It doesn’t look like Hop-On and Sprint will be working together anytime soon. Peter Michaels, President and CEO of Hop-on, has a few ideas why Sprint is not ready to brand their own Android handset yet and it’s not because of the operating system. Michaels feels it’s due to Sprint’s fear of losing market share.
Why doesn’t Sprint find a way to embrace the Android platform and find another revenue stream from it? Sprint has made it difficult to bring CDMA technologies from smaller vendors onto their network. CDMA is the best technology in the world, hands down. Hop-on could have brought in a low-end $10 CDMA, minimum, subsidized phone for Sprint, but they didn’t allow it. Hop-on is embracing advancing technology, Sprint is not!”
Now, we’re not big fans of the “disposable” cell phone idea, but we are cool with the idea of much lower cost handsets. There are plenty of other companies out there aside from the big 5 who make handsets that would be accepted by many Americans. If Hop-On has their way, consumers will be getting two versions Android before long.
One version will be loaded up with all of the multi-media and location based stuff. The other, a stripped down, basic Android phone. Both of these will utilize a technology developed by Motorola to make calls off the cable modem in your home.That’s right, an Android set top box is in the works!
According to Michaels, “Motorola is designing a cable box for homes that would run the Google Android Operating System.”
We’re in love with the ideas, but we’re afraid of the execution. Will this be embraced? Will consumers even know of their options when it comes to lesser names?
