Google Android what do we think?

BostonB

Google Android what do we think? Been looking at the reviews on YouTube and its looks interesting. If not very pretty.

Rsaeire

It is a great OS with a lot of prospects, but a poor implementation of initial handset choice. While the OS seems to have the ease of use of Apple's mini-OS X and the business orientated features of Windows mobile, the G1 looks like the E71 of the 1990s.

As soon as the OS appears on more handsets, such as the HTC Touch HD, then we will really see what the OS has to offer.

TheAlmightyZeus

Yeah, I've read a bit about it. Mixed reviews stating that it is good but alot more was expected of it. Haven't had the oppurtunity of trying it out myself but if it is released on a really nice phone that allows it to realise its full potential then I'll be more interested.

Q_Ball

I'm dying to get my hands on it! I just wish there was word on when it's coming out There's only so much you can do with an emulator :mad:

GUIGuy

Well it has lots of potential but as it stands I'm not impressed. The lack of consistency is amazing... I doubt there was a single UI designer or graphic designer to guide this. Looks like there were lots of people adding their own stuff in a haphazard fashion. TBH is looks terrible. Now while the hardware it runs on is ugly at least it has a capacitive screen.

If it had a resistive screen many reviewers would have dismissed it out of hand. That said the underlying OS is capable, and if they hire a UI designer and enforce some standards then they might have a platform rather than a geek project.

As far as I can see it gives an inferior user experience to mobile OSX and doesn't match the ease of development of either OSX or windows mobile, as for the availability of good apps?? Some bloggers ranted about the fact that it's open source. So what... so is Symbian and it's got circa 40% of the market. The fact that something is open source does not make it inherently good. The OS will live or die based on how good it actually is... And right now it has nothing much to offer except potential.

Windows Mobile 6.5 and Silverlight mobile come out in Feb, so quite soon things will begin to look different. Still any competition is good for the market. 4 main players is better than 3.

metalfest

Q_Ball wrote: »

I'm dying to get my hands on it! I just wish there was word on when it's coming out There's only so much you can do with an emulator :mad:

it is out, buy it online??

Q_Ball

GUIGuy wrote: »

As far as I can see it gives an inferior user experience to mobile OSX and doesn't match the ease of development of either OSX or windows mobile, as for the availability of good apps??

I'd disagree on this point. Android development is Java based. You can go right down to the C/C++ level with the open source but generally development is all written in Java and XML. Android opens API for pretty much everything you can think of. Plus its free to do. You just have to put up with some baffling design decisions but mostly its pretty easy.

IPhone development is done in objective-c which is not as widely used as Java. It costs $99 to buy a licence and development sdk and there's an NDA you must agree to with apple that you cannot develop certain applications and that you cannot share or discuss code. Essentially excluding the hobbyist due to the fee and making it difficult to learn how to develop due to the lack of tutorials / developer experience thanks to the NDA. I have no idea how easy it is to develop an application for the IPhone but I know my objective-c skills are a little non-existent!

I'm not knocking one or the other, tis just my opinion. Android on touch HD would be fantastic!

Q_Ball

metalfest wrote: »

it is out, buy it online??

Too expensive I'd need to get it on bill pay so that it'd be subsidised a little.

muckwarrior

I've got a G1 and after a few days playing around with it I'm pretty impressed, well for a first attempt anyway. I'm not about to throw away my n95 anytime soon.

Usability-wise I think it's excellent. Makes the web and applications in general much more accessible than on my n95. The phone itself is actually pretty solid and build quality seems decent. However after an n95 I sorely miss a decent camera, video and a headphone jack. The battery life is also pretty poor in comparison.

Q_Ball

yeah the battery life supposedly isn't as good as an iphone due to android allowing multiple apps to be run at one time.


Where did you pick one up ad for how much, if you dont mind me asking?

MiCr0

one of the guys here got one last week, and said he's charging it twice a day

Q_Ball

yeah thats not unheard of. There was a firmware update released in the states that apparently fixed some peoples battery life while not making a difference to others. RC30 is the stateside version, RC8 is the UK release I think. I don't know why they had to give them different names, it's not in the slightest bit annoying :mad:

muckwarrior

Q_Ball wrote: »

yeah the battery life supposedly isn't as good as an iphone due to android allowing multiple apps to be run at one time.


Where did you pick one up ad for how much, if you dont mind me asking?

Dunno bout that. I get by on charging it once a day with a fair amount of usage, which is the same as my colleagues with iPhones.

Not sure how much it was. Was given it from work as I'm gonna be developing apps for it. Think it came from ebay.

When I got it the firmware was RC14 then it updated itself OTA which I was pretty impressed with.

Q_Ball

yeah it seems to vary depending on whether you've data and 3g turned on or off and stuff. Developing apps for it is exactly why I want it, have a few ideas knocking around but I don't like the emulator.

I'd be very interested to hear how you get on with it and what its like, I dont know anyone who has bought one off ebay

muckwarrior

You might be interested in this http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/12/05/sim-hardware-unlocked-android-dev-phone-1-surfaces-for-399/

Q_Ball

muckwarrior wrote: »

You might be interested in this http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/12/05/sim-hardware-unlocked-android-dev-phone-1-surfaces-for-399/

You are a legend!

Dunno how I missed that, I even have engadget on my igoogle page!

Oafley Jones

Q_Ball wrote: »

You are a legend!

Dunno how I missed that, I even have engadget on my igoogle page!

Was very interested in that till I saw Ireland isn't listed as one of the roll-out countries though.

Q_Ball

Is there a list of roll out countries?

[edit]
Never mind found it. I wonder if I register using an Irish address whether I can have it sent to a US address...

mobius42

It's a pity Ireland isn't one of the listed countries. Although, judging from the amount of import duty other countries are paying, it probably wouldn't be worth it. The charge is $130 extra to Canada and $200 extra to India!

http://code.google.com/android/dev-devices.html

http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers/browse_thread/thread/f0dcbdbfdb1705e3#