Will Apple or Android get in my pocket?

[Guest tsutton]

Will Apple or Android get in my pocket?

PC World has managed to get a photo of the new Android phone, but with the hardware covered up at Google’s Developer Day in London.

Following the unexpected demonstration of an Android handset here at Google’s Developer Day, more information about the OS and the upcoming handset has been leaking out of Android boss Mike Jennings in the last hour, as nearly a hundred curious developers fire volley after volley of tough questions at him.

I'm curious what mobile phone's hardware they are using to demo this.

Are you looking forward to the Android phone or is it all hype?

[Via: PC Pro Blog]

Edit

engadgetmobile has got hold of a video and can be found here.

[Guest Dr Who]

I am more interested in running Android on old handsets and giving them a new lease of life, if its possible, rather than buying a phone with Android already installed.

[Guest tsutton]

I agree. It would be a good project!

See http://www.mobiholics.com/content/the-loun...android-thread/ in case you are interested.

[Guest andrewkeith5]

This would probably work better as a marketing tool, but I (obviously) think its quite good - I especially like the font ;) let me know if you want me to mock up a version with different text

andrew

[Guest Samsonite]

i think i might be missing something but why would an OS be THE selling point in a handset?

I know that an OS may have crucial features to some people (like native Exchange Sync etc) but if you go onto the high street, is anyone going to be able to say that an Android device makes better phone calls than a S60 or WM phone?! (or indeed any of the other proprietary OS's)

surely, a marketing mechanism of what Android allows your phone to do that no other OS does is the key?

My decision on which phone to buy is based on the features it offers, not 'how' it does them if you see what i mean.

[Guest andrewkeith5]

for the people who are aware of the different os's and who are power-users of devices, the os matters - some os's are considered a feature

for example, to me I immediately eradicate nokia phones because I cannot stand the series 60 interface and s40 just isn't powerful enough, whereas I much prefer windows mobile

creating a brand out of the OS means that numerous device manufacturers can make dozens of different phones which will all work in mostly the same way, and with the same software - important to many, hence why poeple tend to be loyal to one brand

making an OS that works the same across a number of brands gives the consumer a much better choice of devices once they get to know the software. As android is more likely to be a consumer OS as well as for business, that creates much more choice for the user and much more potential for the manufacturers and developers.

[Guest Samsonite]

for the people who are aware of the different os's and who are power-users of devices, the os matters - some os's are considered a feature

for example, to me I immediately eradicate nokia phones because I cannot stand the series 60 interface and s40 just isn't powerful enough, whereas I much prefer windows mobile

creating a brand out of the OS means that numerous device manufacturers can make dozens of different phones which will all work in mostly the same way, and with the same software - important to many, hence why poeple tend to be loyal to one brand

making an OS that works the same across a number of brands gives the consumer a much better choice of devices once they get to know the software. As android is more likely to be a consumer OS as well as for business, that creates much more choice for the user and much more potential for the manufacturers and developers.

i see your points about some OS's offering features that are important - the reason i use WM was for Exchange compatibility. The Nokia setup was not powerful enough for my diary management needs...

I see WM as an extension of the desktop experience - the laptop in your pocket principle.

Similarly, the iPhone is an extension of a desktop environment with iTunes and Safari being the main features of the device (beyond making/recieving calls!) so i am struggling to see how Android is bringing anything new to the party. If Android is an extension of Google's desktop experience then (IMHO) god help us all!!! Searching and Ad revenue is not a primary focus for my phone! ;)

so i s'pose the question still remains for me, what does Android do that is new? what does it do over and above S60 and WM?

[Guest andrewkeith5]

i see your points about some OS's offering features that are important - the reason i use WM was for Exchange compatibility. The Nokia setup was not powerful enough for my diary management needs...

I see WM as an extension of the desktop experience - the laptop in your pocket principle.

Similarly, the iPhone is an extension of a desktop environment with iTunes and Safari being the main features of the device (beyond making/recieving calls!) so i am struggling to see how Android is bringing anything new to the party. If Android is an extension of Google's desktop experience then (IMHO) god help us all!!! Searching and Ad revenue is not a primary focus for my phone! ;)

so i s'pose the question still remains for me, what does Android do that is new? what does it do over and above S60 and WM?

that's certainly a good point and one i agree with, hence why I can't see it becoming massively succesful

I suppose the main thing android has going for it is the "ultimate comptibility" thing - being open source, it will eventually be compatible withjust about everything (we hope), and so it won't just be an extension of windows or mac os, it'll be both plus linux, and its flexibility will mean developers of other gadgets like car pc's will like it, and it may even find itself in other applications such as in distribution (as windows mobile has done)

thats what I think anyway, I still don't think it'll be a massive success, but I'm fully prepared to be proved wrong