The G1 event has come and gone and it looks like we’re seeing an epic paradigm shift in the mobile space. iPhone started the ball rolling and Android is about the finish the job. The change? Phones are now officially computers and the expectation for most users is that they behave in the same way a powerful laptop or desktop PC would perform, albeit in a considerably more compact package.
I was struck by something during the G1 presentation today and it took me a quite a while to figure out what it was. Back in 1997-98 while I was at Carnegie Mellon we were at a crossroads in IT. The web was taking off in a general way and email was king for college students. The school was full of computer clusters – some Mac, some PC, and some greenscreen Unix dumb terminals in the library running X Windows. While the Macs and PCs were easy to understand and run, you could just tell that the Unix machines were like an iceberg – 98% of the power is under water, unseen by the average user. Putting the G1 through its paces showed a intense attention to detail on the part of Google and a tacit promise from the phone that it was far more powerful than originally described. This is G1’s blessing and curse.
T-Mobile will have a hard time selling Android phones. Unlike Windows Mobile, with it’s loosey goosey promise of Windows compatibility or the endless feature lists of some of the more basic phones, the G1 offers a platform for multiple amazing things, all arrayed to the user in a non-trivial way. Unless the company pulls back and begins describing the G1 in Mac/PC terms – where Mac is not compared to the PC but is instead the PC experience magnified – they will lose people who eye Google with trepidation or are worried about compatibility with their existing mail and desktop systems.
G1 is the future smartphone. It is where Symbian should have been two years ago and it’s the wall Windows Mobile will slam into in the next year. The “Android Market” aka App Store will hopefully be a robust microcosm of desktop apps writ small and the various manufacturers making Android phones will have quite a bit of leeway in terms of interface and functionality. In fact, I’d say that the G1 is a beta device, designed for us nerds by nerds like Sergey and Larry. As Joel Johnson wrote:
“I’ve been using this phone, well, for a while now,” said Page. He’d even taken it home and written an application for it that, using the accelerometer, would measure how long a tossed phone would remain in the air. That one of the heads of Google still goes home at night and tinkers with code speaks volumes about the culture from which Android is born.
Android is what that X terminal was to me back in the day and what Linux is to us all right now – a strong platform on which to build. If it becomes popular, Google will essentially connect all of us to their giant grid and control all of our inputs and outputs. If it fails it will encourage a new group of geeks to take it and build upon it, turning Android into something like BSD to Apple’s OS X. Either way, it’s a win win for the programmer and the geek and, in a way, the average consumer. Now, however, the only trick is to convince casual smartphone users that this – and not anything Redmond or RIM has to offer – is what they want.
iPhone started the ball rolling??
Pshaw, everyone knows Nokia started calling their phones “multimedia computers” years ago. And how we all laughed when we first heard about it…
There will be an Android in every mobile headset I’m sure!
Appreciate your heart-strong appeal for open-source and innovation; but even with Google supported, this platform will have difficulty gaining traction.
Even developers recognize the “horse, cart” problem. I don’t think T-mobile has the clout to make this happen. For one, they need to stablize their phone network and avoid outages and spotty coverage.
A developer with a great idea for an app will choose the iPhone platform. Sorry ;-)
-Dash
http://adecon101.blogspot.com/
“A developer with a great idea for an app will choose the iPhone platform.”
A developer ON A MAC with a great idea for an app, might go with the iPhone. Don’t forget the Android SDK is not only cross-platform, but Java-based. Meaning a Windows Dev who doesn’t know “Objective C” now has an option beyond buying a new computer and learning a new programming language language to code for a next-gen mobile device:D
I’m just concerned that carriers are limiting phone, it seems that apple nokia and now google all have to hail something to the phone. Yeah sure the apps are open, but not so fast TMobile will not let skype or VOIP or tethering. Also you don’t want this phone to go the way of Nokia S60 i love it but for the most people in America they can’t figure it out, and that is a problem. It’s opposite in Japan they might enjoy Android more because it’s more of a computer where in America people like simple touch like the iPhone that honestly honestly it’s just easy to use that is it. American’s need to get smarter when it comes to technology or we will be stuck in the dark ages, and also we need some kind of regulation on these Cellphone companies because I believe they are holding technology back bit time.
What a rambling monologue. Do you actually want to restate your case in short sentences that make sense?
Nice article. This should have happened years ago (at least with symbian (Nokia)), as you said..
I think its spot on. The other comments are obviously from people do not tinker with their phones. That’s why I have a WinMo phone, its available for me to hack away on. No with Android it may be even better.
For those other commenters stick to your iPhone and Apple fanboism. I know the glare of that shiny plastic can be pretty blinding at times but its not the end all phone.
There is so much that can be done with this platform and its looking for the right community to work on it. If WinMo can have such a large development community to enhance it without MS involved then we can expect great things with Google backing the developers on this.
