Nokia Experts seeking advice on Google Android

[simp_10]

Day 2 is upon us!

 

[jankyhanky#WP]

1. I don't see a need for Google to advertise just yet. Android is changing too rapidly, and feels too much like a beta product. Once Google gets it down to major game-changing releases only once or at most twice a year, then it is time to unleash marketing on the general public. All their releases have worked fine so far, but when two friends who bought their devices at the same time have vastly different experiences there is a PR problem. (I'm looking at you Droid and Droid Eris, Cliq, and MyTouch).

I dislike these customizations. For the person in the know, it's not a big deal (except TouchWiz is always crud) but to the layperson these are a hurdle. ~How is my friend going to help me learn to use my Hero when he has a Cliq and neither of us are that tech-savy?~ You don't have that problem with any other OS (except WinMo).

3. I just hope it's not S60 5th Edition. 3rd Edition phones work great without the touchscreen and are built great.

4. I dislike side-sliders, and any android phone with a front facing keyboard wouldn't fit in my pocket. I say no thank you to large phones.

 

[noobler]

Smart phone round robin is very useful. Thanks for the reviews.

 

[rodhnc]

Smartphone round-robin contest entry

 

[soccernamlak]

The one problem I'm seeing with Android right now is Google giving a lot of control over its OS to the carriers like every other company. Which is a problem as new phones like the Hero are being limited for now to 1.5 while everyone else is getting 1.6 or eventually 2.0 and 2.1

I'll admit this is where I see Apple's strategy paying off: they control the updates, not carriers. Aka they (semi) care about older phone users.

 

[Tacos]

What Google Android feature do you think you'd miss the most if somebody replaced your Android device with a Nokia smartphone?

The activity! The apps, the development, the constant changes! I hate to say it, but a large portion of Nokia's smartphone lineup feels stale and outdated comapred to other platform choices. Now, Maemo could change this, but it needs time to grow and compete, time they may or may not actually have.

 

[Matthew Miller]

Nokia has Podcasting application for podcatching

The other application that I'd miss would be Google Listen. I'm a podcast junkie and with Listen there really is no syncing to a computer. It's all done automatically over the air. When I'm in my car, I can stream them to my car radio using A2DP over BT. I never listen to the radio any more. I get the media content I want between Listen and Pandora on demand.

I am a podcast junkie like you too, which is one reason I actually have used Nokia Nseries for so long. They have an integrated podcatcher called Podcasting that lets you subscribe, download, and listen to podcasts without ever connecting to a computer as well. Glad to hear there is an app like this on the Android platform too.

 

[Matthew Miller]

Thanks for all of your posts and responses. I see some common themes between the latest Nokia devices and Android devices, including stability and solid hardware. I also hear you all about the seamless Google services integration and as a Gmail, Google search, and Google Maps user myself I can certainly appreciate that. I do have a couple follow-up questions regarding Google and the services they support on the Android platform.

Where is an official Google Reader application for online and offline feed reading?
Will Android support Google Docs with some kind of native client?

Another question I have is what are you looking at when you choose a particular device? I am a T-Mobile subscriber and there are several options available so I am curious what drives people to select the device they have.

 

[onlineaddy]

one more entry

 

[klebron23]

I would love to win a Droid because the one I am using currently I have to give up soon. It is a wonderful device although I do love my Blackberry it would be great to use both!

 

[ripcity00]

Hello everyone, this is Matt Miller from Nokia Experts kicking off a discussion for the second week of the Smartphone Round Robin. I bought the T-Mobile G1 the day it was launched and still find it to be a very capable Android device. I have tried a couple other Android devices since then and have to admit it is a platform that has my eye and one that I would seriously consider as my daily driver. If you have seen the Nokia N900 Maemo 5 device you would see a lot of similarities between the way Android and Maemo function with desktops and widgets too.

