Ah Stan, you're a shinning light in the deep, deep forest. A Zen-Blogger if you will. You hit it on the head: Android will see many versions of itself - like Linux distributions - that fit the needs of the handset and/or carrier that will implement Android. Like Linux, Android *may* end up being to confusing or "geeky" for the typical user. I hope not, because on paper Android reads like a great mobile platform.
Tom Bahsam
· 1 year ago
Couldn't agree more, G1 vs. iPhone isn't really a fair comparison. Comparing the platform with Windows Mobile is more accurate, and probably what Google would prefer.
Paisano
· 1 year ago
Good job Stan. I've been torn about which one to get but I think you've helped me make up my mind. Thanks!
Pai
www.preferatele.com
· 1 year ago
right: Google Inc. on Tuesday showed off a cellphone that could provide the first real challenge to Apple Inc.'s iPhone
craig
· 1 year ago
Are you implying, sir, that my Linux desktop does not work? ;)
I think you're on the money here in terms of cautioning people about going too far with the G1-iPhone comparisons... they certainly are, in any respects, apples and oranges.
I do think, though, that it's helpful to look at Android, and G1 in particular, as a sort of "proof of concept." The iPhone was so far ahead of the curve in so many ways that just getting something out there that was remotely comparable had to be an important step for every manufacturer that's not Apple and every network that's not AT&T. SO while I think you're right that direct comparisons between iPhone and G1 can only go so far, I do think it's worth asking what the release (and subsequently the success or failure) of G1 *means* for the iPhone long-term.
Chad
· 1 year ago
I don't quite agree "Android is like Linux" . The comparison that there's one OS, which will come in many flavors is correct, I wholeheartedly disagree with the comparison of the level of "openness" the handset will actually offer. While the OS itself is open, the product delivered to consumers will not be open, and often will be crippled by the carriers, whom despite their cries of "we're open" are just the opposite. The Linux communities would revolt in open hostile warfare if Dell, HP, or Lenovo tried to sell a "Linux" laptop that was as locked down as the final G1 product. The openess for Android the OS is not the same as the G1. I'd love to see Google release the source code for Android, so it could be reflashed to a WinMo device. Then it would really be like linux
Shriya
· 1 year ago
The most succinct and eloquent write-up on this topic so far. iPhone and Android based phones will be completely different beasts and there will be separate following for each. I know I will be in the iPhone camp whereas my husband might be inclined towards the Android.
Mark
· 1 year ago
Great analogy and the reason that, whilst I applaud Android, I'll be sticking with my iPhone for now..
James Salamone
· 1 year ago
Well I'm done being pumped up by Google about this phone and it's not even out yet.....Why you ask???
Well in the fine print on its G1 site: "If your total data usage in any billing cycle is more than 1GB, your data throughput for the remainder of that cycle may be reduced to 50 kbps or less." BUT IT GET WORSE!! They can even stop your plan for good..just because I got a cool new phone and want to be a power user!!
Let me break it down: 50 kilobits per second is roughly 6 kilobytes per second -- about the speed of the dialup modem
One gigabyte is about how much it takes to download the equivalent of a few albums, a decent quality movie, and a decent quality TV episode -- not much. Add to that whatever email, Web browsing, file downloading, app downloading, and whatever else you'll be doing, and it wouldn't be far-fetched for the power users that Google is courting to hit that 1 gigabyte cap -- 34 MB a day -- on a regular basis.
In closing I just want to remind you AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint -- offer a more liberal cap: 5 gigabytes
I LOVE YOU GOOGLE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!!...before it's to late
Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins
· 1 year ago
I think this would be an issue - if we were talking about a desktop user. I sincerely doubt most of my album downloading is going to take place on my phone.
eh
· 1 year ago
I hope you know the difference between Google and T-Mobile
Margriet Oostveen
· 1 year ago
Mashable is to social media news what the National Enquirer is to entertainment news
JuegosEnMovil.com
· 1 year ago
Really Google phone have nothing related with i-phone, both are different products at all.
Major Meercat
· 1 year ago
As I've been battling with Symbian based phones (3rd Edition) now for 2 months, learning their wierd and torturous c++, their hectic signing of applications and security trying to lock you out as much as possible, built in repeated beeps that could possibly crack someone's tooth in the phone's firmware while recording a conversation...had to scrap the whole project now and gone onto trying to develop on Windows Mobile, which at least on their side, development for me is going much smoother and faster.
