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.

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…

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.