Android Review

When I decided I needed a new phone, I knew I was going to ditch the Blackberry in favor of something sexier. I'd been lusting after an iPhone for quite a while now, but couldn't bring myself to switch to AT&T.

I opted for T-Mobile's latest Android offering, the Motorola Cliq. I'm going to try to keep this review about the OS and not the phone itself, since I think Motorola has fucked this phone up big-time (more on that later).

Synchronization with Google is one of the key features of the Android system, and it is executed flawlessly. I was able to export all my contacts from my Blackberry into GMail and they're instantly available on my phone. Google Search, Maps, Places, and Tracks complete the package. Many features allow voice-searching, which is convenient.

The app store, while nice, has a long way to go to catch up with Apple. There just aren't that many super-great apps out there. Yet. I suspect that will change as Android phones gain wider market share.

I like the widgets, and I like that I can write my own apps for it (thought I have yet to do so).

I will say that Android itself is one of the coolest tech advancements I've seen in the last year. In theory, it allows phone manufacturers to focus on bring bad-ass hardware to the market, without having to worry about writing software for it.

Many Android owners ridicule the iPhone for being "too locked down". Well, guess what? To some extent, that's not always a bad thing. There are currently 3 versions of Android on the market right now, and many manufacturers don't have a clear path for getting them upgraded. This can cause many issues for developers, who generally aim to target the latest version. When we have 6 or 7 versions of Android available, many won't be able to run the apps that they download. Since the developer of the OS has no say in how or when it is implemented, it seems to me that this could cause issues.

Yes, it should be a simple upgrade. But it isn't always. Why? I'm glad you asked.

On my phone, Motorola has built a "MotoBlur" skin on top of the Android platform. They essentially hacked Android to add some worthless features that I can't imagine many people are using, and it basically cripples the phone. It's a brand-spankin'-new phone, and it's running Android 1.5, the first release, with Motorola saying they have no clear plans to upgrade. This is a major fuck-up.

The fact that Motorola released the Verizon Droid with Android 2.0 at the same time as the Cliq is rather mind-boggling.

Most developers have openly stated that they are no longer supporting version 1.5. Hell, even the G1, which was released a year ago, is running 1.6!

The phone itself is also not particularly well-made. It looks nice and feels substantial (read: heavy), but the face is a bit wiggly and some of the buttons are kind of chintzy.

So, while I love the phone, I don't love the prospect of it being completely outdated in the next 6 months.

I'm hesitant to root the phone, because that would void my warranty. But I also don't want to get left behind. If I don't have an update by January 1st, I'm gonna root it.

Admittedly, this probably won't be a very big deal for most people, but I'm not most people. I'm very particular in wanting the brand new gadgets that I pay several hundred dollars for remain relevant beyond the first month of ownership.

So, in summary: Android good, Motorola needs to get their shit together.