By now, all the first full reviews of the Android G1 phone have come out. This isn’t one of them. You can read CrunchGear’s in-depth review or my initial impressions of the G1 in an earlier post. And there are plenty of other places where you can (re)read about the specs, the slide-out keyboard, and the $179 price.
But I did get my Android loaner from T-Mobile last Friday and have been carrying it around constantly, reading my e-mails on the subway, surfing the Web, and playing with the Google Maps Street View compass feature—when New York City isn’t blocking my GPS. I can’t put it down.
That is not to say that I have set aside my iPhone. In fact, I still carry that around in my pocket as well, right next to the G1. (Yes, I know it’s weird). After living with both side by side for a few days, my initial impression has deepened that the G1 is no iPhone. But I’m also convinced that it doesn’t really matter. The Android is going to be a runaway success once it goes on sale October 22. (Already, 1.5 million are rumored to be pre-sold. Update: That estimate might be inflated, but T-Mobile did sell out of its initial pre-order allotment). The Android and the iPhone together stand in a class by themselves. As I noted in my initial take:
. . .in the end this is not really about Android versus the iPhone. It’s about Web phones versus the brick in your pocket. Simply matching the iPhone on many of these features—especially Web browsing and email—is going to be enough to help redefine the mobile market. The table stakes have just been raised. From now on, phones need to be nearly as capable as computers. All others need not apply.
I still believe that, and the apps on Android have a real chance of blowing away the apps on the iPhone some day just because Android is much more open. It lets developers access pretty much anything on the phone, from the camera to the music library (both of which are currently restricted zones on the iPhone). But that is a post for another day. Right now, I’m going to focus on how the Android stacks up to the iPhone in its most elemental features.
How do they compare? Both the Android and the iPhone are very similar in their basic capabilities. They both have large touchscreens, GPS, WiFi, 3G cellular antennas, accelerometers, and a camera. On the software side, the both have fully capable browsers (based on Webkit), Gmail, GPS-enabled Google Maps, a music player, and a whole array of third-party apps that you can browse and download directly from an App Store on each device (Google calls its store an App Market).
So far, so good. Where things break down with the G1 is in subtle differences in the user interface that keep making me stumble and pause to try to figure out what to do next. This is a problem I rarely have with the iPhone. The crux of the problem is that the G1 has too many buttons. There is, I’m afraid, a hardware/software disconnect. Too often on the G1, the hardware gets in the way.
This disconnect stems from one of the G1’s standout features that distinguishes it from the iPhone: the slide-out keyboard and the dedicated buttons below the touchscreen. The keyboard in particular is supposed to be one of the G1’s great selling points. After all, people like pressing buttons, especially when they are typing. But the keyboard actually turns out to be superfluous.
As a former Crackberry addict, I never thought I’d say this. But once you get used to typing on a touchscreen, it turns out to be easier and faster than typing on a tiny keyboard. It takes a while to realize this, but once you do there is no going back.
Maybe I’ve just been brainwashed by my iPhone, but I find its touchscreen keyboard to be much simpler to use. The individual keys are much bigger, especially since they expand as you get closer to each one. I do miss the tactile feedback, but that is replaced by an almost equally satisfying clicking sound when you press each key. And the predictive spelling takes care of most mistakes.
Instead of offering up a keyboard whenever you need it, the G1 forces you to switch modes whenever you want to type. That involves flipping open the screen to reveal the keyboard below. The layout of the keyboard itself takes a little getting used to. It looks like standard QWERTY keyboard, except that there is an additional “menu” button where the shift button should be. The shift button us below it. But to type secondary symbols like question marks and dollar signs, instead of hitting the shift button you need to hit an “ALT” button. I am constantly hitting the “menu” button out of habit.
Once you finally type out an email, you cannot send it using the keyboard. Rather, you have to hit the menu button, which brings up a “send” option.” The G1 forces you to switch back and forth between hardware and touchscreen inputs all the time. It is annoying and jarring.
This also happens when the keyboard is closed and you are happily browsing the Web, reading through e-mails, or playing with one of the apps. It’s all touchscreen happiness, until inevitably you hit a wall and have to resort to the hard menu button or the dedicated “back” button below the screen. If all else fails, there is the handy “home” button that takes you back to the Android mobile desktop.
