Dan Hesse sez Android "not yet good enough" for Sprint brand
By Darren Murph 
posted Oct 25th 2008 4:33PM
posted Oct 25th 2008 4:33PM
[Via Android Authority]
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BAG OF HURT
Tony_Toni_Tone
what?
Ironic isn't it, considering that Android already has "serious security flaws": http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Security-Flaw-in-Android-Found-98660
Perhaps that's what he's alluding to. Android will come to sprint, as soon as it's a bit more polished and comes in something other than the G1. Sprint just launched the Touch Pro (which is better than I expected in use in my hands), what more do you want?
Even the iPhone doesn't have as many security flaws.
Phanbouy_phanbouy_phanbouy?
Fail.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Toni_Tone
what no pop culture aficionados?
Probably because the connection to OP was pretty weak.
totally. there's so many triple-same-names out there.
I don't think ANY open source OS that will keep carriers from crippling their phones is good enough for any of them. The demand, however, cannot be ignored. The possibilities are endless... Skype or Fring over Wimax any1? USB mass storage mp3 transfers? create your own ringtones on the fly? Tethering? good ol' Snes or GBA?
No probably cause Phanbouy made the most obscure "pop" culture reference in history.
tony toni tone isn't really obscure if you grew up in the 80s/90s. badger badger badger less so if you have spent any time online.
Or, perhaps less so if he/she spent *less* time online....
Proper due to PB for a 3T reference on a tech blog.
Delicious.
(all gizmodo ever gives me is the blues)
I knew what you were talking about Phanbouy!
nerdtalker ,
http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1997
Or how about this classic? http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=548
Tag your it.
The difference between Android and OS X on iPhone. Within a year any major security flaws will be cleaned up because its open. Call it trial by fire. Meanwhile Apple has security through obscurity which in the history of the universe has NEVER been a good policy. And if you think the iPhone hasn't had its share of security updates you are a typical iTard Fanboi.
Finally unlike Apple these updates are done over the air. So as long as the person who discovers the hole isn't a complete douche and tells Google before telling the world there is plenty of time to update across the network in a weeks period.
But no. Lets shit on Google because the iHype is God.
I agree with dan the douche.
phanbuoy +1
So maybe he wants the OS to mature and gain some features like on screen keyboard. I'm sure we'll see Android on Sprint sometime in the near future
That is.... if there's still a Sprint sometime in the near future.
Seems fair...though there's also the issue of control. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the big wireless companies are afraid of selling a phone which is inherently difficult to keep locked down.
Dano, get off of that STUPID CDMA already (like Verizon is going to do) then maybe you will get some first dibs gadget love. CDMA, like a dopey 3rd friend is only good for, well, sloppy 3rds! You are a smart guy and you must know that these device makers want global (i.e. GSM/UMTS/HSDPA) exposure out of the gate. So don't be the ugly 3rd sitting in the corner hating while we (AT&T/T-Mobile) party with the hot new chicks, er phones...
I'm going to agree. I don't think Android is all that hot right now. From looking at the G1, the Android platform leaves a lot to be desired right now. To be honest it looks like every other open source project that depends on a lot of community involvement. I think a lot of us hoped for something different being that it's main developers were Google, but it just isn't mature enough that I'd want it on a phone yet. The good thing is that it IS so open to the community, and I'm sure it will come around very soon. Give it a year or so and it should be a much better choice. Look at how much backing Apple got from the community with the iPhone. Google is a company that has similar pull and can do the same. I still expect great things from Android, however, I'm not ready to spend the money on it just yet.
@Frankenstein: in all fairness, they have a faster network then Verizon and are already rolling out 4g wimax (which I'm on at the moment). Switching your network isn't all that simple and I'm sure it could be tough for any company. If nothing else, convergence will happen in a generation or 2.
Android so far - poor battery life and massive lack of features. I can see where he is coming from.
A flag-ship device like the Sprint Touch Pro looks and works much better.
wtf are you retarded? You must seriously be so out of the loop with technology. Go play on a Razr or something. Ya Touch Pro a closed off Windows Platform thats been covered up to hide most of its ugliness that is stilll Windows Mobile ya so much better plus a lot bulkier then any other device on the market. You see where hes coming from because you're both stupid.
