Android can beat Apple and the iPhone

The latest entrant in the sphere of mobile operating systems in Google’s Android. The OS has been received well by the mobile content development community and has been gaining steady momentum. T-Mobile’s G1 has also received very good reviews and some(including myself) have called it better than Apple’s iPhone. 

There are quite a few reasons that are in favour of Google Android. Here are a few:

• Android is open source and free to use and customize. This also makes it more attractive for adoption by a large number of mobile phone vendors.
• There are certain features in-built like cut-n-paste that are still to make their way into the iPhone. 
• Android apps are developed using Java that run on a specialized virtual machine. This aspect makes it attractive to a larger pool of developers than the iPhone.
• The Android Market has set policies that would let developers keep a majority share of the revenues earned through it. This is in contrast to Apple’s App Store policies.
• Google has promised to have very little control over the Android Market.
• Coming from Google, Android has the backing of a behemoth and top-notch quality is ensured.
• Being open source, community based development can introduce newer features to this operating system much faster than any other.

In fact Android adoption has seen a steady rise. From developers to mobile phone vendors everybody seems to be jumping on to the Android bandwagon. Here’s a list of few news item that come up on CNET.com when you search for Android in the news section:

• Kyocera joins Android phone bandwagon
• Google Android and Symbian to merge?
• Report: Motorola expanding Android team
• Coders get 70 percent of Android Market revenue
• MySpace’s Android application goes live
• Maverick puts Google Talk on Android G1
• Motorola preps its own Android phone
• Capitalism still alive: EA on Android games
• Google adds Android app for Flickr photos

It’s pretty clear that interest amongst developers and vendors is increasing with respect to Google’s Android. Amongst mobile phone vendors Kyocera, HTC, and Motorola are already on to it. It’s only a matter of time before a lot more follow this trend. If this continues, Android’s appeal would surely surpass that of the iPhone’s. 

So is Android the beginning of the end of Apple iPhone’s dominance in the smart phone segment?

Google Android based T-Mobile G1 is better than Apple iPhone 3G

Looks like its game on. The T-Mobile G1 powered by Google’s open source Linux based operating system, Android, has already seen huge interest from the pundits and consumers alike. There have been recording pre-ordering for the G1 and it appears that the G1 will give the iPhone 3G quite good competition.

Personally I feel the biggest disadvantage that the G1 has is in the looks department. The design and looks of the G1 are nothing compared to the iPhone 3G. HTC just does not know how to make good looking phones. For them its all about using cheap plastic and tacky design philosophies.

Anyway. In a recent speed test done by CNET the T-Mobile G1 beat the pants of the Apple iPhone 3G with regards to web browsing. Click here to see the speed test video.

I am not sure how accurate this test is because web browsing performance depends on the network a lot. So even though the testers might have tried to neutralise the “network effect” I am not sure to what extent they were successful.

Another iPhone challenger: The Nokia ‘Tube’ 5800 Express Music phone

The recently released T-Mobile G1 does pose a serious challenge to Apple’s iPhone in terms of function and specs but look-wise its a no-competition. Even as the dust still settles over the hype of the G1 there’s a new kid on the block that also aims to unsettle Apple from its dominant position. It’s the Nokia 5800 Express Music phone also dubbed the Nokia ‘Tube’.

The specs that I could gather from this website are:

General

• 3.2″ touchscreen with VGA resolution (640×480 pixels), 16M colors
• 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and dual LED flash(Carl Zeiss lens)
• 30 FPS VGA recording
• 3 physical buttons – answer call, softkey, end call
• Landscape keyboard mode
• Symbian S60 Touch UI, or S60 5th edition

Connectivity

• Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900), UMTS 2100, GSM/Edge, HSDPA connectivity
• Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and A2DP
• USB 2.0 connectivity
• Built-in GPS with A-GPS
• WLAN, Wi-Fi
• 3.5mm headphone jack, TV-Out port

Memory

• 150MB of User memory
• microSDHC memory card slot (up to 16GB, 8GB memory card in a box)

Size & Weight

• Dimensions: 111×52×15.5mm
• Weight: 109 gr

And here are a few photos of the device:

Like the G1 the Nokia 5800 is better speced out than the Apple iPhone 3G. On top of that it has the looks that are so important for successful smart phones. So where the G1 fails, Nokia succeeds. The question is will it still be enough to topple the iPhone? The answer lies in how Nokia intends to build an ecosystem around the 5800. 

