By Time and time again we’ve heard that LG plans to expand their Android offering to make up the majority of their smartphone product line. Just last week we heard LG would ship 20 smartphones in 2010 with 15 of them running Android. They expect to sell 6 million Android Phones in 2010 with 70% of that being driven by Android.
Sounds promising, but up until now LG has been greatly outshined by HTC and Motorola, currently the two dominant forces in Android manufacturing. Industry sources note that both the #2 and #3 handset makers (Samung and LG) plan to make Android a more primary focus, but what’s the delay?
Perhaps the delay is due to Windows Phone 7 and LG’s relationship with Microsoft. It is rumored that, “The company told Korean reporters it expects WP7 to outperform the two rival smartphone operating systems, as well as giving users compatibility with existing Microsoft Office programs such as Word and Excel.”
Really? Android is about to grow over 500% year over year and you’re still waiting on the 500 pound gorilla sloth? Welcome to The Hardy Boys and the Case of the Mixed Mobile Messages.
In reality, I can only think and hope that one of three things are at work here:
- This either wasn’t said or was misquoted
- Windows Phone’s two rival operating systems are actually WebOS and BlackBerry OS since Android and iOS are so far ahead
- The company was simply trying to appease Microsoft by making a strong claim in favor of their partner that, thanks to the reach of the interwebz, comes back to bite them in the butt
If this was said, I think it’s just a matter of public relations politics. In the old days, you could brown nose your partners without having their competitors hear. These days, everything you said gets scrutinized and travels the world over in 11 seconds. It’s tough to be both honest and optimistic about all of your partners when so many of them are competing with each other.
Any way you twist this story, I hope LG decides to up the ante and put some real power behind their Android phones, maybe even dropping a flagship device or two on a global scale. It’s no secret that I was a big proponent of the LG Voyager and consider it the best keyboard I’ve used to date. Since then they’ve rolled the Voyager name into the enV Touch…
So LG… how about an LG enV Android or three?
[Via UnwiredView, WMExperts]
As much as I adore Android(and almost anything else Google does, to be honest) Blackberry right now is way ahead.
It doesn’t have momentum, but your article implies that Android is doing better.
Whilst it has major growth behind it, it is not doing better in absolute terms.
I’m sorry but LG makes the worst phones ever. When I had a Dare=problems. Env=problems. I’ll never trust them again.
They did Rob. It’s called the LG Ally and is on Verizon. It’s a slider not a side flip but the keyboard is very similar.
Yeah.. no big loss. As other people have said… LG makes the crappiest phones I have ever seen. I woudln’t buy an LG phone even under physical force. Under pressure of torture.. I would bite the poison tooth. …Remember the tooth… remember the tooth…
@ Khalid, my friend give it up, rim is done.
@Khalid You’re joking right? RIM is losing market share at a precipitous rate. The release of BB OS 6 was supposed to stem the flood of users leaving for more advanced platforms, but it has been universally panned by reviewers. Even die hard BB fan bloggers can only muster up enough enthusiasm to give lukewarm reviews. Android has shown such massive growth that, if MS can take some of RIMs share while not taking Android share, it may surpass RIM in a year or two. People are realizing that BBM and BB Enterprise are not reason enough to say with a stagnating and uninspiring platform with relatively no third party support.
I read today the latest blackberry is not selling at all well in the uk
So much so they have axed the price one week after launch
Aww, poor WebOS. What did they ever do to anyone? ;)
They expect to sell 6 million Android Phones in 2010 with 70% of that being driven by Android.
Lmao
im an android fan and i currently have an env touch and i think its the best non smartphone there is. It would be really amazing if they make an env touch with android, I will be first in line!
ps: the ally is not the same feel as the env touch. the keyboard is way better
I think they need to get better Android devices out there.
Sorry Rob but you just can’t be so biased you know webos is miles ahead of android and ios together just because it has crappy hardware doesn’t mean a high end webos device could kick the evos and iphone 4 butt. The competitors now are Webos, Ios, Android, Blackberry, Maemo,and, Windows Phone. And thats good competition means more new features for android.
