Jack Shedd on Android:
I’ve noticed an odd tendency in Android device reviews. Their flaws, always major and always awe-inspiring in their insipidness, are inevitably attributed more to the device itself than to the underlying Android operating system. There’s a sense, not just from reviewers, but from fans of the device, that what Android really needs is just killer hardware.
Which is just absolute horse shit.
Android is an asshole of an operating system.
Stuck with an Android device for the last five days – the specific model of which I won’t mention because it doesn’t matter – I’ve been subjected to every inconsistency, idiocy and poor quality of thought Android has to offer.
Say what you will about being ‘open’ and all that jazz, but the Android UI is a disjointed mess. Who are we kidding, it’s just the hardware!
Incidentally, the Android team is now reportedly focused on bringing the Android user experience up to par.
via Big Contrarian
June 20th, 2010 at 1:56 am
OK. You are not excited about Android. I got it. But I can promise you that Android is there to stay. Any you know why? Because some people don’t want to pay a thousand bucks for a PHONE! What is he talking about, by the way? So far, my Android is the best phone I ever had, costing a fraction of an iPhone. And I have not found anything that an iPhone could do better.
So please, once again, explain it to me: What is the point in this? Just because there is no Apple on it doesn’t mean it’s crappy!
June 20th, 2010 at 10:57 am
The person who wrote this article and the article linked to it are obviously blind to anything without an apple logo on it. Tell the mass amount of android users that the user interface is just sooooo hard to use, and watch them laugh at you. Disjointed mess? Have you even used Android? Even apple fanboys i know are laughing at this post… lol.
June 20th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
No one doubts that Android is here to stay, but, notwithstanding that, the reviews from professional reviewers and, more importantly, from users of the hardware and software flaws in various Android phone are beginning to mount. David Pogue, for example, of the NYT gave the new HTC EVO from Sprint a scathing review. And neither Google or its partners are going to be able to brazenly brush off these mounting criticisms.
As for the $1,000.00 iPhone that is a utter falsehood. The cheapest iPhone costs but $99.00 with contract; the intermediate iPhone with 16 GB RAM costs $199.00 with contract, and the most expensive iPhone costs $299.00 with contract.
Outside the U.S., where the iPhone can be purchase unlocked, it sells for approximately $740.00 for 16 GB of RAM and $889.00 for 32 GB of RAM. But, since neither Apple or AT&T sell an unlocked iPhone, these price are irrelevant. The unlocked Nexus One, which is, I think, the only unlocked Android phone in the U.S., sells for $529.00, which ain’t cheap, especially when you consider that the new iPhone 4 has features, such as greater battery life, video calling, super high resolution Retina Display, 225,000 apps on its App Store, and the iBooks app, with now has 60% of the Kindle’s collection and climbing, and competent customers’ support. The Nexus One either doesn’t have these features, or it has them but they are implemented or work poorly. And don’t force me to cite the reviews for you. So you get what you pay for, which, I think, make the iPhone 4 a bargain.
And, as for the person who wrote the article, if you had linked to and read his full article, you would have discovered that his favorite smartphone is the Pre, which he hopes that HP will bring back.
June 24th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Android has proper multi-tasking btw – the iphone does not.
As for comments about unlocked android phones – you can buy just about any android phone unlocked in most countries. For example, in Australia you can import an unlocked Samsung i9000 for around $600 AUS and then get any plan you want in Australia. Android apps are growing at a much faster rate than iphone apps. Seriously, how many apps do yuo use on a phone anyhow? 10? 20? Android can connect and file transfer to just about anything, can you do that with your iphone? I started looking at buying phones but i was quickly turned off the iphone because it simply doesn’t measure up to what I want a phone to be – I want to customise my phone, I don’t want lock-in and I to get my content from where-ever I wish and in any format I wish – android phones give me this and the iphone doesn’t. This articel has seriously out of date and incorrect information in it. Jack Shedd make open ended statement about android but nothing stated is actually factual. He probably picked up an android 1.5 phone to compare because nothing he’s said about android is correct under 2.1 and certainly not under 2.2 which is out now. Another user posted teh price of iphones as being cheap – I can find android phones at lot cheaper too – if you go on a plan – but that’s not a proper comparison – phone for phone on the same plan, an android device wil be cheaper. I’m tired of iphone biased people – I thought I’d read an open honest report on the android versus teh iphone but instead all the article does is look through a biased iphone anus – how sad. The world is heading away from lock-in, apple is still promoting the lock-in model. good luck to you apple, android is rising in popularity for a reason.