I personally can't wait to get my hands on the G1, for business purposes and my kind of application development, if all you want is a mobile device to a few simple extra things, no crazy GUI things, just simple client/server voice recording deliveries, its telephony, not "format c:", come on Symbian, grrr!
Another thing is AMR, what a beautiful codec, a 35 minute phone call in a 1.5mb AMR file, sigh, What will the G1 have? GSM6.10 on Windows Mobile is about the best I can do quality/size wise...
Go open source! Go Google! Even if there will be a bombardment of bug filled low quality apps to flood the G1 and future Android based phones, what about people in my situation who would love to finally have a phone where you can tell it to do something, and it does it, 24/7 365.
Look up the Asterisk PBX, its open source, its linux based, it works, no fancy junk, no sudden core changes, if something is constantly maintained and planned out properly from the start, I would want it.
If you're going to install anything and everything you can find on the net onto any mobile phone you may have, chances are 100% something is going to trash that phone somewhere down the line.
Moral of the story is, some of us want a mobile phone as a strict telephony device, others as as 'tamagotchi', others for business, for sms/mms, etc.
Just for once, give us developers something to develop freely and properly on.
Thanks for reading my post
blimpsrcool
· 5 months ago
You all know nothing of the G1. I have rooted mine and it's amazing. Not even worth comparing to iPhone. Check out some facts first as the G1 IS multi-touch capable, it's just that they didn't want a lawsuit with iPhone over patented multi-touch phone capabilities or something like that. I have multi-touch, flash player and loads more. Check out the dream android development section on xda-developers.com.
All Comments
Thanks!
Pai
I think you're on the money here in terms of cautioning people about going too far with the G1-iPhone comparisons... they certainly are, in any respects, apples and oranges.
I do think, though, that it's helpful to look at Android, and G1 in particular, as a sort of "proof of concept." The iPhone was so far ahead of the curve in so many ways that just getting something out there that was remotely comparable had to be an important step for every manufacturer that's not Apple and every network that's not AT&T. SO while I think you're right that direct comparisons between iPhone and G1 can only go so far, I do think it's worth asking what the release (and subsequently the success or failure) of G1 *means* for the iPhone long-term.
The openess for Android the OS is not the same as the G1. I'd love to see Google release the source code for Android, so it could be reflashed to a WinMo device. Then it would really be like linux
Well in the fine print on its G1 site: "If your total data usage in any billing cycle is more than 1GB, your data throughput for the remainder of that cycle may be reduced to 50 kbps or less." BUT IT GET WORSE!! They can even stop your plan for good..just because I got a cool new phone and want to be a power user!!
Let me break it down: 50 kilobits per second is roughly 6 kilobytes per second -- about the speed of the dialup modem
One gigabyte is about how much it takes to download the equivalent of a few albums, a decent quality movie, and a decent quality TV episode -- not much. Add to that whatever email, Web browsing, file downloading, app downloading, and whatever else you'll be doing, and it wouldn't be far-fetched for the power users that Google is courting to hit that 1 gigabyte cap -- 34 MB a day -- on a regular basis.
In closing I just want to remind you AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint -- offer a more liberal cap: 5 gigabytes
I LOVE YOU GOOGLE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!!...before it's to late
I personally can't wait to get my hands on the G1, for business purposes and my kind of application development, if all you want is a mobile device to a few simple extra things, no crazy GUI things, just simple client/server voice recording deliveries, its telephony, not "format c:", come on Symbian, grrr!
Another thing is AMR, what a beautiful codec, a 35 minute phone call in a 1.5mb AMR file, sigh, What will the G1 have? GSM6.10 on Windows Mobile is about the best I can do quality/size wise...
Go open source! Go Google! Even if there will be a bombardment of bug filled low quality apps to flood the G1 and future Android based phones, what about people in my situation who would love to finally have a phone where you can tell it to do something, and it does it, 24/7 365.
Look up the Asterisk PBX, its open source, its linux based, it works, no fancy junk, no sudden core changes, if something is constantly maintained and planned out properly from the start, I would want it.
If you're going to install anything and everything you can find on the net onto any mobile phone you may have, chances are 100% something is going to trash that phone somewhere down the line.
Moral of the story is, some of us want a mobile phone as a strict telephony device, others as as 'tamagotchi', others for business, for sms/mms, etc.
Just for once, give us developers something to develop freely and properly on.
Thanks for reading my post