Tool First, Toy Second!

Howdy! I'm not from Texas, but I do like to say Howdy.

I am MrHacks. A computer science major from the Show Me State of Missouri and former AT&T customer.

I've been known to be a bit ranty, random, or even ornery at times. But I try my best to regulate my temper. Mostly my agressiveness stems from my orneryness rather than anger. So no, I am not abusive. Just subborn.

With that out of the way, hopefully we can come to a mutual understanding as to why I sometime state things that may seem irrelevant or whatever pops in my head. I'll try to hang around in The Lounge as much as possible, but expect me to be seen poking around in the Motorola Droid section.

I sometimes hang out at the Verizon board, but now that I am a Member here, I think I'll spend more time here. That and you can't access Lithium message boards on the Droid very well. (A couple of gliches with the WYSIWYG editor. That and the Verizon website is very slow.)

I like to be kind of a mythbuster. Call it being a little paranoid or aware, but I can't help but think people show up at Android forums (be it at Verizon or here) to kick sand in people's faces and tell them how much better their iPhone is or how AT&T is better. As a former AT&T customer, I will never want to use their service again.

In fact, even in this economic depression, AT&T sure likes to push people's faces in the dirt, whether you are unemployed and looking for work or a member of the Communications Workers of America trying to keep your job at AT&T. (For more about what people think of the Blue Death Star, check out ATTGREED | AT&T Corporate Greed )

AT&T is the only major carrier that has NO Android enabled devices. Even their HTC phones run Windows Moble instead of Android.

In 2007, right about the time the iPhone came out, I was not interested in becoming part of the iPhone fad. I was eyeing a Blackberry. The local AT&T store didn't have Blackberry devices while Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon were using them. Having no understanding of how to leave a previous 2 year contract with AT&T, I was stuck with an obsolete Palm Treo for the next two years.

On November 6, 2009, I was more than elated to depart from AT&T Hell forever. For what I was paying for service and the age of the device, paying for a data plan meant for an iPhone but using a phone that was around before the iPod was burning me up.

This past month, I have had nothing but good things to say about my Motorola Droid. The device may not be perfect, but as we are quickly learning, many of its flaws eventually become strengths over time. I'm quite happy with my Droid. In fact, I don't think I've been this happy to have a cellphone since my first cellphone in 2002, which was a Motorola V66 through T-Moble.

I was shocked to here that Motorola wasn't doing so well recently. Especially since much of my family still uses the Motorola RAZRs from like five years ago. Aparently, the past five years have been unkind to Moto. One website even has Motorola listed as a brand that will disappear in the next year. But I highly doubt that.

The Motorola Droid is a Hail Mary play for the Chicago-based phone developer. No other phone manufacturer has put in such effort to save itself. To give Motorola away to Samsung, LG, or Nokia would be foolish. Moto is the Ford of the cellphone industry to let it fade away would be like closing down the American automobile industry for good--something the Italians at Fiat seem to have planed for Chrystler. (Why else would the balk at the government's bailout of Chrystler and screw over everyone there at the first place?

The HTC Eris may have the more attractive interface than the Moto Droid, but to truely enjoy Android, you should really consider the Motorola Droid.

It should be important for any phone manufacturer that when you construct a device, your must remember that it is a Phone First and a Toy Second. A phone is a tool, a device that allows people to communicate freely without wires between long distances. A Toy is mearly for entertainment.

The iPhone is more toy than tool. I'm not even sure you can call the iPhone an Internet appliance (which is a tool) considering all the whimsical, non-essential "apps" that do all sorts of goofy things except really get work done.

As proof that the iPhone is more toy than tool, it comes with a set of ear-buds in the box that are only meant to be used on the iPhone and not on any other device. An entire line of products devoted to the iPhone and that only work with the iPhone have been released in the past two years.

There is only one other franchies I can think that has it's own line of accessories meant for its own product.


I can't find an HD Radio at K-Mart, but there is the Barbie iPod dock for your iPhone right there in the electronics department at K-mart. I can't find the a good pair of headphones, but there's the Barbie iPod dock.

Just like Barbie, the iPhone/iPod/iTouch/iJustDon'tGiveADamn, their is an image tied to this product. A psychological marketing that says "if I'm a blond blue eyed woman with a disproportionate body I will get everything I want". There is a consumer culture surrounding it. Much like the skiny people in the Calvin Klien or Gap ads.

I've never been one of the beautiful people. Sure I may be hansome, but beautiful, never.

The iPhone calls itself perfect. It has manufactured its own cult of personality. Despite the Droid being listed as Time Magazine's Best Gadget of 2009 ( Motorola Droid - The Top 10 Everything of 2009 - TIME ) the same article devoted at least two article of the Best of 2009 to items in the Apple AppStore or iPhone Accessories. ("Daddy, I want my Barbie to live in an Barbie Dreamhouse, a Barbie RV, and have a Barbie Convertable...")

The Droid as I stated eariler is not perfect. It doesn't need to be perfect. The Droid has this remarkable ablity to adapt, to grow, to develop. The Droid is not perfect, but it has the potential to become better than perfect according to ones needs as to how they wish to use the device.

Where the iPhone has this extravagant lifestyle attached to it, the Droid has a DIY ethic. The ablity to take information and make it a useful extension to the human ability. It becomes a tool. It might not have hundreds of accessories. It might not have 100,000 apps (yet). But I can develop my own apps. (Well not yet, I need to get the Android SDK set up and brush up a bit on my Java, but I am very interested.) None of my other phones have ever made me feel like my programming had a purpose. Some apps are free (Google Goggles) and some you have to pay for (Documents To Go). The only free App that I can think of at the Apple App Store is an app to register a complaint to AT&T as to tell them how much they suck...which is then sent to a spam bin.

Well, it's getting late. I think I should wrap this up. I want to thank the people at Android Forums for allowing me to shoot the breeze here.

I'll see you guys around!

 

[quote="Hellw