Closed off in what sense? Open source? No. Anyone can make apps for it that doesn't need to be approved and there's no kill switch? Yes.
I'd go with WinMo over iPhoneOS and Android any day of the week.
MAN- You should read the forums before posting. The Sprint Diamond is being returned by people because even with the larger battery for CDMA the unit won't make it through half the day because of what Sprint did to it (besides humiliating it by making it wear a red dress).
The incredibly bad battery life is due to a very bad radio version for Sprint, a bad network mod made by sprint that keeps the data connection open for 10 minutes every time it is accessed, a flawed 911 GPS mod - pretty much anything sprint did to this otherwise good phone has f'd up what could have been great.
Are you guys idiots, or have you just not used the Android OS? I have been playing with the G1 for a few days now and absolutely LOVE the android OS. It's the best OS I've used on a phone yet. I've played with the iPhone a bit and it was good, but Android blows it out of the water in my book, and it *easy* blows WinMo outta the water. No lockdowns, I can download MP3s from Amazon for $0.89 each, I can make VoIP calls over the EDGE / 3G network. Android is incredible, and to say it's not is just ignorance, *especially* if you haven't used it (if you haven't).
Wow, you really are disonnected from reality in this case. I am a long time winmo fan (still am) and was going to get the Touch Pro, or import the Touch HD, to replace my 2 year old Dash. But, I got this G1 (yeah, posting from it right now) for $179; not a bad deal, so I gave it a shot.
First thing to notice is that the stock browser is way more useful than PIE (the one MS can't seem to update) and the stock alarm clock app works without phantom alarms. Oh, and I haven't had it crash yet, which is way more than can be said for MS first attempt at it.
Other apps will come, so I am not concerned about that. Hell, I might even go back to winmo if I don't like this. But, why don't people actually try the damn phone before condemning it. I used the iPhone long enough to know that I hate it.
I've had the G1 since before launch, and I have to say that I am really blown away by Android. It's simple, stable, elegant and can do things the Iphone can't (copy/paste, customized desktop, etc). Of course it isn't perfect, but it is rock solid for a first release and already miles ahead of Winmo. Google has some of the best software engineers out there and they have proved it with Android, and there is no reason to expect that they won't be quick with updates and patches as issues arise given that they really have something to prove in this arena. I agree that the software will be better in a year, but I don't think many of you realize how good it is already.
That said, there are a few annoyances with the G1 although battery life for me has been good. It's really just a matter of tweaking settings - reducing brightness, turning off WiFi when not needed, etc. I routinely get a full days use out of the phone on a single charge under normal usage (some browsing, a lot of e-mails and voice). A few hours of a game will run it down, although it seems pretty darned efficient with media. I think that Android will really come into its own when there are a few more phones on the market. I think Sprint's stance has little to do with the Android user experience, and more to do with figuring out how to adapt to the implications of an open source OS.
Agreed dedalus_00, the only negative side is if you use it all day the battery takes a dive. However, even with that, it's way ahead of the iPhone in it's featureset as of yet. Just my opinion.
Flash the ROM for your Touch Diamond and the bloatness goes away, far far away. This also rescues the original format that first developed in the GSM model. The original clock display and most importantly, longer battery life due to removal of Sprint SW bloating. Use the Juicy ROM version, 2.0. Currently works best!
I know Android is a 1.0 OS, but can he be serious? WinMo CRASHES during cell calls. WTF kinda mobile OS crashes the phone when using it as a phone? Android 1.2 will be 10x better than WinMo 10+. I'm personally waiting for something like a Diamond Touch Pro or HD Pro with Android. M$ is a waste of my time and money.
I have the HTC Touch... it is the worst phone I've ever owned
80% blame goes to Microsoft and the rest to HTC.
Sprint's CEO's lucky I have a cheap SERO plan - its the only thing that's keeping my account on Sprint's network and away from the G1.
Looks to me like this should be another CE-Oh no he didn't! entry.
Just that the Ce-Oh no he didn't! has too many numbers in it now.
lets hope you never have to call SPRINT customer service about THAT phone.
