Don't underestimate Google's power in mobile industry

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With the enormous success Apple has enjoyed with the sales of its popular iPhone, critics, industry analysts and regular folk often find it hard to believe anyone could ever compete with Apple. But as per the advice of CNET, Google should not be underestimated as a competitor.

Handset maker HTC recently launched a phone with a Google operating system on it dubbed "Android." Google hopes to turn the cellphone into a full-blown computer. The reaction, as CNET notes, has been mixed; some praise the phone for its physical keyboard (which the iPhone lacks) while others say it will never compete in the corporate space with devices like the BlackBerry.

Whether you agree or not, CNET writer Don Reisinger offers some sobering realty:

But Android is an entirely different story. At its core, Android is a platform that has tons of potential. It's not only open (which is probably the best feature), it offers full Google integration, which is a key concept in today's age of Google domination, and its touch-screen capabilities mean Apple isn't the only other major company doing something unique in the market.

But my belief that Android will be a success goes far beyond the product itself. Call me crazy, but I can't think of one reason why anyone would underestimate Google. Countless times, companies have ignored Google and let it slip into a market, only to learn when it's too late that it's the leader.

Google has been underestimated countless times, and sweeping it under the carpet this go around is not any smarter.

As CNET reports:

Google has its grips in countless markets in the tech industry. It leads the way in search and advertising, but it's a major player in online productivity apps, mapping solutions, and a slew of other places where the leader was supplanted without much worry. And although it's still struggling with YouTube, we can't forget that Google was the only company that had both the money and vision to acquire that site.

The key to Google's success throughout the years is two-fold: it offered superior products because it understood what customers wanted, but it also capitalized on all its competitors that failed to believe that a company with that crazy name could become a powerhouse in any market.

Microsoft, RIM and Apple all seem to care nothing about Google's step into their backyard, but something that is important to note (and something these companies need to realize) is that Google is a brand people want, and the company has already forged many relationships with other handset makers that could see it explode into the mobile industry in the very near future. It's not one handset that is a threat, it's the idea that any handset could carry a Google operating system that these companies should fear.