Prior to the G1's
stealth launch, Google's on-device
Android Market was a busy place, teeming with some 50-plus apps seemingly ready to win the hearts and minds of early adopters anxious to outfit their G1s with... oh, you know, simple pleasures like a video player or the ability to change the UI's font size. We guess that wasn't part of Mountain View's strategy, though, with all but 13 applications having been removed today -- presumably a knee-jerk response to the knowledge that phones were starting to make their way into paying customers' hands. Truth be told, this was probably the plan all along; the Market had gotten a little dirty from both developer and Google testing, and we're figuring they were just looking to tidy things up a bit to make it presentable on launch day before it got nasty dirty with a flood of developers outside the confines of Google's own
Android Developer Challenge. Either that, or there's some deep, dark conspiracy lurking involving the unceremonious removal of any content that upsets Schmidt, Brin, or Page.
Update: We're hearing this is all due to an update to the Market -- older apps that haven't been updated to meet the Market's specs aren't available at the moment. Thanks, everyone!
posted Oct 20th 2008 5:05PM
oh snap...
G1 just got iPhowned!
I got my phone today, I wondered what was up with that.
I wonder when the pwnage tool for android will come out. Seems like people will have to jailbreak their G1s too.
Poor Apple fan, Android is open source, there will be no jailbreaking. I know this is hard to believe but programs aren't just made form Steve's ass, they are actually written by programmers. The code for Android is being released so you can compile your own version that does what you want.
Linux and Android are lot like OS X, but useful and you can customize them.
@Hold
You are partially correct. The kernel is in fact Open Source (Linux). However, the main programs all run in a Java sandbox, which (some of, or all of?) is not released open source. They do this so the Service providers may lock down certain areas of the phone if they choose. IE: Charge for certain apps, etc. I, personally don't know everything about it, but enough to know there are strings attached (as do many things now a days). It is more freedom than the iPhone (to an extent), but does still have it's restrictions. If it was 100% open, you can be sure there will be a lot less demand from the providers for such a phone.
"programs aren't just made form Steve's ass"
Wow, really? Thanks for the insight! (And great spelling too.)
Fact: anti-Apple trolls are even more annoying than Apple fanboys. But at least you'll score lots of up votes here on Engadget, home of the unchecked blathering buffoons.
Troll Different.
Precurse, you are misinformed. The entire OS including their custom java interpreter and library stack are 100% open source license (under Apache 2 license).
@McPOW
The source code to Android is yet to be available, and will only be useful if you can legitimately build and install it on the phone itself. Since the source isn't available yet, and there are no firmware updaters yet, nobody can say for sure. T-Mobile could still put limitations and will likely make it hard, if not impossible to upgrade the firmware without limitations (like the iPhone)
So, on paper the OS is open source (minus some binary blobs for drivers and proprietary hardware, etc), in implementation it's not too far off from the iPhone
I'm guessing they're gonna let developers (or Google themselves) test their apps on the actual phone and then resubmit ? I heard a buncha apps were buggy due to being tested solely on the SDK.
Yeah, what gives? I just got my G1 and wanted to scan some UPCs.
But visiting the market again there seem to be 17 apps there now. With a few that I didn't see a few hours ago
Google strips meat, grizzle off Android Market's bones, leaves just 13 apps
I thing you mean gristle.
what? you never heard of the grizzle??
the drizzle wont stand for this.
No, he's referring to the Grizzle App, which causes your G1 to grow a beard and move to a cabin in the woods. Let's not even talk about the Meat App.
grizzle my shizzle!
Get off my dick, bitch...izzo
I thing you meant think.
they probably are checking to make sure everything is working properly and all rules followed before they launch, you know try to avoid some MobileMe type crap
I got mine this morning.
1) Battery life sucks
2) Every time you turn the phone on it takes awhile for the SD card to be reconized
3) Remove/add the SD only when the phone is off
4) The icons can be moved just like the ipod, same way, just press down on the icon and drag it
5) Not all the websites work with this browser, yahoo mail doesnt work, you have to use the mobile edition
6) Only a handfull of apps, very few
7) Have yet to figure out how to get the compass mode to work, unless you actually have to be outside in the middle of the street
8) Contact synchronization from your Gmail account works the first time, but when you update it from the web it doesnt sync on the phone for some reason.
9) It goes back and forth from 3g to evdo depending on signal strenght, I guess, but I do see it switching.
10) The settings are very limited therefore customization sucks, can not figure out how to change the stupid big clock on the phone to a digital format.
