This is probably spitting into the wind, but I’ve got to wonder: Why can’t fans of opposing smartphone teams celebrate the remarkable successes everyone’s having?
I was reading over the stories that emerged from yesterday’s unveiling of Ice Cream Sandwich when the thought struck me that we’re currently in the middle of an excellent time for smartphones.
Not just Android ones, although that was clearly the focus of yesterday’s stories, but all smartphones. And that thought cascaded into another. Competition is good for markets like this, because it spurs innovation. The original iPhone gave the smartphone market a kick up the backside, but it rather quickly wasn’t the only model out there. Android was disruptive technology in the best sense, and in a case of imitation being the best form of flattery, iPhones now have a very Android-esque notification blind to use. Yet all I seem to see is whinging and moaning about competing platforms. I get why this happens, but it does make me wonder; why is it that we can’t celebrate the really cool stuff that’s happening right now, given that ultimately it’s good for all of us?
Android
Three words. Ice Cream Sandwich. This is looking seriously good; Google finally adding the kind of polish that’s been a touch missing from previous Android releases, alongside the superb looking Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Sure, it’s big, and that won’t suit every single user, but I’m sure there’ll be handsets with smaller form factors due along quickly. Speaking of different form factors, the new Motorola RAZR looks pretty darned spiffy, even if it was rather eclipsed by Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich news yesterday. After all, one of the strengths of the Android market is that it can support all sorts of form factors, from keyboard-equipped models like the HTC ChaCha to tiny units like the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray.
Blackberry
OK, the recent outages won’t have won too many fans, but RIM’s still a company that’s thinking big. The Bold 9900 is an excellent keyboard-based phone — the phone with a keyboard to beat in my opinion — and the new BBX platform shows some hope. RIM’s not yet out of the fight, and in the name of competition, hopefully they’re not going anywhere soon.
iPhone
There’s a shiny new iPhone! But you probably knew that. It has been rather popular, after all. Combined with iOS 5 it’s a very powerful little machine, and I’ve got to say I’m having a lot of fun testing my review model out right now; so much so that I’m giving serious consideration to jumping back to iOS from my Galaxy S II.
Sure, some of the iPhone 4S’ lustre is due to features found in iOS 5, but that too is worth celebrating. After all, iOS 5 can be installed onto an iPhone 3GS — I’ve done this myself with absolutely zero problems — and that’s a phone that’s more than two years old. I’m struggling to think of a smartphone more than two years old that still gets updates.
Windows Phone 7
Mango’s a damn fine upgrade for the existing models, but the focus right now has to be on the upcoming Mango models, and clearly, Nokia’s first steps into Windows Phone 7 territory. If the Nokia N9 is any indication, when Nokia combines its hardware design with a really good operating system (sorry, Symbian fans; I’ve still got nothing for you), great things may happen.
Everybody needs a scapegoat
If you really, truly, must have a scapegoat, how about, say, WebOS? Nothing particularly wrong with WebOS per se, except that it’s something of a dead man walking. As such, even criticism would seem like attention to WebOS, and it would probably welcome any attention it can get right now.
Image: Gillyberlin
awallafashagba
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 1:43 PMspits !!
illogical
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 1:51 PMwe’ll celebrate it when the companies do and stop suing each other’s asses off.
BenDTU
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 2:56 PMThey’re doing plenty.
Blake
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 1:51 PMMy phone is better than your phone as I feel superiority in pointing out your shortcomings.
Also you must he a robot or something for buying something that other people own.
Oh and finally your phone copied my phone, look, they both have buttons.
Sincerely, someone who owns a different phone to you.
Guy
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 3:17 PMSorry Blake, but you are completely wrong! Clearly you don’t know anything about phones and have probably never even seen a phone to have bought the phone that you did. Clearly my phone is much better than your phone and always will be. For. Ever. +1.
The Other Luke
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 3:26 PMSorry guy, I’m a angry person and your a [swearword]. I say the same thing as both of you but think your both stupid. And [swearword] think that I know more about phones more then anyone, because I have used a phone once. And your a [swearword]
Mikey
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 3:37 PMI’m incensed by your flagrant ignorance at the fact that owning a different phone to mine is clearly immoral.
red t-rex
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 4:19 PMI own the same phone as you do and I disagree with everthing you say! You clearly haven’t been using your {whatever} phone the right way. You should be relegated to some fringe dwelling group of users who use the {whatever} phone as you obviously aren’t good enough to be a member of the hard core inner circle of users
From an angry person who even has to splinter their own group to make themselves feel extra special.
red t-rex
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 4:26 PMI also feel the need to correct someone’s grammar to feel superior despite the fact I understood what they meant as I am sure that being corrected on some blog will teach the culprit a valuable life lesson that they will embrace and take forward and never commit such linguistic atrocities again.
