In a few short months, it is rumored that T-Mobile will be releasing the first Google Android-based phone. The HTC Dream. And while open-source fans may be rejoicing, here are some reasons why Android will only be competing with Windows Mobile OS and not helping to deliver the next iPhone.
The Dream = The Fail
While I applaud Google for creating a multi-phone OS, I have to wonder what T-Mobile and Google combined are thinking by releasing Android’s debut in the form of a SideKick-type device? Honestly…the HTC “Dream” looks more like a hallucination. It won’t be that slim, it will be cumbersome, and I just can’t believe they would mar initial public impressions of Android with a device that looks 3 years old.
The Public Wants Flashy
You can say that looks aren’t everything and that a non-touch screen keyboard may be nice, but let’s be honest. It won’t gain massive public appeal because it’s not offering anything “shiny” or that isn’t already in the marketplace (talking at large).
Remember: The general public is fickle. They want status and they want emotions sold to them, not functionality in a wonky looking device (those people are called baby boomers…and they don’t wait in lines for 7 hours).
Given, it has only been about a week or so since the FCC approved the HTC Dream for T-Mobile, but with about 2 months until launch, why no word on their sites? Why no word from T-Mobile? To market a product you want anticipation for, you have to create the anticipation. Show something that people need to have. Give me a reason to not buy an iPhone or a SideKick now.
Sadly…they haven’t started down that road, I believe T-Mobile is counting on Google for this. Now in comparison you can say that’s what Apple and AT&T did. You’re right, it was. But Apple was selling the phones. And they sold more than AT&T did. They created the anticipation. Google isn’t selling Android, T-Mobile will be. They need to start selling it to my eyes and brain. Make me need it already.
Consistency Issues
The UI. The ability to provide a consistent UI is why Apple has succeeded and why Microsoft has not done as well in the mobile phone sector. Apple ensures that the iPod app looks and acts like the Mail app, as does the Contacts app, and so on. I haven’t been privy to a first-hand experience of Android, but from what I’ve seen and heard so far, this is a sorely lacking area for the OS.
Failure to give a consistent experience is important, especially with third-party apps. Apple has done a so-so job of this with third-parties, but has at least given standard controls to maintain that experience in their SDK. While Android does have an SDK, they do not have the same enforced consistency in their tools. This lets third-parties go hog-wild with their ideas of how people should use a mobile device, and that approach is not good for mass consumption, sorry.
App or Spam?
The application store. The marketplace. Whatever anyone calls it, how will Android handle this aspect? They have touted that they will be more hands off than Apple, but is that really a good thing? Think about it…while Apple is still dealing with issues on their side of the app store, they are at least attempting to shut out blatant spam and porn apps. So can I count on the same from Google? Can I be sure this app I’m downloading isn’t going to upload my contacts to their servers? Maybe. Maybe not.
If they can’t answer that before launch, there goes a line full of people who are going to let the early-adopters find out. Marketplace aside, how will people sync music and photos? From what apps? Will they provide a seamless desktop experience for the user?
TBD
Google is being very ambitious with the amount of features Android will contain, but they aren’t being so ambitious with getting information out there about what, when, why, and how Android will complete our daily mobile experience. For that matter, neither is T-Mobile.
Until more comes to light, I’m staying skeptical. I don’t believe anyone who says it will give the iPhone a run for its money, nor do I think that it will have mass appeal. Linux and open-source enthusiasts will love it, but for the typical end-user who wants it to “just work,” how viable of a solution will it be for them?
Are you waiting for Android? If so, why? Let me know!