Maybe it’s just me, but when I’m in flying in touchscreen mode, I want to stay in touchscreen mode. What is amazing about both the Android and the iPhone is that they are truly immersive experiences. Don’t bring be back to reality by making me hunt and peck for a hard key.
Another flaw of the Android is that the only way to switch the screen to a horizontal landscape mode is to flip open the keyboard. With the iPhone, you just turn the phone on its side. Android should have copied this because sometimes you want to go horizontal when you are simply browsing the Web. It’s easier to read a Webpage that way. I find myself flipping open the keyboard just to browse the Web, but I’m not typing so the keyboard gets in my way, again. I do like the little roller ball, though. They should keep that. It’s great for playing Pac-Man.
Other pet peeves: Apple’s browser is also a little bit more satisfying. Android resizes everything into annoyingly long columns when you make anything big enough to read. And the iPhone’s screen is a tad sharper, which makes a difference when you are reading tiny print or watching videos.
Android does do some things better than the iPhone. Android has an advantage on pretty much anything that has to do with Google apps. For instance, conversations in Gmail are threaded together. On the iPhone for some reason each response is shown as a separate e-mail, and the default is set to downloading 50e-mails at a time. With Android, you get a lot more. You can also sync easier with your Google data, download all your contacts from Gmail, and Gtalk works like a charm.
Google Maps on Android includes Street View pictures. Coupled with the compass and GPS, you can see a picture of the street you are on or the building in front of you simply by holding up the phone and moving it around. I could easily see Google adding in layers of data, in effect tagging the real world Tonchidot-style.
There’s so much Android could be, and remember, this is just the first phone. But in order for it to have a chance at surpassing the iPhone and becoming the de facto mobile computing platform, it needs to close the gap on its user interface issues. The interface needs to be flawless. Invisible yet always available. For Android, that may be a dream, but it is one that is within reach.
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You are totally right, this gap between the OS and hardware is what makes all the difference.
G1 is not an iPhone killer, although Android might be a Mobile OSX killer. In order for Google to take down the iPhone, they need a great hardware to match the OS. Unfortunately for them (and luckily for Apple), G1 is not it.
Lookind forward for the next phone running Android.
I’ve seen more attractive doorstops.
Erick, you are stating what is good for nerds. Nerd’s service is one which has more than 80% male usage, no sexism. After few months, when iPods demise, apple will have no other product than to de-handicap iphone by enabling vid-rec and copy-paste.
Home sick commenting {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/4Rk4JgI4aF_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”Home sick commenting ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/MLnlfQnuJ9″}}}
It also took Apple two phones to get 3G and Software Version 2.1 to get a decent OS. I guess we’ll just have to wait for a better hardware and see how Android evolves in future versions…
lame. It took 2009 july for apple to achieve 3G, and 2009 october for android.
sry if you are puzzled, its 2008.
“Butt that is a post for another day.” Pun intended?
ok, honestly, WTF. you have an Android? I tried to buy one but am not a T-mobile customer, so no dice. thought about emailing google about it but they’ve been weird lately. so i just figured i’d wait. but they sent you one. and apparently the crunchgear guys have them as well. lame.
Could it have something to do with your anti-Yahoo/Google marriage stance? Just a thought?
What, you didn’t get one, Mike? I’ll let you look at mine next time we are in the same city.
hey, seriously, i need one of those phones. email me about who’s handling press stuff for them.
ha ha, i have one too. ha ha mike.
I am myself a die hard iphone fan and user but I so want to get hold of a G1 device and start playing with it …..can’t wait to get it
http://www.confiz.com
your offshore development partner
Michael, perhaps he is a blogger and reviews products for us to read?
he didn’t even do a review. just pointed to crunchgear’s.
“I do like the little roller ball, though. It’s great for playing Pac-Man.”
Ooo! Ooo! What a great reason to get the latest electronic time-waster! You can play a computer game from 1980! Ooo! Ooo!
God, you people are such sheep. I’ll bet you complain every day about how the government or the banking industry wastes money.
