It's hard to like Android.
jerakeen.org
jerakeen.org
I got two main problems with this article. First, it's mixing the weaknesses of Android with the weaknesses of the G1 hardware. There might not be a lot options available these days when it comes to buying an Android-enabled phone but it looks like this is going to change soon.
Secondly, all platforms have their pathologies and obviously Android is no exception, neither is the iPhone. I honestly think this is a fairly unbalanced presentation of Android. How long did you have to wait to get copy and paste working on the iPhone? Can you run multiple apps at the same time on the iPhone? Can you have widgets on the iPhone? What about the well known problems of the iPhone App Store we all hear a lot about these days? And about the hardware: if you have a problem with the non-standard earphone connectors of the G1 (which can be solved by a $5 adapter), what do you think about not being able to replace the battery of an iPhone yourself? You don't have these problems on Android.
I'm not trying to bash the iPhone here as I truly believe that it's a great phone, all I'm trying to say that this review isn't really fair and balanced. It's alright to be subjective but still, come on, isn't this a bit too much?
However, he does point out how many of his issues can be solved and after his list he makes the real point: It's not just one flaw that makes it rough, but rather the general lack of polish. If you're willing to put up with that, like a lot of Linux users did for years, then you will probably like it. But most people would rather things "just work" and so they would rather opt for an iPhone. Sometimes it's the little things that make a lasting impression.
I'm looking forward to all of the new Android devices that are apparently waiting in the wings, but this long downtime hasn't done the platform any favors.
Here in the UK there's three in the shops right now:
* G1
* Magic
* Hero
The last of which happens to be awesome [1].
And when it does we can evaluate the new Android phone on its merits then and there. "It's available on only one crappy set of hardware" is a legitimate criticism of the Android platform.
"How long did you have to wait to get copy and paste working on the iPhone? Can you run multiple apps at the same time on the iPhone? Can you have widgets on the iPhone? What about the well known problems of the iPhone App Store we all hear a lot about these days?"
I've used copy and paste maybe once or twice, and I'm not convinced full-blown multitasking is worthwhile for the iPhone. And the first iPhone had an inconvenient headphone jack. And you can't replace the battery easily. Fair enough. But these are fairly high-level gripes. Basic shit you should get right to even compete with the iPhone--like music, mail, webbrowsing, and speed--are at the basis of his complaints.
I would much rather have a good, reliable keyboard, web browser, mail client, and MP3 player on my phone than have copy-and-paste or multitasking. I would rather have a sizable library of third party apps to choose from than not, even if the librarian arbitrarily bans books for stupid reasons.
Of course no one is perfect. But this guy is comparing Android to iPhone, one on one, and finding that Android falls short when it comes to basic functionality. That's a valid criticism.
Linux vs Windows/MacOS, all over again. You gain Freedom by using an open platform, making life worse for yourself in a thousand tiny ways, any one of which can easily be dismissed, so they are. But it’s still worse.
Zing. I recognize exactly what the author is talking about.
Years ago Linux desktop usage was a bit of a drag. But at the time, Windows servers were so much worse that as an integrated system, you were still net ahead.
Now that my printers, scanners, and peripherals have all worked without hassle for years there isn't even a trade off. Rather, I shake my head while watching people fight with driver wizard CDs.
Now, I regularly tear my hair out trying to interact with Linux users. From diagram software (OmniGraffle/Visio) to accounting software (QuickBooks) to billing software (Billings by Marketcircle), Linux just doesn't have the solid, polished applications, and it interoperates exceptionally poorly in environments where Mac OS X and Windows get along just fine.
For example -- I can easily share diagrams with Visio users, but Dia is not a replacement for Visio/OmniGraffle and won't do the trick. How am I supposed to diagram with Linux users? Use dot/graphviz and create remarkably ugly diagrams?
