Android

Phones have slowly started to eat up a large percentage of my imaginary spending. Ever since Motorola announced that it was going to take several months to port Android 2.1, I have been searching for a new phone. Now that Motorola has blown well past its own deadline - without providing a new deadline for the update - I have been seriously considering a new phone.

I feel like I have discussed Motorola before. They are an utterly incompetent company anymore; incapable of keeping promises and communicating with their customers in any way, shape, or form. They actively oppose their current customers, seeming to care only about the new sales that might be had. They do not deserve your money, no matter how shiny the Droid X and Droid 2 might be. Motorola will, as they have been doing for years now, find some way to screw you in the end. I promise.

That said, I have been window shopping for phones. Normally this is a harmless activity, but today I found myself hovering over the order button for a Google Nexus One. The N1 has always been on my radar, but recent experiences have made it look even more attractive.

The biggest problem I have with Android is that every company - HTC, Samsung, and especially the disgrace that is Motorola - insists on putting their own skin on top of Android. Nobody ships a phone with the native OS, which causes problems. The inclusion of a skin means that the manufacturers get to rob users of updates, contributing to the platform fragmentation that is - and likely will always be - the thorn in Android's side. In my case, for example, I have a Motorola CLIQ. It shipped with Android 1.5 topped with an invasive skin called Motoblur. Yes, Blur adds some polish and features to stock Android, but what it takes away is far greater: I am now three or four major revisions behind the curve. This means I miss out on everything contained in those updates including, but not limited to new features (i.e. Google Maps Navigation), new Apps (i.e. Amazon's Kindle Reader; Google Goggles), Performance and Interface improvements, and security updates. Google's own phone, the Nexus One which, as we recall, runs Android with no skins, was updated immediately when each new version was released. The lack of a third-party skin meant that very little extra programming was required to have a working release.

But some users appreciate skins. They cover up the rough edges of what is very much a tinkerer's OS. They appeal to the common user who has no interest in digging through pages of settings. This fact makes it lucrative for phone manufacturers - after all, people who want to futz with their smartphones all day are a small market segment. The real problem, then, is the fact that the process of flashing a new firmware onto the phone, an act that is relatively common among Android power users, has the unfortunate effect of voiding the phone's warranty. Manufacturers actively oppose these developers, these people trying to improve the platform, by adding extra layers of security to make it harder to port stock Android to phones. Furthermore, manufacturers make it difficult (if not impossible) to obtain drivers for their hardware. Without drivers for specific pieces of hardware, these modders cannot make truly stable versions of Android for phones.

It is frustrating to say the least. Google continues to pump out updates to it's already-solid OS, but Android's reputation is sullied by the fragmentation introduced by all the unnecessary skins piled atop it.

So what needs to happen? First, manufacturers need to provide either a vanilla Android ROM for their phones - an updated version with no skin or special features - or they must provide drivers for their devices and modify their warranties so that people can safely try different versions of the OS if they are so inclined. Ideally, they would simply give up on their skins altogether, or at least set reasonable deadlines for upgrades. Second, Google should be in the game setting strict rules (at least): Advertising campaigns have seen to it that Android is connected with Google in the minds of consumers, so every botched phone (Read: Motorola device) reflects poorly on Google as well as the manufacturer. Without regulations on when things must be updated or how long devices must be supported (Suggestion: for at least the next two major OS revisions), Google runs the risk of turning consumers off to Android as a product. I am of the opinion that Google needs to lay down these rules and enforce them. We know they have the muscle to support any threats, and with the increased momentum of Android in the mobile space, denying a manufacturer access to the OS could damage them a fair amount. Finally, Google needs to keep making its own pet phone. The Nexus One is being phased out as we speak, and its disappearance from the market is sad indeed. In a sea of Android devices with absurd skins and additions, the Nexus One has been a pillar of sanity for those of us who would rather have an up-to-date device with the latest bells and whistles than a pretty-on-the-surface device that lagged years behind.