Survey: Mobile developers prefer Google

Google is the top choice among developers creating location-enhanced applications for wireless devices. Second choice is Microsoft and then Nokia, according to a new survey from Evans Data Corporation released Tuesday.

The findings come at an opportune time for the search giant. Not a week goes by without some new rumors of a Google phone. The company has declined to comment on the buzz, but word is that it may have something to say next week.

"Google, the premier online Internet company, has intensified its focus on the mobile market over the last year, introducing and enhancing a number of new services and applications specifically designed for the small screen to include" location-based services, said John Andrews, president and chief executive of Evans Data. "Given that there will be approximately 3 billion mobile phone subscribers by end of 2007, Google sees tremendous potential in further extending their presence with content aimed squarely at this market."

The most common uses of location-based services in development are individual tracking and vehicle tracking, while nearly two-thirds of the respondents said they plan to use open source in the next year.

The global survey of almost 400 wireless developers was conducted in September.