Nokia's decision to buy the rest of Symbian it didn't already own and set it free was supposed to help it better deal with competition from open-platform rivals such as Google ( NSDQ: GOOG) by attracting consumers with free software. But has Nokia's move done the exact opposite, giving its burgeoning rival in the mobile market a boost instead?
BusinessWeek argues that by helping nurture the mobile web and create demand for cell phone applications, Nokia's move has done just his. Sure, Google's mobile OS Android will get some stiff competition from Symbian, and maybe Android won't emerge as the dominant OS, but in the end, with an established mobile web, Google wins anyway?with the ads it sells.
With sales of ads via desktop search is slowing down, Google needs to increase usage on mobile devices. Analysts are predicting that Google could easily transfer its dominance on desktop search to mobile search, thanks to its strong brand presence with consumers, as early data has shown that mobile consumers are going to the mobile sites of their desktop favourites. So whether Android gains traction or not in the face of a free Symbian may not matter, just as long as Google locks in mobile search.
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