A broad alliance of leading technology and wireless companies joined forces to announce the development of Android, the first truly open and comprehensive Linux-based platform for mobile devices. Google Inc., T-Mobile, Motorola and Qualcomm collaborated on the development of Google Android (name of the startup Google Inc. acquired in 2005).

Nokia, Apple, Google and others share a common goal of fostering innovation on mobile devices and giving consumers a far better user experience than much of what is available on today's mobile platforms.

The Wall Street Journal wonders whether the GPhone will open new opportunities for Google and its advertising raising. Google replies saying that this is not the point.

What will Android allow us to do? The idea is that Android is supposed to make Web surfing on a mobile phone look and feel a lot like it does on a PC or MAC at home.

Will it become one of iPhone’s competitors? There will be so many devices to surf the Internet with a mobile phone that each of them will give users different experiences.

In an article appeared on Usa Today, one of the questions was “what does this announcement actually mean for an average consumer?”. Google answers saying that if the alliance turns out to be successful, it will change consumers’ habits.