If I had to assign blame for the lack of quality applications, I'd say that the APIs are unstable and inconsistent, there's no standard application API (gnome vs. kde/qt vs. straight qt vs. wxwidgets), the user market just doesn't exist, and that it's difficult to mix the GPL / free software world with expensive development that requires professional UI, design, and art work, and all the other components of a polished end-user product. End-users don't buy 'support'.
Of course, this is an unpopular opinion among free software advocates. As soon as you figure out how we can share diagrams that I want to place in my LaTeX documents, interact with artists producing photoshop/illustrator files, and modify complex word documents sent by lawyers without losing required document meta-data -- let me know.
What is "professional UI"? How is a UI Professional? What qualities make a UI Professional? That's a pretty ambiguous qualifier.
I'm floored.
It seems to require a paycheck to convince anyone to produce feature complete business accounting software, and even then the A-list individuals are probably otherwise occupied with more enjoyable projects.
In the phone market, such a large, self-perpetuating commodity hardware platform has yet to evolve. The market is heavily balkanized. It's under the control of multiple carriers whose rules determine exactly what will be sold and where. It's a rather different universe from that in which Linux evolved.
IMO, Android hasn't really launched yet, and Google isn't pushing hard enough to counter the iPhone.
Also interesting tid-bit, I've found that resale value on Apple PC's is sustained only by the fact that they're stylish. The resale market has thrived with Mac's more-so because they're an expensive commodity rather than a commodity whose value deprecates at a slow rate intrinsically. It's the same reason why recent (5 yr old)CISCO routers and switches keep price as well.
- The apple hardware runs OS X. Looking to have OS X, but without buying new hardware this is a very well known route. Not only that, but OS X runs pretty well on yesterdays hardware. Can't say the same about Vista.
- The apple hardware is pretty well known. If I am selling a macbook you can easily look it up to see if that model supports X, or can be upgraded to Y. Can't do that as much with random Windows laptops
- People don't go looking on ebay for a lenevo T61, they do search for macbook. More buyers, better price.
- The mac hardware is usually pretty good which helps at resale time. gig networking, wifi, cd/dvd burner etc have all been in every laptop I have sold.
- And of course, factor X which is the fact that people actually want to have a Mac laptop, be it because it is cool or the fact that it just works for so many things.
The author complains about sloppy apps that sometimes work, sometimes not. I see it the way that the Google/Android approach is even more revolutionary than the one of iPhone, especially for independent developers. They do not have manual reviews of apps.(!) Any developer can just go to the market website, create a new project, add a description and the bundle and click on "publish" -- it's immediately available on the market for users around the world -- and it's up to the users to judge it's quality. Think of it -- no manual reviews -- no approval process. It's a lot of freedom! (in particular if you think about all the iPhone approval process problems we hear of each week)
If the app is poorly executed, it will receive lower ratings and go down the "by date" list without ever being seen again. If it is alright the users vote it up and often leave comments, indicating that it works and hinting at things that could be improved. Apps can really quickly climb the "by popularity" list, so if well made, are seen by a larger number of people.
Therefore for me it's excusable if some apps don't work perfectly, especially because they are having lower ratings and a lot of comments complaining -- all things one knows of before installing.
Finally I think that the apps are _currently_ of a lower overall quality for a variety of reasons, one being the kinda small user-base compared to the iPhone -- i mean it's like 45 million vs. 1.5 m! :P
Around 20 new Android phones were announced for this year, all with a better performance than the G1. This game will be very interesting to follow over the following 5 years (and more). Android is here to stay, and will certainly become more equivalent to the iPhone and it's immense market share over time.
also, the t-mobile "mytouch"/g2 that just came out looks to be a nice update to the g1. http://www.t-mobilemytouch.com/
The fact you need a headphone adapter is a major pain.
I personally use a Nokia stereo bluetooth to listen wirelessly so no worries about the headphone socket.
Wow, is that really true for most people these days? I had no idea. TBH, that's the #1 reason I haven't got an iPhone yet.
Helpful.