Google talked up its huge mobile potential even as it delivered first quarter results that disappointed because of the firm’s galloping costs. CFO Patrick Pichette said the company “tripped” into a $1bn mobile business without massive effort, leaving the audience to imagine what could be achieved once Google really started to try.
However, success in the mobile world is putting Google in the sights of new competitors and antitrust authorities, and the latest complaints come from Korea, where Android handsets are gaining ground rapidly. Korea’s web and wireless activities always have an influence disproportionate to the country’s size because of its advanced usage and major influence on the mobile industry. Adding to antitrust probes underway in the US and Europe, Korea’ s largest homegrown internet search providers, NHN and Daum Communications, have filed complaints against their US rival.
Their filings with the Korean Fair Trade Commission allege that Google has blocked local cellcos and manufacturers from embedding third party search applications in Android devices.
“Android is an open platform, and carriers and partners are free to decide which applications and services to include,” said Google spokesperson Lois Kim. “We’re looking forward to working with the FTC to address any questions they may have.” In some countries, non-Google search engines have appeared as the default homescreen option on Android devices – Baidu is the usual choice in China, but AT&T has some Android smartphones running Yahoo.
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