The Engadget Interview: Erick Tseng, Senior Product Manager of Android

We had a chance to sit down with Erick Tseng, Senior Product Manager of Android at Google, who you may remember from that little press event the big G held the other day. We have a pretty detailed conversation on the impetus behind the Nexus One, details on Google's long-term strategy for its online store, a deep dive on the device itself, and lots more. We've split the chat up into three, easy-to-digest parts, so hit the videos after the break and get the full scoop!

[solarisdreams Posted Jan 8th 2010 3:58PM]

@Josh - Hey man...let the man talk. It's really annoying when you ask him a question, let him answer about 20%, and then try to fill in the rest of the 80% for him. We know you're a genius already...but I think your readers would really like to hear Google's side, from Google. It would really help break the geek superiority complex stereo-type. U hear me? Or...did you finish the rest of this post in your head before reaching the end? haha..jk. Keep up the good work.

[Student Driver Posted Jan 8th 2010 3:58PM]

@Bill Gates OMG, which one of you should I beat up and take his lunch money: you or Josh? Damn...

[fredphoesh Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:01PM]

Josh, you speak very well, ask intelligent questions, and have a pleasant manner.
Well done!

[abadcliche Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:01PM]

Nice one J-Tops, thanks Engadget, good info and looks like nobody is going to get a straight answer out of them re: multitouch.

[tamosius Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:02PM]

Joshua forgot to ask about inability to support hands-free voice commands and dialing.

[curiousgeorge Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:04PM]

Josh, good interview, but just a little bit of advice. Ask your questions quickly and let the guy fully answer. Don't try to verbally guess what he's going to say, and don't cut him off so much. Unless he's going off on some marketing drivel (which he wasn't) let him have his say.

[DestrictoEnse Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:15PM]

@curiousgeorge
I agree with your sentiments except the part about marketing drivel. It was all marketing drivel. I liked the bit where he contradicted himself by saying that they plan to let you buy the phone independent of service provider and then implied that they'd be releasing individual SKUs specifically for different networks.

[Calvini Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:06PM]

Hairier than Chewbacca dipped in Rogaine

[ppmcdoodles Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:07PM]

@Bill Gates I bet you would have a better answer to the multitouch questions.

[AlexNC Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:19PM]

Great interview Josh

[artlazza Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:24PM]

@Chefgon

For sure, have no doubt on that but Josh almost made him tell this to us with all the words...

[Alexandertron Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:31PM]

hell ya i cant wait to buy a unsubsidized android phone. this is my dream come true.

[Doppelganger Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:38PM]

I really wish you had asked about the browser and when it will have sufficient features to merit some Chrome branding. I think i'm the only one who feels the browser is weak!

[1ofdakoolkidz Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:44PM]

Um....the tone of this interview was far different than the tone of your earlier articles. What, I guess you actually like the nexus 1 now or something.

[Saja Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:44PM]

OMG topolsky, stop interrupting! ughh.. godddd

[factoryEquipment Posted Jan 8th 2010 4:49PM]

i got the feeling that they may be developing their own multitouch "paradigm"(?). One day Google will say "multitouch released" and their new Android OS version will be a multitouch frenzy with innovation on every screen lol maybe.

[HardToBelieve Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:17PM]

Scratchy throat, Josh?

[TPAYNE87 Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:24PM]

Yeah its offical the "ecosystem" has been taken over and is now controlled by Google maybe not such a bad thing yet though

[Wesley Posted Jan 8th 2010 6:05PM]

Mr Tseng, it would be nice to have an option to use other payment methods when buying apps and the use of all the storage space the device + memory has card to install the apps onto

[theredsoxjew Posted Jan 8th 2010 6:43PM]

@Bill Gates even though i c a pic of u and i c your name in the comment section. I am still questioning myself.... R u really Bill Gates? o.O

[Chaotix01 Posted Jan 8th 2010 7:10PM]

Superphones? Really? Google's arrogance has reached new heights.