Bob
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 4:35 PMI have owned many different types of phones in the past and I can say that my current phone is bested only by the phone I will have next. Also, I am somehow loosely associated with someone who works in the industry and privy to information that the rest of you are not, which confirms my suspicion that the phone you have is for people who are uninformed. The only way you could be stupider and less worthy of my time is if you didn’t know that my phone has a particular feature unique to its GUI that only a moron could use a phone without.
Lachlan Bromage
Monday, November 28, 2011 at 2:44 PMIs ‘stupider’ a word? Wouldn’t you just say ‘more stupid’?
BenDTU
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 4:42 PMInsert vague reference to my own device’s superiority here, laden with the intent to troll but with enough ambiguities that I can brush off any counterargument as a ‘fanboi’ comment.
Ozoneocean
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 6:48 PMFanboi.
Aliasalpha
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 7:05 PMI have a 6 year old phone that barely works and has no modern features, it was obscure at the time since the product was stupidly designed and inconvenient to use so the line died almost immediately. The fact that I have a working version of the device that I use despite poor functionality and constant ridicule makes me unique and therefore ultimately superior.
As a consequence, I wish upon everyone who uses a product different than mine a grotesquely unpleasant and utterly undeserved death. Of course if someone else mentions that they have the same device, they will be derided as someone jumping on the popular bandwagon
Craig W.
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 1:53 PMMy biggest gripe? Developers like Popcap releasing PvZ on Amazon promising it’ll be in the android market after a short period, not only did it not happen it’s stuck at version 1.0 so even when I pirate due to no other way of getting it I have a crap version with out the extras… Facebook has been playing a similar game gimping the android app… and thats what grinds my gears.
Nads
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 2:48 PMYou shouldn’t steal.
Craig W.
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 3:16 PMJust for the stats though this can’t be counted lost revenue due to piracy when I can’t even buy it due to my locality being in Australia!
chrisp
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 6:17 AM“Grinds My Gears” is copyright. See ya in court, fella.
Thorbjørn
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 1:55 PMI’d like to try Windows and Android.. The thing is I can’t afford to buy without a contract. And I don’t want to be bound to a phone for 1-2 years if I don’t know that I’ll love it.
I’ve had the 3GS for about 1.5 years and now decided to go with an iPhone 4S. Why? Because I know I loved my 3GS so I know that I’d love my 4S (which I do).
However I am one of the people who’s celebrating new features in Android as well. Reading about Android makes me want to try it. But like stated above, I don’t want to risk being bound to it for 1-2 years if I happen to not like it as much as an iPhone.
That said, there’s always reason to celebrate other phones coming up with new and better phones… It forces “your phone company” to do better.
TSH
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 2:02 PM” It forces “your phone company” to do better.”
Not when its users are too scared to try the competition! :–P
Sam
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 4:55 PMJust go into a Telstra/Optus/Vodafone store, and ask if they have one you can play with. Admittedly using Android for 5 minutes doesn’t tell you that much (especially when the UI is often modified between different brands) – but it’s better than just diving blindly in. Better yet, if you have a friend with an Android phone, ask if you can use theirs for half an hour.
JT....
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 5:47 PMYup I wanted to try out the fruit phone to see what it could do so swapped with my mate for a couple of days. It gave me an idea of what I wasn’t missing ;)
You could also install the SDK for Android or WP7 and have a play.
