Like many, I have a new obsession: trying to make sense out of all the rumors, spy reports, shaky videos and FCC entries for upcoming Android handsets.
Fresh on the heels of the Droid/Milestone launches, a lot of us are holding out for the promise of an Android phone that is, well, more like an iPhone.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want an iPhone. As big an Apple guy as I am, I like what I see in the Android phones, and given the choice would pick an Android phone over an iPhone five times out of five.
Here’s why the Droid doesn’t do it for me:
- Multitouch Sorry, if Android supports it then not including it on the Droid represents a handicap. I honestly couldn’t tell you whether I would double tap to zoom or pinch to zoom, but I want the ability to choose. Motorola or Verizon decided I didn’t need to make that choice myself, and I resent it. Yes, I understand that Droid has multitouch capability, but if the default apps don’t support it I feel slighted.
- Weak physical keyboard My personal feeling is that the visual feedback you get when using a virtual keyboard makes a virtual keyboard preferable to a real one. I make fewer mistakes when using a virtual keyboard because of the visual feedback and smart fudging that the phone software does to guess what it is I’m trying to type. On the Droid the physical keyboard is flat with little to no tactile feedback telling you where you are at on it. I do not want a physical keyboard if it doesn’t represent an improvement over the virtual keyboard, especially when it is adding bulk to my handset and making for a clunky form factor.
- Form factor I like the Droid’s looks, but I was really hoping for something a little sleeker and a little more, well like I said before, iPhone-like. The Droid is a love it or hate it type of proposition, and I don’t love it.
- CPU C’mon, I’m a techie. Do you think I could really be happy with a 580 MHz CPU when 1 GHz Snapdragon CPUs were coming? No.
Of course, what we were all hoping for was an Android version of this phone from HTC:
HTC HD2
1 GHz Snapdragon processor, 4.3″ 800×480 screen. What’s not to like? Ok, the operating system. It’s a WinMo phone. Dealbreaker. Unfortunately HTC has made it clear that an Android version of this form factor isn’t going to happen. So where does that leave those of us who are holding off on a new phone waiting for the Next Big Thing?
Right now it appears there are three Android phones on the horizon that may fit the bill.
- Google Nexus One Ok, it’s pretty much a given that this is the HTC Dragon/Passion we’ve all been speculating about for the last couple of months. 3.7″ 800×480 OLED display, 1 GHz Snapdragon CPU. Pretty much what we’ve been hoping for. Awww, wait, it’s GSM only. Rumor has the Nexus One launching in January, unlocked direct from Google or with a plan from T-Mobile. CDMA version? Nothing substantive. Verizon users will need to keep watching the feeds of all the Android blogs.
Pic of Google Nexus One, lifted from Engadget
- HTC Bravo Ok, I’m starting to see a recurring theme here. The HTC Bravo is slated for an April lauch on T-Mobile. 1 GHz Snapdragon CPU, 3.7″ 800×480 OLED display, slender form factor. No word on a CDMA version. Verizon, hello? Are you listening?
HTC Bravo, lifted from leaked T-Mobile promo courtesy of ai.rs
- Motorola Titanium Little is known about the Motorola Titanium/Zeppelin/XT800 other than it is slated for go in China and supports both GSM and CDMA. Like the Droid it is slated to use an ARM CPU, although of unknown clock speed. Notable about the titanium is the use of the luscious screen used by the Droid, the lovely 3.7″ 854×480. It may not be a selling point for most, but let me tell you that you notice those extra 54 pixels when browsing the web. This phone is the most iPhone-like of all these handsets, and even if it didn’t include a CPU that competed with the Snapdragon may be a contender. One problem: this phone may go directly to Sprint as there is a rumored keyboard-less revision of the Droid headed to Verizon in 2010.
Motorola XT800, courtesy of Mobile Review
So with all these great phones coming why are we so concerned with one carrier? If you live in the States you know why. ATT, T-Mobile, Sprint, etc are all fine and dandy if you live in one of the major urban centers of the USA. If, like me, you prefer to live in the countryside and commute to the city to work, or if you live in a rural area, chances are that Verizon is your ONLY option (unless you are ok with Joe-Bob’s Cellular and their circa 2004 flip phones).
Rumor has it that Verizon turned down the iPhone, and now rumor has it that they are getting it in 2010. Rumor also has it that Verizon is the reason the Droid lacks multitouch. Speculation posits that Verizon is passing on these new devices because they are throwing their full weight behind Droid and don’t want to dilute the brand.
Whatever the truth is, Verizon is the largest network in North America, by a mile. Verizon, throw your customers a bone and offer them a choice, especially when there are such great devices coming down the pike. If T-Mobile keeps getting all the cool phones and they improve their network guess what? There goes your guaranteed market to one of the competitors. Get the Google Nexus One, get these cool new phones from HTC and Motorola and then let your users decide. It will do more good for you by far than wasting your energy trying to turn Droid into a monolithic brand and passing on all the cool new devices that your customers want.