11) Noticed that the IM doesnt remember your password if you turn the phone on/off
12) Camera sucks big time
13) I have yet a way to figure out how to remove icons, only lets you add
Phone died after about 4 hours of mild/medium usage
Wow I guess it sucks then so far for you... #3 is just fucking stupid!
Ouch all those things you listed are a real turn off , i feel it will be better in time, but still not good
#3 I was just testing it against my nokia, noticed that on some of the others it doesnt matter if its on or off as long as your not using data from the SD
You don't need to post this in every G1 thread. Once was enough. Also, as someone who is typing this on a G1, I don't think we're talking about the same device. And a few of your gripes would be solved by reading the manual.
You don't need to post this in every G1 thread. Once was enough. Also, as someone who is typing this on a G1, I don't think we're talking about the same device. And a few of your gripes would be solved by reading the manual.
1) Will improve with time and charge cycles (at the beginning)
2) normal...
4) this is a problem how?
6) BRAND NEW PLATFORM. and far better than the iPhone. Which had NONE, and no potential to have any
7) Erm... what?
9) how does a t-mobile phone have EVDO?
10) Will improve with time
13)Click, hold, drag to the app tray which changes to a dustbin
Impressed with the charge time, went from 3% to 46% in about 20 minutes.
It does'nt sound like much of an endorsement for the G1, but remember that batteries have to be totally charged and discharged a few times before they start to work properly, I remember I used to be very disappointed by the battery of my N95 8gb coz when it was new it did'nt even last one working day, but a couple of months later it started to get much better and now I charge it 2 or 3 times a week max and it's constantly on.
Most of your other complains seem to be the kind of things that will soon be fixed by software updates as soon as enough pepole will start complaining about them, after all you knew you were going to buy a very new device with a very new platform and the names involved in this project are pretty trustable;and don't forget that you've got this year most exotic handset to brag about and show around to impressionable chicks.
The camera issue though is more serious.
If a camera sucks it sucks.
No amount of time, software updates or vodoo rituals are going to change that.
3) Wrong, you don't have to turn it off.
Menu -> Settings -> SD Card -> "Unmount/eject SD card"
SuperQ @ Oct 20th 2008 6:46PM
3) Wrong, you don't have to turn it off.
Menu -> Settings -> SD Card -> "Unmount/eject SD card"
tried that, doesnt work. SD card seems to only mount when you turn it off/on. Not everything in the manual works
It was planned to happen. It has been known by people for a week that many of the apps would be taken down and would need to be re downloaded. Here is the reason why:
"We just sent Google the latest production version of ShopSavvy. Previous versions weren't digitally signed properly (still using the debug cert), and didn't have all the meta-data that the marketplace requires. Google let us slide for the press-preview period, but now it's time to lock it down and make everyone follow the rules. I suspect most of the other apps were in the same state as we are, so, you should be seeing them pop back up in the marketplace as everyone gets their final releases sent in to Google." by jasonhudgins
Thats from the comments of Android Community on that same post Engadget is referring to
What are the chances of apps showing up on the internet outside of the market place.
WinMo, S60, Blackberry, and Palm OS have thousands of apps that are available all over the internet. Some free, some cost, some are in the shareware model of a free test period.
My hope was that Android Apps would flood the market just like the aforementioned 4 OS' I listed.
I guess Engadget may not have time for research, but there is a market update today. They obviously fixed something before the release date. I guessing that most of the apps will be back up by the 22nd. Here is a post from the official G1 forums:
"Ok guys, we're tracking this down for you. For the moment, we have been aware that an update was coming to the market and its applications. I'm guessing they required updates to the applications themselves (reason: I don't know yet) and those applications which were updated on-time are back in the Market.
I'll post more as I receive an official answer. "
Here is the thread: http://forums.t-mobile.com/tmbl/board/message?board.id=87&thread.id=508&view=by_date_ascending&page=1
not having to wade through waist deep P.o.s. apps must be nice.
This thing isn't better than than the iPhone, and it's not worse. Different product for a different audience. . .if you can't get that, well, then you probably post here 50 times a day and wear underoos.
In screenshot:
"Your Location
FINE (GPS) location"?!
:-3
Fine as in "fine tuning", I'd expect...it's the difference between a broad location (cell tower triangulation) and fine location (GPS, which is more accurate but takes more battery life). That's what I took it to mean, at least.
Yeah, 'fine' as opposed to 'coarse', which bases your location on the nearest cellphone tower. You getting all this?
then everything is fine,,, the apps will come back after an update!! wouhouuu!
Man what an ugly phone, HTC Diamond HD here I come.