Quick Take. In my opinion, the Google Phone is the most technologically advanced phone on the market right now.  If I bought a phone today, it would be from Google.  There are phones that compare in specs (HTC HD2) and phones the compare in UX (iPhone), but nothing is as complete as the Google N1.

A new approach to buying a mobile phone? In the press conference yesterday, Google announced that they would sell the N1 directly to consumers and allow for the option to purchase the phone unlocked.  They described this as a new approach to buying a mobile phone.  As someone who has been using unlocked phones for 2+ years now, I can tell you that Google’s approach is far from novel.  What is mind boggling about the announcement is that the unlocked phone still only works with 3G on 1 carrier.  But, honestly, the blame for this lies with the FCC, not with Google.  Because the 3G spectrum is unregulated, it is pretty much impossible to sell a true unlocked phone in the US.  Hopefully this changes with 4G.

What I really like. I think I like the concept of Android as much as I do the device itself.  Android has taken everything that people like about the iPhone—an easy-to-use interface, access to a bunch of apps, and a great browser—and ported it to an open platform.  In addition, they have added best-of-breed access to all their services.

On the shortcomings of the Google N1. I think Walt Mossberg always provides the best reviews.  And, his N1 review follows suit.  As his negatives, he mentions some UX issues, a fewer amount of available Apps, and a lack of cohesive media software like iTunes.  In terms of UX issues, what I like about Android is that no one iterates as fast as they have.  There has been 4 major releases of Android in the last year, compared to 1 each from the other major mobile devices.  In terms of apps, they already have 20,000+ and a ton more coming with market share.  I personally can only think of about 5 apps that I would want, and their app store covers the bases on that.  In terms of media applications, I really expect this to be dominated by third parties on the N1.  I believe that next year is the year services like spotify will take hold.  And, we will start thinking of storing MP3s on your own hard drive as being last decade tech.

Will I buy it? Maybe.  I think I almost talked myself into while writing this article.  But, I still want to wait and see what Windows Mobile 7 looks like before I make a decision.  As I said at the beginning of the article, the Google N1 is at the top of my list.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 7:41 am and is filed under Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.