Rumors are that the 5800 will be available in Europe first and then in the US. Also there is a chance that consumers would be able to buy an unlocked version of the phone in the US.

Apple iPhone will lose to Google Android powered T-Mobile G1

The Google Android powered T-Mobile G1 was being waited for ever since reports leaked about it. Now its a reality. The G1 is the new kid on the block with the goods to give Apple’s hallowed iPhone 3G a run for its money. Spec wise the G1 surely has a lot more to offer than the iPhone. Check out my feature comparison between the two. T-Mobile’s network is not that bad even though it has limited 3G capabilities. But all that is going to change once T-Mobile rolls out its 3G network in full.

So does Apple need to worry? You bet it does. 

The G1 comes with a lot more goodies for its price. It beats the iPhone in most feature comparisons. The only thing that the iPhone has going in its favour is looks. The G1 is positively ugly. But it more than makes up for that with its feature list. Being powered by an open source operating system from Google also gives it an advantage. The thriving open source community is more likely to come up with future enhancements of the OS than any proprietary company can. 

The iPhone’s success was accelarated by the launch of the App Store from where users could download third-party applications for the device. Google has already announced the launch of the Android Market on the lines of the App Store but having a lot better and transparent policies for developers. With the Android Market, Google has ensured availability of a rich set of third-party applications for users. Google’s approach with the Android Market is going to be very hands-off thus encouraging more development of applications for the Android platform.

Apple’s arrogance in dealing with developers of the App Store is bound to hit it where it hurts the most. In fact, chances are high that a lot of miffed developers, whose apps were unreasonably rejected from the App Store, may be switching allegiance to the more open Android Market. 

In spite of the outcry from developers asking Apple to come clean on its publishing policy for applications on App Store, Apple has kept quite. Its attitude is more like a dictator and some developers might even view its policies as tyranny. And they would be right. What was bad with IAmRich,  NetShare, BoxOffice, MailWrangler or Podcaster applications? What was the reason for Apple banning these applications from its App Store? Will someone from Apple please answer? Or is it below their hallowed self esteem to answer such questions?

If Apple does not act quick and take certain important decisions, it runs a very high risk of alienating those loyal group of developers who are the reason behind the resounding success of the iPhone 3G, even though the device itself is plagued by many serious flaws. The sooner Steve Jobs and his group of control-freaks open things up in the App Store, the better it would be for Apple.

Comparison: Apple iPhone 3G vs. Google T-Mobile G1

Here’s a cursory feature comparison between Apple iPhone 3G and the new T-Mobile G1 powered by Google Android:

Feature	Apple iPhone	T-Mobile G1
Keyboard	On screen	Full QWERTY slide-out keyboard
Connectivity	3G, WiFi, Tri band GSM, UMTS, Bluetooth	3G, WiFi, Quad band GSM, Dual band UMTS, Bluetooth
Messaging	Email, Instant messaging, Microsoft Exchange support	Email, Instant messaging, Special GMail push support, Multimedia messaging, multi-tasking while messaging
GPS and other services	Assisted GPS	GPS, Google Maps, Google Maps Street View with compass mode
Media store	Apple iTunes music store	Amazon MP3 store
Camera	2 mp	3.1 mp
Dimensions (HxWxD)	4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 in	4.6 x 2.16 x 0.63 in
Weight	4.7 ounces	5.6 ounces
Storage	8/16 GB	Expandable up to 8GB
Screen resolution	480 x 320 163 ppi	480 x 320 65K color screen
Talk time	5 hour talk time, 300 hour standby time	5 hour talk time, 130 hour standby time
Application support	Apple App Store	Google Android Market
Voice dialling	No	Yes
Removable battery	No	Yes
Copy & Paste support	No	Yes

As seen from the above comparison, the phones stack up pretty well against each other. In connectivity, messaging, GPS and the camera, the T-Mobile G1 has an edge over the iPhone. Some would argue that having a full QWERTY keyboard is also a major feature. So we can consider the T-Mobile G1 better in that area too. In the others the iPhone is pretty good. The overall user experience should be better with the G1 because of certain features like copy & paste, etc. Also the fact that the G1 has a removable battery makes a big difference.