Hm, to me Apple has a huge advantage in building everything in house - just like with mobile MP3 players, the one that can control th entire user experience has to work with the least mount of compromises.
It’s not just the software, it’s the user experience, silly.
I agree. I played with a G1 the other night at a party and I felt myself trying to figure out how to get back or it not feeling seamless. Maybe I’m brainwashed by my iphone too, but I find I moved around on my iphone mush easier the first time picking it up and using it. You know if you get lost push the home button.
Not to mention they need to spend more time on the look of the GUI. It just looks ugly. Thats up to the user I suppose though. I know in time that will be fixed by third party though.
And some will tell you the iPhone looks gay. Get over it. PCs are not as ‘cute’ as Macs but still represent 95% of home computer’s market around the world the world (U.S. being a small exception).
Whaaa! Whaaa! Dude just cause your hardware has catching up to do doesn’t mean you need to shove PC stats at me (LOL). Ok I’m over it now, thanks for sharing man.
[QUOTE] “I could easily see Google adding in layers of data, in effect tagging the real world Tonchidot-style.”
ok, seriously, for those who don’t understand why Android is a real game changer. What most Apple fans underestimate is precisely the power of the ‘COMPASS MODE’ on the G1.
It allowa true AUGMENTED REALITY applications to be developed. And Tonchidot was a joke, their demo was a fake simply because the iPhone has no compass.
But wait! Guess what?…
A team has already developped something similar for the G1. The company is called ENKIN. A team of 2 german fvcking bastard geniuses.
Check this out, it’s absolutely amazing: http://www.enkin.net
And Enkin has a WORKING PRODUCT and it’s a true revolution (actually Google is in discussion to purchase their company).
Just imagine the potential for Google: create something similar to AdWords but in real life!!! Businesses will pay to have promotions and ads displayed (overlayed) in real life on your phone through augmented reality with the G1.
And this will come sooner than you think.
Guess where? On Android.
>And this will come sooner than you think.
>
>Guess where? On Android.
And just how long have you been working at Google, sir?
I don’t work for Google, but I happen to know the team behind the Enkin project. They’ve been acclaimed by pretty much everyone as having the most innovative application for the Google top 50 contest.
If Enkin has not been selected among the ‘Top 50′ is because Google wants to purchase their company and have this awesome project developed internally, and use it as a platform for some sort of AdWords 2.0 where every business in the world will be able to have an ad displayed via geolocation / augmented reality. Something that is only possible with a compass.
I mean, seriously, imagine the potential for Google. It’s a cash-machine right there. They’ll just need to eventually sub-contract and share the revenues with local Yellow Pages sales teams in every country.
Enkin’s augmented reality looks pretty cool, but it’s clearly years and years away from having enough polish to be a main-stream-ready app.
And I think Enkin is a perfect example of the state of affairs: open source is great for lots of amazing little projects, but applications for open-source platforms don’t really have a great track record with broad mass-market success beyond what us geeks play with. Devices & OS’s need to be polished enough for our parents to use, and anroid is definitely not there yet.
Android may win the war, but it isn’t even winning any battles yet.
years and years away? haha you’re totally wrong. all it needs is a little UI polish, that’s all. The technology is there and once Google purchases the company, it won’t be long until they release it. It took less than 2 years for Google to release Google maps and less than one to develop their awesome street view.
And no track record for open source success? Gimme a break, isn’t Firefox open source? And how about OpenOffice? (98M+ downloads)
What drives the success of an application is how cool it is, but most importantly how cheap it is. And you can’t beat free. Especially in the deep recession we’re entering into.
And the Enkin project is a major interest for Google as it really will serve as a platform for new potential revenues. With Nokia, Samsung and LG offering soon Android phones you’ll have at least 40-50M units sold in the next 2 years. Certainly enough to drive substantial revenues from local businesses willing to advertise through augmented reality.
I want nothing more than to see AR take off. My comment was based on the assumption of Enkin making it as a stand-alone app trying to dominate market share through an app-store like distribution model. I don’t doubt AR is the future, but it would definitely take something like a major investment and dedication by Google in order to make it.
