AOL Open Mobile Platform
One of the lesser publicised things to come out of MWC is AOL’s announcement that they have created an Open Mobile Software Platform. Unlike Google’s Android, this is not a new OS but provides..
"..ready access to the tools and source code they need to build and distribute applications across all major mobile device platforms and operating systems including BREW, Java, Linux, RIM, Symbian, and Windows Mobile. As a result, developers will be able to create applications for a wide variety of mobile devices."
In effect, this is more like Nokia/Trolltech QT tools than Android.
However, the Platform will also…
"…give developers the ability to monetize their mobile applications by utilizing advertising resources, such as clickable banner ads, provided by AOL’s Platform-A."
Prior to the Android announcement, through my previous encounters with the Google London Mobile Team, I knew Google was up to something and had guessed it was something more like the AOL Open Mobile Platform rather than an OS. Actually, I think such a pluggable, monetizable platform makes more sense, for existing Internet companies, than a whole OS. However, this concept would have had more of a chance of success had it come from Google rather than AOL. AOL will have uphill struggle getting visibility on this. They somehow have to get the client application onto phones. Google could have done this via existing mobile web properties - but I am not so sure about AOL. Maybe Google has something similar in the works - we will have to wait and see.
AOL hope to make the platform available to developers this summer.
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