If T-Mobile can provide service and coverage at par with AT&T, the G1 does have the goods to give the iPhone a run for its money.

Arrogant Apple good for Google

Another one of the prospective Apple App Store applications bites the dust! The application in question is the Podcaster. Podcaster enables people to download podcasts to their devices directly without going through iTunes. Apple thinks that’s a bad idea since iTunes already gives that function. The result – Podcast rejected from App Store. 

So what’s Apple’s policy for App Store applications? Apparently only two entities are in the know. God and Apple. I am pretty sure God is not interested in it. As for Apple, they want to control everything in their eco-system. Controlling everything is fine for stuff that Apple creates. But how can they intend to exercise this same level of control over third-party applications.

Time and again we have heard that Apple’s policy of examining each and every application that goes on the App Store is to ensure quality and stop malicious and offensive content. Malicious we can understand, but what is the yardstick that Apple employs to determine offensiveness? There have been no answers from Apple on this.

Here is a list of a few of the apps that have been axed by Apple from the App Store for no reason:

• Podcaster
• I Am Rich
• Pull My Finger
• NetShare
• A comic book

In not publishing a clear policy of conformance for application developers, Apple is actually hurting itself. Already a lot of developers have vented their frustration over such high-handed behavior. Yet they still stick to Apple because of the popularity of its portable devices. But for how long? After all there is a limit to everything. Unfortunately Apple is not ready to listen to their woes.

A potential winner may be Google’s Android powered mobile phones. People have expressed their concerns about the viability of Android phones without a vibrant eco-system to sustain its growth. Google has answered that, even though partially, with the Android Market. What remains to be seen is how popular the Android phones become. Google can bolster this popularity by making the hosting policy for applications on the Android Market more open and transparent. Maybe even have community participation in forming a policy. This would surely encourage developers to write content for Android. In fact, if Android becomes a success, we might see a lot of switch in allegiance from Apple to Google. If this happens Apple will only have itself to blame.

Google’s app store aka Android Market

Google’s mobile operating system Android has generated a lot of interest among developers. This was also helped to a large extent by Google’s Android challenge that resulted in a lot of applications being developed for the Android platform. It’s no secret that the HTC Dream or the T-Mobile G1 is going to be the first Android powered phone to reach the market. In a previous post, I had mentioned that whether or not the Android phone really poses a challenge to the iPhone would be determined by how Google is going to offer consumers applications for the phone. Well, looks like Google was listening and the answer comes in the form of the Android Market place.

The Android Market would be available in its beta version on the first handsets to hit the market. Through the software consumers can download new applications for their Android powered phones. The software will be in the YouTube style where developers can publish content easily. Google says that support for unpaid applications will be provided initially and later on a policy for supporting paid applications will be worked out.

Whether the Android Market will be as successful as Apple’s App Store will really be decided by how much developer interest is generated by Google. The least we can expect is that the more popular applications on the App Store would be replicated for the Android Market.

T-Mobile G1: The Android phone or the Google phone … the looks are not going to kill

Android Guys published an image of the Google/Android phone that T-Mobile is supposed to release. Code named the G1, here’s how it looks:

Judge for yourself. I think its positively ugly. If they are intending to take on the iPhone with this thing, they got to be joking. The keyboard hidden under the display like some of the present phones, is really something of an acquired taste. And way too many buttons.

The site had an article that spells out the specs for the Android phone. Take a look(verbatim from the article):

• 528Mhz Qualcomm 7201 processor
• Data kit for USB connectivity in the box
• 64MB Internal RAM
• 128MB Internal ROM
• 1GB MicroSD card
• 5 Row QWERTY keypad
• Trackball
• Dedicated camera button
• 3.1MP camera (no flash) 2048 x 1536
• Video playback files – H.264, streaming, 3GPP, MPEG4, and Codec 3GP
• Dedicated YouTube Player
• Audio playback files – MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, MPEG4, WAV, MIDI, REAL AUDIO, OGG
• Wallpaper supports JPG, BMP, PNG, and GIF
• Speakerphone (mono, natch)
• Ringtones (MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA)
• HTTP, WAP Push, xHTML
• Bluetooth (class 1)
• Picture Caller ID
• SMS and MMS support (Take that Apple!)
• POP, IMAP, and SMTP, AOL, and GMAIL email
• AIM, MSN, YAHOO, and GTALK messaging
• Quad Band (850, 900, 1800, 1900)
• 3G
• 802.11b & 802.11g
• UMTS (1,4), HSDPA, SUPL
• 1150mAh battery
• Screen size is 3.17? with HVGA (480 x 320)
• Handset 117 x 55 x 16mm
• 5.6 oz weight
• Sync capable with Google Calendar
• Downloadable content via Android Marketplace
• Google Streetview with built-in compass