John
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 5:01 PMAn excellent point.
yrrnn
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 5:46 PMI’m in the same boat. I had a 3GS and loved it, so I got a 4S. While some android phones have looked very tempting(especially the galaxy s2), I couldn’t justify jumping ship from a platform I already knew I liked and that worked well for me, onto a 24 month contract with something that looked appealing in some ways, but not in others.
den
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 1:30 AMjust buy one from ebay, if you want to experiment with android there’s samsung galaxy i5503 unlocked for $88 and if you want to try windows phone, just keep an eye on unlock htc mozart or trophy or samsung focus, i just got one for $160 for a near new htc mozart
TSH
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 1:59 PMI’d say S60 and Symbian^3 are more “Dead Man Walking” than WebOS. HP has actually shut down WebOS hardware but Nokia still has S60 and Sym^3 hardware in the pipeline – both systems that aren’t going anywhere. Although I’d say S60 is the real zombie – Sym^3 is alive and kicking but like Bada it’s just not relevant on the main stage.
maddogeco
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 2:37 PMyeah they need to cut S^3 Anna and Belle phone and do more meego phone i have just swapped my N8 for the MeeGo power N9 and is the most beautifully easy experience Ive every had with a electronic device
Eric
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 8:35 AMYes, I can’t wait to get my hands on the new Nokia N9! With it, Nokia has in fact combined “its hardware design with a really good operating system” (no need to wait for wp7 for that, as the author seems to suggest). The N9 and its custom version of the Meego OS will live long indeed, and in my opinion, will ultimately take its place as the preeminent smartphone platform. For proof, please check out Nokia’s N9 developer resources: http://www.developer.nokia.com/swipe
RB
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 2:05 PMBut smartphone allegiance is the new religion, thus the same petty bickering and stupid parallels must be drawn…
Instead of prophets, we have larger than life CEOs. Instead of missionaries, we have fanboys. Instead of crusades, we have pointless lawsuits. Instead of misguided lynching of non-believers, we have rampant flaming and trolling of those on the ‘other side’…
Technology may have changed, but mankind will still follow the same basic rules of herd mentality…
Morris
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 2:20 PMRB said: “Technology may have changed, but mankind will still follow the same basic rules of herd mentality…”
Got it in one mate.. :-P
maddogeco
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 2:39 PMopen source fans = pagans?
Daniel
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 4:50 PMJust another herd.
BenDTU
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 2:57 PMIt’s still a terrible time for Blackberries.
Richard Clement
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 2:58 PMThanks for that! As a lover of all kinds technology – I get pretty fed up with the polarisation of the debate here. Looking at it from the outside it does seem more that the Apple users tell everyone how great the Apple products are without knocking other products – while a lot of the Android users can’t just sing the praises of their own tech – it has to be at the expense of Apple and the Apple ‘fanboys’.
Now watch the trolls come out and have a crack at me for having an opinion…
BenDTU
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 3:03 PMAgreed.
Steve
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 3:19 PMActually, I’m a fandroid all the way, but I agree with you on this point. I think one reason why that happens is because fandroids love things being open. We troll because it’s frustrating (sometimes even saddening) to see apple users either blindly choose apple, our are forced to because they’re locked into the ecosystem. Usually an expensive system, which can make android v ios even a class debate.
BenDTU
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 3:44 PMNot trying to troll, but you could easily argue the other way. An Apple user could get frustrated seeing people tolerate things like laggy UIs, because in our mind that’s completely unacceptable and should be fixed by now. But that might not bother you, in the same way an Apple user might not be bothered by a so-called ‘closed’ ecosystem that consistantly works.
As I said lower down the page, different design mentalities, different people.
Steve
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 5:42 PMHi Ben, yes, there definitely is the flip-side. There are undoubtedly advantages to Apple’s closed model, although the advantages are becoming smaller and smaller over time. For instance the lag issue you mentioned is pretty much an issue of the past. Android phones of the last year are very responsive. iPhones may have had the edge in the past, but not any more.
Open models take over. Apple is closed, but it won’t last. The fact that it has done so well is a credit to Steve Jobs who is an absolute master mind. Apple won’t disappear – they’re a niche. But they will never be a powerhouse, monopolising the market.
Ozoneocean
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 7:15 PMThat is a troll post. On my recent trip to the US this year, all my iphone owning friends there were openly envious of my “fast” Android phone for its speed and responsiveness. They still preferred their though iphones because they were so used to the OS (as they should be), but they liked the speed of my phone more.
There are no inherent downsides to any platform really, just personal preference, as it should be. And being used to an OS is the very best reason to stick with your phone manufacturer.
MotorMouth
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 4:18 PMI don’t think that’s it. I think it is more that you read so many posts like Thorbjørn’s. He seems to have forgotten that only few years ago he had no trouble jumping to his first iPhone but now that he is in the cult, such thoughts are just too terrible to contemplate.
