Google promises enterprise Nexus Android phone

NEWS

Google will offer an enterprise-focused Nexus Android handset through its new web store, Android chief Andy Rubin has said.

In an on-stage interview at CES with The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg, Rubin told delegates that the web store — which currently carries only the Nexus One smartphone — would be used to sell a series of Nexus handsets according to segment, including an "enterprise version" and a "mass-market version".

Rubin referred to "the next version of the Nexus series which is an enterprise device", and suggested the 'enterprise' nature of the device could derive from several features.

"The definition of 'enterprise' is moving around a bit these days," Rubin said, adding that he saw a "big opportunity in cloud computing and cloud services", although other features could include a physical keyboard, better battery life and the ability to operate on all operator networks around the world.

Rubin noted that an enterprise Nexus phone would be a different model from the Nexus One, not just an enterprise version of the same handset.

Analysts have said that Android is not yet ready for the enterprise market, partly because it is still an immature platform with rapidly evolving versions, and partly because it does not yet offer enterprise-grade security.

Read this

Q&A: Android maker talks mashups and mobiles

Google's Andy Rubin talks nuts and bolts about the Linux-based phone software, the lessons of Sidekick, and the beauty of the iPhone...

The mobile email firm Good Technology released a secure client for Android in December 2009, but Google's platform does not have a centralised application signing process, instead relying on developers to sign their own apps.

Android handsets also cannot be wiped remotely — a feature Apple has used to promote the iPhone's suitability for enterprise.

In his interview with Mossberg, Rubin responded to complaints by early adopters of the Nexus One that there is no obvious customer support for the handset — the first consumer product to be sold directly by Google.

"We have to get better at customer service," Rubin conceded.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

ZDNet UK Live

@apexwm > I would be curious to know what exactly they mean by "mini-notebooks are > less-than-perfect substitutes for standard low-end laptops"....

19 minutes ago by Jack Schofield on While PC shipments will grow to a million per day, netbooks are in decline

Digital Britain author attacks the government for delaying the 2Mbps universal service commitment http://bit.ly/ciAS2s

22 minutes ago on Twitter by superglaze

Researchers at Norwegian and German institutes claim to have successfully cracked quantum cryptography equipment http://bit.ly/bfQQRt

3 hours ago on Twitter by LarsTS

Quantum crypto detectors cracked by researchers http://tinyurl.com/32orrr8 @schneierblog - your thoughts?

3 hours ago on Twitter by benrothke

Suse Linux Enterprise Server for VMware ships: By Jack Clark, ZDNet UK, 2 September, 2010 17:11 VMware and Novell ... http://bit.ly/bL9BMy

3 hours ago on Twitter by dominic_victor

RT @ZDNetUK_News: Dell abandons battle to buy 3Par: HP has won the short, sharp race to add the data storage management company to i... http://bit.ly/aLg1tA

4 hours ago on Twitter by Bhackett10

Suse Linux Enterprise Server for VMware ships: Businesses that buy vSphere licences will get SLES free of charge, ... http://bit.ly/adlav5

4 hours ago on Twitter by ZDNetUK_News

Dell abandons battle to buy 3Par http://bit.ly/920Spv

4 hours ago on Twitter by superglaze

RT @ZDNetUK_News: iOS 4.2 available for iPad in November: The operating system update will allow wireless printing and audio and vid... http://bit.ly/azstPx

4 hours ago on Twitter by qbspchelp

@gruber @daringfireball It's here, but will it get used? Universal wireless charger standard gets public release http://bit.ly/doJO2u

5 hours ago on Twitter by superglaze

Universal wireless charger standard gets public release http://bit.ly/cCdlZv

5 hours ago on Twitter by ZDNetUK_News

#IPv6 repost RT @pixeladdikt: RT @RIPE_NCC: ~"IPv6 news: using #IPv6 to connect everything http://bit.ly/dtJvh3 " ... http://bit.ly/aRkCNT

5 hours ago on Twitter by IP_v6

Windows Phone 7 released to manufacturers http://bit.ly/addml7

5 hours ago on Twitter by paulallen77

Windows Phone 7 released to manufacturers http://bit.ly/b9oigT

5 hours ago on Twitter by ImGoneBuzzirk

RT @pixeladdikt: RT @RIPE_NCC: ~"IPv6 news: using #IPv6 to connect everything http://bit.ly/dtJvh3 " +ArchRock :)

6 hours ago on Twitter by trejrco

Carter attacks coalition over 2Mbps delay http://bit.ly/aPTmax | #Droid #Android

6 hours ago on Twitter by Droid_Phone

Windows Phone 7 released to manufacturers http://bit.ly/9rL0sc | #Droid #Android

6 hours ago on Twitter by Droid_Phone

Tony - on the 28th, Hotmail EAS on iPhone didn't work because it wasn't publicly available then. Ignore the email, which was part of the internal...

6 hours ago by First Take on Hotmail Exchange ActiveSync

RT @RIPE_NCC: Exciting IPv6 news: using #IPv6 to connect everything from people's homes to the smart grid http://bit.ly/dtJvh3 (by @mlamonica)

6 hours ago on Twitter by BrenoVale

Exciting IPv6 news: using #IPv6 to connect everything from people's homes to the smart grid http://bit.ly/dtJvh3 (by @mlamonica)

6 hours ago on Twitter by RIPE_NCC

Featured white papers

The benefits of email archiving

Bloor Research

Email archiving lowers the risk of being unable to find important documents and help in achieving regulatory compliance and answering litigation requests.

Download now