Fail. Sprint just took #1 in customer service in this year's rankings due, likely to Hesse's infusion of leadership.
Actually, the wait times are what went down, not customer satisfaction. If you're hemorrhaging a million + customers a quarter, your CS wait times go down simply because you have less customers to call. Oh yeah, great leadership, bah.
Dan Hesse is one of my heroes/
The Customer Service at Sprint has gotten a lot better. There might not be much personality with their employees, but they're completely helpful.
Look at Dan's resume, he's smart.
good....
good....
From the looks of it, Sprint hasn't even upgraded to technicolor yet.
No kidding. And it looks like the street behind Hesse is populated with Sprint users. I count 3. 4 including Hesse.
Perhaps Sprint is "not yet good enough" for Android.
"shy away from what's arguably the most exciting thing to happen to the mobile realm"
Dan Hesse needs to get some people into Sprint that understand the business. Their network is so so. Their customer service is rising from being dead last and their phone selection leaves a lot to be desired. But I guess when you sell off your towers and then lease them back to yourself, ( http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-sells-towers-towerco-then-signs-lease-deal/2008-09-25?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss&cmp-id=OTC-RSS-FW0 )one could probably think that you would have more time to develop better quality of phones.
Dan Hesse is out of touch with the cell phone industry and probably won't be at the control of the Sprint reigns in two years. Why, because customers like myself are going to let their Sprint contracts expire and switch to companies that carry G1's, Storm's or Xperia's = more progressive companies.
Seems reasonable, he's not ignoring it, he is accepting that this is Google and that they release products before they're ready- this is the company of eternal Betas as we all know. Just because people love Google that doesn't mean a company should accept a product that isn't ready yet.... he just has good sense.
Great to see that people don't just jump on board of Google's products for the sake of a name, and it isn't that interesting wasn't OpenMoko more interesting?
Just because something is in "beta" state at google, there is a very good chance that it is better than the competition.
Look at Gmail. Sure it has been in "beta" for about 5 years, but it is the best free or non-free web based email around.
just because some companies chose to take the beta off of their products names dosnt make them any more "mature" or refined.
what is in a name?
please do
Ahh, Dan, Dan, Dan. Haven't you learned yet? Haven't you seen your own ads claiming that the miserable Instinct beats the 3G iPhone hands down? Haven't you noticed the gross incompetence of your own Customer care that causes average users to wait 3+ hours in a store while the poor store employee has to battle to modify an account?
Look, you have WiMax (At least, that's what I've read). You have those funky broadband-based repeaters (Even though it's a monthly fee per phone and we need a broadband connection). You've changed the game a bit with your $99 flat fee and bring-your-own-hardware with Amazon's Kindle. But look, you're clinging to dying brands like Palm that, while they are selling well now, are so stagnant that they either run Windows Mobile (eek) or have had the same OS since the Treo 600. (Oh yeah, Access or OLP or whatever 3.0 is right around the corner. Sure.)
Sprint is in such a world of hurt. They've sold their towers, but nobody wants to buy the once-dominant Nextel division, whose users are jumping to Verizon faster than rats off the Titanic. They've enacted salary freezes across the board, slashed bonuses, and even dictated how much paper product each store can use per month! All the while, the cool kids are moving their phones and applications to the Apple / Android model of a (semi) open platform with a centralized app store. Dan, why hold out? Is it because you think users will actually start using the miserable Sprint music store? The same store that no longer lets me move my downloaded song from my Blackberry to my PC? The store that I can't even access on my Treo 800? And don't get me started on Sprint TV or trying to access NASCAR or NFL from anything other than an Instinct.
As phones evolve into mini computers, the market will evolve with it. In 3 years your "smartphone" market is going to dominate the profit margin, with three clear winners: Apple, RIM and Android. Nokia's Symbian will be 4th WinMo might hold 5th and all the other phones will be "dumb phones" for grandma who doesn't want the blinken lighten and ballywho. Dan, you only have one of the three right now and while you're doing a fairly decent job with RIM, you NEED to step it up and get in on Android now while the opportunity is there. Get in on the ground floor. Get a model that runs Android and I'll consider buying it. Don't tell us it's not ready for primetime while trying to shove the god-awful Instinct or HTC touch down our throats.