Its a great Generation 1 device.
what’s new is that they’re easier to use {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/w7meDkNrVc_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”what’s new is that they’re easier to use ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/CWqKvrja01″}}}
@surur:LOL, totally!
@Biggs: Dude, wrap this phone up in a cool body with features that the non-geek wants (headphone jack, camera w/flash and camcorder phone, even stereo BT) and get Nike’s ad agency to market it, and it’ll sell. All of your pontificating is a lovely trip down memory lane, but it’s worthless to anyone who’s not a geek. Sex sells. G1 ain’t sexy.
Wow. Brian really summed that up well. So well, in fact, that I didn’t understand one freaking thing he was talking about. I hope it’s just him, and not a sign of things to come from the “text messaging generation”.
I’m sure it’s nice but come on, Apple started and Google is finishing?! Mobile phones will be changing for a long time to come, and Apple didn’t really change the game at all – it just sped up the play.
Also, two issues I have with the device that no geek in the world seems to care about: screen resolution should have been 640×480, and there’s no chrome or metal anywhere on the device (looks cheap).
I’m a Rim user and I want one.
By the way, I’ve posted several questions designed to start discussions about the Android on my blog:
http://pass-ed.blogspot.com/
@Brian
look around bro, even TMO’s CTO has stated they won’t block users who tether:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/23/t-mobiles-cto-on-g1-unlocking-and-tethering-plus-a-few-detai/
Why do news sources/blogs speak briefly about RIM devices? Storm, Javelin, and the Bold… i mean those are solid devices, and with the Storm being released on Verizon… a top wireless carrier, who has already started the Storm hype machine, we can only guess that the Storm will be a top selling device in 08/09 (if priced right).
And with RIM’s push into the consumer space, they will just continue to be a name you cannot ignore. I love my iPhone but still use my Curve like a 3rd hand.
The next 6-12months will be really interesting.
“Brin himself has written an application for the phone.
“It’s just very exciting for me as a computer geek to be able to have a phone that I can play with and modify and innovate upon just like I have with computers in the past,” he said.”
this is the main difference between apple & everyone else. the head guys at google better not forget that it’s about the END USER experience, not the geek advantages. if your grandmother can set up the iphone anybody can. can the G1 handle that type of consumer? we’ll have to see…
Which was it, a green screen dumb terminal or an X terminal???
Agreed… it’s removing the fat, and making it easier… seriously I use like 5% of my phone’s features… why? Menu’s suck
@Mr Bond
No. The main difference between Apple and Google is that if your grandma has an application that reminds her to take her pills on time, Apple could erase her app and kill her just because someone at Apple thought it “could confuse users” or was “replicating Apple’s funcionality”. It’s not only about the end user experience, it’s about our freedom. And us Linux geeks understood this many years ago. Let’s hope the rest of the world wakes up.
hi,
have you noticed the FAIL?
The analog clock says it’s 9:10 but the digital clock says it’s 2:47
http://gizmodo.com/5053734/how-many-google-phone-engineers-does-it-take-to-tell-the-time
i don’t even remember. it was a green xterm.
Its manufacturer HTC called it “The most exciting phone in the history of phones.” I compiled a list of all software, hardware and service flaws of G1 an d asked the question, “Would Apple have been utterly crucified and AAPL have tanked if the iPhone came out with so many shortcomings?” in:
The Big List: 30 critical issues with Google G1 phone
http://counternotions.com/2008/09/24/g1/
@theWebMacheter
No. The main difference between Apple and Google is that if your grandma has an application that reminds her to take her pills on time, Apple could erase her app and kill her just because someone at Apple thought it “could confuse users” or was “replicating Apple’s funcionality”. It’s not only about the end user experience, it’s about our freedom. And us Linux geeks understood this many years ago. Let’s hope the rest of the world wakes up.
great. porn apps o’plenty for the g1!! just wait until under-age teens start downloading that stuff from the android store.
the rest of the world are not all geeks who give 2 craps about what freedom they have to buy apps. if it’s functional, worthwhile, fun or just plain silly, but quality made, people will buy it. you can certainly develop a worthwhile program under apple’s conditions can’t you?
listen, i’m all for the “freedom” to do what you want & am happy YOU can make something worthwhile. i am not a developer nor do i care about learning to do so. i just want something that works for me. apple makes those products. if they feel that they have to be the overlord over their own product to keep the crap out, so be it. some people aren’t happy with them in the gray area of what is acceptable, but by & large most people are happy. android, without careful oversight has the possibility of turning into 95% crap, which apple will not let happen to their mobile platform. so until you linux geeks can build a consumer-friendly GUI have fun being nothing but the rebels of the unix world.
@james bond
Porn apps? Please tell me you’re joking. You do realize that these devices (G1 & iPhone) are able to browse the internet (i.e. browse the land of porn), right? And another shocker: teens view porn.
