the android is here

February 15, 2009

Googles Android G1 phone lands in AU tomorrow and will be sold to customers as the HTC Dream through Optus.

I had a quick play with a demo unit and my first thoughts are

  • Its not as physically bulky as i thought it would be.
  • Nearly twice a thick as an iPhone gen 1 and just a little bit longer in length.
  • Android interface is fluid and smooth.
  • Google maps street view blew me away.
  • Physical keyboard is much better than soft keyboard on an iPhone
  • Could be annoying for quick SMS’s and emails as you will have to slide the G1 open.
  • The ‘chin’ isnt too bad and it didnt take up too much ‘pocket real estate’
  • Real buttons will seem a bit strange to people who have used iPhones for a while

The youtube video below shows what the G1 can do with street view ‘compass’ feature.

With the Android Market place supporting paid for apps by UK and US developers it wont be too long before developers in other countries are also creating paid for apps in the android market place. Some of the top android apps have already been awarded a cool $275k in the ‘Android Developer Challange‘.

There is also buzz about a recent vulnerability which impacts the video framework that android uses.

Android has a few reported shortcomings such as soft keyboard, saving MMS attachments, video recording, missing webkit features and decent bluetooth support though these look like they are addressed within the development branch of android called cupcake.

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