Android competition begins: comments on criteria
Android Challenge opened, with a 24-hour delay. Some quick thoughts on the criteria.
I dare say that Google team is not thinking about its own innovation in a very innovative way - seems they are very much under the influence of the experience of existing communicators and mobile OSes, in particular Windows Mobile and Apple iPhone. Why? See remarks below.
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1. Social networks can hardly be an example of original - they have been around for years. Granted, a communicator has a potential to be a node of a social network - in particular because it stores contacts and is uniquely identifiable - but this is not the only possible angle of application of the communicator’s uniqueness. Not even the only branch. Moreover, RC_37a (the current version of Android, only an alpha) not only does not allow to identify a user in a proper way (see discussion here), but it does not even allow to attach photos to contacts. For those of you who wondered why our CallFreq shows contact pictures in a dialer window but once a number is dialed, there is only a gray silhouette - that’s why. No photos in address book yet.
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2. LBS is, strictly speaking, neither a built-in function nor unique for Android. Location-Based Services (LBS) are based on coordinates provided by an external provider - either GPS satellites, if we are dealing with GPS, or triangulation data from mobile operator. Many mobile operators across the world do not have this function enabled, have it enabled partially (e.g. only provide single cell tower vicinity location) or provide it as an additional service. When both methods are used together they are referred to as Assisted GPS. AGPS is present in a number of communicators on the market, in particular HTC Tytn II aka HTC Kaiser, a really good business workhorse. BTW, LBS developers beware: in many countries (US and UK included) it is ILLEGAL to push advertising messages to a user without a person opting in such a service.
Accelerometer is present in Apple iPhone. Again, not particular new. What hardware toy I would then really want to have on Android? Tilt sensor. Not there yet.
What is TRULY UNIQUE for Android is the ability for developers to go inside the phone much deeper than they ever could before with Windows Mobile, Symbian etc. This is why we developers are so berserk about Android. But again, we are limited to only what Java Dalvik machine SDK allows us to do - and in the present RC_37a it is not a lot.
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3. Usability and visual excellence has for a long time been a trademark of one particular company. :) You know which one. It is good that it is being given a focus but this is usually the last thing to be added and the first and easiest to change. I for one can see numerous improvements to Android interface - starting with too many buttons on the front that look like they were inherited from Windows Mobile and of which, at least two are redundant. However, on Java level buttons cannot be reassigned, not to mention that you need a manufacturer that will play together with you with front panel buttons.
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4. No argument here. Yes, we all would like to design and sell addictive software.
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PS. Legal terms for the competition look OK. Basically, you agree not to object if Google uses your software for advertising and promo purposes. Other than that, you are boss of your own creation.