Who is doing what, in the digital convergence

I have just download the Bing application from the Android Market, in my Motorola Droid. And I have to say that is a great application. The NYT writes Microsoft Enters Google’s Unwalled Garden.  By the way, Bing is also available in the Apple store. At the same time, Microsoft is preparing for the launch of  its new mobile OS, Windows Phone 7 and in a pretty big style, as Gizmodo titles  Microsoft’s $1 Billion Smart Phone Bet? That’s Chump Change.

Google has its applications (Google Earth, Search) on various platforms, iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Symbian. And at the same time, is pushing the Android OS.

Kindle is the Amazon reader, but the Kindle application is both in Android, iPhone and iPad.

Apple, on the other hand, has its own app store and iTune library, OS, mobile devices.

Nokia has the app store, the OVI store, two main smartphone platforms, Symbian and Meego, that are available to other manufacturers and the OVI services that are only available on Nokia platforms.

Some of these players get the value from selling the device, others monetize through Internet services. And others  try to do both.

And in this picture we should not forget the role of the telecom operators/carriers. In many markets they control the distribution channel, for example in the USA. The most recent example is the Samsung Fascinate (an Android phone) just launched in Verizon.  From Engadget:

The phone does not use Google as its default search. And it doesn’t utilize Yahoo! either. No, the Fascinate search engine defaults to Bing. Bing is used for the homescreen widget. It is defaulted to in the browser. It is present across the device… and there’s no way to choose a different search engine.

Basically ruining Google strategy of giving Android for free to monetize Search.