixel camera and post them to the web. Google Maps includes Street View, which overlays roads with real-world, street-level photographs – Great!
• T-Mobile G1 uses a combined compass and accelerometer to display a virtual world on the phone screen, using Google's Street View. So, you can see the street you're on, and when you pan the phone up and down, or if you make an about face, the Street View virtual image will follow your movements. – Cool!
• There's a full HTML browser on board that's built on the same underlying technology as the recently released Chrome desktop browser. The G1 version, or "Chrome Lite," uses the WebKit engine and has been tailored for the mobile screen. – Excellent!
• The handset will have a multimedia player and it comes preloaded with an Amazon application that enables users to search, download, and buy music from more than 6 million DRM-free tracks. – Fantastic!
• With the latest trend of Smart Phones being used more for non-voice activities -- movie and music (Rhapsody) downloads, text messaging, GPS -- than actual phone calls, has performance of the wireless network ever been more of an issue? Or…the need for performance management tools for rapid troubleshooting ever been more of a necessity?

Wireless service providers have a lot to contend with, here are some solutions that can help.

So that’s the first issue – with so much IP being used on service provider networks, do they have the tools to ensure quality service? The second issue is what will be the G1’s impact on the corporate network?

Continuing our analysis:

• Non-Google app users can use the G1 for communication as it syncs with most other POP3 or IMAP e-mails.
• There's no support for Microsoft Exchange at the moment, but executives said there's plenty of opportunity for a third-party developer to create a product.

Reading this it looks like to me that the Enterprise IT team dodged having to support yet another device –  for the time being. However, I don’t think we should feel completely relieved. If we think back to the release of the original iPhone, or iPhone 1.0 for a lack of a better term, everyone was excited about the new usability functionality, but the biggest criticism came from the corporate world with its lack of Exchange support. Apple’s top priority for iPhone 2.0 – make this thing work with Exchange!!!

So if history repeats itself, which it always does, I would be willing to venture a guess that Google’s G1 will support Exchange at some point in the future. Do you have the solutions in place to manage its impact on your network?

If you are a service provider, what kind of impact do you think these data-focused Smart Phones have on your wireless and 3G networks? And if you are in charge of your corporate network, how long do you think it will be until the G1 supports Exchange and what impact will it have? Have the iPhone or other smart phones affected your network performance?