Mobility Today Podcast #160

You know I love my G1 with Android, Rooted running CyanogenMod 4.2.2 with multi-touch. I have all the accessories I need because it uses a standard mini usb plug *not a special one like the iPhone*. I have everything on my G1 that my friends have on their iPhone and most of them love that I can do so much more with my phone *without getting into issues with my service provider*. CyangonMod got a C/D from Google over his modding but all issues have been resolved and now it doesn't violate anything, now.

Jerry, I did not have to do anything. I just downloaded and installed an App(Preware). I did not have root or jailbreak anything.

No effort is needed to install the homebrew apps. The way they install is the same way a developer would install the apps on their Pre for testing.

Michael,

Multi-touch is a great feature that can also be used when viewing documents like PDF's and MS Documents (on the iPhone via Docs to Go).

My sentiments are mirrored exactly by Chris' comments. I too see a trend of Android moving the way of WM and creating so many different user experiences that it could wind up segmenting consumers into various camps and opinions regarding the Android OS. I can't stress more the point of how Apple has unified the iPhone experience and created an ecosystem around it to fit into user's life, whether it be multimedia sync through iTunes, accessories, etc.

Plus I really like Apple providing universal updates to all iPhones even ranging back to the original 2g. Of course, if the hw itself is not capable of supporting newer features, then it wont be available, but at least owners of older hardware can feel reasonably confident that Apple will include them on future updates.

As far as modifying a device? Ahhh you did have to do something to your Pre in order to load homebrew apps. Homebrew installs are not native to the Pre and some effort needs to be performed by the owner before it can be done. Am I correct?

Those 2 things you pointed out definitely are WAY more important to me that multi-touch. Yes they can be done on an iPhone, but you have to JB it. And when I talk about multi-task, I mean running several 3rd party apps at a time and being able to switch between them easily like on the Pre.

After using a WM device for several years, I want my device to do things with very little modification. Which is why I did not get an iPhone because I would have to JB in order to get it to do what I want.

Yes thats my point, before multi-touch the web experience was clunky at best on mobiles, now its smooth and totally usable, maybe not a deal breaker but definitely a missing feature that is much better to have than to have not.

Android is a good OS but the only advantages that I can see over the iPhone is it's customisability, is that a word? and background applications, both of these can be done on the iPhone if you really need them.

Problems that I can see though are the lack of accessories as Android devices are all different so the market for each device will be small for manufacturers, next to no synchronisation of media, how do you back it up, is there any desktop software to do this.

Android is going down the same road as Windows Mobile, flood the market with devices, sell loads of differing phones with different OS versions and don't give them all upgrades to the latest OS, sound familiar? Frustration will follow the euphoria.

Chris, I think I use the double tap more than the pinch zoom feature. But like I said, what else do you use it for? So for me the multi-touch is not a deal breaker. I think other features are more important than the pinch zoom feature.

Don't agree at all about multi-touch, its a totally natural and simple way to zoom in and out of web pages, I would never go back to a phone without it, tapping is a fixed zoom value programmed into the app and is no where near as easy to use or accurate as multi touch, also many apps use multi-touch too.