I think most Android users probably did as I did and actually went to the trouble of doing a bit of research and hands-on before buying, which I think gives them every right to be critical of devices they rejected. OTOH, most iPhone users I know have never so much as looked at other options. They buy an iPhone because.
BenDTU
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 4:43 PMIsn’t that non-objective “I’ve done my research so I’m right” attitude the very thing the author is complaining about?
MotorMouth
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 5:38 PMNot necessarily. e.g. When you look at a Retina Display side-by-side with a SuperAMOLED screen, both showing the same series of images, the comparison is completely objective. Same with drop tests, despite the fact some may try to pooh-pooh it.
Of course, a lot of other things are completely subjective too, e.g. whether a bigger screen is better, but many people seem incapable of understanding the difference.
To summarise – a SuperAMOLED screen IS better than a Retina Display but I PREFER a smaller screen. Of course, anyone who has an iPhone and an iPad cannot possibly argue that the former’s screen is big enough, else they wouldn’t need the latter, but that won’t stop ‘em.
BenDTU
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 10:18 PMLiterally everything you just said was subjective. I prefer my phone small enough to pocket. However I like my tablet the size it is because I do different things with it.
Do I therefore think there’s no reason for a 7″ tablet or 4.7″ phone? Not at all. I just don’t have a use for either, but I’m sure someone else out there does.
Ozoneocean
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 7:09 PMThis is true in my experience. No iphone owner I know looked into any other options before getting their phone. It was either a gift or they got them based on the marketing- being the it-phone that the media loves.
I don’t say that to make a critical point, it’s just how it is. It used to be Nokias that had that role, and Blackberries too (only for smartphone “elites” though). It’s a great place for any consumer item to be.
Simon
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 3:03 PMI agree with the editor. Look how he has posted an article about trying to get a long and people are still constantly bickering in the comments. I say good on Alex for writing it!
Every smartphone and OS has it’s ups and downs and things that do better and worse than other phones/OS’s, but without Jobs pushing that boundary, I don’t believe I would be sitting here with my GS2 today and getting excited like a little girl about ICS.
BenDTU
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 3:09 PMI’d say we’ve gotten to the point where we have multiple platforms which are all playing for different areas of the market. They all have different design mentalities and will appeal to different people.
These days when people ask me “Which phone should I get?” Instead of saying “Get device X, it’s the best” I find myself saying “Check out devices X, Y and Z, and see which one you like the best”.
zahli
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 4:11 PM“RIM’s not yet out of the fight, and in the name of competition, hopefully they’re not going anywhere soon.”
plus effen 1.
MotorMouth
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 4:29 PMIf you think things are bad around here, go and have a look at the comments at drive.com.au or carpoint.com.au, then you’ll see how completely incapable of objective and rational thought some people can be. And for me, that is what really gets my back up. So few comments you read about these things are objective and reasonable and that bugs the hell outta me. This is especially true when I read people trying to tell everyone how great OS X is when it drives me up the wall every, single day at work and in the past 8 months has crashed on me as much as all my PCs have in the past 8 years (i.e. Twice.)
MotorMouth
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 4:31 PMOne other thing, does anyone know what is happening with Bada? My mate has a Wave and it is actually pretty good.
John
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 4:56 PM“This is probably spitting into the wind, but I’ve got to wonder: Why can’t fans of opposing smartphone teams celebrate the remarkable successes everyone’s having?”
Because it’s not fun?
Ozoneocean
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 6:55 PMI agree with the thrust of this article. I love Android and the progress it has made in the market in such a short space of time is astonishing, that majority share of the smartphone market is huge…
But that also worries me quite a bit: if Apple, Windows and Blackberry continue to decline, that would be terrible for progress with smartphone development! Right now this is a rich, thriving ecosystem, but if any of the platforms fall bellow a certain threshold then they’re lost and so is their flavour of innovation- that’s already happened to a few.. If any system were to achieve a Windows-like dominance (PCs in the 1990s), that would be disastrous for everyone.
Smiley
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 7:29 AMThese comments are priceless. Well played, all.
smurfydog
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 8:55 PMI agree with Smiley.
Possibly the most entertaining collection of comments I’ve ever seen on Giz AU.
Thanks to all!
Lachlan Bromage
Monday, November 28, 2011 at 2:46 PMMan how hot is it today? Stupid weather…