Digital Life: Hero leads the charge in the Google phones revolution
More photos:Tuesday December 22 2009
Since the iPhone exploded on to the mobile scene two years ago, rivals have been scrambling to catch up. Now the one competitor we've all been waiting for has finally arrived: the Google phone.
Or, more precisely, phones. Not content with its dominant position as the 800lb gorilla of the internet, Google has turned its hand to producing free software that can be used by any phone manufacturer to power touchscreen devices.
The software, dubbed Android, has been available internationally for more than a year in just a handful of mobiles. But the first Android phones to be sold by Irish networks have only just landed.
So let's delve into some Androids to see what all the fuss is about.
HTC may not be a familiar name to many but it has a long track record making capable devices for other companies. The HTC Hero (Meteor only) is the firm's flagship phone -- small, light and distinctive.
The Galaxy Spica (O2 only) resembles other members of the Samsung family but works considerably better for its use of the slick Android system. Though roughly similar in cost to the Hero, it's more of a mid-tier phone. Its lower specs make it equivalent to HTC's Tattoo, another Android phone sold only by Vodafone.
In terms of their physical shape, the phones themselves are unmistakably different. The Hero has the edge even though its white duds are an acquired taste.
Common to all Androids is the user-friendly and attractive operating system that works in similar fashion to that of the iPhone. With taps and swipes of your fingertip, you'll soon be reading email, browsing the web, checking directions via GPS and listening to music.
HTC has gone considerably further than Samsung to customise the Android experience, with some simple but beautiful touches in its menu system, from the pretty weather widget to the one-button access to things such as WiFi and Bluetooth. The tiny trackball also helps enormously when navigating around that big screen.
Not surprisingly, Androids integrate smoothly with Google services such as Gmail, Maps and YouTube. But, most importantly, all Google-based phones have access to the Android Market, which now offers up to 20,000 applications to add functionality and fun to your handset.
That's a far cry from the iPhone's 100,000 apps but, most damningly, you cannot yet get paid-for apps for Android in Ireland because of billing issues. That cuts out a huge chunk of useful apps but hopefully the roadblock will be resolved soon.
So we've established that Android is a powerful operating system with the glitz to match the iPhone. The Apple handset keeps its nose clearly ahead by virtue of its superior handling of music, video, podcasts and so on through iTunes.
But Apple must surely be looking over its shoulder and worrying. Google reckons there'll be 19 Android phones by the end of the year and the choice will mean something for everyone as well as encouraging rivals to lift their game.
Here in Ireland, the decision is complicated by network exclusivity. The HTC Hero is far and away the best Android but until some time next year is available only on Meteor, whose 3G network is not nearly as extensive as that of Vodafone or O2.
The Hero's little brother, the Tattoo, has an FM radio where the Hero does not but otherwise can't keep up even at its cheaper price. The Galaxy Spica isn't a bad first Android from Samsung but lacks the smarts that make the Hero such a champ.
www.htc.com/uk
www.samsung.ie
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- Ronan Price
Irish Independent
