Scobleizer - Latest Comments in Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Jacob Godserv — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:58:36 -0000

One thing the Android will have that the iPhone will never, ever have: the freedom of open-source development in an open-source language. The software can and will be improved over time by anyone who cares to help out. The iPhone, however, requires everyone wait on Apple to get to it.

I think this scenario is a lot like Linux: Linux started out clunky, difficult to use, and buggy. But people saw the potential, and continued to work on it. At first only the geeks who could work around the bugs and enjoyed solving problems in the software would use it. Then, Ubuntu Linux made it really easy to use.

I think Google's first efforts in the mobile OS industry are only the beginning. It's how quickly the software improves and how easily it can be improved that we ought to pay attention to.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

JP Kab — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:55:06 -0000

Scoble, you are making a comparison between applications from an immature development environment (Android) and an established one (App Store).

The Facebook and Twitter Apps being inferior for the Droid has nothing to do with the device itself, nor the Android operating system. I love my Iphone, but after playing with my brother's new Droid, I have to say I am very impressed with some of the finer touches in the device. What I'm most glad about it is that it will force Apple to improve the Iphone. For instance, my brother inputs my contact info and email, and the phone automatically imports my picture and info from his Facebook account. Why doesn't the Iphone do that?
The Maps navigation map is FANTASTIC! We're in the car, and he's got Pandora playing, and then the volume goes down periodically as turn by turn directions are broadcast.
The Android's apps suck right now, but that will change very quickly. I guarantee that with Verizon selling this thing, Facebook already has a team of developers working on a killer Android 2.0 App.
Essentially, you're last paragraph is correct, but you need to replace "Android device" with "Android applications."

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Brett Robbins — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:42:01 -0000

The iPhone is better as a Twitter-using device, therefore it's a better phone period. Wow, how deep.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

jkth — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:38:08 -0000

Robert,
Plesae could you do me a favour and ask Steve Gillmor to publish the podcast feed in a format that can be understood by Zune. I'd love to listen to the podcast (I used to last summer before it started getting shifted about) but until it starts getting published ina format that my podcasting software understands then I'm unable to do it.

I suspect Steve will take a bit more notice of you than most.

thanks
Jamie

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

ninthart — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:25:50 -0000

Oh gee, you got me there. I guess that's why all those dozen companies were really innovating before the iPhone came out.

I'd rather have one company creating a unified whole than a dozen branching off in their own directions.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Jamie R. Rytlewski — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:09:01 -0000

Well maybe techmeme does not look right on the Droid is the fact that techmeme is not even close to validating as a page. Validation is pretty important in making sure pages act similar. Of course, having over 300 errors is never good. http://validator.w3.org/che...

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

matthewbooks — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:00:58 -0000

There's just one problem with your argument Scoble. Software can be patched, upgraded. The hardware that drives the quality of the audio however, is not so easily fixed. So while I agree with you about the iPhone being the stronger contender with applications, software is just that, soft. It can be ripped out repaired and replaced much more easily than hardware components and less than stellar networks.

What's everyone think about AT&T's cease and desist order against Verizon showing coverage maps in its commercials?

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

John Gibson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:42:34 -0000

I think the point is that the improvements made by Android are and will continue to be made at a significantly higher pace. The innovations from 3g to 3gs are much less significant than say original iphone to 3g or Android 1.0 to Android 2.0.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

John Gibson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:34:32 -0000

The iphone is about as good as it's going to get when it comes to interesting apps due to the draconian limits Apple imposes on developers. Android has a long way to go to catch Apple with the breadth of apps but the ceiling for what is possible is much higher with Android than it is with Apple unless Apple radically changes course.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

markpuck — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:54:00 -0000

Yes, tons of flaws. I was presented with an application error (java.com.blah.foo) in the first minute of operation.

I also was surprised that none of the early reviews pointed out the obvious flaws I've seen thus far -- horizontal lines in photos, super-slow camera, video/audio not sync'd in recorded videos, etc. Oh, and don't mistype your youtube username when trying to share your video, I have yet to find a way to change that, it just keeps asking for a password for the wrong username. And the email I sent to share the video was blank. Good stuff.

Oh, and the $3/mo visual voicemail sucks as well. You can't hear the audio of the message unless you use the speaker phone on full volume and it's responsiveness is not good, having to poke the play button 3 or 4 times to get it to play.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Scobleizer — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:41:51 -0000

Like I said, this is Windows 3.1. It signals a shift is brewing in the phone marketplace. But we have yet to see the product that puts it all together. That's coming, I believe, but the Droid isn't it.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Scobleizer — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:40:57 -0000

What Facebook app are you using? The one I'm using isn't even close to the same.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Scobleizer — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:29:40 -0000

No, it is a failure as a product, when compared to the iPhone. I won't go back on that and don't recommend regular people get the Droid -- the iPhone is a far better product. But Android isn't a product. Look at all the comments here. They overlook that fact.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

sull — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:13:26 -0000

"But really this isn’t all that interesting to me. If the Droid works for you, wonderful. It works for me too. It just isn’t a great product yet. I have a feeling the a great Android device is coming, though. I’ll see you then!"

Again, you are focused on apps.... apps for social networking mainly.
You like the stuff in Apple's market more than the stuff in the Android market.
Apple has quantity and in the case of some of the most popular social apps, it has the quality too.
You can win that debate.... for now. Inevitably, Android market will improve... a lot!