Spec wise things look ok, but when it comes to looks, I guess people expected a lot more.

Google Android against the iPhone: An uphill task

Yahoo has rolled out a new mobile search site tailored to be used on Apple’s iPhones and iPods. In spite of growing number of problems being reported against the iPhone, the user acceptance of the device is unquestionable. iPhone is the undisputed king at present and it would take a huge effort to even pose a challenge to its position let alone dislodge it.

Many people are touting Google’s Android to be the next big thing with the potential of displacing iPhone from its venerated position. Surely its not going to easy though.

For starters, the number of iPhones that have been sold is in itself a record. Can any other phone, be it from Google or anybody else, really match that? The phone industry has been revolutionized ever since the iPhone was launched. Apple thinks differently and thinks for the users and that philosophy has been embodied in the iPhone. As of now, the iPhone seems to be the yardstick against which all other phones would be measured. Would the Google phone measure up to this high standard? This remains to be seen.

Apple’s iPhone has also got a lot of support. With companies like Yahoo, etc. offering customized offerings for the iPhone, the dominance is being further entrenched. With Mobile Me and the App Store, Apple has also strengthened its position. The controversies not withstanding, the App Store has registered record number of downloads. With the possible introduction of a subscription based iTunes in September, Apple is surely offering a whole lot of options for the users.

Google’s Android is surely facing a much tougher challenge when compared to what its search faced. The dominant search engine before Google was Yahoo. But the advantage that Google had was that Yahoo decided to bask in its glory of being the leader and did very little to further cement its position. Google took full advantage of that. But in Apple, Google has a more difficult opponent. Not only does Apple enjoy a huge fanbase but the company is always trying to improve its products.

The competition that Google would face in Apple would be something totally new for them. Going by Google’s credentials this should be a very keenly fought contest.

The HTC Dream: Yet another iPhone killer?

Ever since Apple’s iPhone made its debut, there have been a slew of handsets from other manufactures touted to be iPhone killers. The fact that so many handsets wanted to “kill” the iPhone does indicate the dominant position that the iPhone has acquired ever since it was introduced. But sadly enough the LG Voyager, Blackberry Thunder, Samsung Instinct, etc. all failed to achieve what they set out to do. The iPhone still is the dominant phone in the market today.

The HTC Dream, some prefer to call it the GooglePhone or GPhone, seems to be newest gladiator in this colosseum where phones try to “kill” each other. The notable thing about the HTC is that its based on Google’s Android platform. The HTC Dream is yet to hit the market but there have been a lot of videos and photos going around in the blogosphere. Here’s a video:

If we go by the video then the Dream would be just another also-ran. No way is it going to kill the iPhone. The video shows that the touch screen is really unresponsive. Also the slide-out keyboard is something I never liked and neither endorsed. Just too many moving parts there. There seem to be a few applications on the phone but the video is just too blurry to make them out properly. Judging by this video, the HTC Dream does not seem to pose a threat to the iPhone unless HTC improves it drastically.

Even if HTC does improve the Dream to match the iPhone in terms of ease-of-use and performance, it will still have a very hard time dislodging the iPhone from its lofty pedestal. The Apple App Store, despite numerous reports about Apple’s policy, has been a significant success and has further cemented the iPhone position as the leader. The variety and number of applications that are already available for the iPhone are huge. For the Dream to be as successful, HTC and Google need to come up with something similar to the App Store and make sure that consumers can get their hands on applications. That would be a pretty uphill task for sure.

Needless to say, we still need to be looking forward to the Dream since its success would directly have an impact on Google’s Android. Hopefully Google would be able to muster the support of the developer community and offer a store for Android applications. Shall we call it the Dream Store?