Android v1.5 and the HTC Google Ion
When Google VP of Engineering Vic Gundotra announced at the Day 1 keynote that attendees of Google I/O would all receive a free Android developer phone, the room of thousands went into an uproar of applause. I arrived late, so I was all the way in the back catching the tail end of the keynote. But wow did I catch the good part! Free unlocked developer phones? No way!
Since laying my hands on the phone, I managed to stay excited about it even almost two weeks later. What a way to get developers into coding for this relatively new mobile OS.
Having previously developed on Symbian S60, dabbled in QT, and a former member of the technical demo teams of the ACCESS Linux Platform, I settled on the iPhone's superior user experience; and basically surrendered any hope that competing mobile operating systems would be able to take a major hold in the market.
Even when Android SDK 1.0 was launched last September (2008), my reaction was "neato" but with a small degree of skepticism: "Yet another Linux-based mobile operating system by some consortium of vendors." Fast forward to today. It took Oprah-like generosity, an open SDK, and a very cool little phone for me to see how engaging it could be to develop on Android. I will delve into programming in another post. For now, let me talk about a few key hardware differences straight out:
The HTC Google Ion "G2" vs. iPhone
Media Player:
The Google Ion, a.k.a. the HTC Magic, is definitely not (yet) a media player competitor. The included demo songs sounded horrible (both from a personal choice perspective, and in overall quality) so I deleted them and went to my own library. I loaded up some of my finest Amazon MP3s and was shocked to hear so many sound artifacts and the same loss of resolution (despite the high quality source of these music files). I should backtrack and mention that I listened via the USB-to-headphone adapter, which might the culprit. There is no headphone jack on this device. If I hadn't known any better I would have thought the MP3s were recorded on a voice-recorder using space-conserving settings. The player is likewise rudimentary, nothing at all like an iPod experience. I am almost certain this aspect of the OS will improve with upcoming phones/Android releases.
Video and Camera:
The Ion can record video (a plus) but playback is a crude 3-button interface. At least I'm primed and ready now to do my own cell-phone videos, something I've always wanted for my iPwn. However, you can only email the latest recorded video, and must copy off the microSD card to share any other previous videos (that's gotta be an easy bug to fix).
The 3.2MP pinhole camera auto-focuses. Decent for street documentary, I'd say. The auto-focus feature enables easy use of another favorite: The bar code reader. Using Compare Everywhere I am able to scan up a shopping list of books each time I go to Barnes & Noble.
Standby Time:
Battery life is really lacking on the HTC. Moderate usage with 3G enabled, wifi on, Bluetooth, and GPS will give you less than a full day (24hrs) of life before it needs to be plugged back in to the USB power supply. Forum posts blame background multiple processes (typically runaway apps). I have, several times now, had an app get stuck; then the battery would get really warm as it churned up CPU. I tried an app called Advanced Task Manager to possibly "kill -9" runaways like this, but no such luck. Only a full power-cycle was able to stop them.
Soft keypad:
I was really expecting a pop-out keyboard like the G1. The touchscreen keypad is comparable, but come on, how hard can it be to allow us to use Bluetooth HID profiles? I want to use my fold-out Bluetooth keyboard!
Trackball:
There's a little Blackberry-Pearl-like rollerball by the bottom buttons. I don't use it much, but one colleague explained it's best for moving the cursor around when editing text. Seems superfluous.
Phone calls:
This is what the phone is for, right? Call quality was fine, but being accustomed to the multi-tasking phone features of the iPhone, the HTC was disconcerting. When on a call, the screen just blanks after a few seconds. Even when the caller hangs up, the phone does nothing. You have to remember to press a button to call up any menu (like the dialpad or to hang up).
The Network:
The HTC doesn't have the right radio for other 3G netoworks, so if you like 3G you're stuck with T-Mobile. It is unlocked, though, so in theory it's compatible with any GSM network. I've tested it on AT&T EDGE with no problems. You can guess which phone I'd take with me when traveling, especially out of country.
Conclusion:
All in all, it is somewhat obvious this is a developer-focused phone. Both the hardware and the UX need some polishing, but it's lot sleeker and cool than the G1. I don't know if it's just my SDK excitement or the newness factor of being handed a free phone... my 1st gen iPhone is currently powered-off and calls are forwarded to the Ion. This is the first time I've honestly considered switching away from the iPhone. The HTC Ion with Android is very welcoming. If you're into programming at all, the barrier to entry is quite low.
Pick a Path
This month (June 2009) is a very exciting month in the mobile industry. There are several local events-- Google I/O, Palm Pre webOS launch, and WWDC --that are really shaking the way we think of mobile applications. Whereas before I thought the iPhone blew everyone out of the water, the gap is closing fast. Do I learn ObjectiveC and join a rabid app market? Do I jump into an open community of Google Android developers? What about webOS and the rave reviews that the new Pre UI is receiving? We are at a crossroad, and for programmers there are many new paths to explore.
