Dear Verizon Propaganda Machine: You Forgot Your Own iDon’ts. [UPDATED]
by Tom Reestman
iDon’t have 85,000+ apps.
iDon’t do 3G voice and data communication simultaneously.
iDon’t avoid nickel-and-diming customers with extra fees.
iDon’t have good battery life.
iDon’t have the highest customer satisfaction rating for smartphones.
iDon’t have a platform that’s not fragmented.
iDon’t acknowledge my platform’s “app marketplace” has rejected apps.
iDon’t refuse to put a second, proprietary store on my own branded devices.
iDon’t tout easy and well-known data sync between desktop and mobile.
iDon’t have a mobile OS with consistently superior reviews.
Everything iDon’t
iPhone (and AT&T) does
Today
[Updated iDon'ts:]
iDon’t allow leaving the USA (no support for the international GSM standard).
iDon’t like beautifully designed devices.
iDon’t like the flexibility of portrait/landscape keyboards.
iAgree with Greg.
iLike list.
Let me help you out with your ‘list’ and inform people of something closer to reality.
iDon’t have 85,000+ apps. – Nope, Google has 10K and growing. They don’t have stipulations and regulations that hinder developement ingenuity. This is swinging in their favor as we speak. Why write apps only for iPhone when you can market to a much broader market base? Lead: Apple. Edge: Google. +1 both.
iDon’t do 3G voice and data communication simultaneously. – The only reason at&t or tmo can do data+voice simultaneously is because the calls themselves are over the gsm network not the new cdma based 3g.. which is why sprint and vzw have better call quality and far less dropped calls. Depends on perspective, but we’ll go ahead and give Apple +1 here.
iDon’t avoid nickel-and-diming customers with extra fees. – This phone is supposed to be a “Google Experience” phone and that means Verizon can not add any restrictions to the software, can we say ‘open-source’. Granted, if VZW does impose their restrictions it will likely cause the phone to fail.
iDon’t have good battery life. – Official battery times are: 6.5hrs of continuous usage (phone + web + email + anything else, continually) or around 270 hours of standby time. In contrast: iPhone 3GS offers up to 5 hours of talk time on 3G. Real world tests show approx 4.85 hours. +1 Droid
iDon’t have the highest customer satisfaction rating for smartphones. -Unfair argument as it’s not released to consumers yet. As you make it a point later, the iPhone has 2 years of marketing, updates, and exposure. No points.
iDon’t have a platform that’s not fragmented. -Speak English please? Are you saying the Android platform is fragmented or the VZW model is fragmented? Or that centralization is better for the iPhone? Seriously, distribution is the key to the whole Android concept. Allow customizations and break out of regulations and the ‘boxes’ we have put ourselves in. Open-source again comes into play. +1 Droid.
iDon’t acknowledge my platform’s “app marketplace” has rejected apps. -They do, actually. Read the FCC reports. Unlike with Apple, there is no pre-approval process for those who wish to make applications available. The approval process includes an automated system that tests for technical issues. Unlike Apple, they’ll actually respond to developer questions and give them real reasons: http://userfirstweb.com/491/update-on-android-market-rejection/
Also, they’ll give out statistics about things, unlike Apple: http://moconews.net/article/419-google-says-about-1-percent-of-all-android-apps-are-removed-from-market/
+1 Droid
iDon’t refuse to put a second, proprietary store on my own branded devices. Open-source? Maybe we should let the consumer decide, since that’s the whole idea? Yeah.
iDon’t tout easy and well-known data sync between desktop and mobile. -Are you sure?: http://www.apple.com/iphone/business/
At least the Android platform makes it simple work. No mess, no fuss.
iDon’t have a mobile OS with consistently superior reviews. -Clearly you only listen to the propaganda spewed by Apple. Android wasn’t as polished at release as it should have been, but please take a look at 2.0 and reconsider. This is also a consumer preference, though most will, like you, only pay attention to advertising and mis-founded ‘reports’.
iDon’t allow leaving the USA (no support for the international GSM standard). -True. +1 Apple
iDon’t like beautifully designed devices. -All a matter of perspective, I personally know lots of people that hate the iPhone design.
iDon’t like the flexibility of portrait/landscape keyboards. -Excuse me? You can indeed use the on-screen keyboard in portrait as well as landscape mode. http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/10/23/motorola-droid-preview/#more-37012
Now that we have that all cleared up, you can surely see where I’m going with this. Pretty much everything you said was either wrong, a matter of perspective, or something about VZW. Well, ATT isn’t any better in case you haven’t noticed. If we start comparing ATT and VZW this is a whole different ball-game.
I’m not trying to make you out to be a liar, but just provide the ‘other’ side to this. I’ve used the iPhone extensively, and its a great device. However, given my needs the Android platform does what I need better. Don’t get peeved about their ad campaign, when Apple is doing the exact same thing in the Win/OSX ads. This argument goes both ways.
That said, you bring some good points to the table and I commend your technique.
Greg,
“Nope, Google has 10K and growing. They don’t have stipulations and regulations that hinder developement ingenuity.”
