Android is my mobileOS
Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 10:05AM In my line of work I see a lot of smart phones. I also see a great number of people who probably don't really need such a complicated device to do what they want to do. When i see Android market share numbers go up as much as they recently did (cnet) it makes me worry a bit. (Please note, I'm not going to discuss Windows Mobile or Blackberry products. I just don't think they have market share to be competitive, and their numbers are on the decline. Also, I admit I don't know an awful lot about them.)
Many of the people I see at my help desk have no idea how to use their phone, or are aware of what their devices is even truly capable of. iPhones were the first big player around and haven't really changed all that much. In contrast, I'm waiting for Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich or ICS) to come to my Droid4 soon... it's a huge change in both design and features. If you don't believe me... here's the lowdown.
I don't think that apple would dare do this... after so long with iOS the way it is, changing it drastically is sure to cause a huge backlash of negativity. Even after 5 years, the letters on the iOS software keyboard STILL do not case-shift when you put the caps-lock on. Such a simple user feedback change, and yet the flaw is still there. Oh sure, the shift key changes color ever so slightly when toggled, but the rest of the keyboard stays all caps. Don't like the iOS keyboard? Well, that's tough luck. There's no way to replace it with another.
On Android, there's dozens of both free and pay software keyboards if you are unhappy with the one your device comes with. Oh -- and they all case shift. You can even set your newly downloaded app to completely replace your phone's stock keyboard. Don't like the built in browser? Download Dolphin HD and set it as the default. Sure, you can download Dolphin on iOS too, but click a hotlink in twitter or email and you are back in Safari. No choice about it.
In some sense this is good. Giving additional options to people who don't know how to use their phone in the first place is a recipe for trouble. For my Mom, having her iPhone launch safari (no matter what) whenever she clicks a web link is probably ideal. Android is definitely the nerdier option. It's your device, use it the way you want to, not the way Apple allows you to. And you know what? Don't like the apps on the Google Play store, you can just go and make your own. It may not be easy, but the option is there and you don't need permission from Apple to run the code on your own device.
-Fishbishop
