My bet is on Android

First things first; I think the iPhone is an amazing piece of gadgetery. There is no doubt that the iPhone clubbed with the app store phenomenon has just changed the smartphone landscape overnight and forced every other device manufacturer go back to the drawing board. I do agree that the iPhone has the best touch friendly OS and superior hardware to any other phone in the market today, but I somehow would like to place my bet on Android. Here are 5 reasons why...

1. I'm a Google fan

I'm a blind Google fan and I would like to be a part of their products. I know there are Apple fans who swear by Apple products. Some how I was never attracted to using Apple products just for the fact that the whole world goes gaga over it. I like the underdog.

2. I don't like restrictions

Just let me do my own stuff and make it easy boss. Dont make me "jailbreak" my phone or make me look for a paper clip if I want to take out the SIM card. Let me have Google voice on my phone. Let me choose my own device brand which allows me to change the battery myself, if it conks off. Let me watch flash movies...

3. I want physical keypad

I don't mind a virtual keypad but for better control and speed, I think I will need a physical keypad. I know the physical keypad makes the phone bulky and clunky, but I also know that better product designs can overcome that and it will definitely happen.

4. I want more choices

At the time of writing this there are 10 device manufacturer brands as a part of the Open Handset Alliance, the group committed to commercially deploy handsets and services using the Android Platform. There are 23 phones already announced and more will follow. I have more choices of brands, capabilities and price to choose from. Android phones will be cheaper as the OS is free for use for the device manufacturers (Please correct me if I'm wrong). The manufacturers can also customize the UI to bring in their own unique experiences on the phones like the MotoBlur™ and HTC Sense™. I think Motorola Cliq is the best of the lot I have seen till now but I'm also waiting for the stunning Sony Ericsson 'Rachael'. I did like the Nokia's Maemo phone N900 but I seriously think that even Nokia should join the Open handset alliance so that we will have superior Android phones. Who can beat Nokia in making mobile phones?

5. More and better Apps

I'm sure in the coming days there will be more and better Android apps available as there are no restrictions from both the Android Market and the OS level. Android does not differentiate between the phone's core applications and third-party applications. They can all be built to have equal access to a phone's capabilities providing users with a broad spectrum of applications and services. Forget about all that. The fact that all Google apps will definitely be on Android makes it good enough right away. Also as Android net books start coming in, I can even have the same set of apps on my phone and my computer, synced.

All this might not happen overnight. But I'm sure that there is a lot of interesting stuff waiting to happen in the Android space. Just be patient.

The appy fizz

Got my friend's email out of the blue which had a question which was relevant in these times

Friend: Is a company better off building a mobile app for a smartphone or should they optimize their mobile web experience or do both?

Me: The mobile web optimized version is a must. Thats a standard now.

Now the decision to make an app or not.

We get requests for doing both mobile web and app even if there is no much difference between both the experiences. They just want to be a part of the app store euphoria. They just want their presence there among other companies. And there is a lot more advertising money in the app space coz of the hype.

Personally I think if you don't have anything special to offer than the mobile web its good to remain on the web. On the long run its the web which is going to win.

But if you can give more than what the mobile web offers, then yes. Apps can make use of the native capabilities of a phone to give interesting features and experiences using the touch, accelerometer, camera, video/audio recording, geo location, compass, augmented reality, the pinch and zoom on iPhone and other supported gestures, offline access, better animation capabilities etc.

One more thing we have to keep in mind is that the app should be good enough to be used repeatedly.

Friend: Ok Thanks.

Dont just do things just for the sake of it. Do it only if it makes sense.

Somethings should change

My wife who has now become a Facebook addict; constantly using it on her phone, is not very happy about her slightly expensive Airtel data plan.

She: I'm thinking of changing my connection coz I'm not able to afford the internet on Airtel.

Me: So have you looked at the options?

She: Yes. I think Tata Docomo should have cheaper internet.

Me: Oh really? Did you check out the rates?

She: No not yet. I guessed coz their voice plans are anyways cheaper. So its obvious to have a cheaper internet plan

Me: Well you better find out. What about Reliance? Did you check it out?

She: Huh? I'm talking about GSM services

Me: I know. Reliance has also come up with a GSM service

She: Huh?? When??? I didnt know this. Aren't they advertising?

Me: Of course they are. The new Hritik Roshan ads are for their GSM service

She: Oh I just didnt figure out...

Me: Well its not your mistake that you missed it.

She: Then?

Me: Isn't it interesting that you are well aware of Tata Docomo services and you even have a perception about their pricing. At the same time you dont even have a clue that Reliance also came up with a GSM service around the same time and they even have a Bollywood super star endorsing it?

She: Ya right. How did that happen?

Me: Its coz Reliance did nothing to create a strong audio visual distinction for their new service brand. They just added the words GSM and CDMA to their existing brand identity.

Whereas Tata made their GSM brand Docomo look absolutely different from their CDMA brand Indicom. Docomo also has a super cool signature tune which made the brand distinctly recognizable. Their ads are funny, almost in the same lines of the Virgin Mobile (A Tata Indicom joint venture) ads. The teaser ads too helped in creating curiosity and buzz among people prior to the launch. Tata didn't stop there, they also did some fresh innovation in their pricing strategy which made the whole thing a big hit. I'm told that the SIM cards have run out of stock at many places.

She: But Docomo is a Japanese brand right? So may be its their look which Tata used...

Me: No. Ironically Docomo's real logo looks very similar to Indicom. So that says it was a well planned strategy of theirs to come up with a fresh new branding.

She: Wow

In design, being consistent is very important if you don't expect your target audience to behave or react differently. But if you want them to take notice and act accordingly, you need to bring in new elements to break the consistency and familiarity.