An irreverent look of a mash up between Google Android and AdSense as a voice service. In a different universe you would never think it could happen but….

Just remember this IS sarcasm. Have a great weekend all!

Google has released the equivalent ot its XPrize for Android. $10m is up for grabs for developers who have running applications for Android submitted by first week of March. No single entry to win more than $275k. –

he race to develop applications for Google’s new Android mobile phone platform is officially on after ‘cross-platform bugs’ in the submission system were fixed.

Google has allocated $10m to the competition which has been split into two parts. Challenge 1 will be accepting entries until March 3rd with a total prize pool of $5m.

The Android competition is designed to generate lots of apps, not just a few good ones, as the total prize available to any one entry is only $275,000.

A very interesting way to kick start a platform. Usually the IT industry does it by a lot of insider trading. Disciount dollars and free SDK’s and toolkits to committed firms to ramp up for a platform. First time I have seen it open to all comers. A hot shot coder could go from rags to riches with this kind of setup. [And I hope it happens!]

Linky.

iPhone is a great product. Those that get one don’t want to give it up which indicates market success. But there might be a worm in Apple’s device and its name is Google –

In an effort to continue its lead in the mobile-web space, Google has updated its suite of Google web apps with versions specifically tailored to iPhone and iPod Touch users.

Google’s efforts to built a compelling suite for the multi-touch platform may have something to do with the disproportionate amount of time iPhone and iPod Touch users spend with mobile Safari.

According to an article published in yesterday’s New York Times, “On Christmas, traffic to Google from iPhones surged, surpassing incoming traffic from any other type of mobile device, according to internal Google data made available to The New York Times. A few days later, iPhone traffic to Google fell below that of devices powered by the Nokia-backed Symbian operating system but remained higher than traffic from any other type of cellphone.”

This is the classic case of a market swap. Where the ancillary ditties that fill out a primary product become essential. All the way to the point that the primary producer is required to negotiate with the ancillary maker to stay in business. The Google might be test bedding their applications on iPhone in preparation for release of a Android look alike with one of their OHA hardware partners.

All is well in the tech wars.

APC article here.

A start up, A La Mobile, has announced the release of a Android enabled smart phone to its partners for retail sale. The hardware for the unit will utilize the HTC 9090.

A La Mobile, based in San Ramon, Calif., a start-up dedicated to Linux-based “open” systems for mobile devices, says the demonstration proves that Android can deliver on its promise of making it easier for consumers to get access to all sorts of applications.

The open nature of Android means, “There can be a lot more customization, reducing the cost of devices as well as development time,” says Pauline Lo Alker, A La Mobile’s CEO.

A La Mobile installed its applications on a smartphone from HTC, the Qtek 9090. They include: a Google (GOOG) browser, phone dialer for making voice calls, audio player, Google maps, camera, games, calendar, contacts manager, calculator and notes. A La Mobile plans to pitch this prototype — a first for Android, according to Alker — to handset makers.

USA Today article.
A La Mode website.

Ok, take a look at the pics below. According to Cnet even the PR guys are not talking other than to say it ‘runs linux’. That’s no guarantee that this is Android based but it does not exclude it either.

If this is a Android based device then the OHA has gone from concept, association to displayable product faster than any association I am aware of.

Linky.