Google's Android to kickstart mobile Linux

Google will hedge its Android bets by working with others for location-aware searches

Google's Android project could kickstart location-aware advertising by enabling the benefits of mobile Linux, experts predict.

However, In-Stat warned that the success of the platform will depend on its ability to create a good revenue sharing model for its wireless operator partners.

The analyst firm predicts that recent efforts by Apple with the iPhone and Google with Android to reshape the wireless industry have created a " groundswell of support" that will benefit mobile users.

In-Stat's report points out that the current telco-centred approach to developing internet mobile applications is complex, fragmented and difficult for developers to enter.

"The mobile operator-centric Wap-based ecosystem for applications has been challenged, unsuccessfully, before," said In-Stat analyst Bill Hughes.

"It has taken the innovative design of Apple computers and the financial power of Google to push the juggernaut off its course and more into harmony with the wishes of mobile customers."

Hughes forecasts that Google will hedge its Android bets by working with others for location-aware searches, including the iPhone.

• In-Stat report: iPhone and gPhone: Shaking Up the Wireless World