Google’s Android has rewritten the rulebook on mobile phones, and the mobile world will never be the same again. Everything, including basic phone usage and fundamental things like business mobile phone deals, has been rerouted through a new level of functionality. The phone has become a true place of business, and that fact is now impacting the wider phone market in multiple ways.

The messy world of business phones and apps

The phrase “An app for everything” has a lot to answer for. App quality, security and functions are often basic functions, and some are pretty banal at best. “Gimmicks whether you need them or not” might be a slightly harsh paraphrase, but not entirely inappropriate. Although Apple and Google have been trying hard to maintain quality controls, if you’re talking about a working business phone being used by people trying to do business, there’s some way to go before that’s a reliable description of what’s on the market.

It’d be a good idea to keep the business functions entirely separate from all the others with some strict classifications, too. OK, there’s an app for how to tie a Windsor knot, but what on Earth is it doing masquerading as a business app? Android could easily have a special, easily accessible business app stream saving a lot of false starts and finding where things are.

Android does have some very useful apps:

• Cashbook- A useful thing for any business, dealing with expenses.
• Mighty Meeting- A Powerpoint remote control for your phone.
• Spreadsheet- An Excel compatible app.
• GDocs- Portable Google docs on your phone.
• Docs to Go- Mobile Microsoft docs, PDF, and Powerpoint.
• PocketCloud- You can use this to access your Microsoft, Apple, or Linux computer files and applications.
• Ignition- Remote access to computers by internet connections.

If you’re getting the impression that all of this is pretty basic, you’re quite right. Android is developing apps for business, but it’s also exposing the deficiencies of existing apps. It’s nice to have access to data and various functions, but is that enough? Most people might say it isn’t. Businesses need more grunt in terms of generating business information from phones.

In fairness the direct access to computers is relatively new in this context, and if Android doesn’t yet have the level of platform evolution for apps required, it’s obviously coming. Secure, go-anywhere, do-anything apps are what’s needed to get the best out of Android’s obvious intention to provide a full spread of business app functions.

A clue to the likely future of business phone apps is the fact that Dropbox, the famous file share service, is now on Android. That’s excellent news for business, a very convenient way of managing live files and de-clutters the file sharing process as well. Evolve that into something like managing live business operations from the phone, and a very cost-effective way of doing real time business is available.

Android’s major and very positive contribution to business apps so far is to raise the stakes and make “Apps for everything” obliged to become more than a few basic operations. With any luck, and perhaps some prodding from users, Android might turn business mobiles into true business tools.