Still, the odds Enkin making it from where it is to become a dominate presence across 10’s of MM of phones within 2 years are incredibly small. It would basically require an immediate Google acquisition, Google deciding it should be a major UI option, then integrating it into Android as a core UI feature, and then rushing it to market within something like 12mo to make sure it made it into the next gen of handsets. The chances of making sure it had the polish under that scenario to be completely intuitive by joe-consumer and to have the accuracy and quality to something more than simply a novel display mode really aren’t very good.
Thanks for the healthy dialog…
next big thing
http://makethemoola.weebly.com
lane making money taking serveys is not the next big thing, its the lame thing…
And Erick, you forgot one VERY IMPORTANT point: Android is a true multi-task OS, allowing use of several applications at the same time.
G1 reviews I’ve read on TC seem flawed and partisan, forgetting for example to mention the Compass feature in the opening of your article when comparing both phones hardwares.
>And Erick, you forgot one VERY IMPORTANT point: Android is a true
>multi-task OS, allowing use of several applications at the same time.
Thankfully we have you here to remind us of every single marketing point Google has about this phone.
Bless you for educating us for no other reason than the kindness of your heart. You must be a philanthropist.
From the bottom of my heart, I think you’re one stupid ass.
I’m pointing out something that’s not even mentioned in Erick’s review. Is that fair comparison when the title of your article is precisely “It’s the Software, Stupid”?
what sort of journalism is that?
Um, already covered all that last month. See link in first paragraph.
so what was the point of this article then?
if Apple was McCain, TC would be Fox News.
“Apple was McCain, TC would be Fox News” that is classic
!!!!
Except that if McCain were a computer, he’d be a PC.
McCain would be an Abacus.
>But wait! Guess what?…
>Check this out, it’s absolutely amazing:
>it’s a true revolution
>(actually Google is in discussion to purchase their company).
>And this will come sooner than you think.
>Guess where? On Android.
Sorry Steve for suggesting that you work for Google. Upon rereading your posts I detect the unmistakable sleaze of a cell-phone salesman.
I apologize to the real Google employees who are spamming this thread with gushing comments. Carry on.
Dude, you should chill out. I don’t work neither for Google nor for any Cell-Phone company. I’m just playing the devil’s advocate here, since TC seems to have become some sort of rally for iPhone sectarian maniacs.
A good article is one that is not flawed and is at least honest to its own title. Erick’s rant is obviously neither one.
Who cares. Get a life. Go outdoors. Imagine having sex with a girl you don’t have to inflate. If you don’t work for Google or T-Mobile then you are obsessed with this to an unhealthy degree.
” Imagine having sex with a girl you don’t have to inflate”.
you mean a girl like your wife? done that. check pics in her iphone.
Steve ,Do your wife work in google?
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
“Imagine having sex with a girl you don’t have to inflate”…. one question, why say imagine it should have read GO have sex….
None the less the comment is rather harsh, and who knows maybe he doesn’t care about the environment and preffers plastic
Steve is God’s gift to inflatable women.
Thank you both for giving me a good laugh on my 4th day at home sick.
hum.. I thought from one of the demo videos, when G1 is turned 90 degrees, the browser also changes to landscape. I thought changing screen orientation was app/setting dependant Can you verifiy?
Thanks.
Apple are so far up their own arses their product doesn’t even interest me anymore.
Everything they release is pretty much more of the same: Something new, cute and overpriced. (Although the ticking clock hovering over the product, counting down the hours until it’s superceeded by a modestly refined follow-up is actually free.)
I look forward to new competition and the design excellence that MAY just result provided everyone stays honest.
This “new competition” you are looking forward to was kicked off by Apple; every cellphone company was sitting on their asses before then, and posers like you did not even know or dream what kind of “design excellence” to look forward to. At least Apple creates something “NEW” and cute, by your own admission, unlike old and ugly, which is staple for the cellphone industry. And if the follow-up is merely modestly refined, then why does that clock ticking towards that follow-up terrify you so much?
