The VAR Guy

Hewlett-Packard is launching a Google Android-based netbook. Shipping under the Compaq brand, HP calls it the AirLife 100. It will debut in the United Arab Emirates (no word on a U.S. launch). The big question: Is Android for netbooks a good computing solution?

Yet again, Lenovo is busting down the gates of boring consumer electronics and pushing the envelope here with the LePhone. It’s not officially launched yet (just in China), but it has the potential to shake up the way we look at phones, especially Android offerings. Not convinced it’s something different? Read on.

The VAR Guy is dragging a bit as the decade comes to a close. Our resident blogger needs to drop a few pounds and get energized for 2010. But before he starts a crash diet, here are six channel blog entries The VAR Guy didn’t write for the week ending Dec. 31, 2009.

Sure, Apple’s iPhone has gained critical mass in many corporations. But a disconnect between Google Voice and Apple’s App Store highlights how Apple artificially limits iPhone opportunities for managed service providers and VARs. Frankly, The VAR Guy is mulling a move to a Google Android smart phone. Here’s why.

Now that everybody has jumped on the Netbook bandwagon, a new mobile device parade is pulling into town. Led by Qualcomm, so-called Smartbooks are slated to debut in late 2009. Expected to be slightly larger than the iPhone, Smartbooks are mobile Internet devices (MIDs) that run Windows, Google Android and a range of Linux alternatives. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

The buzz says Google plans to ship an operating system — called Chrome Operating System — for netbooks. But the Chrome OS strategy raises as many questions as it answers. To wit, here are five key questions Google needs to answer to ensure success in the operating system market.

At first glance, Google Android is set to take over the world — with one research firm predicting a 900 percent growth rate for the mobile operating system, far higher than growth rates for Apple’s iPhone. That’s amazing. Or is it?

Word on the street says carriers are showing little interest in Dell’s concept smart phones. The VAR Guy is hardly surprised. Developing a me-too handset that runs Google Android or Windows Mobile isn’t all that exciting. Dell either needs to differentiate through software — or move into a different market. The VAR Guy recommends the latter. Here’s why.

The VAR Guy often crows about his successful predictions. But some of his blog posts — including a few about emerging open source solutions like Google Android and Ubuntu Server Edition — missed the mark badly in 2008. Time for The VAR Guy to take a break from holiday meals. Instead, he needs to eat some crow for these five open source statements that were off target in 2008.

At first glance, the PC market is pretty darn mature. But walk into a Target retail store in New York or visit a computer retailer in Melbourne, Australia and you’ll see the start of a new revolution — driven by Asustek Computer (a.k.a. Asus).

It’s time for The VAR Guy to eat a little crow. A few weeks ago, our resident blogger predicted that Google Android — the new mobile operating environment — would arrive late to market with reduced features. He was wrong on both accounts. The first Android device, called G1, ships soon. And early reviews are positive.

Initially, The VAR Guy was upbeat about Google Android. But the more he hears about the mobile open source environment, the more he worries that Google is starting to resemble Microsoft. Here’s why.

The VAR Guy is pretty bullish on Ubuntu Linux, the operating system that is quickly leaping from PCs onto servers and mobile Internet devices. But he’s also starting to wonder if Google Android — rather than Ubuntu — will be the open source platform of choice for mobile Internet devices (MIDs).

Apple and Microsoft. Sometimes, they actually do get along. The iPhone will soon support Microsoft Exchange (as The VAR Guy suspected), along with a lengthly list of other enterprise features. Here’s the scoop.