The Android Opportunity • Hacker News Board

Re: The Android Opportunity

#41

Post by mrshoe » Mon, Aug 17, 2009, 6:09 PM UTC

nuclear_eclipse wrote: post #37

jacobian wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since you've got no problems with Android, maybe you can solve mine: - Why does the phone crash when I try to pair with my bluetooth headset? - Why do all eleventy-billion of my contacts show up in the dialer instead of the relatively small handful who've got phone numbers? - Why the *@#$% doesn't this thing have a proper headphone jack? - How do I sync music between my computer and my G1? - How about podcasts? - How…

- Why do all eleventy-billion of my contacts show up in the dialer instead of the relatively small handful who've got phone numbers? Because the Dialer app is listing all of your contacts, because it serves as both the Dialer and the Contacts app all rolled into one. - Why the @#$% doesn't this thing have a proper headphone jack? Yell at HTC, not Android. - How do I sync music between my computer and my G1? Plug the…

I'm not a huge fan of the iPhone's closed nature, but I think most of what you said above could be considered arguments in favor of it.

For example: yell at the hardware manufacturer instead of the software developer; yell at the app developers; if you need that functionality, go buy a 3rd party app; it's slow because of OS implementation details; it doesn't work as you'd expect it because of implementation details; Google's own apps work relatively well.

Users don't care about why something is slow or broken (from their perspective). They shouldn't have to care. They don't want to go find an app in the Market for basic functionality, and they don't want to write a Perl script, either. Apple gets this. I hope Google and their partners will some day.

Users don't want answers to these questions. The list of questions you replied to was a rhetorical way of saying this: the iPhone user experience is far superior.

Re: The Android Opportunity

#42

Post by rimantas » Mon, Aug 17, 2009, 6:13 PM UTC

mcantelon wrote: post #39

rimantas wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am just confused as to what these iPhone converts are doing. That's exactly why iPhone is superior (so far): it is not about what , it is about how

In other words, iPhone is about style over substance.

it is about user experience, not about style.

Re: The Android Opportunity

#43

Post by rimantas » Mon, Aug 17, 2009, 6:17 PM UTC

jrockway wrote: post #32

rimantas wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Btw, anyone downmoding me cares at least to say, which part you disagree with: do you think that Andoroid phones are superior, do you think it is not about how ; or both; or are you just not happy with the way things are? :)

I did not downmod you, but I don't really understand what you are trying to say. You emphasized some vague words, but adding stars everywhere does not really help get the point across. Please explain in detail what you mean.

Ok, imagine 12 hour transatlantic flight. What is about what you did — you flew across Atlantic. Then ther is the how part — it can be either in economy class with no legroom, crammed between to sweaty, drunk and snoring gentlemen or it can be in private jet. Is the difference between what and how any more clear now, or is is still vague?

Update: I do not say that Android phones are economy class and iPhone is private jet. The point of the above is to explain what I meant by difference between what and how.

Re: The Android Opportunity

#44

Post by jrockway » Mon, Aug 17, 2009, 6:20 PM UTC

mrshoe wrote: post #41

nuclear_eclipse wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- Why do all eleventy-billion of my contacts show up in the dialer instead of the relatively small handful who've got phone numbers? Because the Dialer app is listing all of your contacts, because it serves as both the Dialer and the Contacts app all rolled into one. - Why the @#$% doesn't this thing have a proper headphone jack? Yell at HTC, not Android. - How do I sync music between my computer and my G1? Plug the…

I'm not a huge fan of the iPhone's closed nature, but I think most of what you said above could be considered arguments in favor of it. For example: yell at the hardware manufacturer instead of the software developer; yell at the app developers; if you need that functionality, go buy a 3rd party app; it's slow because of OS implementation details; it doesn't work as you'd expect it because of implementation details;…

Users don't care about why something is slow or broken (from their perspective).

This cuts both ways. An iPhone user doesn't care why Apple rejects good apps from the app store. An iPhone user doesn't care why his phone can't vibrate when someone uses his name in a tweet or pings him on IRC or talks to him via GTalk. An iPhone user doesn't care why his phone can't turn its ringer off during appointments, and set it to "ultra loud" when he is in his house.

Sure, Apple has technical explanations for all these things, but it doesn't make them go away.

It is all a matter, right now, of trading one set of problems for another. "Is iTunes sync worth not having Google Voice?", and so on.

Nobody is claiming Android is perfect, but it is important the keep in mind that Apple is not either.

Re: The Android Opportunity

#45

Post by jrockway » Mon, Aug 17, 2009, 6:27 PM UTC

nuclear_eclipse wrote: post #37

jacobian wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since you've got no problems with Android, maybe you can solve mine: - Why does the phone crash when I try to pair with my bluetooth headset? - Why do all eleventy-billion of my contacts show up in the dialer instead of the relatively small handful who've got phone numbers? - Why the *@#$% doesn't this thing have a proper headphone jack? - How do I sync music between my computer and my G1? - How about podcasts? - How…

- Why do all eleventy-billion of my contacts show up in the dialer instead of the relatively small handful who've got phone numbers? Because the Dialer app is listing all of your contacts, because it serves as both the Dialer and the Contacts app all rolled into one. - Why the @#$% doesn't this thing have a proper headphone jack? Yell at HTC, not Android. - How do I sync music between my computer and my G1? Plug the…

BTW, you're wrong about the contacts thing. A config option will do exactly what the OP wants.

