I was overcome by “Open Platform Fever” and decided to ditch my Windows Mobile phone – my HTC Touch Pro (available now, gently used and in excellent condition, on eBay). Our CFO was kind enough to let me purchase my second new phone in less than a year (thanks, Dave!).
I have been jealous of iPhone users for years now – their smart phone has always looked like the REAL DEAL, and made my staunch support of the Windows Mobile platform look a bit ridiculous. WinMo was always serviceable enough, but even I started to recognize the onset of the Stockholm Syndrome in myself and other WinMo stalwarts. Also, I was stuck on the notion that a physical keyboard was really , really important – and I thought the virtual keyboard of the iPhone would be its Achilles Heel.
But the Droid and Android 2.0 OS (now 2.1 OS – the benefits of open come fast!) has changed my perception of all of that. I have waited a month before writing this post, because I have wanted to really give myself enough time to come down the “infatuation decay curve” that accompanies all new gadgets and toys. I can honestly say I am very impressed with this device. And with the open platform, I am hoping to be more impressed as time goes on.
I think we are witnessing the real growth years of the smartphone (call me Nostradamus) and I think within five years there will be three dominant mobile OS platforms: Apple, Android, and Symbian. That means WinMo, Palm, and Blackberry will be relegated to single-digit market shares – although Blackberry could retain a significant enough share to make the top three since they are coming from such stratospheric market share numbers today. I think Apple will continue to build compelling devices, but I think the mostly-closed nature of their platform is going to cause big-time user/developer resistance that will lead to the low market share numbers that Apple saw with their desktop lines for most of their corporate history. Android is positioned to be the Microsoft of the mobile OS, allowing any and all hardware manufacturers to build with their OS on board. It will be fun to watch how history plays out this time…
I will post soon about some of my favorite features of the Droid, and some of my favorite apps (we need a site that does for Android App collections what Listorious for Twitter lists…), but the only thing that really has me scratching my head is, why doesn’t this thing have a user manual? So many cool features that you have happen upon like Easter Eggs…
Comments (3)
I’ve had great luck with the Droid as well. The fact that I can keep track of my personal email/calendar/contacts and my business email/calendar/contacts without confusion on one phone has been awesome. Not to mention all the easter eggy features.
Jon – great to hear that you are in the club – what are your Top 3 apps?
I love Astrid for my todo lists.
I also was one of the first on Google Voice and love the near-native integration.
For a little fun, 100001 Cocktails is a good time. Nothing like teaching the bartender how to make “Sex with an Alligator”.
Looking forward to hearing (as promised in your post) what yours are.