TECHNOLOGY: (this then is the business)
If you have been reading my prior post’s on smart phones you know that I “was” not a big proponent of the smart phone. I have watched over the past few years as people have gotten addicted to their Blackberry’s hence the term ‘crackberry’ and the iPhone. I agree it is a problem. We may have to come up with some Smartphone Recovery Program (SRP) to deal with this.
I may be having this problem myself with the Android. Like many discussion’s comparing products I believe that it often becomes more of a personal like /dislike influence. Personally the argument “my phone has access to more apps than your phone” are really dumb. How many apps can you use on the phone? What apps do you want? Just because one phone developer has an app that can count traffic lights in a given square mile does that make that phone better? Or do you really need it?
In a recent Business Week article (Nexus One: Not A Game-Changer – January 25, 2010) the reviewer states “…..it won’t take the wind from Apple’s sails”. He may be right with the fact that Apple was first and did change the market but this could be an “iPhone” disrupter (I also agree with losing iPhone killer as a statement). I do agree that Apple changed the cell phone market as they changed the music delivery.
Most of all the comments Rich (Rich Jaroslovsky) makes are on target from everything I have read; better looking screen, better microprocessor, replaceable battery, memory card slot. He does not mention a better onscreen keyboard and the predictive text feature being better than the iPhone (I am using a Motorola Droid and the slide out keyboard needs some improvement).
Where I take argument is this ridiculous discussion about Apple having more apps than the Android. Rich states that this is a shortcoming. Sorry Rich, I think that this is bogus argument (as John C. Dvorak would say) .
First I suspect that most of the apps on the iPhone are not worth having. Second, I have about 25 apps on my Android and had to build folders for them (thanks to Gina Trapani). At the moment some will be going. Most were downloaded to see what it did and for me to learn, now I have to get rid of them, why clutter the system. I do not have time to kill playing games on the phone however there are some good ones I am told. I enjoy learning so don’t have a great deal of time for games.
I will say that once the list of apps gets over 25 I am better off on my Mini.
I do take some (note some) issue with the statement about synching with Microsoft Outlook. I have no problem with getting my Outlook email with an email app however I do not synch with an Exchange server. I am told I could but I do not need to. I am currently only using Outlook for email and contacts. I use Google Calendar and synched Contacts with Outlook so all contacts are at Google. I also use Gmail a great deal – and this from someone who was a died in the wool Outlook user up to about 2 years ago.
There are some apps that are important to me. Most captured from Market Place on the phone and most are free (not all, just search). I am currently using:
- Maps (very good and came with the phone. I don’t know if it is on the iPhone yet however I have used Google’s turn by turn direction and it has been right on)
- Places (so I can find things around where I am)
- Open Table (to book reservations)
- Fandango (find a movie and where it is playing and when with directions to the theater and potential ticket buying. Great for a spontaneous evening.)
- Newspaper App (with over 60 newspapers – this from someone who said he would never read on a phone)
- DataViz with Documents to Go (Excel, Word, PowerPoint and PDF, not free however I have used this prior with my Palm IV)
- Evernote (great app for both phone and computer with limited free version)
- Seesmic (for my Twitter connection – although not usedmuch)
- Facebook app (to connect to Facebook but another very seldom used app)
- Gmail / Calendar / Google Voice / Browser – these go without saying
- Alarm Clock (This “could be” important)
- Foursquare (only game and this morning I became the Mayor of Starbucks here in Blue Ash, Ohio)
- AccuWeather (for current weather where I am)
- Advanced Task Killer (so the battery lasts for two days. This one recommended by Scott over at Verizon and has proved to be a good one)
- Amazon MP3 download ( I do love my music and had to try this)
- Google Googles ( for fun and testing – very interestin)
- TWiT.tv by Mediafly (so I could test streaming tv on my Android, very interesting and perhaps a picture of things to come)
- Barcode Scanner (had to do it and it works)
Gee, I didn’t even hit 20 and how much time do I have to check out 20,000? I searched for and found the things that interest me and I suspect that anyone could find those apps that interest them in the Google / Android system.
No, not an iPhone killer but an iPhone Disrupter – and a good one. When it gets to Verizon it could do some damage to Apple’s market share since I think there are more Google Fan Boy’s/Girls than Apple Fan Boy’s/Girls.
Just think, I don’t know.
I wonder where the Nexus One vs Apple contest will be in another year? 2 years? This should be interesting however at the moment it is Android for me.
Now for lunch.
