I don't believe it was ever meant to be. Unless you know something I don't. The real serious competitor wont come until maybe 4th quarter next year once they have all the bugs worked out and it might tout Wimax and 3G radios.
Any pro-iPhone comments here will be voted down to the inky depths (it's the Engadget troll way), but early G1 reviews seem overly apologetic. Period.
"One of Android's most endearing qualities -- and perhaps the first thing new users will notice -- is the home screen. It's really attractive,"
"Really attractive?" Seriously??? If the iPhone had looked like this the day it was announced, Apple would have been laughed out of the auditorium. Girl, you know it's true. The Android desktop looks like a bad Vista knockoff.
The G1 is definitely being treated with kid gloves so far. I'm not sure why there are so many "not bad for version 1," "we're sure it will get better," "we can't wait to see what the future holds" comments in these reviews. Would Apple, or even Microsoft, have been shown this kind of tender mercy with a release of device of this magnitude? No way. Google certainly commands an amazing amount of goodwill.
I'm excited about Android, but it's definitely a letdown for me so far.
The whole point of Android is to provide a platform that comes closer to a truly open-source phone OS that will (hopefully) usher in a new way look at (smart)phones. I, personally, think its exciting as hell! I think Google left out core functions/applications with a purpose in mind: the encouragement of third party developers to really take application development to the next level.
I think there's a lot Google should have done differently, as well as HTC, but I feel that the development community will really come through on this one with such encouragement from the Android developers. I don't see how they couldn't.
Maybe I have too much faith in Google, but this is obviously a large investment for them and I doubt they'll let it flop. This all being why I think its reasonable for reviews to be lenient when referring to Android and not-so-lenient when it comes to Windows Mobile or iPhone OS.
Quix, are you joking? The first reviews of the iPhone were nothing but apologetic crap.
MMS, who needs it? Cut and paste, who needs it? No Exchange integration? Big deal, that isn't their market anyway, so who needs it? No way to install apps on the device without voiding your warranty? Who cares, it is perfect like it is, who needs apps? No removable battery? Who needs it?
Then they would proclaim the iPhone the most flawless and perfect device ever made. It was only once some of these problems were fixed that anyone would admit they were problems to begin with. I distinctly remember multiple blogs around the planet brushing off every problem with the iPhone as being unworthy of serious mention, because the device was "an absolutely amazing piece of technology for Apple's first phone."
This sort of apologetic bias towards anything people like, is the very bane of any tech blog. It doesn't matter who makes the product. If it is "hip" in the eyes of the blogger, they will gloss over just about anything, and make excuses left and right for the shortcomings of the device. This style of "journalism" is practiced at this site almost daily as regards just about every Apple product. Don't cry foul just because there is a new popular kid in town. That just looks petty.
Personally, I have a G1 on order, because I think it looks like a promising platform, and I am excited to play with it, but I pretty much expect it to be less functional (at least for now) than my current HTC Windows Mobile device in many ways. I don't plan to stop carrying my WM in my camera bag for quite a while, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun to play with the G1. Of course everyone is handling the G1 with care, don't you remember, Google is the company bloggers think can "do no evil" and open source automatically earns you good press, because people have immediate visions of getting everything they want for free. I wish the net was filled with honest, unbiased reviews of every product, but it isn't. Don't raise a fuss just because someone other than Apple is reaping the benefits of that bias for a change. Honestly, I thought their review was a lot more even handed than any of the 10,000 iPhone articles I have seen on this site, and it still showed the bias you are complaining about.
I have to take issue with your comment. When Apple launch the iPhone it started with a blank canvas. You saw the advent of a new platform. What HTC and Google have done is borrowed an Idea from a proven winner. When you imitate rather than innovate I think criticism should be a little harsher. After all someone has given you the mark to aim for. While the G1 may be promising it is at best a kluge. We all know what the experience should be. All they needed to do is just add what was missing. The G1 definitely adds some things that the iPhone lacks but it does it in a way that only the mother of a klutz could love.
I know and accept that I will get voted down but android never was, isn't, and most certainly will never be close to the iPhone. There are dozens of reasons why the iPhone owns. The iPhone has a slick, consumer minded, and much more reliable operating system. This is without even mentioning the amazing hardware. The actual phone is thin, slick, eye-catching, and is made of superior stong materials (glass, metal, chrome). I realize that they will come out with better phones than the G1 but even still, do you really think that they're going to ever catch up? Every time Android phones improve, the iPhone will be one step ahead. The bottom line: android sucks, it may improve, but it won't ever be as good. For now, its not even as good as windows mobile 7.
With expandable memory for one. You can have 50 4GB micro SD cards if you want too. Your iPhone is limited to 8GB and 16GB forever? That right there means so much. Not only that, all the Apps and Games are free. No iStore in ur walletz, stealin' your monies. Android is soooo fast on 3G, it loads webpages faster than my laptop.
“An engineer explained to us that hundreds of ear impressions were gathered in the name of research, and while each one obviously boasted its own unique shape and size, one single characteristic remained uniform across the board: the entrance into the ear canal is not a perfect circle, it's an oval.”
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It's no iPhone...period.
I don't believe it was ever meant to be. Unless you know something I don't. The real serious competitor wont come until maybe 4th quarter next year once they have all the bugs worked out and it might tout Wimax and 3G radios.
Because it actually let's you copy and paste,right?
