"Hello Android": Part 1
Just four weeks ago, I purchased the new Motorola Droid Pro, and a week later posted a review of my positive experiences with the phone, entitled "Finally an excuse to move away from your BlackBerry":
Great phone. After having used this phone for a week, I must say that buying this new phone to replace my BlackBerry 8830 World Edition was the right move to make. Since one of my colleagues acquired the first Android phone (the T-Mobile G1) a couple years ago, and seeing Android operating system adoption move to a host of phones since that time, I have been waiting for an Android phone with a front-facing physical keyboard like my BlackBerry smart phone. In my opinion, the Droid Pro is a triple-threat, providing the Android operating system with a front-facing physical keyboard in a small enough package that provides one-handed operation for the person on-the-go. In addition, the Droid Pro is a true world phone. The only qualm I have about this device is that the keyboard keys are placed slightly too close together. When placing my old BlackBerry next to the Droid Pro, the length of the keyboards between the two appear to be about the same, but the width of the Droid Pro keyboard is slightly narrower. As with any phone, the potential buyer should try out a phone in person before purchasing, but with this phone I especially recommend doing so solely because of the keyboard. Although this phone has a smaller screen size relative to other Android phones currently on the market, the multiple screens can be accessed by flicking side-to-side, so I do not miss the trackball on my old BlackBerry. Prior to moving to the Droid Pro with Verizon, I had considered moving to the HTC Evo 4G while still with Sprint, but because reviews of that phone consistently complained about short battery life, and the 4G network is immature at this point, I held out. And I am glad that I did.
My positive experiences continue. The only drawback in my mind at this point might possibly be the micro USB, since I tend to be rough on cabling, actually had to get my old BlackBerry 8830 World Edition replaced because of irreparable damage to the mini USB, and the smaller micro port seems to be even more susceptible to damage.
As a multifaceted consultant, I am fascinated with the Android operating system. However, in researching Android the last several days to start gathering information for some proof-of-concepts I am planning to build for a cross-platform application, I quickly came across an unfortunate realization about Android: it is not yet tablet-ready.
It appears that Android currently only supports screens of up to 7 inches, which is why the relatively small (compared to the iPad) Samsung "tablet" that Verizon carries is possible. Of course, Motorola just announced the new Xoom tablet that will run the first tablet-ready version of Android, code-named "Honeycomb".
Since first starting work in technology, I have gotten used to the constant need to keep up with advancements, but even though "Froyo" (Android 2.2) was released on May 20, 2010, I just purchased the Droid Pro that runs this Android release, and then "Gingerbread" (Android 2.3) gets released on December 10. And now the upcoming release of Android 3.0 is announced.
The research I performed recently has included a market analysis for the application I plan to build, as well as getting answers to some general Android questions I have had about items such as Android Market, application packaging, and obfuscation and encryption. In addition, I took a look at where analysts project Android product sales to be in coming years relative to Apple iOS, as well as upcoming tablet releases.
In speaking with my colleagues, I have no intention of using tablets for personal use any time soon, but since there appears to be overwhelming indication that tablet use by others will be more prevalent in the future, investigating tablet development seems rational. Let the games begin.