The unsubsidized model can only work if unsubsidized phones have much lower monthly phone & data rates. Customers currently pay for the subsidies in the monthly plans. If the cost of the monthly plan does not decrease for unsubsidized phones, why would the general public buy a $500 phone when they can buy an equivalent phone for $150?

Erick was clearly lying to Josh about multitouch. Also, does Erick really believe that Google isn't competing with Motorola here?

[lstrike Posted Jan 8th 2010 9:38PM]

@Chaotix01 I wouldn't call it a lie I would just say he is being evasive. Also I believe that soon the Google phone site will load up with Moto phones etc. Google will make money on all their partners. I don't believe this store was about the Nexus. It is just the first. What better way to open shop then the same way you started up Android with an HTC partnered phone?

[Chaotix01 Posted Jan 9th 2010 12:13AM]

@lstrike Yes, he was being evasive. "Lying" was not the correct word.

And yes, the Google phone site will have Moto phones. But until that happens, Google is directly competing with the Moto Cliq.

When he described what "with Google" meant. He should have said, "with Google, means without multitouch". If the OEMs can add multitouch, why is Google preventing them from doing so in "with Google" devices? If I had a Droid, I'd be pissed that Google can't even give a good explanation for blocking multitouch.

[TSSaloic Posted Jan 9th 2010 6:02PM]

@Chaotix01 T-mobile USA does reduce the cost of their plans when they are not subsidizing the phone (Even More V. Even More Plus).

[TSSaloic Posted Jan 9th 2010 6:05PM]

@Chaotix01 The Multitouch problem could be due to Eric Schmidt time on Apple's board.

[PimpinPope Posted Jan 8th 2010 9:07PM]

@theredsoxjew

SURE HE IS! Bill uses the internet to. Quite well, for his age as a matter of fact.

[lstrike Posted Jan 8th 2010 9:36PM]

Why not ask about gaming? I mean with Palm less then a year from releasing the Pre and getting Need for Speed, video recording with editing etc I would have definitely have asked if developers are working on making games like those on the iPhone and NOW the Pre.

I guess once they get apps on SD some maybe? Who knows. I would have gone after that I mean everyone already knows about that new business model etc.

[MrAffrox Posted Jan 8th 2010 9:49PM]

@Bill Gates Did the guy's shoe fall off at 0:52 or something?

[MrMakeIt Posted Jan 8th 2010 11:53PM]

I wish a question would have been asked about why Google isn't offering subsidized pricing on the Nexus One to existing T-Mobile customer who are eligible to upgrade. Will it be the same with VZW? I hope not....

[MGDdrinker Posted Jan 9th 2010 3:53AM]

Josh,
Great to see you ask about the lack of multitouch on the US NexusOne and Droid. Hope you continue to push these companies to give an honest answer as to why their US customers are getting products with reduced functionality.

[hyaenidae Posted Jan 9th 2010 12:38PM]

great interview. especially what Erick said in the 3rd part was brilliant and revealing.
too bad about him not lifting the veil on multitouch

[Pies Posted Jan 10th 2010 3:02PM]

@hyaenidae But there's no mystery with multi-touch to reveal. Google clearly has the technological means and will to do multi-touch -- it did add the support to the OS and apps (as seen in European phones) -- but blocks it for the US market, because Apple has patents in the US that Google just doesn't want to mess with.

Since Apple doesn't sue the distributors that carry phones with pinch-to-zoom etc. functionality in the US, it stands to reason that they must have gone into licencing agreements of some sort with those distributors.

There, mystery solved. Can we drop the subject already? It's boring.

[Pies Posted Jan 10th 2010 2:56PM]

It goes to show how bad current mobile market situation is, if opening a store where you can choose and buy a phone _and/or_ a phone plan independently of each other is seen as revolutionary.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 11th 2010 12:02AM]

Great. Can't wait to see what the future holds.....

[malala Posted Jan 14th 2010 4:10PM]

Hi I'm a spammer, please email me at: [e-mail]