• Financial Times, Monday, September 8, 2008 11:30 AM

The Financial Times' Richard Waters is already calling Google's Android a dud, saying that when the mobile operating system hits stores next month, "they will land with a fizzle rather than a bang." Waters points to a number of early reviews by analysts, critics, and - crucially -- developers, who have closely monitored Android's progress and in many cases, worked directly with early versions of the mobile OS.

As John Jackson, an analyst at Yankee Group, says, "(Android) ain't no iPhone." Indeed, analysts and developers have been griping about everything from the lack of stability in the software to the fact that competing devices like the iPhone and BlackBerry are based on a technology model where three different companies are involved. "The best experiences out there today are 'vertical' experiences, where the hardware and software come from the same company," says Tom Conrad, chief technology officer of Internet music provider Pandora.

The Google-powered phones will run on open source software known as Android, but will be made by different electronics companies and run on different wireless networks. For example, the first Android phones are being built by HTC and will run on T-Mobile's network. These will launch next month, according to the FT report.

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