5 Things That Can Make Android the No. 1 OS
Google's Android OS went from being just an idea to a roaring success in a very short time. It just seems like yesterday when the first Android phone was launched and people had the first taste of a Google branded operating system. Although many people expected Google to come up with a complete hardware and software package like the iPhone, the software giant was happy just making the operating system and licensing it to whoever wanted to use it on their device. This was a completely different approach from what both Apple and Microsoft had taken with their mobile platforms.
A lot of people showed confidence in Google's product and predicted that one day it would take over the smartphone market. Unfortunately, Android had a slow start and despite being a great idea on paper, didn't quite seem like it would work well in reality. Even the Android Market, which invited anyone and everyone who could code to come up with an application, was moving at a glacial pace with very few applications to choose from - most of which weren't worth considering.
However, after a slew of updates and some really amazing handsets, Android is now back in the game. Users now have a variety of handsets to choose from and the Android Market is looking better than ever with some really amazing applications now populating the store. But there are still some things that are missing and stopping Android from achieving true world domination. Here are some of those things that we believe Android should implement pronto to get to the top of the table.
Enforce a hardware limitation
One of the correct decisions that Microsoft took with Windows Phone 7 was to enforce a strict hardware limitation on the phones that would be using it. By knowing the minimum hardware that the operating system would be running on, they can tune the OS accordingly so that it performs smoothly, without having to worry about any slowdowns.
In case of Android, Google placed no such restrictions on the hardware makers. This lead to phones having a less than optimal processing power, causing the early Android phones to be bit sluggish and suffer when it came to multitasking. Windows Phone 7 has also restricted the display resolution to at least 800 x 480 pixels, whereas Android has no such restrictions. This resulted in phones like HTC Tattoo and Sony Ericsson X10 Mini, which come with a QVGA resolution. Since apps on the Android Market are resolution dependent, you would hardly get any applications for these phones, as there aren't that many apps on the App Store that support this resolution. The buyers of these phone are people who would be enticed by their lower price and the fact that they run Android. But when they do buy it they realize that the phone does not support many of the applications that they hoped to install on their phones, even though it is the same Android OS as on other phones.
Having a minimum hardware requirement would mean that you can have minimum expectations from the OS and the way it performs. There would be no surprises to end users. Google could then tune Android to work perfectly on that hardware specification. If the hardware on the phone is better than the minimum requirements it would obviously run better, but even if it is not, the experience would still be good.
Disable custom software customizations by manufacturers
Today if you pick up any iPhone you will find that the interface looks the same. You know what is where and you don't have to hunt for anything. Few months down the line the same would be true of Windows Phone 7. The reason for this is because they don't have to worry about different hardware manufacturers customizing the UI to their requirements. That's the problem with Android now. On HTC phones you have Sense UI. On Samsung you have TouchWiz. They are all good in their own way but there is no uniformity. When you move from one hone to another it's not a smooth transition. There is a learning curve with each interface design.
Another problem with these customizations is that they make it difficult for the user to upgrade to the latest version of Android. Manufacturers have to adjust their own skin according to the new OS before they issue the update to their users. This is why the Nexus One got Android 22 - Froyo - before any other Android phone, as there is no custom skin on the phone to deal with.
Google would need to put its foot down and say enough is enough and stop all the custom skins on Android for the sake of the end user.
A lot of people showed confidence in Google's product and predicted that one day it would take over the smartphone market. Unfortunately, Android had a slow start and despite being a great idea on paper, didn't quite seem like it would work well in reality. Even the Android Market, which invited anyone and everyone who could code to come up with an application, was moving at a glacial pace with very few applications to choose from - most of which weren't worth considering.
However, after a slew of updates and some really amazing handsets, Android is now back in the game. Users now have a variety of handsets to choose from and the Android Market is looking better than ever with some really amazing applications now populating the store. But there are still some things that are missing and stopping Android from achieving true world domination. Here are some of those things that we believe Android should implement pronto to get to the top of the table.
Enforce a hardware limitation
One of the correct decisions that Microsoft took with Windows Phone 7 was to enforce a strict hardware limitation on the phones that would be using it. By knowing the minimum hardware that the operating system would be running on, they can tune the OS accordingly so that it performs smoothly, without having to worry about any slowdowns.
In case of Android, Google placed no such restrictions on the hardware makers. This lead to phones having a less than optimal processing power, causing the early Android phones to be bit sluggish and suffer when it came to multitasking. Windows Phone 7 has also restricted the display resolution to at least 800 x 480 pixels, whereas Android has no such restrictions. This resulted in phones like HTC Tattoo and Sony Ericsson X10 Mini, which come with a QVGA resolution. Since apps on the Android Market are resolution dependent, you would hardly get any applications for these phones, as there aren't that many apps on the App Store that support this resolution. The buyers of these phone are people who would be enticed by their lower price and the fact that they run Android. But when they do buy it they realize that the phone does not support many of the applications that they hoped to install on their phones, even though it is the same Android OS as on other phones.
Having a minimum hardware requirement would mean that you can have minimum expectations from the OS and the way it performs. There would be no surprises to end users. Google could then tune Android to work perfectly on that hardware specification. If the hardware on the phone is better than the minimum requirements it would obviously run better, but even if it is not, the experience would still be good.
Disable custom software customizations by manufacturers
Today if you pick up any iPhone you will find that the interface looks the same. You know what is where and you don't have to hunt for anything. Few months down the line the same would be true of Windows Phone 7. The reason for this is because they don't have to worry about different hardware manufacturers customizing the UI to their requirements. That's the problem with Android now. On HTC phones you have Sense UI. On Samsung you have TouchWiz. They are all good in their own way but there is no uniformity. When you move from one hone to another it's not a smooth transition. There is a learning curve with each interface design.
Another problem with these customizations is that they make it difficult for the user to upgrade to the latest version of Android. Manufacturers have to adjust their own skin according to the new OS before they issue the update to their users. This is why the Nexus One got Android 22 - Froyo - before any other Android phone, as there is no custom skin on the phone to deal with.
Google would need to put its foot down and say enough is enough and stop all the custom skins on Android for the sake of the end user.
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