Oh. and stop putting yourself in your commercials. Even Alltell has better ads than you do.
Which customer service are you talking about here?
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/20/sprints-csr-response-time-skyrockets-to-first-in-recent-survey/
TL;DNR
"...In 3 years your "smartphone" market is going to dominate the profit margin, with three clear winners: Apple, RIM and Android. "
Thanks for the info. In three years I'll consider an Apple or RIM product.
you know what... usually I dont add comments to this website I just logo on for updates on the touchpro for sprint but omg this guy is uber wrong, I have a corporate job in which I have a workphone(verizon) and a regular phone(sprint) in which I own an htc touch on both services lemme start by saying verizon and sprint get the same amount of service in the same areas verizon does have less dropped calls though.
as of late sprint customer service is freaking phenomenal longest I have waited is 2 minutes while on verizon I wait for a long time and that voice activated person is terrible especially when I am on the freeway and it picks up the sound of the air.
I use skyfire on both and I have to say the htc touch on sprint is quick with skyfire, windows live, opera and my rss feeds and reads email in a sinch while the verizon htc touch has the equivalent speed of the iphone 3g which as most of you know is better than edge but not practical so the sprint htc touch definitely wins over the speed of the verizon htc touch btw the iphone 3g is sooooooooo slow compared to the htc touch web browsing and wtf how is safari "real internet" it doesn't even have flash and their are alot of clickable things in the browser that you cannot even click on and wtf noooo stylus.
on alot of fronts sprint and verizon are identical but when it comes to customer service, non crippled phones, great plans and uber fast internet that will eventually be 4g in the near future I gotta say sprint has definitely stepped up and I dont plan on making my vzw workphone as my true phone I am definitely happy with sprint as it stands and I dont understand why it is getting a bad rap and I will be the first to admit although the instinct is nice it doesn't come close to the iphone 3g... the touchpro on the other hand is only beaten by the iphone in thinness nothing else I cannot wait to get this phone.
wtgig: lern 2 spel
whith the losses that sprint is suffering daily, not only money, customers and bad investments...thats like the pot calling the kettle black!
i have a sudden urge to visit Europe
Go to Twitter and post that instead of flinging that random shit on us. FAIL.
cubs, it's because of the picture. it looks like europe. and you're a worthless douchebag.
I looks like Manhattan (NYC) to me.
Well, this just sealed it. I've been with Sprint for 8 years, but I'm going to switch to T-Mobile and get the G1 when my contract ends on Dec 1st.
Android is admittedly still in its infancy and has some bugs and missing features. But I'm an early adopter, and I like to mess around with my phone. I've been using Palm OS Treos for the last few years and I'm ready for a better phone, which the G1 should eventually become.
So long Sprint, you've been pretty good to me.
I'm in the same boat. I have been a Sprint customer for 10 years now, but I switched last Wednesday for the G1.
Mr. Hesse needs to see the value in the early adopter community. Mainstream customers aren't buying the G1, its us gadget lovers. We'll transform Android into an incredible platform and then the mainstreamers can jump on board. So Hesse is right that the platform isn't quite there yet, but he's failed to capture us valuable early adopters on his network. Your loss Hesse.
I'm happy with my Palm. I have no real reason to switch, since I don't use my phone for more than calls, texts, Google maps and the PDA features. It also doesn't hurt that I'm on SERO (the old plans that were cheaper).
Oh Kev, thou knowest not what thy misseth. The G1 is amazing. Being a gadget lover myself, I've had 1/2 the phones out there, lol, including other keyboard-based phones as well as Palms, and the G1 blows them all away. As far as maps goes, out of the box I turned on the satellite GPS and it got my *exact* position in less than 30 seconds. Without the GPS turned on it was probably about 1/4 to 1/2 mile away, so still pretty darn good. It's pretty awesome too cause when you setup the phone you can just plugin your Gmail account (if you dont have one you can create one) and it will sync everything, Gmail, Google Calendar and your Gmail Contacts, which is awesome if you aren't a conspiracy theorist and use Google's services to manage all that. I could care less, I have nothing to hide, haha. If you don't have a Gmail account, you can setup a new Gmail account and have it retrieve all your POP / IMAP emails and it will filter them for you (SOOOO much better than most ISPs do) and sync them to your phone. Great stuff.
