Hands0n
27th September 2008, 12:22 PM
The good old Beeb (thats BBC in new money) has a small series of video shorts showing the Google Android G1 released by T-Mobile in the USA recently. Auntie sent out a couple of reporters to look, see and comment back.
These video shorts make for a nice snapshot of the G1 and how it works, much better than reading a spec.
My first impressions from what I have seen are that the Android-based G1 is a capable device. Some will like and others will hate the slide-out keyboard - I need to get my mitts on one before I judge that for myself.
For me, the big thing is how Android's designers and developers have worked the HCI (Human to Computer Interface). That is probably the most crucial and critical aspect of any handset. Apple have a history of understanding and catering to the HCI in ways that seem to baffle the competition. That, or Apple's patents prevent others from getting things quite so right.
The Android's HCI when viewing web pages is "quaint" and appears in the first video to slightly confuse the reviewer, even through he is somewhat negative towards the iPhone in his throwaway comments. And I can understand why, perhaps, having used an iPhone for several months. I am forever tapping the screen of other handsets that I try and browse with :)
Take a look for yourself and see what you think. Does the Android G1 tickle your fancy? Does it pave the way forward for the Apple-haters or is Android just another vehicle for the Windows Mobile to turn into a bandwagon of hate? Will Google join the ranks of Apple who cannot do anything right?
Judge for yourself.
1. I Android: The Google phone tour - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7632395.stm
2. Google Android's Developer - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/puffbox/hyperpuff/audiovideo/technology/wide_av_hyper/7631173.stm
Bear in mind that the Android G1 is the first commercial device of its kind. Like Symbian S60 we are told that Android is a generic mobile device OS that will appear on a variety of handsets in the near future. Not all or many of these will sport touch-screens. However, I think that it is safe to expect all Android handsets to be in the Smartphone category with decent colour screens of different sizes. Android is not an end in itself but a means for Google and its customers to make money from the handdset's user base. That means advertising and services, none of which can be performed on devices with low-resolution or text-only displays.
It is not all about the iPhone Killer although no doubt that particular quest will carry on for a while yet.
These video shorts make for a nice snapshot of the G1 and how it works, much better than reading a spec.
My first impressions from what I have seen are that the Android-based G1 is a capable device. Some will like and others will hate the slide-out keyboard - I need to get my mitts on one before I judge that for myself.
For me, the big thing is how Android's designers and developers have worked the HCI (Human to Computer Interface). That is probably the most crucial and critical aspect of any handset. Apple have a history of understanding and catering to the HCI in ways that seem to baffle the competition. That, or Apple's patents prevent others from getting things quite so right.
The Android's HCI when viewing web pages is "quaint" and appears in the first video to slightly confuse the reviewer, even through he is somewhat negative towards the iPhone in his throwaway comments. And I can understand why, perhaps, having used an iPhone for several months. I am forever tapping the screen of other handsets that I try and browse with :)
Take a look for yourself and see what you think. Does the Android G1 tickle your fancy? Does it pave the way forward for the Apple-haters or is Android just another vehicle for the Windows Mobile to turn into a bandwagon of hate? Will Google join the ranks of Apple who cannot do anything right?
Judge for yourself.
1. I Android: The Google phone tour - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7632395.stm
2. Google Android's Developer - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/puffbox/hyperpuff/audiovideo/technology/wide_av_hyper/7631173.stm
Bear in mind that the Android G1 is the first commercial device of its kind. Like Symbian S60 we are told that Android is a generic mobile device OS that will appear on a variety of handsets in the near future. Not all or many of these will sport touch-screens. However, I think that it is safe to expect all Android handsets to be in the Smartphone category with decent colour screens of different sizes. Android is not an end in itself but a means for Google and its customers to make money from the handdset's user base. That means advertising and services, none of which can be performed on devices with low-resolution or text-only displays.
It is not all about the iPhone Killer although no doubt that particular quest will carry on for a while yet.