I'm sure that's why you brought up your comment.
@Emo
Well I know Aviv couldn't copy and paste his useless comment over at Gizmodo, despite wanting to say the same thing.
It's also not a BLT sandwich.
What's your point?
Any pro-iPhone comments here will be voted down to the inky depths (it's the Engadget troll way), but early G1 reviews seem overly apologetic. Period.
"One of Android's most endearing qualities -- and perhaps the first thing new users will notice -- is the home screen. It's really attractive,"
"Really attractive?" Seriously??? If the iPhone had looked like this the day it was announced, Apple would have been laughed out of the auditorium. Girl, you know it's true. The Android desktop looks like a bad Vista knockoff.
The G1 is definitely being treated with kid gloves so far. I'm not sure why there are so many "not bad for version 1," "we're sure it will get better," "we can't wait to see what the future holds" comments in these reviews. Would Apple, or even Microsoft, have been shown this kind of tender mercy with a release of device of this magnitude? No way. Google certainly commands an amazing amount of goodwill.
I'm excited about Android, but it's definitely a letdown for me so far.
"Because it actually let's you copy and paste,right?" - EmoChicksAreHot.....Seriously
Apparently no grammar check though. :P
@ Quix
The whole point of Android is to provide a platform that comes closer to a truly open-source phone OS that will (hopefully) usher in a new way look at (smart)phones. I, personally, think its exciting as hell! I think Google left out core functions/applications with a purpose in mind: the encouragement of third party developers to really take application development to the next level.
I think there's a lot Google should have done differently, as well as HTC, but I feel that the development community will really come through on this one with such encouragement from the Android developers. I don't see how they couldn't.
Maybe I have too much faith in Google, but this is obviously a large investment for them and I doubt they'll let it flop. This all being why I think its reasonable for reviews to be lenient when referring to Android and not-so-lenient when it comes to Windows Mobile or iPhone OS.
Quix, are you joking? The first reviews of the iPhone were nothing but apologetic crap.
MMS, who needs it?
Cut and paste, who needs it?
No Exchange integration? Big deal, that isn't their market anyway, so who needs it?
No way to install apps on the device without voiding your warranty? Who cares, it is perfect like it is, who needs apps?
No removable battery? Who needs it?
Then they would proclaim the iPhone the most flawless and perfect device ever made. It was only once some of these problems were fixed that anyone would admit they were problems to begin with. I distinctly remember multiple blogs around the planet brushing off every problem with the iPhone as being unworthy of serious mention, because the device was "an absolutely amazing piece of technology for Apple's first phone."
This sort of apologetic bias towards anything people like, is the very bane of any tech blog. It doesn't matter who makes the product. If it is "hip" in the eyes of the blogger, they will gloss over just about anything, and make excuses left and right for the shortcomings of the device. This style of "journalism" is practiced at this site almost daily as regards just about every Apple product. Don't cry foul just because there is a new popular kid in town. That just looks petty.
Personally, I have a G1 on order, because I think it looks like a promising platform, and I am excited to play with it, but I pretty much expect it to be less functional (at least for now) than my current HTC Windows Mobile device in many ways. I don't plan to stop carrying my WM in my camera bag for quite a while, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun to play with the G1. Of course everyone is handling the G1 with care, don't you remember, Google is the company bloggers think can "do no evil" and open source automatically earns you good press, because people have immediate visions of getting everything they want for free. I wish the net was filled with honest, unbiased reviews of every product, but it isn't. Don't raise a fuss just because someone other than Apple is reaping the benefits of that bias for a change. Honestly, I thought their review was a lot more even handed than any of the 10,000 iPhone articles I have seen on this site, and it still showed the bias you are complaining about.
o rly?
Hasta la VISTA baby!
Yes, it's no iPhone, coz it does many things that iPhone cannot period.
I'm surprised a product not being from Apple got promoted to front-page banner status.
Yes savocado?
@L. M. Lloyd
I have to take issue with your comment. When Apple launch the iPhone it started with a blank canvas. You saw the advent of a new platform. What HTC and Google have done is borrowed an Idea from a proven winner. When you imitate rather than innovate I think criticism should be a little harsher. After all someone has given you the mark to aim for. While the G1 may be promising it is at best a kluge. We all know what the experience should be. All they needed to do is just add what was missing. The G1 definitely adds some things that the iPhone lacks but it does it in a way that only the mother of a klutz could love.
Its no iPhone....Exclamation!
I know and accept that I will get voted down but android never was, isn't, and most certainly will never be close to the iPhone. There are dozens of reasons why the iPhone owns. The iPhone has a slick, consumer minded, and much more reliable operating system. This is without even mentioning the amazing hardware. The actual phone is thin, slick, eye-catching, and is made of superior stong materials (glass, metal, chrome). I realize that they will come out with better phones than the G1 but even still, do you really think that they're going to ever catch up? Every time Android phones improve, the iPhone will be one step ahead. The bottom line: android sucks, it may improve, but it won't ever be as good. For now, its not even as good as windows mobile 7.
Your right, it's better.
With expandable memory for one. You can have 50 4GB micro SD cards if you want too. Your iPhone is limited to 8GB and 16GB forever? That right there means so much. Not only that, all the Apps and Games are free. No iStore in ur walletz, stealin' your monies.
Android is soooo fast on 3G, it loads webpages faster than my laptop.