Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt made his by-now customary keynote at Mobile World Congress last night. His presentation focused on the power of the web to connect and empower people, as well as the fact that two thirds of the world are not currently connected, and the part that mobile has to play in improving this situation. He was also fixated with speed, talking about Google’s fibre optic network in Kansas City, how it’s fast enough to support holograms, and telling delegates: “We can look forward to a future of unlimited speed and unlimited processing power”.
He talked about a vision of the future in which technology “disappears”, in the sense that it becomes part of everyday life, like electricity, it’s just there. And then he touched on mobile, explaining that fixed line is not the only way to get people connected, and looking ahead to 2020, when today’s $400 phones will cost $20 (citing Moore’s Law), and when every handset could come preloaded with a basic medical diagnostic tool.
“Anyone anywhere will be able to run a business or a news outlet from home,” said Schmidt. “In this new world, there will be far fewer places for dictators to hide. But there will still be elites…technology is a leveller. The weak will be strong and those with nothing shall have something. Every human being is blessed with the capacity for imagination and creativity.”
I can see how you could come out of the session feeling inspired, but I’m not sure he said anything about technology’s power to change the world for the better that has not been said before. Things were brought straight down to earth with the first question, nothing to do with empowerment, more about whether Google, now that it owns Motorola’s handset business, would pursue patent infringement lawsuits in China that Motorola chose not to. It was as if the last 25 minutes had never happened. You could almost feel him thinking: “Can’t you ask me about empowerment?” 
Schmidt also gave an impressive demo of the Chrome browser app for Android, showcasing some neat features related to Tab display and navigation – or at least Hugo, one of his team did. And earlier in the day, Google’s senior vice president of mobile, Andy Rubin, revealed on Twitter that Android activations are now running at 850,000 a day, a pretty amazing number. So the Google juggernaut powers on, but I think Google needs to bring a bit more Googleness to bear on its leader’s keynotes.
David Murphy
Editor
