Cnet Crave Blog vents on Android
Ok, maybe vents is too strong a word, however the Five things that are wrong with Android – Crave at CNET UK that was blogged about a few days ago really had me seeing red for a bit before I looked closely at what he was saying.
I was going to write a vent and attack response post, but I feel that something more controlled and analytical would be far stronger as he actually makes some really great points that should be addressed. (and a few that needed correcting in his post)
Android vs Iphone
He says that at the moment the iphone Os is better than android and acknowledges the huge potential that Android has. This is vast simplification of the debate, and handsets like the HTC Hero are making this argument seem weaker by the day. He also says that it needs to be able to compete with the Iphone, which I agree with him a 100%. Android needs to get better and it is. Donut is being released in the next few months with some of the goodies that I mentioned in my Android donut news post.
Things that he thinks are wrong with Android.
1. Stability
I am not sure how long he has been using Android, but the Magic and the G1 are pretty stable. His colourful description of the cheese, shed- boat indicating the stability is a gross exaggeration and wildly incorrect. I have a Magic at home and to make out that it can’t do even basic tasks without hanging leads me to believe that his free sample phone maybe wasn’t the production version ( as pointed out by a commenter) or was maybe a little too overcrowded with applications that he was reveiwing.
2. Speed
Android is pretty fast for me however I too would like a bit quicker response time , some more memory and a bulked up cpu. The better and smoother the experience- the greater the “wow” factor. His suggestion of priortizing music playback is agreat idea(for those distracted individuals who like a soundtrack to their browsing)
3. Lack of uniformity
3 different email programs on android- why not one? I personally favour Android’s flexibility here as the Gmail works far better than just standard email- even compared to the Iphone. Things like labels alone and starring key items couldn’t be integrated into a standard email system as there is no support for it in the email protocol- but harmonizing the interface is a good thing. He also seems to have a short memory that less than a year ago- the Iphone didn’t have exchange support – let alone a paid version like Android has. And the same HTC Magic handset that he laments is functionally insufficient also boasts full Exchange access . Pretty flakey argument for me- particularly in light of the great mail apps that are also available from the market.
4. Too Geeky
I am not sure what apps he means are too geeky for “regular” people to understand… calendar, gmail, contacts seem pretty easy to understand to me. Don’t agree with that point at all.
5. No root Access- (aka not geeky enough?!)
Its pretty easy to root your android device and also pretty easy to update it back to normal hence I don’t see why this is a downfall. Android market doesn’t have all the restrictions that the Iphone one does and if I ever want to load something else I can click one tick box to allow external sources. Android is an open source platform which is making it the #1 choice for HTC and Sony to launch phones on.
Also as pointed out by some of the commenters and incorrectly criticised by the blogger: PDANet will allow you to tether your android phone until the official tethering app is released.
Overall, a thought provoking article and a good way to stir up debate- keep it coming Crave.
In response to this please look out for my 7 things wrong with Android (and what Google can do to fix it) post coming through in a few days as there are loads of things I would love to have included in the improvements list for Donut.
Android users- think to yourself what would you like to have fixed or improved?
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I have always said to my friends that I would hire apple to give me a smooth user experience. For everything else; google baby. The android system isn’t pretty, but it sure is strong. Given those two extremes, I choose strength!
No white headphones and birckenstocks for me, just give me location aware notifications and always availability.
Hey there, just wanted to stop by and add some thoughts about this post. I wrote the original piece on CNET UK, and wanted to come and respond to some of the comments you’ve made.
First of all, I promise you, I’m the biggest Android fan on the planet. You only have to look at the other stuff I’ve written, and my Twitter feed to see how much I love the platform and the handsets.
When it comes to stability, I stand by my comments. I use a full production Magic – I’ve had about three or four different handsets since it launched. All, as far as I know, have been regular production models. On the Magic, I have a LOT of app crashes, and quite a few problems with Android services. I know ChompSMS is causing some problems, Twidroid is a resource hog and Google Listen causes a fair share of problems.
On the subject of speed, I use a task manager, and I can see that a lot of the time, the processor is maxed out with just a few apps open. I do use things like Roadsync, which runs all the time, but even so, there is a lot of lag. I should also point out that, on the Hero I have at the moment, there are NO problems with speed. I still think the Magic is an under-speced phone, especially the UK variant.
The lack of uniformity is a problem, mostly with the way that different apps handle certain events. For example, how do you exit a Google app? Backing out to the home screen will usually shut an application down, but not always. Sometimes apps don’t exit, and Google REFUSES to add an “exit” button to the menu. Email access is good, but look at how the Palm Pre handles it, you get one app that can merge your separate accounts into an easy-to-manage app. It’s slick. The Pre also has sub-folder support in Exchange, which the HTC and Roadsync apps DON’T in Android — not sure why, I do realise it’s not Android’s fault though.
The too geeky/not geeky enough points are, I admit, contradictory. But, that said, I’d argue that if it’s a geek phone, then it should be open to allow root access. If it’s a phone for normal folk, then I think it should be easier to use, with less weird error messages and more unified support for email and stuff like that.
Loved reading your response, thanks for taking the time to put your rational thoughts down on your blog.