Comments on: Android’s Attitude Problem http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/2009/08/20/androids-attitude-problem/ Mobile Development, Software, and anything else Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:09:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Yaniv C http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/2009/08/20/androids-attitude-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-50 Yaniv C Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:12:47 +0000 http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/?p=47#comment-50 What were seeing here is the same thing that happened to Windows Mobile. Great OS on sub par hardware. Lets not forget that Android is doing something Apple is now only taking seriously and pounding its fist trying to figure out... multi tasking. By the same token, its KILLING the phone itself. Games lag, screens freeze, force closes..... ugh... disgusting. What we need is the hardware that will propel the OS. Now since we all agree that most people switch phones yearly (sometimes twice a year ahem).... why not just make a quality product and maybe people will hold onto it another 6 months? a year? who knows. And then maybe... the apps will proliferate and the quality will exceed event that of the mighty fruit. What were seeing here is the same thing that happened to Windows Mobile. Great OS on sub par hardware. Lets not forget that Android is doing something Apple is now only taking seriously and pounding its fist trying to figure out… multi tasking. By the same token, its KILLING the phone itself. Games lag, screens freeze, force closes….. ugh… disgusting.
What we need is the hardware that will propel the OS. Now since we all agree that most people switch phones yearly (sometimes twice a year ahem)…. why not just make a quality product and maybe people will hold onto it another 6 months? a year? who knows. And then maybe… the apps will proliferate and the quality will exceed event that of the mighty fruit.

]]> By: Felix H. Cat http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/2009/08/20/androids-attitude-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-46 Felix H. Cat Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:20:11 +0000 http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/?p=47#comment-46 There are three things I've noticed when drawing comparisons between my friend's iPhone and my android device (Rogers Magic) -- Design, Performance and Polish, all bested by the iPhone. Design you already mentioned and devices like the hero give me hope for the future. On the performance side, the soft keyboard, the kinetic scrolling, the applications, all these things are just much more responsive an the iPhone -- I feel like my touches on the screen directly corresponds with the action -- complete absence of lag. As for polish, aside from the main interface, we can't forget the dev community when drawing comparisons. Apps just look better! Look at crash bandikoot or sim city... where are applications with quality analogous to these on the android platform? I think when considering the future and the massive proliferation of android that we're seeing, all these things have the capability of being addressed while apple is still stuck with one single device. My bets _are_ still on android. There are three things I’ve noticed when drawing comparisons between my friend’s iPhone and my android device (Rogers Magic) — Design, Performance and Polish, all bested by the iPhone.

Design you already mentioned and devices like the hero give me hope for the future.

On the performance side, the soft keyboard, the kinetic scrolling, the applications, all these things are just much more responsive an the iPhone — I feel like my touches on the screen directly corresponds with the action — complete absence of lag.

As for polish, aside from the main interface, we can’t forget the dev community when drawing comparisons. Apps just look better! Look at crash bandikoot or sim city… where are applications with quality analogous to these on the android platform?

I think when considering the future and the massive proliferation of android that we’re seeing, all these things have the capability of being addressed while apple is still stuck with one single device. My bets _are_ still on android.

]]> By: Haseman http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/2009/08/20/androids-attitude-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-42 Haseman Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:11:02 +0000 http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/?p=47#comment-42 It should have been updated, however, Amazon may have been slow in bringing it up to date. It should have been updated, however, Amazon may have been slow in bringing it up to date.

]]> By: Kieran http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/2009/08/20/androids-attitude-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-41 Kieran Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:08:57 +0000 http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/?p=47#comment-41 As someone who has already read your book (has it been updated by the way as some of the examples were for 0.9 SDK in the version I read, in particular SMS handling has changed) and someone who has been involved in mobile development for a number of years, I do also feel your pain and frustration In particular I focused until recently on Java Mobile which like Android has a lot of promise but to the end user fails to go the extra mile that iPhone has currently managed, however mobile is more than one single platform, many people are not going to own a iPhone ]certainly in emerging markets. So whilst I love writing applications for iPhone, I still think there their will be a very long tail of Java/Android based applications in the near future, that whilst not having the same punch in highly developed markets such as the US and UK will see far greater numbers in other countries. Personally for me iPhone is the wake up call that the OEMs and Operators needed to improve their 3rd party developer eco systems, this has happened fairly rapidly, Nokia OVI, LG actually opening a developer portal, Sony play now, Blackberry App world. Attending Apples WWDC this year made me realise what a fundamental shift in attitude (for the better I have never been interested in selling ringtones or other tat) of the developers who are now involved in the mobile arena, for this and bringing the users trust back into the mobile ecosphere I applaud and salute Apple. The beauty of Android for me is the low barrier to entry for everyone, developers, handset manufacturers and network operators and this should be the reason it thrives next year for me Mobile is always a rollercoaster ride and I think we are now coming to a twisty section! As someone who has already read your book (has it been updated by the way as some of the examples were for 0.9 SDK in the version I read, in particular SMS handling has changed) and someone who has been involved in mobile development for a number of years, I do also feel your pain and frustration

In particular I focused until recently on Java Mobile which like Android has a lot of promise but to the end user fails to go the extra mile that iPhone has currently managed, however mobile is more than one single platform, many people are not going to own a iPhone ]certainly in emerging markets. So whilst I love writing applications for iPhone, I still think there their will be a very long tail of Java/Android based applications in the near future, that whilst not having the same punch in highly developed markets such as the US and UK will see far greater numbers in other countries.

