Google’s Nexus One and the Apple Tablet: Photographers Should Care

Tomorrow is a big Google press event where they’ll announce the Nexus One, a Google-branded smartphone running the Android operating system. The blogosphere is currently filled with rumors of an Apple tablet that will be announced a special media event on January 27th.

As a photographer, should you care?

Absolutely, and for a few different reasons:

First, a mobile device is a great way to show off your work. You can pre-load a mobile portfolio onto your smartphone or tablet and be able to quickly show off your killer photos. Another option is to use mobile web browsing to display your website or other online gallery.

Secondly, you’ll want to have a smartphone or other device with mobile connectivity. The term “real time” keeps getting thrown around, and for good reason: there’s a whole group of digital natives who expect a connected response. If other photographers are responding quickly to inquiries and it takes you a day or two, you might be losing that business. Your clients and potential clients are going to want to see you in the mobile, connected space… and if you’re not there, they’ll find a photographer who is.

Lastly, mobile is big. And it’s only getting bigger… we’re seeing rapid growth in the smartphone and mobile web industries, and as various web-based enterprises optimize their mobile experiences, there will be a market for photography for use in mobile marketing. Advertising and editorial clients which previously wanted photography for their fullscreen websites will want mobile-friendly images for their corresponding mobile experiences.

Watch the mobile space. It affects everyone, even photographers.

Photo by p_kim, used under Creative Commons licensing

These other posts might be of interest to you:

1. An Intro to Google Buzz for Photographers
2. The iPad for Photographers: First Thoughts

Tagged as: android, apple, apple tablet, blackberry, google, islate, itablet, mobile, nexus one, smartphones