Wireless Offers Google A Second Chance In China

Sometimes it’s not what you know, but who knows you.

Google, in an attempt to win over one billion Chinese customers, has weathered accusations of spreading everything from rumors to smut, and even agreed to block access to sensitive sites. However, the “don't be evil” brand is losing to its main competitor in China, Baidu Inc.

Why? Because the average Chinese person doesn’t know what Google is. Observes the LA Times's David Pierson: 

Google, a leader in innovation, may be the search engine of choice for China's elite. But two-thirds of the country's 340 million Internet users are young and not college-educated. Many of them are drawn to Baidu's easy access on its home page to pirated songs and online message forums, neither of which are quite so easy to find with Google.

Though Google may have fallen behind in China's search game, it can still succeed in other categories, like wireless. Linking up with China Mobile Ltd, China’s largest service provider, to sell handsets with Google Android operating systems is a prudent move.

Google is pushing Google Maps on cell phones, which have replaced landlines in China. Currently there is no detailed map system for cell phones. What is available works like a rudimentary GPS, showing major routes only, and no addresses or buildings. A cheap, accurate solution would almost certainly be wildly popular.

Mobile offers Google a second chance to make sure that everyone in China knows its brand. The pace of change is overwhelmingly fast in most Chinese cities -- it’s wise to call ahead to see if your favorite restaurant is still open, or if it’s been torn down, shut down, or started serving a different style of food in the two weeks since you were last there.

With that rapid level of change in China, the people of China could certainly change their favorite search engines—given a practical reason.