(But thanks for answering the other questions. I am glad I am not the only person who likes Android :)

Re: The Android Opportunity

#46

Post by acg » Mon, Aug 17, 2009, 6:33 PM UTC

Google were always going to have a tough act to follow. What Apple have pulled off with their platform is nothing short of amazing: but they have used technology they had, and adapted. Google is inventing a lot of the stack, and aren't rolling out on a single device.

Re: The Android Opportunity

#47

Post by sp332 » Mon, Aug 17, 2009, 6:36 PM UTC

mattmaroon wrote: post #6

He's missing the #1 area where you can compete with Apple (at least for now) and why I think the Palm Pre will do well: carriers. Most people, even high-end smart phone users, choose their carrier first and their phone second. You'd lose sight of that reading TechCrunch or Engadget too much, but talk to people in middle America and you realize it's overwhelming. Be it due to laziness, marketing, employer discounts, c…

The latest Hak.5 episode (The Content-Free Episode http://www.hak5.org/episodes/episode-526 - Skip to 9:30) has instructions to fix this.

Hint: it's a MiFi http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2009/05/13/verizon-mifi-2200-r...

Re: The Android Opportunity

#48

Post by potatolicious » Mon, Aug 17, 2009, 6:36 PM UTC

nuclear_eclipse wrote: post #37

jacobian wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since you've got no problems with Android, maybe you can solve mine: - Why does the phone crash when I try to pair with my bluetooth headset? - Why do all eleventy-billion of my contacts show up in the dialer instead of the relatively small handful who've got phone numbers? - Why the *@#$% doesn't this thing have a proper headphone jack? - How do I sync music between my computer and my G1? - How about podcasts? - How…

- Why do all eleventy-billion of my contacts show up in the dialer instead of the relatively small handful who've got phone numbers? Because the Dialer app is listing all of your contacts, because it serves as both the Dialer and the Contacts app all rolled into one. - Why the @#$% doesn't this thing have a proper headphone jack? Yell at HTC, not Android. - How do I sync music between my computer and my G1? Plug the…

You've told us why these things are the way they are, but I get the feeling you feel that this alone justifies these gigantic UI holes.

- because it serves as both the Dialer and the Contacts app all rolled into one.

Is this a good idea? When I'm in my Dialer, presumably I only want to call people. Surely the system should sense context (likewise, if I'm in the email app, it should show contacts for whom I have no email!).

- or Google for the proper file that tells the PC that your G1's SD card is actually a music device

Basic, fundamental functionality should not involve Googling for anything.

- Open the contact, long-press on the desired number, and select Make Default Number.

Invisible and undiscoverable except by accident - this is a UI failure. The fact that this is not displayed implies to the user that it cannot be changed. At least show which number it dials (e.g. on iphone it's "mobile", "home", etc).

- Because of the way Android handles apps. When the screen rotates...

Not a good enough excuse I don't think. Yeah, that's the way Android works, but it's still a huge UI failure that snaps users out of the experience and takes away from the fit-and-finish of the software significantly. Note that iPhone can do this transition smoothly, and applications can still pick up new resources, UI layouts, etc.

... at the end of the day there are a few rules of thumb I think:

- Users care far more about the fit and finish of your software than they do about its strict functionality - i.e. you can get away with lacking functionality, but nobody will forgive you for poor UX.

- Users don't really care if "there's an app for that" when it comes to what they consider to be basic functionality. Include the basic goodies (PDF reader for example, music sync software for example) with the box or your users will walk, regardless of how much you point at the app store.

This is the gist of the article I think. Android is a capable platform, but so far nobody has gone over with a fine toothed comb like Apple has and gotten rid of all of the little annoying bits.

Re: The Android Opportunity

#49

Post by dkokelley » Mon, Aug 17, 2009, 6:42 PM UTC

ruslan wrote: post #28

I guess the only reason why ppl think "iPhone is cool" is just because of slick multi-touch GUI, there's nothing else superior in iPhone per se. I have been programming for both platforms for quite a while and, you know, I find Android's Java less evil than all that iPhone's Obj-C stuff randomly mixed with tons of C wrappers (CoreFoundation) for regular POSIX. I find Android SDK more advanced because, 1) less code do…

The G1's hardware does support multi-touch, but Apple requested that it be disabled. http://digital.venturebeat.com/2009/02/09/apple-asked-google...

The Palm Pre supports and uses multi-touch in the same manner as the iPhone.

It would seem that multi-touch isn't Apple's sole intellectual property, though they have IMO implemented it the best.

Re: The Android Opportunity

#50

Post by forkqueue » Mon, Aug 17, 2009, 6:51 PM UTC

And the manufacturer to do this? Nokia.

Frankly, if the N97 only ran Android and had a better touch screen it'd do most of what this article recommends.