It’s September 2008, and the mobile world has been living in the shadow of the iPhone for over a year. While the iPhone is a masterpiece of design, it’s also a "walled garden." Today, we finally have the alternative: the T-Mobile G1 (the HTC Dream), the first commercial device running Google’s Android OS.
Open vs. Closed
Android is built on a Linux kernel and is open source (via the Android Open Source Project). For developers, this is a massive shift. You don't need a Mac to develop for it. You can write your apps in Java, a language millions of us already know.
The Hardware
The G1 is a "busy" device. It has a slide-out physical keyboard, a trackball, and five physical buttons at the bottom. It feels like it was designed by engineers for engineers. Compared to the minimalist iPhone, it’s a bit of a brick.
But the software is where the potential lies. The integration with Google services-Gmail, Maps, Calendar-is seamless. And unlike the early iPhone, Android supports "Multitasking" (though in a limited way) and has a flexible "Notifications" system that actually makes sense.
<!-- Android's UI is defined in XML, which feels very modern -->
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.microsoft.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Hello, Android World!" />
</LinearLayout>
The Market
The Android Market (their version of the App Store) is live, but it’s sparse. The curation is much looser than Apple’s, which is both a blessing and a curse.
Looking Ahead
The G1 is the start of a marathon. Google isn't trying to make the perfect phone; they’re trying to make the perfect platform. By giving Android away for free to hardware manufacturers like Samsung, Motorola, and HTC, they are going to flood the market. It’s the Windows vs. Mac battle all over again, but this time it’s in our pockets.
Aunimeda develops mobile applications for iOS and Android - from MVP to production-ready apps with full backend integration.
Contact us to discuss your mobile project. See also: Mobile App Development, Mobile Game Development