Analyst: Android is in iPhone's league, but more apps are needed

Despite speculation that Google's Android might turn into a platform for lower-end "feature phones," Android is definitely shaping up into not only a smartphone platform but also an iPhone competitor, says analyst Avi Greengart.

NEW YORK, NY (BetaNews) -- A lot more applications are needed before Android fulfills its potential, suggested Avi Greengart of Current Analysis, a leading wireless/mobile analyst. Greengart spoke with reporters including BetaNews today during the launch event for T-Mobile's G1, the first Android phone.

At a press conference, Greengart noted that many different definitions of "smartphone" are currently in use. He elaborated that he typically regards a smartphone to be a phone that runs its own operating system -- whether that's Windows Mobile, Mac OS X, or Linux -- along with "native applications."

But, he added, there are some examples to that rule -- such as the G1, Sidekick, and RIM's Blackberry, all of which run their own OS in conjunction with applications written in Java, as opposed to native apps.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile's plans to sell the G1 for use on its 3G HSPDA network also take Android out of the bracket of phones that rely on features rather than speed in order to be marketable, according to the analyst.

On the whole, Greengart indicated, the G1 stacks up well vs. the iPhone and other smartphones. Where some, including the iPhone, lack any physical keyboard at all, the G1's foldout QWERTY keyboard is particularly easy to use in text messaging and Web browsing, he said.

Moreover, the inclusion of a link to Amazon.com's MP3 store gives the G1 music download capabilities somewhat along the lines of the iPhone's use of Apple's iTunes.

Greengart also suggested that Android holds especially strong promise for application development, due to its focus on open source. But, he contended, only one application has been created so far which starts to meet that promise.

"Android has only one 'killer app' right now, and it is Google Maps Street Views," he said, referring to an application from Google which syncs up with Android's built-in compass to give 360-degree street level views of the user's location.

The G1, he predicted, will definitely be targeted at consumers first, since "it has absolutely no applications yet which would be of interest to the enterprise." The top three among those, he said, were security, manageability, and corporate e-mail support.

Ecorio and SmartSavvy -- two third-party applications demo'd at the launch -- are apps that don't particularly take advantage of Android, and could easily be run on other smartphone platforms, too, according to the analyst.

The iPhone, on the other hand, is way ahead of the G1 with applications, with Apple's App Store already up-and-running and Google's Android Marketplace not set to open until the G1 becomes available in late October.

Still, Greengart said, "Apple really needs to do something about being more consistent about which kinds of applications it will allow to be sold in the App Store."

[Edits were made Wednesday morning to clarify some of Greengart's points.]