Personally for me iPhone is the wake up call that the OEMs and Operators needed to improve their 3rd party developer eco systems, this has happened fairly rapidly, Nokia OVI, LG actually opening a developer portal, Sony play now, Blackberry App world.

Attending Apples WWDC this year made me realise what a fundamental shift in attitude (for the better I have never been interested in selling ringtones or other tat) of the developers who are now involved in the mobile arena, for this and bringing the users trust back into the mobile ecosphere I applaud and salute Apple.

The beauty of Android for me is the low barrier to entry for everyone, developers, handset manufacturers and network operators and this should be the reason it thrives next year for me

Mobile is always a rollercoaster ride and I think we are now coming to a twisty section!

]]> By: Two Good Android-Related Reads « Android Junkies http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/2009/08/20/androids-attitude-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-39 Two Good Android-Related Reads « Android Junkies Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:22:44 +0000 http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/?p=47#comment-39 [...] Android’s Attitude Problem deals with the fact that as of yet, we do not have the iPhone killer handset we’ve been hoping for.   So far we only have mediocre phones that sit comfortably in the middle of the road.  Where is the Android phone to get excited over?  The article is written by Chris Haseman, author of the book “Android Essentials.” [...] [...] Android’s Attitude Problem deals with the fact that as of yet, we do not have the iPhone killer handset we’ve been hoping for.   So far we only have mediocre phones that sit comfortably in the middle of the road.  Where is the Android phone to get excited over?  The article is written by Chris Haseman, author of the book “Android Essentials.” [...]

]]> By: Haseman http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/2009/08/20/androids-attitude-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-38 Haseman Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:06:04 +0000 http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/?p=47#comment-38 For the Record: I'm not blaming Android for any of these problems. It's a brilliant platform. However, Google has failed, at least so far, to create and promote an ecosystem where it can thrive. That said, I hope to be very wrong about this in the near future. For the Record:
I’m not blaming Android for any of these problems. It’s a brilliant platform. However, Google has failed, at least so far, to create and promote an ecosystem where it can thrive. That said, I hope to be very wrong about this in the near future.

]]> By: David Shellabarger http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/2009/08/20/androids-attitude-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-37 David Shellabarger Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:57:59 +0000 http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/?p=47#comment-37 wow, I couldn't disagree more. I'm not even sure where to start. I think your main complaint is against the industry as a whole and not Android or Google. I agree that the cell phone industry as a whole puts out a lot of crap, but Android makes things easier and cheaper on device manufactures and carriers. That was one of the main selling points of the whole idea! Apple does have a competitive edge in that they were first to market with some great hardware, but there will be a Android phone that will totally blow any iPhone out of the the water within 2 years (probably 1 year). I say this because it is an open platform with lots of collaboration and choice. Apple will continue to make ONE great iPhone and remake it every year. Meanwhile, there will be more than 10 Android phones come out every year from here on out and some will be faster and have better physical keyboard (any physical keyboard would be better really...) than the iPhone. Like what you say? Take the HTC Hero give it 8GB of internal memory, a snapdragon 1GH processor and a physical keyboard and that already would beat the iPhone on every front. I know all the Android phones have been targeted towards middle of the road hardware right now, but trust me that will change. It will be soon be on super high end phones and feature phones. We've only seen 2 Android phones in the US. We've seen more iPhone versions than that at the moment. Its way to early in the game to be "Dr. Downer-Pants". It's still just the beginning, its still time to be excited! P.S. I just got a myTouch last week and it is awesome, but I wish it was faster. wow, I couldn’t disagree more. I’m not even sure where to start.
I think your main complaint is against the industry as a whole and not Android or Google.
I agree that the cell phone industry as a whole puts out a lot of crap, but Android makes things easier and cheaper on device manufactures and carriers. That was one of the main selling points of the whole idea!

Apple does have a competitive edge in that they were first to market with some great hardware, but there will be a Android phone that will totally blow any iPhone out of the the water within 2 years (probably 1 year). I say this because it is an open platform with lots of collaboration and choice. Apple will continue to make ONE great iPhone and remake it every year. Meanwhile, there will be more than 10 Android phones come out every year from here on out and some will be faster and have better physical keyboard (any physical keyboard would be better really…) than the iPhone.

