AdMob, Android, Google and You

The AdMob acquisition along with the soon to be release new Android are clear signs that mobile is starting to get some momentum or atleast in the eyes of Google. To date, mobile has been a huge challenge, particularly in the US where multiple phone networks, various phone manuafactors, various software prevent any type of standardization. Between Palm, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, iPhone and Android, how do you provide the best user experience and how do you even execute across the various systems. What Apple did with the iPhone was eliminate two main barriers. They created the software and the platform (i.e. iPhone). In addition they created a marketplace that allow users and application developers (or advertisers). This ecosystem worked with the iPod and has proven successful with the iPhone. Google, with the acquistion of AdMob has gone in a different direction in terms of how the “marketplace” will potentially provide content and advertising.