My sister requested advice from some us on Facebook about what type of smartphone she should purchase (her first). The response from all quarters was any Droid-based smartphone. Droid, short for Android, is Google's invention. So I thought I'd write a bit about my impressions of Droid thus far.
I know this won't please most of the people who read my blog (as if anything I write does now that I think about it), as this post is about technology ... so feel free to pass ... you know who you are.
I've been horsing around daily (and occasionally even working) with technology for almost 30 years and if there is one thing I've learned it's that technology is continually evolving at break neck speeds and today's killer app (or service) will, one day, wind up on the scrap heap absent careful attention to competition and emerging tech in their respective space. Thus far it's been as inevitable as death, taxes, and public stupidity. Betamax, Novell Netware, Blockbuster and many other examples as well. All leaders in their field at one time. All road kill now (well I guess Blockbuster is still on life support to be fair about it).
As most people who know me will agree, I'm somewhat of a hard sell when it comes to technology. For one thing, and this is heresy to most, I am not a sycophant for Apple and its technology. Apple makes good stuff, but not nearly as good as their many fans would claim. It breaks just like any other technology but you wouldn't know it to hear some of the discussion. My favorite is that the Mac OS is virus and hack proof. That's absolutely hysterical to anyone who knows how code really works. But that is a common misconception of Apple software for a great many people.
Another is that they are engineered better from a hardware perspective. Maybe, but I doubt it. Apple buys parts from the same suppliers as Dell, HP & IBM. Hard drives from the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and such. Not that its necessarily bad as a result of their overseas lineage, just that it breaks with the same frequency (known as MTBF, mean time before failure). Several years ago we probably bought an iPod a year to replace previous units on which the drives had failed, warranty already expired ... and like that.
No, Apple's success, and they are one of the most successful tech firms out there right now, comes because they do (at least) two things extremely well ... they greatly simplify the technology such that it is easy to understand and use (even when errors occur ... hello Microsoft did you get that?), and they strictly control their brand and public message. The latter of which may be the more difficult of the two actually. The Mac versus PC ads being a classic example. The ads aren't even directly targeted at Microsoft (they don't make PCs yet though rumors of an iPad or tablet-like PC continue), but the simple message is very clear to casual users and investors alike. We're better than they are. Period. This also allows them to sell product at much higher prices than competitors which is a very nice thing in a market as close to commodity as there is. But what happens when the competition trumps you on functionality AND price? Not good, Mr. Jobs, not good.
Apple's Achilles heel, and the reason their iPhone will soon be looking up at Droid-based models, is that they continue to insist on proprietary products. That has been, heretofore, the model by which companies have made money in technology, not just Apple. The problem with that is that the world is moving very quickly toward an open source model, one in which everyone can share code and cash must be generated in different ways (such as advertising and sheer size of client-base ... think Facebook).
Enter Droid. The OS is a modified version of Linux, itself a stripped down and modified form of Unix. So it's free basically. And so are the tools by which applications and widgets can be developed. As well, Unix and its many derivatives, are designed from the ground up to be multi-user operating systems. Put simply they can function as both workstation and server simultaneously.
Droid also keeps things simple for the user in much the same fashion as other Google apps like GMail and Google Apps. Even their smartphone security is a clever "draw a pattern" technology, rather than requiring yet another password. People are sick of passwords and deal much better with pictures anyway. So essentially you draw your own security access (connecting at least 4 buttons in whatever order):
What Droid does in addition, and this is where Google has been so brilliant at changing the way the game will be played, is allow for simple cross platform applications and network integration, something Microsoft has struggled with since their introduction of the Windows mobile OS. Every version a disaster for one reason or another. Apple's products are primarily targeted at individual users which limits their usefulness in enterprise environments. As an example, in order to sync the iPhone with corporate e-mail systems, iTunes and Bonjour (device discovery software) are required on the desktop. Few technical security people would even consider such a deployment.
Bottom line, Droid is as simple if not more so than Apple's related products. As Droid moves into other vertical markets such as music, books and other economic pursuits, it will become the dominant force in both enterprise and personal technology arenas.
Check back in 30 years ... :-)
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