Ive been a sprint customer for 10 years. Thankfully ive never had a season to switch. I think my average yearly bill these 10 years have been $600 a year. I have unlimited everything. For the past 4 years i have owned HTC phones exclusively. Because my plan is so cheap i was able to carry a second phone, ive tried most of them but kept coming back to my HTC phones, they are far from perfect but they are perfect for me. I currently carry 2 phones, a HTC mogul and a iphone 3G (its an ok phone but i only carry it because of work). I plan to get the touch Pro when it drops. I have tried the G1, before i tried it i ran android on my HTC mogul, it looked nice. I played with the G1 and i wouldn't mind carrying it as prepared with unlimited data. But the only phone i will be spending my money on right now is the HTC touch pro. By the way , the only way sprint is going to get ride of me is to pry my phone from my cold dead hands.
What a queer.
thanks for the productive comment
Meant to reply to Clak...
haha.. you can't reply to that troll, it's reply-proof
Agreed. Now on to the relevance. In my opinion, this is a stupid move by Sprint. Android is a great platform that can do nothing but improve, and I can see that it has tons of potential. They SHOULD get the jump on the competition. As of right now, everyone that wants Android REALLY badly are moving to T-Mobile. I've had the chance to use the G1, and I really like it. I would be surprised if there aren't plenty of users switching to T-Mobile purely for that reason.
Android has a lot of potential but he is right. Currently it isn't even 1.0 quality.
So I take it you own G1? Because that would be the only way you would know that kind of info. I have had a G1 since launch and I have had no issues. It works great.
Same here Dan! Everyone is flaming Android, and I'm assuming so many don't even have a G1!!! I've not had a single issue with my G1 yet and it's a new gadget, so I'm obviously kicking the crap out of it (not literally). It's ***WAY*** beyond 1.0 quality, don't flame it if you haven't used it. Grow up dude.
You're crazy if you've actually used a real G1 and still believe that. I have owned WinMo, Blackberry, and Palm devices, and also spent a fair amount of time playing with the iPod touch, and I think Android in its current form is without a doubt the most complete and easiest to use mobile OS out of all of them.
Would you mind elaborating on what exactly made you feel like Android 1.0 was so unacceptable when you used the G1?
Who cares! Sprint sux anyway!
so sayeth poopy pants
Unfortunately Sprint lost at least 4 customers (my family) because they have no Android phone. If they'd announced one, maybe, but horrible billing practices and lack of the aforementioned phone mean that I'm now LOVING my G1.
you're still stuck with t mobile service though
I don't know what you're talking about bad service from t-mobile for. I jumped from sprint and now have 3 bars in my house compared to sprint where I was lucky to get 1, if I was near a window. I frequently roamed outside of my house and never got signal in my dorm at school. Sure T-Mobile's data network isn't the best, but at least I can call people and sent and receive texts now.
I guess he meant Sprint isn't good enough to get Android. Mistakes happen.
Any way you slice it this is ridiculous - there are way too many phones Sprint has put out with fairly junky and clunky software that it is almost impossible to take a claim that Android is not yet "good enough" for them to release.
try to make it as long as possible
Not yet good enough for the Sprint brand? This guy is acting as if the Sprint brand has a great reputation and only carriers the best of the best.
ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME?!?!
Honestly, I'm quitting Sprint ASAP. They wouldn't release an Android phone but they would release the Instinct, a phone they called an iPhone killer and advertises it as such? More like another pretentious iPhone clone. OH MY GOD. I cannot believe this crap. Seriously, what's this guy's email? Because I really need to talk to him. You make god awful decisions about releasing phones like the Instinct and you don't even grab the chance to launch a phone that can help Sprint? Screw this Dan Hesse and screw Sprint.
dan@sprint.com
TL; DNR
My "Instinct" tells me that the iPhone is waaaay better... forget that CDMA handsets are crap to begin with...
