17+ Androids Assault the iPhone : The Age of the Android

By Paul Escallier , published on September 30, 2009 at 8:00 PM
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The age of the Android is upon us. No, we’re not talking about humanoid robots, but are referring to Google’s mobile operating system. The Android operating system is very similar to the iPhone OS in that it has an app store open to independent developers. However, it is very different than the iPhone OS because it is a completely open-source platform, meaning that not only is the Android Market (Android’s version of the App Store) open to any developer, but the OS itself is open to developers as well. This gives manufacturers a cheap starting point for developing new devices, and perhaps more importantly, it gives smaller companies the opportunity to get a piece of the fast-growing smart phone market. Phone makers are optimistic about the OS and are expected to launch up to 20 Android phones by the end of 2009. Compare that fact to how there are only two iPhones from which you can choose (both made by Apple).

Here’s the breakdown of Android products you can expect from U.S. carriers.
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Comments
JohnnyLucky 10/01/2009 10:50 AM
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With so many choices it looks like competition is heating up.

hellwig 10/01/2009 10:18 PM
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I'm going for an Apple strangle hold on AT&T. In the end, they'll regret ever bidding for the iPhone.

Good to see so many Android phones coming. Means when I have to replace my G1, I can keep all my Android stuff. I'd hate to be an iPhone user, stuck forever to whatever phone Apple decides to release next, lest I lose all my paid-for apps.

quantumrand 10/02/2009 12:00 PM
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hellwig :
I'm going for an Apple strangle hold on AT&T. In the end, they'll regret ever bidding for the iPhone.Good to see so many Android phones coming. Means when I have to replace my G1, I can keep all my Android stuff. I'd hate to be an iPhone user, stuck forever to whatever phone Apple decides to release next, lest I lose all my paid-for apps.



I have to agree. From a marketting standpoint, it makes no sense for AT&T to ignore the Android platform, especially since so many people are dumping them because they aren't happy with the new iPhone. Sure, AT&T's network is over saturated, but that shouldn't mean that they would want customers to leave. What kind of business practice would that be?

jhalf 10/02/2009 6:46 PM
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The sholes/tao/a855/"droid" will not have moto blur as it is a google experience device meaning that there will be no motorola or verizon influence on it.

go here for more details

http://www.howardforums.com/showth [...] ge=1&pp=15

quantumrand 10/02/2009 8:32 PM
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jhalf :
The sholes/tao/a855/"droid" will not have moto blur as it is a google experience device meaning that there will be no motorola or verizon influence on it. go here for more detailshttp://www.howardforums.com/showth [...] ge=1&pp=15



I think you're probably right. Original speculation was that the Sholes was taking longer than expected because they were outfitting it with the MOTOBLUR interface, but as of a couple days ago, some photos came out of it turned on. In those photos, it certainly doesn't look like there is any custom interface work going on.

It's really unfortunate because I don't think the supperior specs alone will be enough for it to take the iPhone crown. The regular Android interface, while arguably more functional than the i Phone, isn't really what I consider aesthetic.

jhalf 10/02/2009 11:07 PM
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hopefully eclair will change that

quantumrand 10/03/2009 12:56 PM
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Assuming Sony Ericsson get the X3 out in a timely manor, the iPhone will have a lot of catching up to do. Sadly, Sony Ericsson and "timely manor" dont really go hand in hand...

There's always the possibility that the modders will being the Touch Flo interface to the Sholes (though I'd prefer it on the A1).

orionite 10/05/2009 6:55 PM
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One could argue that "timely" and "manor" don't even go hand in hand... :P

I agree with you though, that phone looks extremely stylish and apart from the fact that I like the android platform, it's the only one that appeals to me aesthetically.

quantumrand 10/05/2009 9:37 PM
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For anyone who is interested, the Samsung Behold 2 was just officially announced: http://phandroid.com/2009/10/05/sa [...] uchwiz-ui/

It looks like it's pretty much just the US version of the Galaxy.

wixer 10/06/2009 9:36 AM
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The A1 in current form runs CPU: Qualcomm 8250 768MHz,ROM 512mb/RAM 256mb, LCD: 3.5” WVGA (800x480) TFT-LCD on a version 1.6 Donut

testerie 10/06/2009 11:44 AM
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This is for another scenario testing.

zingam 10/07/2009 1:21 PM
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Americans get PS3 launches and Europeans get Phone launches... Damn! Who sux more?

excalibur1814 10/10/2009 6:01 PM
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Has Google fixed Bluetooth yet or are people still ignoring Androids faults?

rakl 10/29/2009 5:17 PM
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I'm an iPhone owner/user and am all for the concept of Android, but I have to tell you that I have had more than 5 bad HTC phones over the past 3 years, and not a single issue with my iPhone that I couldn't resolve myself. ALL of the HTC phones had fatal issues when it comes to batteries overheating/exploding, cellular radio problems, etc. If HTC could make reliable hardware, I'd be all over it.

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