Even though I am quite familiar with the Android platform, I am not an expert and heavy user like you all so here are a few questions I have for you Google Android owners to kick off the discussion:

1. It seems to me that Google doesn't spend much time advertising or promoting Android devices and leaves it up to carriers and manufacturers. Will Google take more of an interest in promoting Android in 2010?
2. On the devices I have tried, the HTC Sense UI was more compelling than the standard Android interface. There is now MotoBLUR, Samsung TouchWIZ, and HTC Sense. Will all of these interfaces create confusion for the Android platform and upgrades?
3. What Google Android feature do you think you'd miss the most if somebody replaced your Android device with a Nokia smartphone?
4. Will we ever see HTC come out with a follow-up QWERTY keyboard Android device?
5. If I was thinking about an Android smartphone as my device, what 3 things would you tell me about it to convince me to buy one?

....there's plenty more to talk about, so don't feel limited by the above. Remember, every day you make a post in this thread for the next week, you'll be automatically entered to win a smartphone! More details at www.smartphoneroundrobin.com

Hi Matt!

In response to your questions:
1. I think they will leave it up to the vendors to promote the phones and talk about apps/features of Android.

2. I think the splintering of interfaces will create challenges and I don't see the vendors changing since it gives them uniqueness. Will depend on how well the vendors keep them up and how easy it will be for them to change with Android iterations.

3. I especially like the street navigation and voice search.

4. I woulnd't be surprised to see HTC come out with a keyboard version since they are cranking handsets out now.

5. Momentum and acceptance in the global marketplace, customization and open os, maturing and easy to use interface.

 

[Fobok]

Another question I have is what are you looking at when you choose a particular device? I am a T-Mobile subscriber and there are several options available so I am curious what drives people to select the device they have.

For me, apps are a big priority. I like being able to do lots of things with my phone. Even my current dumb phone is loaded up (not that it takes much, since apps won't run off of my microSD card) with apps for Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, browsing, weather, youtube, etc. (Not that it plays Youtube videos very well, since it has a tiny screen and tinny-sounding speakers.) Having a wide variety of apps available is a major draw.

Another thing, for me, is multimedia capabilities. I want to be able to snap pictures if I see something cool, not something my current phone handles well. I want the phone to play music.

Third is internet browser and messaging capabilities. Given my disability, I don't get to socialize a lot in-person. I'm also a news addict. Having access to the web and the ability to send Yahoo instant messages when I'm away from my computer is very important. The ability to type on a qwerty keyboard, (be it touch or physical), too, because I hate keypad typing, though when I bought my current phone I didn't realize I would hate it so much.

 

[jankyhanky#WP]

I've forgotten how to type on a keypad. Predictive text also confuses the heck out of me.

I will be on full qwerty for the rest of my life.

 

[rodhnc]

4. Will we ever see HTC come out with a follow-up QWERTY keyboard Android device?
>>>>>>>> they need to put out a QWERTY keyboard for adults with adult-sized fingers.

 

[Magellan]

I would miss the Goggle integration the most. When I got my G1, I just logged in and all of my contacts, calendar etc was there!

 

[bloodycape77]

These are a great idea if they can be executed well. Form the videos I have seen the Behold II and its touchwiz interface is a bit laggy slow. It also looks a bit different from the Touchwiz you see on their WM, Symbian, and Nucelos phones. I so far have found Sense UI on my Eris to be the best as it offers speed and gives me more features, specially in the dialer, and contact screen.

 

[soccernamlak]

4. Will we ever see HTC come out with a follow-up QWERTY keyboard Android device?
>>>>>>>> they need to put out a QWERTY keyboard for adults with adult-sized fingers.

I don't think they ever will It requires too large of a phone

 

[Sayo]

I don't think they ever will It requires too large of a phone

Hmm.. but imagine a landscape Querty on an HD2. It just might manage that type of length.

 

[Tacos]

These are a great idea if they can be executed well. Form the videos I have seen the Behold II and its touchwiz interface is a bit laggy slow. It also looks a bit different from the Touchwiz you see on their WM, Symbian, and Nucelos phones. I so far have found Sense UI on my Eris to be the best as it offers speed and gives me more features, specially in the dialer, and contact screen.

Yeah, touchwiz, to me, never really seemed to come together into a real alternative. I hate to say it, but it made the whole experience feel like a featurephone to me. Sense UI, on the other hand, seems to have nailed it.. more and more on each update too.

 

[Fobok]

Hmm.. but imagine a landscape Querty on an HD2. It just might manage that type of length.

I can actually see that being a good size too, but not sure they'll ever do it. Personally, I'd love a phone that size, but I seem to be in the minority.