Well, see that's ok because Android is open and there are projects out there that have gotten Android to run in some form on a Sprint phone. So, you don't really NEED an "Android" phone per say because there are going to be folks that are going to port it to some of the higher end phones that Sprint has. Projects are already under way to port it to the Touch Pro and Diamond. Versions of Android are running in some form on the Vogue and Mogul. I was even able to dual boot Android and WinMo on my Sprint phone. Apple wouldn't let you do that.
And even though us geeks would love to have an Android phone right off the bat, there's no real business decision to do this yet as geeks and enthusiasts aren't the majority of their customer base. When they do release an Android phone, it'll have a lot more quality apps available as well as be more stable. Just because they aren't coming out with a specific Android handset doesn't mean there won't be one available in the very near future for Sprint customers.
The Touch Pro is a prime example of being a good candidate for an Android capable phone. It's got plenty of memory, VGA screen, acellerometer, keyboard, and GPS. For me and many of my friends, we enjoy the size of the handset because it fits well in your hand. It may not be razer thin but not everyone is looking for thin and for those that haven't held it it's really not that thick either. It feels solid in your hand.
Well, I do have to give it to Sprint for acquiring those devices and not ruining them. Both the Touch Diamond and Pro are something to be proud of. And their remaking of the TF3D interface isn't bad. It actually looks more attractive. I don't understand though, they could have easily released a G1-type phone for "now" to rival those of T-Mobile's and they can release the next phone towards the end of next year with higher specs and higher quality hardware. AH! I guess I'm just angry because of how attracted I am to Android and I can't imagine waiting for the better hardware. I might stick with the Touch Pro.
He talks like they are the best. Who is Sprint anyway? How about their mobile phone is there any good enough from them. What they have Samsung Instinct? Palm Centro? Walkie Talkie? LOL
sprint has htc touch, htc touch diamond, htc touch pro, good enough for me.
This was just a misquote, taken out of context by the media. What he really meant to say is that Andriod isn't BAD enough to put the Sprint brand name on. Sprint's quality of service and customer service is well known and documented. I think it's safe to say that he's right in that Android is not in the same class of service that Sprint is known for providing (i.e. crap), so it really isn't a good fit. My hats off to Dan for being stand up enough of a guy to realize it.
I say good for Dan...force Andriod to mature and force google to bring their "A" game upon forthcoming hardware or OS improvement. From what I see, Andriod ain't no iPhone competitor...yet.
sprint doesnt make phone any way, as long as some one makes a CDMA version, I dont think it's a big deal for sprint to take it.
I don't believe it for a second. This is PR covering up for Sprint not having anything to release this year. Sprint is one of the key members of the OHA, you know full well that they're scrambling to get something together, they just have to pretend that they don't care in the meantime while they launch the Touch Pro as their headline smartphone.
Think about it, how would they look if they were out their saying that Android is awesome when they have nothing to launch? They have to defend their position of launching late somehow.
Wait, huh? You say they're covering up for not releasing any phones this year? I can't speak to ALL their phones, but they are definitely the first U.S. carrier to release the Touch Pro (http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/24/sprint-launches-touch-pro-at-select-national-retailers-this-we/). You read here fairly often so I assume you know about the build-up to this phone. It's possibly the most anticipated WinMo based phone this year. Save for the Touch Diamond, which Sprint ALSO released (http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/14/sprints-touch-diamond-now-available/). So that's two that I count so far. If I misunderstood you, please elaborate. And before anyone gets all "he's a Sprint fanboy" on me, I'm a Verizon customer. I just think chef's statement is inaccurate.
Sprint blows.
I'd rather let everyones mom in this thread take a dump in my ear then put a Sprint branded phone / anything, up to my ear.
I agree with Dan.
Loving my Touch Pro....
That is a classy photograph of him, regardless of his comment.
After 10 years of Sprint I switched to T-Mo G1 yesterday. I would have happily stayed with Sprint if they had a decent Android phone.
He's just saying that the device isn't good enough for Sprint to cripple yet. (Ie: Treo 650 bluetooth, etc )..
And the Instinct was ready? Epic fail. Having used the Instinct, I'd say if the G1 is worse than that... just "wow."