It’s finally happened. Social Media has been infiltrating it’s way into mainstream society for the last few years. We’ve also seen it slowly leak onto the screens of everyone’s mobile phones. The catch? Thus far, it’s been through third party apps that run on the phone’s OS. Well, today changed all of that. Motorola announced their new custom Android OS, MotoBlur, at GigaOM’s Mobilize convention today.
The front screen of the OS features an integrated mashup of your Facebook page, your Twitter feed, your Myspace page and more. You can also quickly update your status across all of the networks directly through the OS. No more need for Tweetdeck, Tweetie, Twitterfon, or any other third party apps.cliq1
The first two MotoBlur handsets, the DEXT and CLIQ, won’t be available until later this year. If MotoBlur catches, I think it will change the game for the hundreds of developers who are creating apps for social media, at least for the Android OS. Somehow, I don’t think Apple would be willing to allow API integration into their OS any time soon. It took them two years just to allow push notification. Could Android be the future of Mobile OS’s? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Want to play around with the OS? Go here: http://bit.ly/jkEpb
-Chris Bergman
iPhone doesn’t have anything to worry about. If Blackberry’s start using this, though… could be a reason to buy one.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a die-hard Apple fanboy. But with the hubbub with Google Voice on the iPhone, and me being a HUGE Gmail, Gcal, Docs, and now Google Voice user I start to question where I am going to be when it comes time to get a new contract.
I am really starting to like where developers are going with Android. First the HTC Hero is shown off, and now Motorola - both of them have great features and UI tweaks that really are going to give Apple a go.
I like the ability to mashup my address books — why should my messaging be confined to just email? Why not messages from Facebook and DMs from Twitter? The device should be smart enough to just get all that, let me see it and respond, and then sent it back where it came… I seriously doubt we will see anything like this from Apple, which is sad.
I love Apple, I really do - but I think Android will ultimately be the future of mobile computing… just as soon as they get the apps.
Android may be the future of social computing, but despite all of the flaws you mentioned, I think I’m going to stick with the iPhone, Chris. The Android, by allowing so many third party apps, suffers from a loss in stability as one adds more apps to it. I’d prefer to the have the stability and quality control of Apple to the mashup of Android. This, also, has been the crux of Apple’s brand since the beginning: providing stability and quality control, and I think it will continue to serve Apple well far into the future. Good point, though.
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