First, Android isn't even out yet. Technically, it is out. People can touch it, people can play with it, people can own it. But it's no where near where Google wants it.

As Google often does and I'm sure you know this by now.. Google releases things WAY before they are completed. Google creates something that people will work with and releases it to them. Google creates things along with it's users, which I believe is one of the best ways to do so.

Android is still in the beginning stages and soon, there will be better phones. That's a fact.

"I'd also like to mention that something about your take on the Iphone. The iPhone was the IPHONE. Everything else was, well, everything else."

You have to take a few things into consideration. The iPhone isn't the iPhone because it's the iPhone. It's the iPhone because it's Apple's phone. That little Apple makes people awe. But really what I'd like to mention is that Apple built this phone up on their own. Apple built the hype behind this phone. Apple planned and thoroughly execuded a very ingenious marketing-scheme for this product, as they do with most prodcuts.

Google on the other hand... doesn't rely on such expensive marketing projects. I haven't even seen one Google ad on television, am I in the wrong location?

You have to understand. They are taking two madly different approaches at this. And honestly, they're both pretty genius. To discount either would be ridiculous. Apple and Google need to continue doing their own thing. That's the only way the industry will grow.

Trust me, if Google were to release 1 phone a year, and charge me to upgrade it every year. I'd return to RIM, and get myself another Blackberry.

There's a few things that will definitely steer me away from even the best of phones.

A few of those being:
- App restrictions
- 1 product-1 year
- No physical QWERTY

Basically what I'm trying to say is... you're comparing the marketing strategy of two very intelligent companies without understanding that their products are in two different stages.

Compare Apple and Google all day long, go right ahead.

Let me guess, they're different? Lol.

I do believe you are jumping the gun on your premature anayisis. We are still in the early stages of Android OS with versions Eclair, Flan and beyond iteration tweaks and polishes to come not to mention the numerous evergrowing handset Open Handset Alliance manufactures and carriers which have no choice but to create a compelling experience reliant on Android OS to survive such as Motorola who has so much at stake on Android and will sink if they do not deliver. The broader the user base, the more applications and application creators which will grow user base, which will grow the adoption of Android and the OHA.

"Better is better, as in superior design, functionality and features. Whether it's the first iPhone or iPhone 3GS, iPhones are superior."

If everyone believed that, then no other phones would sell at all. In fact, if better was always better, than there would at any given point only be one phone (the best one) being sold.

Physical keyboards are always nice, so obviously the best phone would have physical keyboard along with an on-screen keyboard. However, physical keyboards also add to the thickness of the phone, and obviously the best phone is the thinnest phone.

The best phone is also the phone with the highest specs. The fastest processor, the most memory/storage, the best camera, the highest resolution screen...
Of course, adding all those features increases the cost of the phone, and obviously the best phone is the cheapest phone. Nobody wants to pay more than they have to.

See the problem here?
You cannot create the perfect gadget that will appeal to everyone, and people don't have the good sense to agree on what's important. That is why you need choice.

"The iPhone was the iPHONE. Everything else was, well, everything else."

Hasn't this always been the case with Apple products though? I mean, it's the old Mac vs. PC argument, only in a different market.

the original analysis misses some important points about android

-androids main goal is delivering internet access from low cost to high end and from developing countries to developed countries

-its up to the manufacturers and carriers to decide how closed or open their android product is.
so on android its possible to deliver a product thats just as closed as the iphone (with application approval etc.) as well as a complete open one.

simply put grubers arguments is pretty much wrong since its absolutely possible to copy apples approach with android on one device while still staying compatible to all other android devices.

thats pretty much the beauty of choice on android... choice on the producers side not on the consumers side of course.

another thing to keep in mind is that the g1 was not much more than a proof-of-concept. i'm pretty sure google will not release another phone the next few years since it was only meant to get the ball rolling.

I couldn't disagree more.

First of all, while I agree that the G1 is not the best hardware, it's a decent phone with an excellent OS. I simply couldn't use the soft keyboard on the iPhone. For me that was a deal breaker. But not every one needs a physical keyboard. It's precisely why there need to be different phones for different markets and users.

Surprisingly, in spite of having a tenth of the apps, I have found that the Android apps to be more innovative and superior to iPhone Apps (except for the slickness). The Android is already better than the iPhone OS. I have never had a smartphone that hasn't frozen or crashed on me. Including the iPhone. In the 9 months with the Android, it has not done that once. Not once.

The one thing that iPhone had was a slicker UI. I think the Sense on the Hero has already pushed the envelop and is now certainly slicker than the iPhone especially with the active widgets. The Hero though is under powered and doesn't have a keyboard.

The iPhone still has better overall UI consistency. But it's no longer the best phone in the market. The android phones (albeit not one single phone) in a short one year has already taken over the mantle. The sales aren't there yet. But it's just a matter of time.

The analysis of Gruber is really short minded... Obviously not understanding how the 2 companies are taking different angles to market their products. In fact, for Google it is not even about selling a product, it is about getting more users on mobile broadband viewing ads on their devices. So even if Android would completely fail, Google would still be winning as we can't argue they already succeeded to accelerate mobile web browsing and ads viewing.

I own both a G1 and an iPhone 3GS. They just can't be compared. The G1 was a very first product : not enough memory and a bit slow, too short battery life. But apart from this it already outclasses the iPhone on Wifi connection, 3G connection, voice call quality and GPS sensitivity. The HTC Hero is now the real, good Android device : good battery life, slightly faster CPU but most important : more internal memory for the OS and apps to be comfortable.

What is missing still today is just more quality apps for Android. With Google's still locking paid Android Market application is several countries, they are shooting themselves in the foot - I hope they'll change this quickly.

Finally, I see the iPhone as an entertainment smartphone but far from being business-enabled. Android lacks funny little quality games like on the iPhone, but has all the good base to deliver quality applications (excluding games, I think).

Clint Boulton,
have you ever picked up android phone (HTC Magic/MyTouch)?
i've already used iPhone 3G (not the 3GS) and HTC Magic. In multi-tasking Android is hundred times better than iPhone. In real-time location based applications Android is far ahead of iPhone (layar browser, wikitude, skymap, streetmaps, tonnes other)... i hope iPhone will catchup these real-time location based features soon by 3GS. In data synchronization & use of google's various services android is superior to iPhone.

in apps market android is far behind iPhone. specially in gaming field. it is because android is younger than iPhone. but more manufacturers are working on android. so there will be more android devices and android apps market will have more consumer than iphone apps market within 2-3 years.

one company apple will not be able to spend enough effort to improve iphone hardware, android has many hardware manufacturer which will give various dimension in features and will give a boost to this mobileOS.

more over android market has less control over android apps market, which means talented people will come up from all over the world with their brilliant ideas and will contribute to android.
apple's over-smart attitude (only we can think, we are the smartest, others are dumb and stupid) will deprive them from newest/latest innovations of software world.

just wait 2 more years and see