Some carriers have given some basic info, but nothing too specific.  My own carrier, Vodafone, has been almost eerily silent on the matter.  Granted, they have a banner ad on their website, with a spot to register your interest.  I have done that.  To date, I have not received a SINGLE email from them, not even a confirmation that I’m registered.

I visited my local Vodafone store to get a bead on the situation, and they were quick to say they knew nothing.  I asked whether I could come in and buy an iPhone on Friday, the date that everyone (including Steve Jobs) has slated as launch date here in Australia, and they said they wouldn’t have any in stock.  Bizarre.  How could that be?!  They just didn’t know anything.  I’m amazed.

We’re not talking about some stupid Nokia phone here (one of 20 launches this year) or a new Motorola (one of a gazillion cheap nothing phones)…  we’re talking about what will no doubt be the single best selling handset in Australian history, and no-one seems to know anything about how you can actually buy one on the launch date.  Ridiculous.

In fact, I’m incredulous.  I would have thought this would be the biggest bandwagon every carrier would want to get in on and exploit to the maximum, and yet there’s just a weird silence.  It’s beyond strange.

Largely, it’s about the apps.  There are key apps which I use all the time (particularly SimpleNote and Instapaper), which just don’t exist on the Android platform.  And, others that do just aren’t of the same quality.  For example, I have tried a bunch of Twitter apps and can’t find one that comes close in quality and functionality to the host of iPhone apps out there, which is an embarrassment of riches.  The Facebook app just seems clunky and not nearly as polished, and doesn’t have some of the functionality of the iPhone version.  This is an issue for me because I tend to only Twitter and Facebook off my phone, seldom off my Macbook Pro, and so these lame solutions really irritate after a while.

And, let’s not even go near media integration, which is woefully complicated, a total contrast to the ease of making things happen with the iPhone.

But, the Android platform seems quite good in some other ways, and (to quote someone else somewhere else on the web) if the iPhone never existed, this would be a very cool platform.  But, the problem is that the iPhone does exist.  And in terms of a comparison with the iPhone, this just doesn’t cut it in terms of simple, polished excellence.  No question, there are one or two features that I like on the Android (like the notifications system and multi-tasking), but those are exceptions.

So, whereas I thought I might enjoy this change-up, I’m now starting to count the days down to when I get my iPhone back from the chop shop.  And, as for the iPhone 4…  well, that I’m salivating for…  Apple have really hit it out of the park with that device, and there is no doubt in my mind that the Android platform is nowhere in the same neighbourhood.

Some of you may be interested to know that I have started a small tech company called TECH 4 SENIORS, focused on providing technology solutions for Seniors, and one of my intentions in purchasing this Android phone was to test it out as a possible alternative device to recommend to Seniors as a smartphone option, but I couldn’t seriously recommend this to Seniors at all because it’s just not a simple phone to use.

Initially, it appeared that the phone was ok, but after several hours I noticed some gray pixel lines extending across part of the screen, and over the next few days these became worse, resulting in a gray blotch in a strategic spot on the screen.  I thought I could live with it, but then I noticed during a flight to Sydney that this made things even worse.  Must have been the pressurised cabin, but something funky was going on.  In fact, the pixel problem seemed to migrate and shift a bit every day.  It became clear that I was going to have to get it fixed, especially since I was planning on handing this unit on to one of my kids when I upgrade in a short while to the iPhone 4.

So, I figured I would use the 2-3 week turnaround on the insurance repair job to check out the Android platform, and through a great stroke of fortune, Vodafone came out with the HTC Legend, and so I was able to grab one of those (running Android 2.1) and I will be using it as my primary phone for until my iPhone returns or is replaced.

Getting started on the Android was pretty straightforward, although I have to say there are some things that are not quite as intuitive as I would have expected.  I marked that down to just getting familiar with a new platform, but there are still things I’m discovering which surprise me because they’re kind of hidden 2 or 3 layers down in the user interface.  But, given that I am largely a Google guy with my email and calendar setups, it was a fairly simple business to get that sorted, although it was a bit confusing to have a second mail option on the phone which is apparently redundant if you’re using a Google setup.  Odd.

My initial impressions?  It’s fast.  I expected that because I have been using an older iPhone 3G.  The Legend’s screen is quite a bit smaller, and although I like the form factor, I miss the slightly larger touchscreen…  it’s just easier to use and read things on a bigger screen space, especially when you have to hold the device at the same time.  I don’t like the Android keyboard…  just seems a lot slower for me to get up to speed on it, but I’m also giving that some time to settle and see whether that’s just a familiarity thing.  At this point, I’m almost avoiding doing any typing other than the basics because it’s just painful.

