iPhone Killer ?

Google launched their brand spanking new G1 mobile phone in New York earlier today and immediately it has been heralded as the iPhone killer... but in my opinion, it's hasn't got a hope in hell.

Why ? Well frankly the name is a bit crap (G1 isn't exactly as funky as iPhone), it really doesn't move the game on enough and it simply doesn't look as good (and in these image obsessed times that we live in, looks are everything... well at least when it comes to choosing a mobile phone).

I'm not saying it's a bad phone. Apparently it's pretty good according to most reviews. Physically it isn't that different to the iPhone. It has many similar features (touch sensitive screen, GPS capability, mobile internet access, built in camera which is 1 megapixel more than the iPhone... woo hoo... ).

Indeed the G1 has some additional features that the iPhone doesn't have. For example it has a Blackberry style thumb ball. And a slideout qwerty keyboard. Nice, but hardly revolutionary.

Actually the one area it genuinely excels over the iPhone, is in terms of browsing. Using Googles new Android 'Open Source" platform it allows browsers to quickly access the web but (more importantly) it allows anyone to write software / applications for the platform for free.

Actually, that's pretty cool. But seriously, how many people out there are going to choose that functionality over the way the G1 looks by comparison to an iPhone ?      

The G1, using a HTC unit, will be available for free in the UK just before Xmas exclusively through T-Mobile on tariff plans staring at about 40 quid. And it may cause an initial wave of interest but nothing to that of the tsunami of hype created by the iPhone.

Maybe when LG and Samsung launch their more design focused units supporting the G1 platform next year will it have a chance to compete... but by then we will inevitably have yet another new version of the iPhone which will have moved things on even further...

Adult Mode

Private web browsing is about to become more prevalent with the launches of the latest version of Internet Explorer 8 (the InPrivate setting) and also the much touted Google Chrome (as featured in my last blog entry). Affectionately known as 'porn mode' private browsing effectively deletes a users browsing history and cache as they surf. It also covers up downloads, forms that have been filled in and searches meaning that you leave 'no fingerprints' on the computer you were using for (possibly) doing something you shouldn't. Basically a first-line, plausible deniablity tool for the masses.

IE and Chrome are actually not the first to market with this functionality. Apple's Safari has had the ability to do private browsing since 2005, but as IE takes up around 75% of the browsing market (and Chrome looks to take a significant chunk of that share in the future) then it's highly likely that it's usage will become more widespread.

The downside for us media and marketing folk, is that if a new age of 'obscured browsers' or 'concealed surfers' are going to emerge as a consequence, then the much heralded behavioral hypertargeting may not be possible as it relies on that all important cookie gathering and the data mining dark art of 'deep packet inspection' (which sounds like it is some kind of bizarre porn practice in itself).  

Of course, the developers are keen to distance themselves from the association with anything remotely smutty. When Mozilla were considering a 'porn mode' function for their latest version of Firefox a spokesman stated that "while viewing pornography may be popular... assuming it is the only reason that users need private browsing trivialises the overall feature. For instance, users may wish to begin a private browsing session to research a medical condition, or plan a surprise vacation or birthday party for a loved one." Hmmm, I wonder if  'medical condition' or 'surprise birthday party' feature as high as 'porn' in the mostly highly searched words on the internet. Somehow, I doubt it.

Browser Wars

Google are launching their new rival to Microsoft's Internet Explorer today (called Chrome - logo below) following an accidental (yeah right) leak of a 38 page 'comic book' style press release to several European based journalists (someone apparently "hit send a bit early" according to key sources at Google.

Of course we are all convinced by that, not least for the fact that it was a public holiday in the US yesterday and what better time to launch when news is thin on the ground and you can guarantee mass exposure in the tech space -  not that I'm cynical or anything, you understand). Anyway, the new open source browser will be available in beta to around 100 countries Tuesday morning (US time).

Not only is it free to download but Google claim it's faster, more stable and more secure than rivals Explorer (used by around 75% of web surfers), Mozilla (the next biggest alternative and which also follows the open source ideology adopted by Google), Opera or Safari. Chrome has also been specifically designed for the needs and requirements of the next generation Web 2.0 users who demand more usage of video, games, chat and internet banking.

But don't expect Microsoft to be surrender monkeys... it's likely to simply escalate the intense rivalry between the two organisations. The latest incarnation of IE (version 8) was launched as a test version just last week (hmmm, funny that) with a whole host of new features (basically more privacy and user control features) which Microsoft claim are the equal of (if not better than) what's on offer via Chrome. Well, they would, wouldn't they ?

Let battle commence...