Otaku Gadgets

Looks like the Android devs have been really busy of late. And they have also probably thickened in their ranks. How else would you explain the fact that the Android Markertplace now has over 20,000 Android apps? That too after having only half that amount only 5 months back.

Actually, this growth spurt is no coincidence. Android itself has seen massive market penetration and has spread far and wide during these last few months. This means that the Android is being used by more people on more handsets than ever before. This in turn translates into more profits for developers who want to make money off selling apps.

So to put it simply — now that the Android has more users, devs see more reason to spend time developing for the platform. Google should not rest on its laurels any time soon though. There are a lot of things looming over the horizon and Apple’s next generation iPhone is the biggest threat of them all. Still, even if Android falls behind thanks to the iPhone release, the devs might still like the Android better.

Android being open source, every company has been able to make their own take on what the ideal modern mobile OS should be like. Even though that has created problems, it is still the main reason as to why the Android has been released on so many phones. And then there’s Apple’s attitude about the App approval process for the iPhone. The company has been getting a lot of bad press for their failure to make the process more transparent and efficient. Not to mention more consistent.

Speaking of which, these problems are currently being addressed by the company or so we think because apple notified users that the iTunes Connect portal will stay out of action during the entire period of Chirstmas. If they are taking this long, they are definitely up to something major. So till Apple successfully wins back the developers who have left, Android development will definitely spike.

Apple’s tendency to censor pretty much anything that might be slightly controversial is another negative point, which Google exploits fully by pointedly telling people that their app will not be censored. A recent ruckus about a satire app being rejected taught us this lesson at least. Artists have never really taken kindly to gags, so they will give the iTunes store a wide berth after this.

And then there is the little factor of Android gaining a lot of new phones in the extremely near future. The XPERIA X10 for one — that is one phone that has been under a lot of people’s radars for quite some time now. What with the leaks and then then the official announcement, that has the makings of one extremely sweet phone. Then there is the entire line up of HTC Android phones that will be arriving through the first half of 2010. The HTC Bravo is of course the one to look out for. Both the X10 and the Bravo are Snapdragon powered phones that are fully intended to rock your world with their power packer performance.

And then comes Google’s very own Nexus One. This phone, made by HTC, sounds like the ultimate Android phone as dreamed up by the creators of Android themselves. Google is going all out on this one and making sure that no compromises are made when making this phone. It will be the culmination of everything that Android has achieved so far. If you are tempted, join the club because so are we! And mind it — this is coming from a hardcore Apple junkie.

Between now and the time wen Apple releases their next iPhone, there is a lot of time for the Android Marketplace to gain more great developers. And if in the meantime someone can figure out a way to standardize the non-phone Android devices, we could see another wave of applications because there is just so much potential there.

I do understand that I have been referring a lot to the iPhone in this article but I do not think it worth while to compare Android to any other platform. Would like me to compare it with Symbian or, oh horror — Windows Mobile? Symbian is a strong platform and has more years left in it but it is also long overdue for a complete overhaul for it meet the needs of modern times. As for WinMo — have you marked the rock you live under? You might need to crawl back under it.

Android was the #1 alternative to iPhone until some time back. Only recently has it started evolving into something that is threatening to take over. With a company like Google behind it and the by now famous strategy of offering the OS for “less than free”, it would’ve been surprising if this success came any later. Now the phone market is getting really interesting.

I just hope Apple completely blows our minds once again this year because it looks like people have finally caught on to the iPhone in their own ways. Pretty soon it might seize to be the holy grail that it is currently considered to be. And I want that to happen simply so that we can have even more alternatives that are as great as the Droid or the (seemingly great and upcoming) X10 and Nexus One. I have always maintained that a little competition in the market always works out in favor of the end users. Let’s hope Android grows even bigger and Apple gets even better.

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