I’m missing some of my most used and favourite iPhone apps that are a part of my workflow…  Instapaper and Simplenote being two critical apps that I’m missing big time.  There are others.  The Android app store is fairly woeful compared to the Apple one, and the quality of some of the apps seems less impressive.  Also, battery life on this thing isn’t as impressive as I thought it would be…  in fact, it doesn’t feel too different to my Apple experience.

I do love the multitasking on the Android, and it’s been actually sort of nice to be able to play Flash stuff, even though I fundamentally agree with Apple’s decision to give it the flick on their phone platform.

Media integration sucks on the Android.  You have to do a lot more work to get your stuff happening on your phone, and that makes this a poor choice for a novice user who just wants it to all work.  This was one of my prime reasons for playing with the Android, and I couldn’t serious recommend it to someone who is starting out with a smartphone…  they would find this a very difficult platform to get going on.

So, I have another couple of weeks with this thing, and although it is an interesting and cool platform, I’m already missing my iPhone, and I can’t imagine staying with the Android as my primary phone once the iPhone 4 comes out…  there is just no comparison, I don’t think.

It was an interesting experience, and one that made me immediately realise that Apple has nothing to fear for quite some time when it comes to Android.  Let me give you a few reasons why I believe this is the case…

When you go out to buy and iPhone for the first time, it’s not a super complicated matter.  About your biggest consideration is how much storage you want on the device.  At the moment, you also have the choice between the older 3G model and the 3GS model, but that’s not going to be largely a decision made on cost, given that a lot of suppliers are flogging off the older models for free on a plan (at least here in Australia).  But, there is essentially a single form factor, 2 hardware versions in terms of speed, and a couple of choices to be made about storage.  All of the devices are running the same OS version, with minor differences in software.

And, this has been huge for me…  I know that my phone will get all OS upgrades as they come along, and it’s almost like getting a new phone every 6 months or so.  This has been a unique experience for me in all my phone-owning experiments.

So, what’s the problem with Android?  Well, let’s just say I left the store knowing empty-handed and knowing that I needed to do a whole bunch of research before making a purchase.

Why?

1.  There are a range of hardware suppliers, varying form-factor and quality.  And it became apparent that the differences, especially with a touchscreen device, can be huge.  So, suddenly, I was confronted with not just a single option (which in my view is the best touchscreen device ever), but lots of possibilities… and some of them way better than others, and few of them as good as the iPhone experience (in my view).

2.  I quickly discovered that Android version was an issue.  Different devices I took a look at offered various versions of Android, most of them old (1.4 or 1.5)…  which is seriously different to 2.1 or the new 2.2 (which does look cool).  No problem…  I’ll just upgrade the OS…   hmmm…  well, actually, no, I was told, that may not be such a simple thing.  That, apparently, depends very much on the various suppliers and whether they will offer upgrades to various models.  This is a huge issue for me.  I love that my iPhone will definitely get an upgrade (although obviously this is becoming an issue for 3G owners going into iPhone OS 4).  The guy called HTC to ask them about the Magic for me, but no, they couldn’t confirm whether this would be able to be upgraded to 2.1, never mind 2.2.  OK then…  so now I have to put that into the consideration equation…  will the hardware I choose be able to stay current?!  More research before I could confidently purchase.

Now, I know some out there are going to rave about free choice and isn’t it wonderful that you have so many choices and options, etc., but I personally was confused and walked away without buying anything (yet), and I feel that anyone who did just buy something without really knowing what they were doing is likely to be quite unhappy within 6 months when their hardware was obviously not high quality, their software was not upgradeable, and they are locked into a 24 month contract.

This is a huge contrast with the iPhone experience, and is a natural consequence of the open/closed mindsets of Google versus Apple.  I actually love both companies and what they offer, but I can’t see Android enjoying long-term success if such a huge range continues to exist in the quality of the user purchase and product experience, which is largely defined not by Google, but by the handset makers.

And, I’m a guy who actually knows something about this stuff…  imagine the novice who has nothing to go by other than the ignorance of most sales people in the Vodafone/Optus/Telstra?!

Well, the person in question was very helpful to me and I felt they went the extra mile in helping me out, so, no, I don’t mind answering a few questions about them…  especially if some good feedback would help them out.  No problems.

But then, this thing took a turn for the ridiculous when they asked me questions and I gave a good answer and then they started repeating everything I had just said SLOWLY as they typed in the responses.  After a couple of minutes, it was painful hearing them slowly garble my eloquent (!) responses into their typed efforts, not-so-behind-the-scenes.  Crazy bad!