I’m sort of bored with my iphone. I think it’s a little too simple. I’d like apps to run in the background, and I’d like to multi-task. I guess I’m wanting more of a computer. So it looks like G1 is a step up in that regard. I personally don’t like the auto-correct, and if you need to edit something a few lines up it takes a while to magnify to the right spot. For most of my typing, the screen is always vertical, and the keys are uncomfortably close. In areas where the phone can lay horizontal, the touchscreen keyboard is quite nice. I bet it’s just what you get used to. I used to hate touchpads on laptops, but now I don’t know how to use a mouse (it feels very strange).
Considering I spend half of my day on gtalk or gmail, it would be nice to be away from the laptop for a while. I don’t use my iphone as a phone very often, and I have the same plan for G1 when it gets shipped. All I want is a pocket computer, that if I want to make outgoing calls on, I can. Seriously, If someone builds an IDE on the G1, I may never see my laptop again.
I don’t know man I played with it and was bored with the G1 in a few minutes. But then again my iphone is jailbroken with a terminal app, any app can run in the background, siruis satellite radio. I’m not bragging by the way I’m to trying to make a point to just jail brake your iphone man you’ll enjoy it much more. IMHO But hey if the G1 makes you happy I say to each there own and enjoy.
If only I could use it with Sprint…
You make a good a point. The iphone can be just as open as the G1, if you take the steps to make it that way.
Brett, so now you’re saying you need to be a geek to own an Apple product? Hilarious.
> Considering I spend half of my day on gtalk or gmail
Hey Steve Harris, check it out…someone who’s a bigger loser than you!
Thanks for giving brief description.
Nobody even mentioning the Nokia 5800 (aka Tube)? I’ve been anti-nokia in the last few years, but they are the only ones who released a full featured phone weighting less than 110g. In addition to that, their touchscreen keyboard seems to be the smartest one: if you don’t like the small keyboards (like the Iphone’s, which gives me a headache), just switch the phone to horizontal and you’ll have a large nice keyboard. Can’t wait to have my hands on it…
Hasta la VISTA baby!
I love gphone.
Android is a software platform while the iPhone is a phone. You are basically comparing the G1 to the iPhone, but leave the reader with the impression that G1 and Android are pretty much the same thing. Much better phones will probably emerge that will use Android as a platform.
I like your comment, absoulty right, Android is a platfrom, wake up people more hardware vendors are going to deploy it on their hardware instead of developing their own OS, so they save the development costs, although some of them will foucus on developing some neat application and customizations.
And when those phones come out, I’ll be glad to look at them. For now, Android is the G1.
True, but don’t want people to judge Android by their experince of G1
apple has patented the iphone to death and is why the competition will never be able to copy a lot of their features.
this is aload of good aint it man god the iphone is da best
“There’s so much Android could be, and remember, this is just the first phone. But in order for it to have a chance at surpassing the iPhone and becoming the de facto mobile computing platform.”
WTF? I am sorry the “default mobile computing platform” ship has already sailed, and its called, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, and LG, etc. etc. Do you honeslty think that these device manufacturers are going to adopt Apple, Windows, or Google OS software after their billions of dollars investment in mobile OS’s…
Smart phones only make up 25% of the US’s devices, and that’s only because the US professional is addicted to looking busy, hence, “crackberry.” iPhone and G1 devices make up a whole lot smaller share.
Think about it, without your your, ‘I am a busy person facade on.”
No, this is the future. All phones will be computers.
Motorola is getting on the Android bandwagon. Nokia will try its own thing. Anyone who doesn’t move in this direction won’t be around in five years.
I think they should adopt Andriod or Windows mobile and maybe the iphone os (just if apple agreed) and start to customize it and develop some cool and usefull applications for it, trust me these companies (Nokia, Motorola, Sony) are in mobile buissness for a long time and hadn’t yet created such attarctive and efficient smart phones such as iphone, G1 or windows mobile
All you gotta do is look at the smartphone culture in Japan, Taiwan, and a lot of the Asian Tigers. Definitely more than just people putting up a front that they are “busy”. It’s only a matter of time before the same can be said about the U.S.
