Okay Geek Farm
Top 5 Issues Google Needs to Address
Darryl Cobb
So you eating your nice big bowl of Froyo but you notice something is missing. Something so obvious that you overlook it until you use another product? Well, that’s what this article would suggest. These are 5 things I feel Google needs to address very soon to keep their momentum as the fastest growing mobile OS today. Some of them are so glaring, I’ve heard my fellow editors talking about some of them in our first Podcast. I would definitely download it. Now, let’s see what made the list.
A Better User Interface
Android does everything right except the user interface. That is the only thing really holding them back in my opinion. Google does have many fans of the Vanilla or stock Android 2.2 interface but that’s only on 2 phones on the market (Nexus 1 & Motorola Droid). Most people associate Android with HTC Sense or Motoblur or, if you bought a Galaxy S phone, TouchWiz 3.0. But, I do believe Google is meeting that challenge head on with the hiring of Matias Duarte back in May. If you don’t know the name, I’m sure Palm enthusiasts do; He was the VP over at Palm that was responsible for the polished interface on WebOS. The early screenshots that have leaked really don’t show much but I don’t see how Google can afford not to address head on.
Google Chrome For Mobile
Why isn’t the Google Chrome browser on Android? Granted, Chrome-to-Phone is a great application but why can’t I use Chrome? Chrome currently is my default browser at home because I love the speed and think of all the features we use on the desktop, we can have on a mobile Chrome browser. Google could easily link your bookmarks and splash pages like Opera. Instead of pushing pages to phone, an idea that I think is brilliant for Google Maps, I would like to close my browser on my laptop and open to the same page I was looking at on my laptop to come up on my Android device. Or, how about Phone-to-Chrome? Many times I’ve seen pages on my phone that I would want to read or follow up with on my laptop. And with the knowledge that there will be a plethora of Google tablets hitting the market, a mobile version of Google Chrome needs to happen.
Easier Method of Transferring Apps
Granted, all your application purchases transfer with your Gmail account, I know that. However, who wants to spend thier time downloading all your favorite apps once again. What about purchasing a new SD card? Granted, I understand the Android platform is not made for the “point & click” crowd but in my opinion, that’s a barrier to purchasing apps. This has to be addressed because of the fact of how fast new devices are coming onto the market. I went from an HTC Hero in November 2009, then the EVO in June of this year and now I have purchased the Epic 4G. Granted, you probably aren’t as foolish as I am but you get the point. Who wants to spend 20-30 minutes loading the apps onto their device again? Even though, for the time being, the only solution outside of using a rooted back up app (Titanium Pro) is to transfer your apps and data by using MyBackUp Pro which will cost you $4.99.
Be Truly Cross Platform
If you are going to be on set top boxes, tablets and mobile phones, I would hope you would have a plan to have all of these devices work together and have the ability for developers to utilize these resources to make compelling software. Android needs to create that ecosystem to make a user say, “I have a Android phone and a tablet, I should choose a set top box with Android on it.” I should be able to program and control my set top box from my tablet or phone, stream media from my box to my tablet or phone, project pictures from my phone to my tablet or set top box for my TV. I think you get the point. Also to be truly cross platform, segmentation has to be minimized. If there is thing I would concede to Apple is that uniformity is done very well. All devices, that are supported, are on the same page when it comes to working with the latest features of the latest OS.
Stop Carrier Specific Apps
When I say this, I’m not talking about Sprint’s SprintTV app or Verizon’s Vcast or even T-Mobile’s Social Hub. Those are homegrown apps and carriers are well within their right to keep those propriety apps exclusive just like HTC can for Sense and Samsung can for TouchWiz. I’m talking about having apps like Skype and Bing locked down to one carrier. I know when I choose a Windows Mobile, Symbian or Apple device, I get all the apps that are compatible with that device; Carrier choice doesn’t factor into my choice of apps at all. Why would Google want to venture down that path? When I purchase an Android device, I want access to all that Android has to offer. I don’t want to be discriminated against because I didn’t choose the preferred carrier. That would make me choose another ecosystem that will penalize me for picking the “wrong service.”
I firmly believe if Google confronts these 5 things, it will accelerate it’s growth even faster than it is now. What Google has achieved from the G1 to the Sprint Epic 4G is nothing short of astonishing. I can only wait to see what another year has in store for us.
