Android - What could Google change that would tempt you over?

[Timber]

1. No iTunes alternative at all, love it or hate it, it's good to have

2. Clearing out the junk (or at least hiding it) from the Android Market and having more polished apps and a proper game selection, more like iOS

3. Manufacturers being dodgy with updates

4. You have absolutely no use for widgets and various other 'advanced' features on a phone

Having recently moved from a HTC Desire to an Apple iPhone 4S I'd agree with most of your points.

1. Agreed, maybe Google Music could be developed into the Media conduit it needs.
2. The Market is getting better but policing of it does need to happen. Also making it much clearer what app's run on which phones. And they need to stop developers putting out free versions and allowing you to unlock via their own website (i.e. via Paypal).
3. Add Network Operators to this statement too. For example the update from 2.1 to 2.2 Froyo on Vodafone was a joke because Vodafone withheld 2.2 for their own 2.1 're-brand' update of the phone (including splash screen, apps, mandatory installs). They had to retreat and backed down a few weeks later. However with relatively newish phones having no clear path for being able to get to the latest OS is a HUGE issue in my book and one of the main reason's I've dumped it as my phone for now. The 3GS is another great example; a 2 and a half year old phone being able to get the latest OS free, whilst all Android phones from the same era are on old versions of the OS still.
4. Widget's are a strength of Android in my view and I miss one or two of them. However there are far too many buggy ones out there (i.e. stop updating weather or show the wrong date next to reminders).

So I'd add;

• Podcasts - Google's Podcast app had no where near the depth compared to iTunes.
• Manufacturer skins for Android - Not a fan of these and think the OS should have a unified look, or at least allow the user to be able to choose vanilla Google Android, out of the box with no flashing or installing programs. Might be better on some phones but I could not deactivate HTC Sense.
• Make it more stable - Again may be better on other phones, however whilst Android was reasonably solid it's no where near as stable as iOS.

What I miss about Android;

• Google Apps - Navigation, Googles for example that aren't on iOS. Google develop their software with such brute force that not having some of their apps is a big shame.
• Gmail works better out of the box.
• Flash support - Also like the way Flash 11 was available and separate from the OS.
• Web browser - Although I think Safari is very good in iOS. I loved the speed of Android on the web and search in general.
• Price - Just a cheaper platform to be part of. Particularly when you include 'discounted' hardware on contracts, which you don't see on iPhones.

 

[R4z0r]

One of the biggest draws of IOS/iPhone for me is the tight intergration between hardware and software. I have one device that I know will be supported for years and I know everything will run properly on it.

This is obviously completely against the Google/Android model so I will probably never move to Andriod.

I'm most interested in Windows phone 7, MS strict policy on hardware and software mean it's really the only other alternative for me. Looking at the flagship Nokia model, I don't think it's quite ready yet but in a year or so I think Apple will have some serious competition.

 

[ps3ud0]

* Focus and more centralised control over apps and the marketplace
* Reduction in hardware fragmentation

Think those are the 2 biggies for me, especially the last point as without that you cant have the first...

Wasnt aware that updates get pushed by hardware manufactureres and not Google - that to me sounds quite shortsighted, does feel like Google seem to wash their hands of the platform once its gets into specific implementations...

Id like to move from iOS but theres no viable alternative, though being 'locked' into the ecosystem does lead to considerable loss of traction. Its not hard to see why closed systems pushed by a single company can produce far more polished products than open source that appear to be built by commitee...

ps3ud0

 

[DIABLO]

* Focus and more centralised control over apps and the marketplace
* Reduction in hardware fragmentation

Think those are the 2 biggies for me, especially the last point as without that you cant have the first...

Wasnt aware that updates get pushed by hardware manufactureres and not Google - that to me sounds quite shortsighted, does feel like Google seem to wash their hands of the platform once its gets into specific implementations...

Id like to move from iOS but theres no viable alternative, though being 'locked' into the ecosystem does lead to considerable loss of traction. Its not hard to see why closed systems pushed by a single company can produce far more polished products than open source that appear to be built by commitee...

ps3ud0

It's not about google washing their hands it, each manufacture has to tailor every update for each device. The only phones google update directly are the Nexus line of phones.

 

[ps3ud0]

It's not about google washing their hands it, each manufacture has to tailor every update for each device. The only phones google update directly are the Nexus line of phones.

I think thats my point - it shouldnt need to happen and while it does, I cant see any reason to move to Android...

It should be a unified MOS that should work/update on each and every device in the same way IMO - right now it does feel like Google arent owning that problem. It just doesnt seem to be a great state of affairs to be in, several years down the line...

I really dont want to be my own tech support for my smartphone for the forseeable future - Ive already dealt with this with HTC devices and WM5 and 6 and I refuse to repeat it and amazed that its still the norm.

ps3ud0

 

[Mattus]

I agree. I quite like the approach Microsoft has taken with Windows Phone - i.e. opening it up to a range of manufacturers, but regulating the required tech specs quite strictly. That makes it much easier to roll out universal updates than with Android, where an update has to run on an enormous range of different hardware combinations.