-
Website
http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/ -
Original page
http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2009/01/the_t-mobile_g1_the_whatley_response.html -
Subscribe
All Comments -
Community
-
-
Top Commenters
-
Popular Threads
Getting Outlook Contacts into Gmail is something I've yet to cleanly achieve. So it looks like the G1 may not be for me after all...
To be honest, I just can't see the point of a G1. Geeks/Developers will love it, but your average Normob will not. The *only* people I know who love their G1s are those that make apps for it...
Which is great... but really, not for me.
Funny you say that. My technically challenged daughter has the G1 and loves it! Mind you, she probably only uses it for calls, texts, games and music... :-)
Always loving the opinion.
I love you (in a nice, no touching way), but you are wrong.
Exchange / Mail for Exchange barfs my contacts just as regularly. It shouldn't (agreed) but it does... You have all your data in Exchange tidy and established now... of course it's easier. If you started in any other service and transferred the other way it would be just as much of a PITA. At least Google open their APIs for people to develop against for free. In the Microsoft ecosystem there's a license fee and um... one client and 2 mobile syncing options?
The whole 'open' argument is tired and lots of other people are being similarly obtuse (sorry, love ya)... It's the code of the OS that is open. JUST LIKE SYMBIAN. Open doesn't mean operators can't lock subsided handsets and it doesn't mean you won't need a login to access network-based services. JUST LIKE NOKIA / SYMBIAN. The decision to tie it to a network service is different to other platforms, granted, but once you've made an account just think of it as a backup and ignore it... You never have to use Google's service again - IMAP or POP to your Yahoo account will work fine.
I know I'm coming over all fan-boy here... and I guess I am a bit. However, there *is* plenty wrong with Android and I'm happy to point it out and hope they fix it (http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2009/01/now...) but I strongly disagree these points are failings.
*breathes*
Riiiiiiiiiight..
http://flickr.com/photos/whatleydude/3215686522/
Yeah, but you *choose* to use the free service. I *choose* to pay a little. I said *mine* not *yours*. If you choose the beta product of course it says beta... but you don't *have* to use the beta product. I probably should have said 'is nothing like a beta service'.
My eyes are fine BTW :-)
Kisses.
I feel openness in mobile is about a lot more than the code of the OS. Indeed at a basic level all the 'smartphone OSs' are open to one degree or another. I agree that debate is essentially over (unless you want to talk about how far down it will go...) and there is still some importance attached to the level of openness (e.g. open source vs developer accessibility vs device function accessibility; cross platform, RIAs, etc etc).
So is openness now more about software and service availability / access? I think this very often ties in with companies strategy (both manufacturers, platform providers and operators). I do think some companies are more committed to this openness than others. Android is this area, especially in its G! instance and in contrast to its open-soruce-ness, does not measure up here. Thats said I'd probably put Android and Nokia in the same camp as having openness as part of their core strategy, but it will be interesting to see who delivers this to consumers best.
Maybe it is also worth saying that there is theoretical openness and what is actually delivered in to the hands of the consumer. Nokia's Ovi promises it but has yet to truly deliver on it (in terms of links with 3rd parties, APIs etc) - you can see their ideas / intent in something like Share online and Nokia messaging. Yes Android the platform is open, but the G1 implementation is lacking. I do think think it will improve, but the question at the back of my mind is Google's motivation (is it to drive traffic and money to its core strength in search and advertising, if s o what implications does it have?)
K
iPhone is equally wonderful out of the box
and equally apple centric
if you have .mac (or mobile me now)
i had all my email and contacts in my iPhone before the salesman got back with the printed reciept.
sadly the shit camera/battery and rubbish 3G network sent that back too.
some good things will come in 2009 iphone/android and symbinan
The second Android device to hit the shelves will bring up a host of issues that Android developers will have to work around, but we will work around them and Android will fly.
NB: all views I express here are completely biased as I'm a complete Android fanboy, love it
p.s. I've never had any problems with contact/calendar synching on G1, I had way more problems with duplicates with my old Nokia, especially when entering an event into both outlook and phone then synching.
Just like I was asked to 'put up with' the G1.
There are elements of the G1 that I'd really like to see in Nokia handsets (in fact - I think I even mentioned that in the piece above) - I needed to get these thoughts of my chest so I could reference them at a later date.
Finally..
"The second Android device to hit the shelves will bring up a host of issues that Android developers will have to work around, but we will work around them..."
I love that.
What do people think of the Storm? To my suprise I quite like it -- to play with, not to replace my N95 8GB as an everyday phone.
for some reason MIR posts don't display well in google (sic!) reader recently, all " or ' are changed into ??? - have you done something ot the feed?
Rubbish
I like Nokia phones, have always used one for voice since the classic matrix banana phone. I will never use a symbian device ever again, it's crap, give me a Java ME candy bar to talk on and charge every 3 days.
I literally threw my last Windows computer out of a 3rd floor window in Edinburgh in 2002 and you would have to beat me with a stick (or loads of cash) to get me to use Outlook again. I have never found a Nokia that can talk to a Mac computer. I don't like the iPhone because iTunes is rubbish for people who like to do stuff with music, don't even get me started on the device itself.
I will take issue with your comments on gmail, I had one of the first accounts and it has been nothing short of brilliant ever since.
Nobody has made contacts work across all the apps and platforms commonly in use, Soocial and Skydeck might be getting close but you can still find disgruntled users.
James. I am looking forward to the next time I see you, we can talk about music and girls :)
The G1 is a solid device which suits my usage - heavy email and very heavy internet browsing. For the former it is better than the iPhone and any Nokia bar E71 and Communicator, for the latter it is better than all (including the iPhone). If I were a media freak (pictures, video) it probably would not be for me.
Anyhoow, an eloquent and balanced review of all the current crop of smartphones can be found on Stephen Fry's blog. As an incorrigible iPhone addict he even has a number of kind words to say about the G1 (and I bet he synched contacts in a blink of an eye).