The iPhone platform is consistent. Completely from a UI perspective, and very much so from a hardware perspective. Android has none of these (more on that later).
“The only reason at&t or tmo can do data+voice simultaneously is because the calls themselves are over the gsm network”
Exactly! Verizon’s clinging to the non-International standard hurts them. My conference calls where I exchange emails with clients on the phone are not possible on an outdated Verizon network. This is HUGE and I don’t think it can be blown off so easily.
“This phone is supposed to be a “Google Experience” phone and that means Verizon can not add any restrictions to the software,”
Google is already adding their VCAST store on top of Google’s. Also their proprietary VCAST video, etc. This is very much a Verizon phone, and Verizon will make sure you know it. We also know Verizon nickel-and-dimes with things such as visual voice mail, for which they currently charge $3 a month.
“Official battery times are: 6.5hrs of continuous usage (phone + web + email + anything else, continually)”
Not sure where you got those, but I was referring to the Android reviews I’ve read that are not impressed with battery life. I agree this is more specific to individual handsets, though.
“Unfair argument as it’s not released to consumers yet.”
Nonsense. The iPhone has the highest customer satisfaction rating, and it’s absolutely a fair argument. There is nothing in Motorola’s, or Verizon’s, or even Android’s history to indicate the three of them can suddenly pull a great customer device out of the butts. Meanwhile, discounting Apple’s well-earned reputation is about as “unfair” as you can get.
“Speak English please? Are you saying the Android platform is fragmented or the VZW model is fragmented?”
Good point, I should have said that better. Different Android phones are built with different UIs. Google makes no attempt to keep the UI experience the same, as the iPhone does. Indeed, this differentiation is seen as necessary by the device makers to make their product stand out, much to Android’s detriment. This fragmentation extends to hardware as well. Different screen resolutions, some with hardware keyboards, some with software, some portrait or landscape, etc. A developer will ALWAYS have to make choices as to which alleged “Android” phone they are really writing for.
“Unlike with Apple, there is no pre-approval process for those who wish to make applications available”
Bunk. Tethering app have been prohibited, and it’s silly to think Google will just let any ol’ app on their network and then brush it off later. Do you really think it’s just coincidence that no porn, copyright violation, etc. apps have made it through? If you think “technical reasons” are the only thing blocking apps from the store than you’ve fallen for a big line of Google BS. Stop thinking that “open” is really “open”. It’s not. It’s a buzzword, nothing more.
“Open-source?”
No, I’m referring to Verizon having their proprietary app store on a so-called open Android phone. More fragmentation. Why can’t my Sprint “Android” phone download the same app my friend’s Verizon “Android” phone can? Oh, it’s because he has access to a second store. Oops. More stuff one “Android” phone can do that another can’t. Again, Google makes no attempt to stop this; they don’t care if it fragments. They’re not in the software business anyway, they sell ads.
“Android wasn’t as polished at release as it should have been, but please take a look at 2.0 and reconsider”
That’s a tactful way to say reviews were unimpressed with 1.0 and 1.5. I’ve seen the reviews of 2.0 and none of them say it’s as good as the iPhone.
“I personally know lots of people that hate the iPhone design.”
Sure you do, but the CONSENSUS is overwhelming that the iPhone is a beautifully crafted and manufactured device. Whereas the Pre, for example, is very cheap. The Storm was crap to use. Android’s software keyboard needs work, and physical keyboards are clinging to the old way for companies that haven’t written a software keyboard yet. Of course you can find examples of people who feel otherwise, because nothing is 100%, but you’d have to visit a river in Egypt not to know who the consensus smartphone design leader is.
“Excuse me? You can indeed use the on-screen keyboard in portrait as well as landscape mode.”
If you have a software keypad, but some Android phones use a physical one, which is one way or the other. Oh, and more fragmentation. And Android’s software keyboard isn’t up to iPhone standards yet.
“I’m going with this. Pretty much everything you said was either wrong, a matter of perspective, or something about VZW.”
Perspective? Sure, we all have different viewpoints, if we didn’t the world would be a boring place. But I believe I backed up my comments. Something about Verizon? Well, yes, Verizon is part of this. Heck, the commercial from which I drew this article is Verizon’s. However, just because Verizon is the cause of more platform fragmentation, don’t think it lets Google off the hook, or that it doesn’t concern them or Android in general. It does.
“I’m not trying to make you out to be a liar, but just provide the ‘other’ side to this.”
And I’m not doing it to you, either. It should be clear I think your ‘other’ side is based on some ideal “Android” platform that doesn’t exist, and an “open” market and development platform that’s not nearly as “open” as you think.
“That said, you bring some good points to the table and I commend your technique”
As do you, and I very much appreciate the thoughtful way you made your points here.
Awesome Tom. iLike it!!
iLike your list too!
Does it do multitouch yet?
iThink that youForgot to put on yourList that:
- theyDon’t have the phone yet or theirPhone is so ugly that theyDon’t want you to see;
- theyDon’t have the most beautiful designed gadget until now;
- iPhone is 2 years old, theyDon’t have 2 years of xperience that iPhone have;
;-P
iLike your list.