Jini Computer

As apposed to Apple’s iPhone iOS, RIM’s Blackberry and Nokia’s Symbian, Google’s Android OS can exist on many non-Google smart phones or tablets, currently it’s on handsets from HTC, Sony, LG and Samsung just to name a few. So if history is to repeat itself, this is very similar to when MSDOS and Windows came to the picture back in the 90s, this resulted into software developers wanting to write software for Windows in order to spread on as much hardware as possible.

What makes Android even more interesting is the fact that it’s based on open source Linux, which makes it even more desirable by developers as they can tweak the OS to their liking and come up with pretty creative solutions.

All that and the fact that it is Google who is behind Android OS, which should make many killer apps to make stand out from the crowd.

I think the only thing that’s holding Android from world domination is the number, and more importantly, the quality of it’s applications available, and I think it’s just a matter of a time, maybe early 2011 when we will see those quality killer apps running on very powerful smart phones.

Owning an iPhone 3G for the last 2 years, was fun. I got an officially unlocked unit from Hong Kong, I learned how to jailbreak it, install all sorts of software, lost all the work after an update, jailbreak again, install again, update, ..you know what happened. My iPhone is currently on iOS 4.0.1, no multitasking nor home screen backgrounds because of performance impact on the aging hardware.

I can say that I have some favorite apps that I would definitely look for if I am going for an Android phone, I would also look for good battery life, and not to mention accessories like the nice Bose speakers or the nice Logic3 valve amplifiers.

I’m in a bit of a see-saw when it comes to deciding right now, I’m leaning towards a high end Android phone rather than going for an iPhone 4, I’m shortlisting the Samsung Galaxy S or the HTC Desire, as they’re both available here in the UK. Both come with Android 2.1 Eclair, and that is an issue that should be resolved soon, the 2.2 Froyo update is a major one, for one thing it lets the phone  become 2-5 times faster, not to mention a full Flash 10.1 support on the browser, that’s something you’ll never get on an iPhone.

Another thing I like about Android phones is that they have FM radio, sounds silly right? I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to listen to Magic FM using 3G networks.

But, and there’s the ‘but’, Google is developing Android 3.0 Gingerbread, bearing in mind that 2.2 is a major update, this must be a super update, websites are already talking about dual-core phones in the pipe line that will be handled by Gingerbread, if that’s the case, then I’m not sure that I’d jump ship to the Samsung Galaxy S or the HTC Desire, as they might not be ready to receive the 3.0 update when it comes.

I have a feeling that a new generation of high-end Android phones are coming, that could take a another couple of months.

With an iPhone 4 I wouldn’t worry about updates to the OS at least for a couple of years, it’s got a decent HD video camera, a front camera, but best of all, an elegant look.