Ack! moment, but 97% is STILL there.

[efon...@gmail.com]

As a scout for 1700 or so people who will not win the ADC, here is
what I see:

1.Google has made a big investment in mobile. That investment is
still there. Particularly for those applications that need what
android supplies.

2. Google serves a broad set of customers

3. When power is unbalanced and folks don't have choices people have a
tendency to act like prison guards. Google as a part of their culture
seems to neutralize this posture. They do listen.

4. For android to meet its goals there will need to be tighter
partnerships with fewer contact points. If accepted and excellent UI
language elements fall out of these partnerships everyone ends up with
a more ordered space.

I don't see a change of direction, but I do see a change of focus and
selective pace. As android becomes more focused, efforts will likely
align with the areas where UI language elements fall out.

The question becomes,"How do I support what Google is trying to do,
because I really believe in it (and it is something entirely different
than the focus Apple is showing), and still put bread on the table?"

The answer is: hope that Google shows a set of distinct target end
customers for android phones. That way efforts can be shaped around
serving those customers in the way apple is shaping their effforts
around the enterprise IT manager. We have seen a request to serve
folks who live off $2 a day. That is a pretty clear image of a person
who does not own a car, and relies on others and feet for
transportation... And on their hands for income. Our application
focused on Mom's who care about their children and have husbands who
commute. And on elementary aged kids who ride the bus to school (and
the people who try to manage them).

If Google is able to now shift the focus from technology to serving
clearly and distinctly identified parts of the population, folks with
programming skills will almost intuitively know how to pitch in.

We need those goal pictures to develop useful applications. Customers
need those goal pictures to identify thenselves and their goals,
before recognizing that an android phone will really improve their
lives.

Anyway, those are next steps for, and to help, folks who did not place
in the ADC.

Ed