Well speaking of BlackBerry I was at a gathering this evening where some guys were clowning one of their friends for buying a BB Torch. They were talking about how proud she was of it like it was an……Evo or something lol. That stood out to me because normally iPhone would go there. BB and Apple better pray that Oracle has a case…which they don’t.
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As for WP7 I really don’t see it taking off except for the gaming if done right or as by taking alot of share from BB in the enterprise. I don’t believe they are going to gain mass consumer attraction with Office integration. Office has all these features that no one uses except Office buffs that are few in number compared to the general public. I don’t think thats going to pull it over the top. And honestly once its in hands I believe people are going to say that the Metro interface is ugly…or at least the home screen. It may work for a Zune but somehow I just don’t see it here….and then the Zune doesn’t sell well anyway…maybe thats why.
LG isn’t very good at updating their Android phones. My girlfriend has an Eve, purchased with Version 1.5, it’s still on 1.5 even tho LG promised to update it to 1.6 last spring, and now are claiming to have 2.0 for it (not to be seen yet.
The guys over at XDA are getting 2.1 working on it.
Personally I’d stay away from LG phones or expect what you buy to stay exactly the way it is.
@Phil,
I love Android, but the Windows 7 phone keeps gathering my attention.
I’ve have spent some time writing programs in both. The Windows Phone 7 SDK is quite powerful and easy to use.
We’ll see..
@Alex Maemo is also done, with focus being shifted to MeeGo. And don’t forget Symbian, which still has major market share.
And on a Worldwide basis, BlackBerry OS isn’t as big as it is in the US, and here in the US its quite honestly dying until RIM can get its act together.
ANd I doubt they were talking about WebOS and BlackBerryOS being the two major competeitros if they were speaking on a worldwide basis, but it does seem strange that a company would be quoted saying they expect, well, ANYTHING to grow faster than Android.\
Just my two cents
I don’t think anyone should count MS out or ignore them. They might be the 500 pound sloth, but if they get a head of steam up, they’ll destroy their competition. I have an EVO, and I’ve already decided, it is 4″ screens or bust from this point forward, but MS has some great services that can be ignored.
If they can get office/live/bing/zune/Xbox all coordinated in one device, it is honestly a no brainer for purchase. I really feel that MS also is taking the best of both worlds, with a controlled OS like Apple, and an open hardware platform like Google. Not to mention, MS has the BEST developer tools and portal.
Either way, exciting times in the next 2-3 years for consumers.
@Alex…everyone I know who has had a win mo phone says win mo sucks….including me…so try explaining that…please?…lol
@ alex how is webos ahead of android n its dead….hp isnt going 2 release a new palm phone not 2 mention no apps or developers 4 it
I am a former WM user, now using iPhone 4 and Android exclusively, but if WP7 turns out to be good I might have to reconsider it. I know this is an Android site, but let’s wait until it comes out and has had a chance to be looked over and tested by people, and that hasn’t happened yet.
LOL My friend has the HTC HD2 it has win MO he got a virus so cheers for win MO pay for this pay for that with android things run good and fast like it suppose to.. I had the LG ALLY the phone itself was great had to much fun with it until it started slowing down low memory and rebooted on its own for frustrated got another phone same thing finally went back to old phone and getting droid X this week
Rob, it was obviously a misquote. The word “outperform” is never mentioned in the original story.
Best,
Ken Hong
@OH WOW… u clearly have no idea what u are talking about. read some blogs that arnt only on android fanboy sites and realize HP is indead releasing a new Palm phone quite soon. there are ex Pre owners who switch over to EVOs that still check the blogs to see what the scoop is on the release of the next webos device. webos is nicer that android (mayb a bias statement since i have a pre, but my friends own android devices so i know what they are like). i, myself, am patiently waiting for the next webos phone. its going to drop a big steaming loud all over your precious android :) ever pre owner knows this and is even holding off on their upgrades to see whats in store. we will see