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Saturday, December 05, 2009

Android Call Readiness

The software (Google's Android plus apps both from Google and from other developers) doesn't work and is unacceptable on a mobile device. First, the operating system doesn't work well enough to be considered a mobile OS. A mobile phone needs to have an OS that is really tied down and ready to perform at all times, like for receiving phone calls. This one isn't. The process management in the OS stinks. Press on an app icon; maybe it will come up and maybe the phone will just not respond. Who's to know why? Try pressing on the phone icon at 70 mph and have it not respond. Then try pressing again. And then get a message something like: "Activity Home (in process android.process.acore) is not responding." Force Quit or Wait. Oops! I just drove into the guy in front of me when he slowed down and now I'm dead!
I don't agree with all of this article, but he does have a point. When your cell phone is also a computer, it is also subject to the flakiness of general-purpose computing devices. To me, the occasional incidence of computer-like glitches and lockups impeding use for standard voice calls has been the Android's achilles heel. I have experienced it a few times. Then in the past few days, my phone has spontaneously re-booted 3 times. There is an app I suspect may be the culprit, so I uninstalled it; too soon to report any results.

4 comments:

  1. You're starting to scare me man. I am planning on buying an android (Cliq by motorola and a G1 for the wife) but I am experiencing pre-purchase buyers guilt due to the $400 price tags!! I'd like to stick with T Mobile.

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  2. Overall I am happy, but that is the one drawback. Cliq has gotten so-so reviews, supposedly there is a software upgrade coming. I would monitor carefully. G1 is okay, a little clunky but the price is right. My son has one.

    Don't overlook the $25/month cost of data plan. I am still ambivalent about whether it is really worth it. Very marginal, in my case (Seth has no data plan, just wi-fi at the house).

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  3. I have no idea why I've gotten so interested in the whole mobile/Android topic. I guess no fun technology at work is a big chunk of it.

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  4. Keep up the research! I love it ;O)

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