What if Android had never lived?

by jose martinez

All the talk of the AT&T/T-Mobile merger and it's impending competition crushing possibilities got me thinking.  Being a comic book fan, the "What If" scenario came up.  What if AT&T bought out T-Mobile before Android launched?

T-Mobile G1 White

On October 2008 T-Mobile launched Google's new powerhouse smartphone the HTC G1, the world's first Android device, to compete with AT&T's juggernaut Apple iPhone.  It took a couple of years for Android to gain more market-share than the iPhone, but they have done it.  With a wide selection of devices across multiple carriers including the ever popular Samsung Galaxy S and the new dual-core Sensation, Google's device has turned Gmail into the leading email client and Android into a household name.  You may even be reading this on one such device now.

Now the question arises...what if T-Mobile was already absorbed by AT&T in 2008?  As the only GSM major carrier with a complete focus and commitment to Apple's product, would they have even looked and the Android OS platform?  Would Google have gone to the other small upstart company, Sprint?  If they had, would Android have had the same success?  Sprint enjoys a great deal of success with the EVO series of Android phones now, but today's powerful 3D Gingerbread powered machines are light years away from the humble beginnings of the G1, a phone that toted at the time one of it's major features as the ability to play Pac-Man on it's touch screen.

It bears the question about squelching competition.  Where would the Smartphone market be without Android?  Probably powered by iPhones and corporate Blackberries, without a hint of the revolution and innovation that Google brought to the market disguised as yummy desserts.  Which brings up further questions of how it will be shaped in the future.  One can only hope that, if the merger is approved, Sprint will be able to survive and champion the little people who thrive on technological innovation and a fun user experience.  Until we know for sure, I will always root for the underdog.