One of Japan’s most trafficked sites is a video site similar to Youtube called Nico Nico Douga. They overlay a feed of user comments over the video while it is playing for what is close to a real-time user conversation. Its mobile service is immensely popular - the smartphone culture there embraces it.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/ar....._douga.php
although i hadn’t used iphone alot, and never used andriod, till now I prefer using Windows Mobile devices its more geeky, and I can develop software for easily
“From now on, phones need to be nearly as capable as computers. All others need not apply.”
And what about Symbian, who have been making capable handsets for AT LEAST the past five years?
Oh right, they’re irrelevant, because the mobile industry in Europe and Asia apparently doesn’t exist…
“Oh right, they’re irrelevant, because the mobile industry in Europe and Asia apparently doesn’t exist…”
lame, the are relevant in their markets, this is not an Asian tech blog now is it… its an American tech blog, and well they cover shit available to US…. Why would they cover a story about a phone that no one in the US has access to?
ohh I just clicked on your link, your a Canuck…. that explains the dumb rant
I’m no grammer/spelling cop but I love it when someone calls another person dumb while misspelling basic words like “you’re”.
You do know that “your” and “you’re” are two different words that mean two different things right?
Which rant looks dumb now?
your correct my midnight grammer, on my posts is not proper…. ouchh…
and to correct your grammer:
I’m not a grammer or spelling cop, but I love when someone calls another person dumb, while ……
so fuck off
“Why would they cover a story about a phone that no one in the US has access to…”
I actually purchased a Nokia E71 from an online retailer based in Philadelphia this week. There are also flagship Nokia stores in NYC and Chicago.
So much for that.
What about Symbian? It’s long in the tooth and can’t keep up.
As phones they may be able to compete, even with apps, but when you take into account the iTunes effect and that all my music/videos are in iTunes then there is a HUGE difference. I think there are 40 millions iPods out there and I’m positive that when their owners will upgrade their phone they will go with the iPhone. So there is a big room for iPhone to grow.
wrong. Android already offers a substitute for iTunes allowing you to keep you music and videos from iTunes.
At the very least I hope Android forces Apple to become more open. But I’m not sure that will ever be in their nature.
Android will therefore almost certainly become the niche phone to develop for, unless M$ buck up their ideas and catch up. If they do then maybe Android won’t find it’s market…
I love my iPhone but hate it’s closedness. But if a new iPhone came out in the next 6 months I’d get it!
Heard of jailbreak? Steve Wozniak has: http://edenstrom.wordpress.com/?s=iphone
I love iPhone
I’d really like to play with one, they sound pretty cool. I’m happy with my iPhone, for now, but we’ll see what they have for the Gen. 2 of the android. Of course, I’ll also be watching for the Gen. 3 of the iPhone next year, so maybe it will be a toss up?
Jake
NoteScribe: Premier Notes Software
Open source is really happening.
Sunita
Erick, does your iPhone get a location fix in those tricky NYC areas?
I agree with Erick Schonfeld. All phones will be computers in future.
htt://www.oxyshopping.com
Maybe everything is software.
So what I’m hearing is that the iPhone is much more attractive looking, has a more intuitive interface, and does a variety of things including web browsing better. Android (G1, being the first instantiation) will have an app store that will provide me with a bunch of useless apps that 0.001% (Silicon Valley nerds) of the population will use (three times). How long is it going to stay in Beta?
although the iphone is more attractive looking phone I think G1 one will be more attractive when it will come to the functions of the phone. I have created a forum for the G1 as well because I think phone will have a lot of info that people would want to know. check it out if you get the G1 phone at g1tricks.com
I love IPhone, that is way too better but if you look at the price Gphone is not bad either …
I found your weblog as the best blogs of 2008…Interesting for me
Check my blog on:
http://www.cardesignnews.tk/
http://cardsign.blogspot.com/
Regards
Wow… for a post titled “It’s the Software, Stupid“, I thought it was going to be about how the iPhone software sucks.
The OS is shit - crashes all the time. The apps are redundant and most are gimicky at best - how many Sudokus do I need? 3G reception is crap. Apps crash. Apps are only available through the hardware manufacturer. Not to mention the requisite off-phone (ie: on a desk/laptop) software needed (ie: iTunes).
I hate my iPhone. Just 22 more months and I can be rid of the thing.
