I am frustrated, and this is, clearly, a rant. It's true. But I don't claim this to be anything more than just one (new) user's subjective-perspective.
I feel as though Android (1.5) is--out of the box, anyway--positively the antithesis of its Linux roots. Linux gave us control, and let us run things our way. But attempts seem many and varied from the Brass ranks to control the experience. No doubt, the fact that it is born from open-source has meant that if you really want, you really can take total control. But does it have to be conformity or exile?
What I mean is, though Windows (Destop or Mobile) has many flaws, I've always felt a fantastic sense of opportunity, control, options, etc.--I think this has more to do with Microsoft's history than with genius or spirit. Anyway, if I "x" out of an app, it closes! It's gone baby, gone. Never to come back--unless I say so. If I want a new application, I can checkout Staples, NewEgg, Softpedia, C/Net, etc., etc., etc. And none are more official than the other. And I don't have to search for them on my phone through a controlled interface.
And none of the above requires a root-kit, research, hacks, tips or tricks, just the essential PC how-to's. Though not all Distributions are that way, Linux in general is the same (for the desktop, anyway). If I tell an app to lie down and die, it does. And I didn't need an add-on for it, nor did I have to open an application just so I could close another. I just hit the button (or at most just 2-clicked: file->exit).
Also, I'm not yet sure why, but it seems as though many or most of the applications--especially multimedia ones--are the sort of mushy-headed, wimpy, high-fashionista, controlled interfaces you'd expect in the dumbed-down I-Phone world. What's so hard about {file->open->Ok Computer.m3u} anyway? Haven't found one that I can do that with. Oh-no, you'll search the library and you'll get downloaded album art--and you'll like it, hipster!
In short I bought a tool, and I want to use it my way, but I don't want a new hobby, project or advanced degree every time I want to stray outside the lines a little bit. If I want to close applications, sure, I can do a little research and try a few different apps for that (results may vary). If background apps are going to run even after hiding them, then the option to shut them down should be built in--and simple.
Having said all this, I think Android is the most exciting and promising thing in mobile computing and comm yet. Even the Android Market. Yes, I said it: though I really wish finding cool apps was easier on just plain old, hmmm--Google!--I do like the Marketplace. I-Phonies seem to like it, and I have nothing against something that makes it really simple and easy. And it does that. I love the Out-of-Box interface too. The scrolling, three-faced home screen with icons that can be added and easily arranged is fantastic--took no time at all to figure out. And most importantly, the fact that ultimately we do indeed have the power to add and remove functionality--if we want to invest the time--is unbeatable.
What I'm getting at is, well, for now there's no middle ground (Android is still fairly new, though). For now, it seems as though I either have to accept the out of the box Fischer-Price mode, or move straight past the power user stage and get out my solder and shrink tube. If the former doesn't work for me, it means I have to invest more hours than I have free to do things I've already long since invested time on, for half a dozen other time-tested platforms.
Remember, this is--categorically--a rant...an opinion. If anything, it is intended to caution, not dissuade. ...certainly not to offend or deride. It isn't even a review, and clearly countless others are quite happy with Android--right out of the box.
I feel as though Android (1.5) is--out of the box, anyway--positively the antithesis of its Linux roots. Linux gave us control, and let us run things our way. But attempts seem many and varied from the Brass ranks to control the experience. No doubt, the fact that it is born from open-source has meant that if you really want, you really can take total control. But does it have to be conformity or exile?
What I mean is, though Windows (Destop or Mobile) has many flaws, I've always felt a fantastic sense of opportunity, control, options, etc.--I think this has more to do with Microsoft's history than with genius or spirit. Anyway, if I "x" out of an app, it closes! It's gone baby, gone. Never to come back--unless I say so. If I want a new application, I can checkout Staples, NewEgg, Softpedia, C/Net, etc., etc., etc. And none are more official than the other. And I don't have to search for them on my phone through a controlled interface.
And none of the above requires a root-kit, research, hacks, tips or tricks, just the essential PC how-to's. Though not all Distributions are that way, Linux in general is the same (for the desktop, anyway). If I tell an app to lie down and die, it does. And I didn't need an add-on for it, nor did I have to open an application just so I could close another. I just hit the button (or at most just 2-clicked: file->exit).
Also, I'm not yet sure why, but it seems as though many or most of the applications--especially multimedia ones--are the sort of mushy-headed, wimpy, high-fashionista, controlled interfaces you'd expect in the dumbed-down I-Phone world. What's so hard about {file->open->Ok Computer.m3u} anyway? Haven't found one that I can do that with. Oh-no, you'll search the library and you'll get downloaded album art--and you'll like it, hipster!
In short I bought a tool, and I want to use it my way, but I don't want a new hobby, project or advanced degree every time I want to stray outside the lines a little bit. If I want to close applications, sure, I can do a little research and try a few different apps for that (results may vary). If background apps are going to run even after hiding them, then the option to shut them down should be built in--and simple.
Having said all this, I think Android is the most exciting and promising thing in mobile computing and comm yet. Even the Android Market. Yes, I said it: though I really wish finding cool apps was easier on just plain old, hmmm--Google!--I do like the Marketplace. I-Phonies seem to like it, and I have nothing against something that makes it really simple and easy. And it does that. I love the Out-of-Box interface too. The scrolling, three-faced home screen with icons that can be added and easily arranged is fantastic--took no time at all to figure out. And most importantly, the fact that ultimately we do indeed have the power to add and remove functionality--if we want to invest the time--is unbeatable.
What I'm getting at is, well, for now there's no middle ground (Android is still fairly new, though). For now, it seems as though I either have to accept the out of the box Fischer-Price mode, or move straight past the power user stage and get out my solder and shrink tube. If the former doesn't work for me, it means I have to invest more hours than I have free to do things I've already long since invested time on, for half a dozen other time-tested platforms.
Remember, this is--categorically--a rant...an opinion. If anything, it is intended to caution, not dissuade. ...certainly not to offend or deride. It isn't even a review, and clearly countless others are quite happy with Android--right out of the box.
). I enjoy looking through the market and forums and finding new things.
