I'm an Android girl. I tell everyone I meet who dares to start a conversation with me about phones that Android is the superior platform. Mostly because I have major problems with Apple's "gatekeeper" mentality.
By day, I'm a professional writer and editor, and free speech is something I'm passionate about. I take to heart the classic Voltaire quote "I might not like what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." I firmly believe that apps on mobile platforms should not be censored based on an obscure set of beliefs. Not only are they not clear on what will get your application banned at Apple, I think, in general, that people should be allowed to make up their own minds about what they want. I don't need someone else telling me what's appropriate for me to view on the phone I spent my own money on.
A better system, I think, is the Android market. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but instead of someone telling the market what they can have, the market decides for itself what's good and what's not. Apps that are offensive or defective are rated as such by the community of users, and I, as a consumer, can choose to bypass it or download it at my own discretion. I'd like to see a ratings systems, perhaps, where instead of just commenting, users could give an app ratings, to make it even easier to search based on your comfort level, but that's a discussion for another day.
The reason for this little rant is that app developers, the good ones, have been slow to jump on the Android platform. I understand their concerns - Apple has one piece of hardware that they control, so development is fairly easy. Android, on the other hand, has more handsets and versions in the market than I care to go through here. The specs can vary widely between low- and high-end units, and that makes it challenging for developers. I get it. I do.
However, the Android community is growing faster than any other mobile platform. People are flocking to it because of some of the points I've mentioned above. Choice is not a bad thing, and while I personally won't own an iPhone unless someone gives it to me and agrees to pay the monthly bill (Heck, who wouldn't?) that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the choice and the competition that creates. But come on, developers!
Angry Birds from Rovio, the first major polished iPhone game to make the jump, proved how much the market is craving this type of application. Android users want access to the amazing games, utilities and apps iPhone users have access to. My personal list of apps I can't wait to see ported over include the official Starbucks app (I'm a junkie, I admit it), Plants vs Zombies, and Cut the Rope. I was very excited when Angry Birds came over, and I have both the original and Seasons versions on my phone right now. I was also glad to see Chase bank bring it's app to Android, with the incredibly cool ability to deposit checks with the camera. I want to see more of this type of innovation and creativity come to Android.
My wish for the New Year is to see just that. I'll be anxiously awaiting the few points my iPhone-loving friends can hold over my Android heart to slowly dissipate. I hope developers will embrace the platform sooner, rather than later, and bring to Android all of their amazing applications the market is begging for.
No comments:
Post a Comment