“you can see a picture of the street you are on or the building in front of you simply by holding up the phone and moving it around”
Hahaha, I can do that with my crappy phone’s camera already!
Wow! I can’t wait use my great new Googlephone to send text messages. I’m SURE they would NEVER save THAT information! They’re really honest and not evil or anything!
I feel Apple is going to change the world just by launching their next -gen of laptop; at the same time, G1 is trying to replicate iPhone but hasnt done it right;
1. its bulky…
2. screen is small: its cool that you have a keyborad, but… I am totally happy with my iphone right now;
3. confusing buttons: why having so many buttons??? I hate that…
Love apple love apple !!!
G1 has not be launch in China,looking forward to it
It’s not “The Android”. It’s “The G1″. “Android” is a platform, not a phone. Referring to this phone as “The Android” is analogous to reviewing a new PC and referring to it as “The Windows” (or “The Linux”).
MY G1 TOTALLY ROCKS YOW CHECK THIS OUT I LOST MY WALLET AND ALL I HAD TO DO IS TURN IT ON AND I SEE RIGHT THROUGH THE WALL totally awsum!! dudes
Here are some things off the top of my head that I’ve been thinking about regarding Android… Many of the points are interconnected and somewhat relational, and they all have to do with support.
First, how is Google’s approach anything new or refined? Seriously. Even Windows Mobile is arguably more robust, more refined, and better documented than android. Is it the “openness”? Hasn’t that been tried with “linux on the desktop” REAL SOON NOW? That’s been a promise since it’s incarnation many years ago. My guess is that Android will suffer the same fate.
One of the problems with having an OS Like Windows and Linux run on different manufacturer’s/reseller’s hardware is that there are just too many slightly different combinations that make it a real pain in the ass to support, and a real annoyance for endusers. It’s hard enough for Microsoft to support all the different variations of hardware and hardware combinations that folks might have, and they’ve been at the game far far longer than Google. What makes people think (hope?) that Google has the same expertise, drive/vision, and experience to offer endusers? Now, with the desktop/laptop model it’s all basically the same. Is that going to be true for the mobile phone market or will we continue to have hundreds upon hundreds of different hardware variants all following different architectural models and specifications etc., with many new versions being released constantly as they are now? Who’s going to support each of the various hardware? Google? The manufacturers? It just seems like it’s been done before. Microsoft has done as good a job as I think anyone can given the plethora combinations. But I believe that there is going to be too many combinations and variations in the phone market; making it a support nightmare.
Regarding “support”… What about testing of possible hardware/firmware updates? OS updates? SECURITY updates? What about testing all the applications against any of these updates? Between manufacturers devices? Who’s going to be responsible for maintaining a seamless experience and proper application? Even more importantly, do you think that whomever *is* responsible for maintaining this parity, will do a good job at it, or will it be underwhelming at best?
How can Google hope to refine the product if multiple manufacturers are constantly releasing new variations of many different devices? Will that be left up to each manufacturer? Again, I believe that this has all been tried before on a more standardized model like the desktop with Linux. I’m not saying that it can’t be done, just that they might have a lot harder time achieving anything close to what Microsoft (let’s say) has achieved thus far, and keep in mind that companies like Microsoft and Apple have been in the OS game far longer than Google. And phone manufacturers already do a pretty shitty job *implementing* operating systems on their devices. I would hate to see a market where people are forced to upgrade even more often than they do now to new hardware just to have the latest and greatest features. Right now, all Android gives them is something that “looks kinda like iPhone”, but isn’t.
In the end, I feel that the disconnect between the hardware and the software - as well as all the potential variants among the hardware designs and specifications themselves will prove to be too big an obstacle to overcome in any meaningful, refined way. Couple that with application testing and support against potential hardware/firmware, SECURITY and OS updates, and the problem becomes even harder. Do folks *really* expect Google, and by extension all the hardware manufacturers to support each and every one of their android-based devices to the best extent? I for one don’t think so, but I could be wrong. Too many cooks with different ideas and opinions, Too many user preferences and opinions, Too many potential devices and device combinations, coupled with no real sense of how to support and test all of them sufficienty might very well prove to be too heavy an obstacle to overcome.
Very Helpful, Thanks!
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