I just don’t get it…  surely a business based around phone interviews would simply record the interview and then transcribe the responses afterwards?  That seems simple, elegant, and far more user-friendly, especially if you’re going to form the interview around open-ended questions which don’t simply require a yes/no or number answer.

Sometimes, you just shake your head in amazement…

Recently, just due to a very full-on schedule and lots of late meetings, etc., I found I went a few days without really engaging much with either Facebook or Twitter, and after an initial (and fleeting) sense of missing out, I got over that pretty quickly and realised that I could actually walk away from them without much loss.

There would, without question, be some loss, but the vast majority of input coming into my life through these tools is generally banal and fairly egocentric. It does not add value to my life knowing what yummy thing someone is having for dinner, or that they’ve just seen such-and-such movie, etc. I just find my thinking and mind cluttered by an endless stream of trivialities, and this level of distraction cannot possibly help one to think deeper and more reflectively about life and purpose. I want to be deep and purposeful, but I don’t think that’s really possible if your attention of dispersed in hundreds of shallow directions.

I used to journal a lot, and I used to post on this blog a lot. Both of these activities called me to think and think deeply. At least that was my goal, and I think it did help me to articulate important stuff going on in my head. And, I think I can pin-point the demise of those two disciplines to the period in which Twitter and Facebook became more prominent in my daily activities, and I don’t think I like the impact that’s had on me.

I know that a bunch of folks will accuse me of being flip-floppy on this, having been a big proponent of social technology and the benefits of “ambient awareness”, but I’m really starting to have second thoughts about it all. After having experimented and participated over a couple of years, I’m really starting to doubt. There are some positives, and I’ve enjoyed staying loosely connected with long-lost friends, and folks from all around the world. But, it’s been a trade-off, and all those loose connections have cost me something as well.

The biggest question for me in all of this is: Is it possible to be a purposeful and highly productive person, having a meaningful and significant impact in this world, while also spending a large chunk of time and attention on what is largely trivial and banal?

Had to completely restore Nic’s phone for some marginal improvements, but she feels like throwing hers against a wall regularly… that’s crazy talk for someone who absolutely fell in love with her iPhone 6 months ago, only for it to become “like a really old, unreliable computer” (in her words). It makes her work Blackberry look quite stellar in terms of “just working”… c’mon, Apple!!! You’re killing your fan boys here…

Seriously, after the stupid problems I had with basic things on my Snow Leopard update, now my wife’s iPhone shutting down randomly after the 3.1 update, and my own iPhone starting to do other funky stuff (like constantly lose my wifi settings), I think Apple should stop wasting time on stupid stuff like this and get back to their knitting.

Daniel Kokin has spent the last nine years, off and on, working on a design for a video projector. The unique shape of the design is, according to Kokin, best described as a pod, so it’s no surprise he decided to call it a “Video Pod.” When he tried to file for a trademark for Video Pod in 2007, Apple filed an objection with the USPTO.

“Like Apple’s iPod registrations and applications, the Video Pod application covers a device that is or will be used to transmit video for entertainment and other purposes,” Apple wrote in its filing. “As a result the similarity between Apple’s marks and Applicant’s Video Pod mark and the highly related nature of the parties’ goods and services, Applicant’s Video Pod mark is likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception in the trade and among purchasers.”

What a joke!

Honestly, am I really beholden to Apple every time I use the word “pod”?! Ridiculous! This is where some of this trade mark and IP stuff gets a little nuts… the word “pod” has been used for a very long time to mean a whole range of things that aren’t necessarily related to an iPod. That Apple should suddenly feel it owns the word is just stupid. That a guy can’t create a device totally unrelated to a music player and use the term “pod” in its name is so ridiculous I would hope a judge would throw it of court and charge Apple with punitive damages for wasting everyone’s time.

Methinks Apple should hire less lawyers and more software people to fix their problems. This would make me happier, especially since I know in about 15 minutes my iPhone is going to ask me for my WEP key again…

I totally love my Apple stuff, but right now, it’s NOT just working…

Mac OSX Snow Leopard isn’t a pale imitation of Windows 7… Mac OSX (in general) is the forerunner of what Windows 8 will be!!! That’s how far behind Microsoft is in the OS wars. They seem to be a full version or two behind in terms of creativity, innovation and quality. Honestly, I just can’t think what sort of drug this guy is on. Everything about Windows 7 seems to be about playing catch-up to Apple, and it’s still not even close to the same quality experience.

It’s crazy talk…