Cheap shot #329

It’s only a matter of time before Android will dominate the iPhone.

Because “choice” is more important than being able to read your emails.

(Yes, it’s a cheap shot at a bug. The point is that while every technology industry analysis firm will tell you Android will win because it will offer “choice”, they fail to consider that having one thing that works real slick is better than having a choice of 50 devices that work like crap.)

Comments
  • Bergamot:

    The strange thing is that the Android email client is presumably using the same Webkit renderer as the iPhone email client.

  • Dan C.:

    “…they fail to consider that having one thing that works real slick is better than having a choice of 50 devices that work like crap.”

    I think that this is Google’s first big blunder in terms of product strategy. Sure, Android will get more attention from various manufacturers, but will they make GOOD products? The inherent problem with having multiple manufacturers for a single overarching platform is that they won’t be able to differentiate the products in important ways (and none of them innovate worth a damn anyway). Instead, they’ll focus on price to get more customers, and they’ll end up in a race to the bottom.

    In other words, Android will end up just like Windows-driven PCs.

  • We were booted from AT&T after Verizon bought Alltel this year. Verizon started complaining about roaming. But, that is for another day to bitch about.

    What we did was purchase the Android to “replace” our iphones. Let me just say, the Droid is not even close to replacing the iPhone. And quite frankly, not much competition IMHO. Yes, the Droid has two keyboards. They are both a piece of crap. In fact, I can type 10 times faster on the iPhone keyboard which some say is awful.

    Yes, the Droid has apps. But, most of the time they don’t work or lock up my device. And yes, I have even asked for and received a replacement Droid due to the locking up issues.

    The only good thing about the Droid is the fact it is not on AT&T. The Verizon service is so much better and faster, yes faster than AT&T’s 3G network. AT&T does not even come close to the speed. But, it is still not the iPhone. My only hope is that the rumors come true that Verizon may be getting the iPhone later in 2010. One can only hope that Apple dumps AT&T like a lead brick. But, time will tell.

  • stevef’s movie is the saddest I have ever seen, and I have seen “Love Story” and “Brian’s Song” I don’t know how many times.

  • Hans:

    Funny thing, when I followed your link on my iPhone, I got a page with a “missing plugin” icon. Maybe I should’ve used an Android phone to go there.

  • Ha-ha! Touché!

    Although, there are those of us who would say that lack of Flash is actually a feature because it forces app developers to code natively and web developers to use standards. And that displaying the “missing plugin” icon is a correct behavior whereas what the video shows – futilely trying to load an HTML email – is not, which actually goes to prove the Macalope’s point.

    But still, zing received.

    Hey, the Macalope said it was a cheap shot.

  • John Muir:

    Android: designed as a rival to Windows Mobile.
    Windows Mobile: RIP … before Android ever came out.
    iPhone: quite independent from the two above.

    That’s the setup. Android is a weak or wholly inadequate competitor to iPhone, but a positively terminal rival for Windows Mobile. I mean it’s not actually necrotic yet, which is a huge advantage.

    But Verizon and the entirety of the tech press want / yearn / demand an iPhone killer. So Android finds itself hyped up as something it plainly isn’t. Ergo the riches of low hanging cheap-shot fruit.

    • Zak:

      I’m not so sure Android is being hyped up as a competitor to the iPhone/Mobile OS X by this huge army of straw men you’re referring to, and not anybody directly involved with Android. Have you seen the Droid ads? Yes I know those are Motorola and Verizon, and not Google, but clearly somebody with a vested interest believes Android to be valid competition for the iPhone.

      And if you asked the good folks at Google if they intended Android to compete with the iPhone, what do you think they would say? “No”? I’d say it’s far more likely that they would admit to wanting to create an “open” mobile platform so people aren’t stuck inside Apple’s tiny walled garden.

      Because, you know, that’s worked out so poorly for Apple and everything.

  • just my 2 cents….i saw wot open did to the palm os & the treo lets face it there are just alot of bad programmers out there (me included) and bad programmers + open OS = unusable

  • Call me back when Android has ONE email client built in, not a separate one for Exchange. Let me know when you can add a signature to a non-Gmail account. Seriously, we have one at work and it’s so inferior for business class email compared to my iPhone. Also, how about “choice” including allowing the use of a non 4 point font size in some of the built in applications. The high resolution screen is nice, but some of the font choices are … interesting.

  • Sigivald:

    Speaking of Exchange, would it farkin’ KILL Apple to let me have two Exchange accounts set up at once?

    (Yes, even if this means I have to not sync contacts and calendars [which-I-never-use] with one of them, or something similarly ugly.

    I mean, Exchange is a trainwreck, but it’s all we’ve got, all around, not just on the iPhone and MacOS.)

  • Bob Prestone:

    I love how my Droid merges multiple contacts from different accounts.

    I also love how I can listen to Pandora while I browse the web or read my email.

    I love that my calls don’t drop every 5 miles while I’m driving.

    I love the notification bar that alerts me with every email, voicemail, text message, weather alert, etc…

    I love how I can simply via USB drag my MP3’s on to my Droid so I can listen to them.

    I love how I can also use *ANY* MP3 file or snippet for a ringtone, alert or other notification sound.

    I love how I can simple drag via USB my pictures on to my computer (both Mac and PC).

    I love how my navigation system does turn-by-turn directions.

    I love how my Droid allows me to use any picture as my background (or for that matter, give me a background!)

    But most of all, I love how my Droid can use Google Voice to manage my calls!

Leave a Comment