So, the battle lines have been drawn. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be out just a day after the Nokia Lumia 800 lands in the UK. And while it might seem obvious that the Android-packing smartphone will be the ultimate winner, this marks the beginning of a proper test for Google’s ace operating system.
Windows Phone hasn’t managed to gain much traction since its launch just a year ago. So this really is its first proper foray into the mobile big league. It’s the key focus of Nokia’s smartphone division, whereas before it’s been a secondary concern for mobile makers. This is going to be a fascinating contest and here’s why.
Google is rightly trumpeting Android Ice Cream Sandwich’s chances of success. The Big G’s Hugo Barra has gone on the record to say the new version of the OS is its best ever. “It’s something we’ve designed for the masses; it continues to cater for power users really well but the entry level users will be able to use it really well too and make the phone their own,’ he told the Telegraph. He also said that it’s, “…an incredibly intuitive platform – the best one we’ve ever built.”
While iOS and the iPhone has always challenged Google at the top end of the smartphone gene pool, Android hasn’t had any decent competition to speak of at the budget end. Of course, the Nokia Lumia 800 is not a budget handset. But it marks the start of a wider move by Microsoft and Nokia to push the operating system out across a number of devices at different price points. Google has never had to face up to that kind of challenge to its dominance. The cheaper Nokia 700, and plans for a raft of new Nokia/Microsoft phones in 2012, show that this is a fight that Espoo and Redmond are more than up for.
This isn’t to say that the Nokia Lumia 800 is going to take Android down in the few short weeks to Christmas. But this is about the long game. Windows Phone is a gorgeous operating system that is a doddle to use and is arguably more intuitive than Android, especially for users who aren’t keen on customisations, tweaks and hacks. Which, let’s face it, is most people out there aren’t.
Three years ago, no one could have imagined that Symbian would have been as good as dead and that BlackBerry would be on the ropes. Android maybe won’t face that kind of onslaught, but in the shape of Nokia’s Windows Phones, it’s going to be given a tough time. Don’t expect Elop and co to play nice. The gloves will come off and soon we’ll be seeing aggressive marketing as Microsoft and Google start slugging it out for smartphone domination.
I, for one, can’t wait. Tech fans should embrace competition. It means better innovation and, ultimately, better gadgets. Android has had things its own way for too long. It’s time budget smartphones enjoyed the same level of competition as top notch handsets.
