Android的野心不只在手機、筆電，還包括洗衣機！？

好友Andy經常和我分享很多新奇的主題與想法，他看到我最近對Android這麼有興趣，也提供了許多很棒的資訊。信件最後他分別就「市場」與「品牌」兩個項目，去分析最近最火熱的4種智慧型手機：iPhone, Android Phone, Blackberry RIM與Palm Pre。以下節錄部分內容，在市場方面：

• iPhone and their future tablet pc: Limited but concentrated. Has a huge fan based generate the market share and profit. Apple company as a central control in the hardware and software quality.
• Google Android and their future embedded device in any kinds:Unlimited but fragmented. It also has a huge fan based in any kinds. But it will more focus on their products scale and extension to the others.
• Blackberry RIM: Business world. I think someday android could port to blackberry since it's almost free.
• Palm Pre: Small but will grow fast. Since it claim their app can be developed in html and javascript like web application, I don't think they can compete with iphone and android right now. Palm's business and market strategic is kind of terrible.

在品牌方面，他主要提到幾個想法：

• 手機等移動裝置與傳統PC、Server不同，使用者最關心的不一定是功能、控制、安全與穩定性等，他們更重視的是手機的外觀與質感等使用者體驗（不過這點或許見仁見智，我個人就挺重視功能與待機時間）
• Apple在工業設計上仍居領導地位，iPhone其非常有獨特地位，給人很強的聯想性。但Android沒有專有手機，走的是多元可擴充產品方向。

其中在Android部分，他提到了"Why Android Could Be Headed for the Laundry Room"這篇文章。讓我想到了過去在幾個朋友組成的MBM讀書會中，有提過家電控制等應用，總覺得各家電器沒有統一的標準平台，很難做到便利控制與互通性。現在有了Android，逐漸看到除了手機、筆電等熱門應用，許多其他電子設備也開始採用（如：之前plurk過的Android也被運用在自動化控制設備系統了、Sony的Walkman即將採用Android平台...等），是否讓這個可能性更加提高了呢？