Potential

Now that I am using the T-Mobile G1, I realize that this blog the potential of changing from a Pocket PC / Windows Mobile-specific blog is a blog about the G1. I'm not sure what you are about it, but my thinking that if there are any readers are left here to do, the audience would be more interested about my experiences G1 than those who read my blog in general.

By far the most frustrating thing about the G1 for me the battery life has been. It can not get through a day on a charge, even if I am not with the phone very long. There may be many reasons, but one thing between Android and Windows Mobile, Windows Mobile Messaging is that in just a few kilobytes downloads by e-mail if it is to behave differently, while Google Mail Downloads configure everything except images. I also notice in the synchronization icon in the status bar a lot, so it does not sync time may be fast enough when communication problems. Hopefully there are some improvements to make Google Android, it can get longer battery life, this device is is no other way to sell very well.

Not all of the equipment features and functions are obvious, yet documented. For example, as you see the phone to silent quickly? I have found, press and hold the end (red) button, then tap Sound Off.

The marketplace is a cool application, but there must be an easy way to new applications, to show to download are available. I think sufficient, a simple menu item in the last 7 days would be added. You could send an email or SMS (free of course), give new applications, but the point is that I do not have to find a list of items to wade something new. At the moment there are not many applications, but we all hope that will change soon, right?

Speaking of cool applications, Android is need, what I would consider some of the most important applications to:

A Twitter client. Yes SMS works and does the Web page, but none is as TinyTwitter or Twirl

A Facebook client. Facebook is cool on the iPhone, it should cool on Android. I know that Article has proposed that for some reason Facebook will not come until the Cubs win the series. Whatever!

A podcatcher. I really want to subscribe to a user-friendly application that automatically connect to podcasts, and Wi-Fi networks and download the podcasts in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning to use. I have tried to make BeyondPod do this on my Tytnn II and it will not work for me. Unfortunately, you need the iPod and Zune a physical connection to a PC to download podcasts.

A to-do application, although I have a workaround for using Gmail and Anycut that more will write in another post.

A note taking application. Here I am hoping that Evernote will come out with an Android App they did for the iPhone and Windows Mobile, though I really want to make it better, so it stores notes locally.


Speaking of third-party applications are the two with which I'm most at the moment and locale AnyCut. Locale is a profile for Android application, which are capable of certain actions is if you identify a specific place. I am using are the cell tower that is not as accurate as GPS, but it seems to be good enough. The only problem is that it seems not to recognize that consisently I'm home. A few things I would improve with locale, can enable for users with an option to notifications on or off. It's nice to see that they know I'm in a locale for the first time it happened, but show time and again, then angry. Also a nice opportunity to send a message to Twitter, if you are in one place, but that can only be the same message. Locale must be smart enough to recognize that, if I was needed at the same place for some time, it is not the same message sent to Twitter. Here, too, they could provide several options how to specify the user to send a message only if you have one resort per day. Another thing I notice that for some reason, Locale changes the sound settings, I did this because I use it when the phone vibrates when I noticed in my work at the site. Finally, I would like to be locale in a position to do more things, maybe it could be the podcatcher that I am to be looking.

Finally we come to the Google applications that I think is frustrating for the user because they had high expectations for Google. In short, the Google Apps with small problems that a lack of attention to detail to show littered. A great example: It is not an easy way to delete large amounts of e-mail. I really, really, as the web-based Gmail, because in two clicks, click Unread select all unread articles, click Delete, I can all the news I am not interested in it or save to delete. This approach is very fast and easy and there is no reason for it not on Android. Simply select all the options at the top of the screen, and then give me a button to delete by clicking on the top screen. I should not need to press and hold or press Menu to delete mail messages. For that matter, how about providing all of the keyboard I use on my desktop on the G1, for after all you seem to expect me to be over with the keyboard shortcuts all the time!

The calendar application has similar shortcomings, and it is clear to me that not put much thought to use calendar as a serious possibility for the pursuit of appointments for the business. There is no way to display the day view in 30 minute increments, and there is no setting that the user can set the default duration for a meeting. Most of my appointments are scheduled every 30 minutes and there is no easy way for me to share them this way. While the desktop version of web calendar allows me to ask other people to participate in a meeting, there is no similar option in Android.

The most important news is that Google users expect that they have all the functionality of the application on Android, as they have on the whole Web. Decisions to users on what they want to or not use is the Microsoft way for mobile computing, and would be best not repeated by Android. The attraction for me, is the force behind Android flexibility and tight integration with Google applications, which much to my shock I have become dependent.