Androiding!
I've recently got my first Android phone, I had it on the eve of the G-Jordan Developer Days event.
Using an Android phone for the first time was very exciting especially since I’ve been wanting to get my hands on one of those devices for some time now and also since I’ve been wanting to starting experimenting with the API in order to create Android applications (I know you could use the simulator, but I think using a real device adds more to the experience).
Now, I’d like to share some of my observations and first impressions. First off, I wanna talk about the Android Market.
It’s usually OK to filter out applications based on client device specifications in order to insure a proper user experience and to avoid facing compatibility issues, but I didn't like the Country/Carrier targeting.
And turns out that most people who are not able to download those filtered applications (such as Google Maps, Google Chrome to Phone, Skype ... etc) directly from the market would end up looking for their APK files on file sharing sites (Keep in mind that the APKs’ they find might be malicious!) or even temporarily replace their SIM card with an American one*.
I mean one way or another, people will try to figure out ways to circumvent this carrier targeting filter, so why bother filter anyway.
I've been browsing through the Android market a lot since I started using my phone and reading through the comments and trying out several applications myself, I see the need for more application/device compatibility information, it would also be nice to include useful information when the user attempts to download an application such as expected battery load and such.
One more thing I didn't really like was the proxy configuration for the wireless connection. There is no support for proxy server authentication, but I sure do hope that Google is working on it. I know that some people might think ‘why use the Wi-Fi when you can get a reasonably cheap data package from you carrier’, but it’s a shame the not all countries have reasonably cheap enough packages, let alone fast enough networks. So, it might be more economic for certain people to go online through Wi-Fi.
I’d also like to comment on the fact that you cannot remove applications provided by your phone manufacturer on its custom ROM, what if I the user don’t really wanna use one of those applications. In my own humble opinion, this is a freedom of choice kinda’ thing and I wonder if there’s a convincing reason out there to prevent the removal of such apps! (I still didn't look into it yet).
In the end, I really like my new phone and I hold much respect towards Android as a platform, I do think it has a great future ahead and I’m sure it’ll keep evolving with enough community support and feedback.
Comments