Like what you say? Take the HTC Hero give it 8GB of internal memory, a snapdragon 1GH processor and a physical keyboard and that already would beat the iPhone on every front.

I know all the Android phones have been targeted towards middle of the road hardware right now, but trust me that will change. It will be soon be on super high end phones and feature phones. We’ve only seen 2 Android phones in the US. We’ve seen more iPhone versions than that at the moment. Its way to early in the game to be “Dr. Downer-Pants”.

It’s still just the beginning, its still time to be excited!

P.S. I just got a myTouch last week and it is awesome, but I wish it was faster.

]]> By: lordhong http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/2009/08/20/androids-attitude-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-36 lordhong Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:43:05 +0000 http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/?p=47#comment-36 For the record, HTC Magic/G2 sucks at not having a physical keyboard. Virtual keyboard on a 3.1" screen will never beat virtual keyboard on a 3.5" screen, e.g. the iPhone. Looks like Moto's Sholes would be the next close iPhone killer handset running Android. For the record, HTC Magic/G2 sucks at not having a physical keyboard. Virtual keyboard on a 3.1″ screen will never beat virtual keyboard on a 3.5″ screen, e.g. the iPhone.

Looks like Moto’s Sholes would be the next close iPhone killer handset running Android.

]]> By: Hegedus Bandi http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/2009/08/20/androids-attitude-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-35 Hegedus Bandi Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:38:11 +0000 http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/?p=47#comment-35 Unfortunately I agree with the article ('though i'm a die hard android fan!). The fact is that Google's attitude isn't tough enough to face Apple on the market. This is the ONLY problem(in my opinion, that is). And I don't see how Google could improve in changing it's attitude. Let's face it...Apple is too darn big. However..there is one big catch to all of this, and hopefully Google or Motorola or HTC sees the thing. Designing a good phone (talking about hardware...Android is already there) is a bunch of money. Without massive marketing you can't bring a new device onto the market hoping to make it big. The risk is too big...and Apple is kinda' big shark in the waters. But this is mostly in the US. Apple might be big..but in Europe it's just starting to grow it's business. And i'm guessing that with a good device and good marketing Google or any other Android lover can make it big. And let's face it..WinMo has got nothing on Android (not at the rate Android is evolving) and Symbian..well it's Symbian unless the guys at Nokia get really pissed off! So I say..we're not even close to seeing "THE" Android phone...but when we do. It will Rock! Europe is the perfect marketing place for a new device...i just hope these guys have enough "european" thinking people within the marketing branches, cause American advertisement would just shipwreck here in Europe.(no offence. it's just different here. History has proven it) Unfortunately I agree with the article (‘though i’m a die hard android fan!). The fact is that Google’s attitude isn’t tough enough to face Apple on the market. This is the ONLY problem(in my opinion, that is). And I don’t see how Google could improve in changing it’s attitude. Let’s face it…Apple is too darn big.

However..there is one big catch to all of this, and hopefully Google or Motorola or HTC sees the thing. Designing a good phone (talking about hardware…Android is already there) is a bunch of money. Without massive marketing you can’t bring a new device onto the market hoping to make it big. The risk is too big…and Apple is kinda’ big shark in the waters. But this is mostly in the US. Apple might be big..but in Europe it’s just starting to grow it’s business. And i’m guessing that with a good device and good marketing Google or any other Android lover can make it big. And let’s face it..WinMo has got nothing on Android (not at the rate Android is evolving) and Symbian..well it’s Symbian unless the guys at Nokia get really pissed off!

So I say..we’re not even close to seeing “THE” Android phone…but when we do. It will Rock! Europe is the perfect marketing place for a new device…i just hope these guys have enough “european” thinking people within the marketing branches, cause American advertisement would just shipwreck here in Europe.(no offence. it’s just different here. History has proven it)

]]> By: Android Overview - Two Good Android-Related Reads http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/2009/08/20/androids-attitude-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-34 Android Overview - Two Good Android-Related Reads Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:26:45 +0000 http://www.hasemanonmobile.com/?p=47#comment-34 [...] Android’s Attitude Problem deals with the fact that as of yet, we do not have the iPhone killer handset we’ve been hoping for.   So far we only have mediocre phones that sit comfortably in the middle of the road.  Where is the Android phone to get excited over?  The article is written by Chris Haseman, author of the book “Android Essentials.” [...] [...] Android’s Attitude Problem deals with the fact that as of yet, we do not have the iPhone killer handset we’ve been hoping for.   So far we only have mediocre phones that sit comfortably in the middle of the road.  Where is the Android phone to get excited over?  The article is written by Chris Haseman, author of the book “Android Essentials.” [...]

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