Google is attempting to redefine, yet again, the smartphone and how we use it. Image courtesy of Google.
Code named “Gingerbread” and revealed just today, the latest iteration of Google’s Android operating system promises to push the envelope of what smartphones are capable of doing yet again.
It has been almost a year since Google released its first self branded smartphone to a relatively unreceptive community of users. The Nexus One was built by HTC and wasn’t well received. At that time, Android based phones had just 7 percent of users in the U.S. market.
Today, Android has a stronghold of users in the U.S. that account for 23.5 percent of the market and rising according to comScore. It’s almost even with the Apple iOS and closing fast on RIM.
If the Nexus S, Google’s latest branded smartphone, does its job, that market share should increase a solid amount. Google is packing some amazing features into its latest operating system including NFC technology which could allow for credit card payments using a cell phone in the not too distant future.
NFC technology, a close range version of wireless that can be embedded in previously untouchable objects like t-shirts, movie posters, even stickers, could allow a user to swipe a cell phone over a scanner to pay for an item. Other uses such as swiping a phone over a poster could initiate the playing of a movie trailer on the phone.
How this technology will impact our daily lives remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain: Google is pushing the usefulness of our smartphones to bring the future to today.
