SpectreWriter

PREFACE: A techie wrote that Android should end the fragmentation, noting the myriad differences and discrepancies between their first versions and the current one, just a bit over a year later.   He’s right, but perhaps for different reasons than he scribed.

It’s bad enough that Droid E. isn’t half the phone that the Motorola is.  That there are generational differences is to be expected, but still tedious.  While those who already have an Android OS phone may (or may not) keep abreast of the differences, that doesn’t mean everyone does.

For the consumer, it’s a mismosh hodgepodge mess that is easier avoided than delved into… and that translates to loss of sales… and that translates to less interest in developing apps (or anything else) for your toys.

Apple’s control was a good example.  Far from Draconian, it simply required consistency; A simple and consistent Command-Q beats Alt-F4 every time.  Ditto the Command-W to close a window but not the entire application.  It has served them and their customers well for decades.  The hodgepodge mismatch that Android is already experiencing demonstrates the difficulties encountered with a lack of standards.

I like the Droid OS a lot, and the speed of the processor is also appealing.  Yet after investigating, I declined to buy into getting a Motorola Droid from Verizon.  Why?  It’s only $30 more a month, for starters.  What do I get for $30 a month? Mapping.  Great.  So I buy a Garmin for the car, it does a better job with a bigger screen, and has no monthly fees.  Net savings: $360+tax a year, plus $200 for the initial purchase.  With that money, I’ll buy myself an iPad* that I can count on to work and serve me well, whether I use N-speed wifi or the pre-arranged no-contract AT&T service that the Draconian tyrants at Apple negotiated for us.

Wake up and smell the money, Android, before you end up another cult device of the past.

* No, the iPad is not a phone, but it’s a lot better at providing all the things that count for a Smartphone, and I can use Skype or Google voice with my bluetooth headset and still make calls.