Google on new cellphone technology

Nokia says it was far ahead of Google on new cellphone technology

ESPOO, Finland: When Google announced its plans in October to revolutionize the software of cellular phones, few were more eager to hear the details than the industry titans at Nokia. They still are.

"We've seen an announcement," Nokia's chief executive, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, said with a spoonful of sarcasm. "Conceptually, we could have made that announcement a long time ago."

For a decade, Kallasvuo noted during a recent interview here, Nokia has had its own army of software developers, writing applications for the next generation of mobile telephone services. On the face of it, that is little different from what Google plans to do with Android, an open-source platform for software that aims to transform the mobile phone into a pocket PC.

Of course, Google is - well, Google - just as Apple was not just another cellphone maker when it introduced the iPhone. By virtue of their brains and brawn, and in Apple's case, a cool phone, these interlopers have shaken up an industry long dominated by the quiet giant from Finland.

Nokia's chief said he regarded Apple as the first credible new entrant into this market in years. As for Google, he said he would wait for more details before deciding whether it was a threat or an opportunity. But Google did not invite Nokia to join its Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 34 companies that includes Motorola, Samsung, and other phone makers.
Source: iht.com