hacker emblem

Friday, July 15, 2011

I Demand Improvements!

While my smartphone system of choice is Google's Android I try to allow myself to see the pros and cons to all systems. Today I would like to take the time to vent my anger about the problems I and many others like myself face with the Android environment everyday and even possibly talk about solutions to these issues and what you can do to avoid making a big mistake like I did. I like to consider myself intelligent when it comes to technology, after all I write a blog based on knowledge of such a topic. I take the time to learn about different systems, hardware, software, coding languages but even I have fallen victim to the issues that plague certain mobile users. No one solution is ever right for all users and as such I hate when I hear people saying iPhone is best or Android is better because that is certainly not the case, there are faults to be found in both and each will suit a certain type of person, I hope for you to keep this in mind as you read this post and in the future.

My first real complaint will be software side. Particularly I am speaking about applications. I get it that Google is trying to be completely open about their OS and not having an approval process like Apple. But what bugs me is that there is a better option than just letting anybody put anything on the Market. Android has the ability to sideload applications so there is no need for them to be in the Android Market. Due to this fact Google could put in place at least a minor quality check for new software coming through. There are so many new apps on the Market everyday and it is becoming confusing because only a small handful are actually of good quality. Another possibility is to still do manual quality checks but have a special section within the Market for quality approved applications. Either way would force developers to spend more time on making their mobile apps better and would simplify the process for some users while keeping the ability to sideload apps for more advanced users.

My next complaint is about hardware. Android phones typically are the most advanced hardware side due to new phones being released almost daily. The problem with all this new hardware is that often people find that the phone is not of wonderful quality and lots of issues arise that carriers and makers are unwilling to work with. For instance, in most phones there is a serious issue with battery life that is not normal for smartphones. This happens usually for companies not optimizing the device and then in the case of the Droid 2 Global they just leave you, the consumer, to deal with the issue. Since Android seems to becoming more about the money, it is now being found that some smartphone makers are using cheaper parts which doesn't help out in the long run. There needs to be more complaints filed towards carriers and smartphone makers to make these issues their problems. It is up to us to fight for our rights.

Android is a great platform but people are trying to exploit it for profit and it is this greed that is putting a hurting on it. Most smartphones are now being released with tons of bloatware so that companies can get more money, this software can not be removed easily and sometimes has adverse affects on performance. Myself personally had an issue where the included Skype app was killing 50% of my battery and I hadn't even signed up to use it yet. This greed is keeping users from getting the true quality they deserve. Every once in awhile a good device comes along, especially ones that are approved by Google such as the Nexus brand but it is not enough. There needs to be serious improvements and soon the the entire system for Android to keep up in the aggressive mobile market.

No comments:

Post a Comment