Android

First the bad news: if you want an Android powered G1 you are out of luck. That’s right, you can’t get one. No surprise you say because the G1 hasn’t been released yet? Technically you are correct (thanks captain pedantic) but there is still a shortage even thought the G1 is unreleased. How is that possible? Well, unlike the iPhone you can sign up to pre order the G1. Or you could until the G1 sold more than anticipated so now you’re just out of luck. So you have a G1, you can’t even order a G1 and standing in line to get a G1 is fruitless because, since you know you’re not getting one, you’ll just look stupid.

Why not throw some Android/T Mobile/Google criticism in here? Well, the obvious reason is because such criticism is completely unnecessary. The best reason to throw some mud is just because it is fun to do. So I’ll get that to ya! (wink). Time to think about waiting lists. By going with the whole pre signup thing you have to think that T Mobile and the rest of the roll out partners really, really screwed things… more...

If you own an iPhone you want to hear one thing over and over: Anroid sucks. Don’t feel bad, this isn’t golf where you want to win while the other guy does his best, you own a friggin’ iPhone and a onerous contract so staying on top of the cell phone pile is a natural yearning.

What you need now is evidence to back your belief that the iPhone is the bestest phone ever (always better to reach your conclusions and then look for supporting evidence). Here’s some to add to your arsenal: Larry Borsato says the iPhone is better. Sure, Larry develops for the iPhone (he’ll also develop for Android) but his reasoning is independent of his developing habits. Larry says it is all about consistency (and gives several examples) and that the iPhone has it while Android powered phones won’t. Read the full article (worth your time).

The next time you hear someone saying that Android is better just remember they’re really saying Android is better at being inconsistent!

While there is a lot of hubbub about Apple banning apps from the App store and developers refusing to develop for the platform those high profile things don’t really have the effect on the development community the SDK (Software Development Kit) does. Developers like the easier or more familiar development kit to minimize relearning. So who is winning the war of SDK that goes on mostly behind the scenes? InfoWorld tries to answer that question. If you read the article you have to feel kind of sorry for Microsoft, the choice is presented as either A or B with option C (Windows mobile) completely excluded.

Chris Howard has a thoughtful piece up at our sister site Apple Matters wondering if the iPhone can keep Android at bay. The heart of Chris’ argument is that while Android is likely to be inferior the models favor broad acceptance. interesting reading to be sure. Check it out!

James Stoup has an excellent piece up over at our sister site Apple Matters extolling the virtues of the App store. Heck, he likes it so much he’d like to see it as part of OS X. But it isn’t all blue skies and cotton tailed bunnies hopping through the meadows, James notes that Google’s android store is on the horizon and that it will likely provide some real competition for the App store.

Check it out!

Yesterday Google released the SDK for Android, right on time, as promised. And while most of the Apple world was focused on the UK release of the iPhone, Google made some even louder noise as they announced the $10 Million Android Developer Challenge.

In a post on the Google’s code site, “We welcome all types of applications but are looking to reward innovative, useful apps that make use of Android’s capabilities to deliver a better mobile experience.”

So what does this mean for the iPhone and the mobile phone/devices landscape? Plenty. Developers were already chomping at the bit to develop applications for Android, this prize money just sealed the deal where they will dedicate their time. And those that have promising starts to their programming initiatives will be funded by this prize money in a way that will forward their progress. When the first mobile devices running Android hit the market, it will be backed by hundreds of useful and free applications propelling those devices (at least in terms of functionality) above the iPhone.

So what do you think? Do you think Apple and the iPhone can find some way to co-exist? Or… more...