Are You Going to Purchase an Android?
Android is finally going to show up on T-Mobile next month. Compared to the iPhone, Android is a much more open platform and will eventually take form in a variety of smartphone designs. Is it enough to move people away from the iPhone?
The first smartphone to take advantage of Android will be G1 by HTC. This company has extensive experience in handset design and implementation so I don’t expect to see a lot of rough edges on this device. It has the standard slide out keyboard and also incorporates a touch screen and trackball. It’s a bit on the chubby side but that’s to be expected with the keyboard.
I already have an iPhone 3G but the idea of using the brand new Google mobile platform intrigues me. However, I just got out of a T-Mobile contract and don’t look forward to signing up to a second 2-year contract.
Are you going to pick up T-Mobile G1 next month? My preference is towards the iPhone, but I welcome the competition. With time, perhaps Google will force Apple to relax some of their draconian app store policies.
[pic via Engadget]
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Apple’s App Store policies are there for several good reasons.
Firstly, they want to make sure that the app you are downloading does not contain malicious, inappropriate or offensive material.
Secondly, they want to make sure that the app you are downloading is of a high quality, so that people are not disappointed when they find out they have wasted their time.
Thirdly, it is Apple’s moral and legal right to filter content in the App Store. They are hosting the content on their servers. They are providing the bridge between the developer and the customer, ensuring the developer receives their rightful payment and the customer receives the content they have paid for.
I have yet to find any good reason for Apple to ‘release their draconian app store policies’.
They are there for the best interests of the customer, the developer and Apple.
I hope it does lure some buyers away from iPhone. Competition will make Apple and iPhone a better product. More smart phones will mean ancillary services and products that can be accessed by these devices. Soon we’ll be in a more mobile computing age. For example, get coupons in your email that you can then show at the register of a brick and mortar store without the need to print them, or a speed pass style RFID embedded in the phone to make quick purchases.
I also hope that the new Android phones take some of the newbies coming to Apple away. Some times they just don’t understand.