So, it matters not which Android device you have.... as long as you feel the same way about the Android apps. But you end with "I have a feeling the a great Android device is coming, though. I’ll see you then!" which just makes no sense in the context of your core argument. You are not putting any emphasis on the Motorola Droid as a failed product... only the 3rd party software options. So in essence you are saying that all Android devices are a failed product on this basis alone. Since the Moto Droid is currently the best Android device and only device with Android 2.0 OS, it is used as the umbrella object for the tired iphone killer headline (no such thing as an iphone killer). Their is just a serious lack of organized balance in the case you have been trying to make in order to express your lack of satisfaction.

Personally, I look at Android 2.0 as the real beginning. Because even Apple had an OS at one point that only internal eyes evaluated and used and it started out way behind what the masses were given on launch back in 2007. With Android, being open source and a totally different vibe of a product.... the early guts and UI were put on a phone and put on the market. It may not have been a success in the traditional sense (The Apple Success Meter) but it was not meant to. It was intended as an introduction and a way to start developer interest and momentum.... leading up to Android 2.0 in 12 months or less.

Anyway... I wish you would appreciate your popularity and status more in the tech blogging sphere. Maybe then you would think through things before posting heavily tilted arguments that are not sound.
Not liking Android and pointing out how iphone apps are better is one thing. But to make grand statements against the entire Android software and any device that runs it is just silly and tactless.

But hey... who the hell am I? :)

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Brian — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:52:03 -0000

Scoble, found you from Twitter.
I think everyone will have their opinion. There's a lot of things it doesn't do very well and other things that it excels in versus the iPhone. The point is that one chooses a phone based on a number of factors, the most important of which is whether or not it meets your needs. Maybe it doesn't work well as well for you because you are data-centric. There are, however, a huge assortment of Twitter apps available that negate the differences between the phones.

BTW, I dig the lists feature on the sidebar. Nice.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

muchTOOmuch — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:04:10 -0000

My wife has an iPhone and I just got the droid a week ago, I have tested the two side by side and the twitter apps are better on the iPhone, the facebook is about the same and as far as web surfing goes the droid blows the iPhone out of the water. I don't see how some so "web-centric" could like the iPhone better for surfing. I'm not a cell phone or tech geek so I don't give a damn about apple vs. droid, I picked the droid because it was available when my plan was up and I need the verizon network for reliability reasons, but the droid is a better browser, better navigator, better literal phone, better email in and out box, better camera/video camera and the car mode just crushes anything the iPhone can do for convenience when driving. The iPhone is a better music player, better app haver, "prettier", better social networker and lighter.
Point is they are both good phones so don't be a fanboy or sheep for either, it's just a phone and by summer 2010 they'll both suck compared to something new!

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Vake — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:04:20 -0000

3GS won't be the last iPhone, but that's besides the point. The iPhone is centered around 1 manufacturer, Apple. Android harnesses the strength of a dozen companies that, combined, have more research power than Apple.

That's the power of open source in action.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Otto — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:57:56 -0000

I have GVMobile on my iPhone and it works just fine for Google Voice usage. So... I don't see how GV is a dealmaker on the Droid phones.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Antonella — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:51:09 -0000

I am with Arrington, not because I am a heavy user of Google Voice yet,but because of the bigger picture.
What Google is doing with Google Voice is only the beginning of a major shift. If my phone is like my PC with an open OS and applications I chose, why use AT&T or Verizon's dialing mechanisms?
We're getting close to an era where voice becomes just another Internet application.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

BrentNewhall — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:21:06 -0000

Hmm. Can't agree with you there. Literally everyone I personally know who has an iPhone uses it for apps at least as much as they use it for voice. :shrug:

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Sharninder — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:12:16 -0000

Scoble: I think the problem is that you (and a lot of commentors) are taking a phone to be a generic device. It's not ... anymore. A phone and more specifically, a smartphone, like the droid or the iPhone is a very personal piece of tech and so one size will never fit all. It's like an MP3 player. A lot of people own and love the iPod but that doesn't mean that Apple is the only company left producing MP3 players. There are other companies still making mp3 players because there are other people who have different requirements that are not fulfilled by Apple's iPod.

The same is true for iPhone vs. Droid vs. Pre.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

moo — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:39:32 -0000

So, the iPhone is a great product because it meets Scoble's needs (and the many flaws it has don't bother him)

The droid is not a great product because, while *you* might like it, and like the advantages over the iPhone it has which *you* need, and the flaws are not that important to you; *you* are not The Common Man, like Scoble!

Plus, Scoble has totally found a couple of inferior UI kinks that totally prove his point, because they are the definition of a great product. With videos!

Nope, I cannot find a flaw in that logic at all.

(I'm sure you'll say "but my 3 year old can use the UI!", and the greater number/quality of apps means it's for everyone. Maybe, but maybe the growing selection of apps on Android might be good enough for many people)

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Rodger — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:33:41 -0000

That's why Nokia and them have the 90% of the market they have. =)

For the 10% smartphone market the needs differ some.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

Ben Israel — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:29:17 -0000

More than 90% of the people don't buy Smartphones, they buy Nokias. Those that do, want MORE than a phone. And I agree with @ninthart, the Droid / Android may improve, but you can bet your horses that Apple isn't gonna stop at 3GS as well.

Re: Why I disagree with @Arrington about Droid

ninthart — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:17:39 -0000

I love how everyone bangs on about Android improving over time as if Google and the handset manufacturers who support them are the only ones who move forward.

The iPhone 3Gs isn't going to be the last ever iPhone, you know.