The biggest platform of Android
Data Plan:
To use Android on a phone, you generally need a data plan on top of your voice plan. Some networks in the US offer tiered data service, and some offer unlimited plans.
Android service:
Because Google developed Android, it comes with a lot of Google app services installed right out of the box. Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps, and Google Now are all pre-installed on most Android phones. However, because Android can be modified, carriers can choose to change this. Verizon Wireless, for instance, has modified some Android phones to use Bing as the default search engine.
Touchscreen:
Android supports a touch screen and is difficult to use without one. You can use a trackball for some navigation, but nearly everything is done through touch. Android also supports multi-touch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom in versions 2.1 (Eclair) and above. That means pretty much every recent phone is a multi-touch device.
Keyboard:
The initial release of Android required a separate keyboard. However, "Cupcake," (Android 1.5) and later editions have all supported an on-screen keyboard. That means you can use models that include a slide-out physical keyboard, although they're falling increasingly out of favor.
The soft keyboard (onscreen keyboard) in recent versions of Android supports either tapping keys individually or dragging between letters to spell out words. Android then guesses what you mean and auto-completes the word. This drag-style interaction may seem slower at first, but experienced users find it much faster than tap-tap-tapping messages.
Fragmentation:
One frequent criticism of Android is that it's a fragmented platform. Parrot's photo frame, for example, bore absolutely no resemblance to an Android phone. Had the developers not told me they'd used Android, I'd have never known. Phone carriers like Motorola, HTC, LG, Sony, and Samsung have added their own user interfaces to Android and have no intentions to stop. They feel it distinguishes their brand, although developers often express their frustration at having to support so many variations.
The Bottom Line:
Android is an exciting platform for consumers and developers. It is the philosophical opposite of the iPhone in many ways. Where the iPhone tries to create the best user experience by restricting hardware and software standards, Android tries to ensure it by opening up as much of the operating system as possible.
This is both good and bad. Fragmented versions of Android may provide a unique user experience, but they also mean fewer users per variation. That means it's harder to support for app developers, accessory makers, and technology writers (ahem). Because each Android upgrade must be modified for the specific hardware and user interface upgrades of each device, that also means it takes longer for modified to receive updates.
Fragmentation issues aside, Android is a robust platform that boasts some of the fastest and most amazing phones and tablets on the market.
Data Plan:
To use Android on a phone, you generally need a data plan on top of your voice plan. Some networks in the US offer tiered data service, and some offer unlimited plans.
Android service:
Because Google developed Android, it comes with a lot of Google app services installed right out of the box. Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps, and Google Now are all pre-installed on most Android phones. However, because Android can be modified, carriers can choose to change this. Verizon Wireless, for instance, has modified some Android phones to use Bing as the default search engine.
Touchscreen:
Android supports a touch screen and is difficult to use without one. You can use a trackball for some navigation, but nearly everything is done through touch. Android also supports multi-touch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom in versions 2.1 (Eclair) and above. That means pretty much every recent phone is a multi-touch device.
Keyboard:
The initial release of Android required a separate keyboard. However, "Cupcake," (Android 1.5) and later editions have all supported an on-screen keyboard. That means you can use models that include a slide-out physical keyboard, although they're falling increasingly out of favor.
The soft keyboard (onscreen keyboard) in recent versions of Android supports either tapping keys individually or dragging between letters to spell out words. Android then guesses what you mean and auto-completes the word. This drag-style interaction may seem slower at first, but experienced users find it much faster than tap-tap-tapping messages.
Fragmentation:
One frequent criticism of Android is that it's a fragmented platform. Parrot's photo frame, for example, bore absolutely no resemblance to an Android phone. Had the developers not told me they'd used Android, I'd have never known. Phone carriers like Motorola, HTC, LG, Sony, and Samsung have added their own user interfaces to Android and have no intentions to stop. They feel it distinguishes their brand, although developers often express their frustration at having to support so many variations.
The Bottom Line:
Android is an exciting platform for consumers and developers. It is the philosophical opposite of the iPhone in many ways. Where the iPhone tries to create the best user experience by restricting hardware and software standards, Android tries to ensure it by opening up as much of the operating system as possible.
This is both good and bad. Fragmented versions of Android may provide a unique user experience, but they also mean fewer users per variation. That means it's harder to support for app developers, accessory makers, and technology writers (ahem). Because each Android upgrade must be modified for the specific hardware and user interface upgrades of each device, that also means it takes longer for modified to receive updates.
Fragmentation issues aside, Android is a robust platform that boasts some of the fastest and most amazing phones and tablets on the market.
0 comments:
Post a Comment