But you have fair points on the validity of Apple’s success. There’s a market for people who don’t mind greater top-down control and are willing to pay out the ass for the same hardware capabilities. Fair enough. However, it’s quite short-sighted to think that Android won’t be user-friendly. I’d bet, within a couple years — given Google’s support and a growing mass of developers behind it — it’ll turn into something extremely smart and something with much broader appeal, even for the technically-challenged. :)
Not sure if the Linux example is the best analogy as it really has never and will never take off with the masses. Also pretty sure that wasn’t the goal anyway. Being a niche player is a great place to be. I agree with the perspective of your cell is your computer. (http://www.michaelmyers.biz/CRUCES/the-mobile-internet/ & http://www.michaelmyers.biz/CRUCES/snow-leopards-with-smaller-feet/). I still think it will be Apple . . . and we will see.
@theWebMacheter
“It’s not only about the end user experience, it’s about our freedom. And us Linux geeks understood this many years ago. Let’s hope the rest of the world wakes up.”
That last sentence indicates that you realize you’re in the minority here. It has nothing to do with freedom and everything to do with user experience. I care about technical freedom only insofar as it impacts my user experience. No more, no less. DRM is a restriction of freedom that also hampers my user experience. Verizon forcing me to pay $5 a month for a small number of poorly designed apps ruins the user experience. Microsoft building a monopoly and locking people in to a single file format leads to a negative user experience. These restrictions of freedom aren’t inherently bad, they’re bad because they make our lives and computing experiences worse.
My Linux server at home (MythTV) gives me the freedom to run anything I can figure out how to install and configure, but the user experience is in many ways, to put it bluntly, quite terrible. Unless I spend an average of a half-hour a day reading forum postings (some weeks more, some weeks less) and keeping up on my technical skills I can’t exercise my wonderful freedom. You’re “free” to do what you want if you happen to have a technical mindset and can afford the expense of figuring it out. That’s like saying you’re free to speak your mind as long as you’re speaking in Klingon. You’ve technically given everyone freedom even though only a handful of people will be able to realize.
But back on topic: My phone needs to make calls, not political statements.
P.S. I’m assuming you’re being facetious when you give the specific example of Apple erasing the app that reminds your grandmother to take her pills. As you might know Apple has removed apps from the store, but to my knowledge they have not removed the existing apps from phones. And while I’ve been surprised and saddened by their choices of what to remove from the app store, Apple is still a public company and I doubt potentially life-saving applications would be among the ones removed.
How pleasantly ironic that a “writer” includes a typo in the same sentence that references “attention to detail”.
which typo, “Sotelo?”
Apple started the ball rolling? Never been to Japan?
I want phone A on carrier 1, but can only get phone A on carrier 2. Until this exclusivity is resolved, no one wins. The G1 should come in an unlocked version as well.
Only once in your lifetime will you come across a device that is the very embodiment of perfection. These are epic days for we get to live in the time segment of history where such a device is finally offered to the public at a competitive price point. We have never known before nor will we ever know in the time that comes after this a device that so perfectly treads the delicate balance of exquisite features and the sheer rugged beauty that is usually attributed to the natural world.
Soak in the air, reader, sit down and ponder for a while, if you might, what miracle of modern micro technology it is your privilege to behold on this fine web page and, maybe, soon in the palm of your hand.
Behold its aspect of perfection, SEE the miracle of its intertwined functionality, FEEL the ephemeral quality of the finest materials humanity has ever brought together to craft nothing short of a technological miracle. Your children will talk in hushed tones of you, you will go down the legends of the ages as stories are told of you, happy consumer, who were so lucky to live in times that allowed for such marvels to exist. Your name will be spoken in awe, your reputation as a herald of the new age will be cemented in the myriads of messages that will travel the vast chasms of time and space as testimony to your sheer greatness.
Applaud yourself and everybody who was so fortunate to buy a sku of this production run for ne’er will there be another one like it.
I still think it falls short of in the terms of form. It looks like the rest of the HTC phones, kind of cool, but still a little clunky. I mean if you put the Android and the iPhone side-by-side, I think the iPhone wins hands down. However, I think the functionality is awesome on the Anroid. I think it will be popular among us geeks, but I’m not sure about the mainstream appeal of it.
-Andy
http://www.cordless-phones.uk.com/blog/
Not bad… I wish everybody who keeps on arguying about an imaginary G1 v iphone battle, could start thinking the way you do…
http://the-anti-google-baloney.blogspot.com/2008/09/enough-said-innovation-developer.html
Jim, you sound like an AAPL shareholder describing the iPhone. Seriously.
Heed my words…It was the advent of the Android platform that eventually led to SkyNet and machine wars of 2049. Destroy it now…While we still can…
Heed my words…It was the advent of the Android platform that eventually led to SkyNet and machine wars of 2049. Destroy it now…While we still can…
Evet size katııyorum dostum güzel olmus eline saglik.
the iphone sucks compared to the g1! yes the iphone has alot of cool apps but so does the gphone and the gphone has a full qwerty keyboard and a digital one so it makes it much better