One of my internet heroes Matt Haughey spends four hours with a Motorola Droid as a totally new user and doesn’t have very many good things to say about the experience. A few of Matt’s complaints are just a matter of his not being used to the interface, which is to be expected on any new mobile platform. (I didn’t know how to remove apps from the iPhone home screen until I’d had the phone for awhile, either.) However, many of his points are valid. Android’s got a long way to go if it leaves a savvy user like Matt frustrated. I’ll be interested to see what Matt has to say after four WEEKS of using the Droid.
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7 Comments
storm2k
It’s an interesting point of view, but I am left to wonder if he’s a little bit more expecting things to work like they did on his iPhone or taking a specific view of things. My mom got a Droid recently and she loves it. She previously had a BB Storm and I had to constantly show her how to do basic stuff with it, but on this phone, she was able to get up and going on her own very easily and hasn’t needed my help with many of the main features of the phone.
kclark138
I’ve had mine since it’s release. I am coming from a treo so interface was a lot different. It took some time but I can’t live without mine now. Still hate the keyboard but the virtual one is great. I have seen others Iphones and I still wouldn’t trade. My life in in Google Apps.
b00ky
I am a Google fanatic, but until the Droid I hadn’t been overly tempted to move to Android. I was just getting ready to switch to AT&T just to enjoy the iPhone, but ultimately decided to go with the Droid 1) Because my daily tasks revolve around Google Products and 2) I like the open platform that Android and Google offer 3) It would save me from switching carriers.
WOW am I happy with my decision. I love my Droid and it has only been 2 weeks so far. I can’t stop using it and I am constantly finding new cool and useful apps for it. The Android Market is growing rapidly and there aren’t too many apps that you CAN’T find there. Keep in mind that there are probably a large number of duplicate/similar apps within the iPhone app store – even within the Android market as well.
Sure, the iPhone has some additional generations under its belt and I do think that it is a little more user friendly to a larger consumer base, BUT with that general user-friendliness you sacrifice some flexibility and open-ness. The Droid is about multi-tasking, quick app creation and turnaround, Google Integration and giving the user the option to tweak and fine tune how he uses his Android device.
I have no regrets with my Droid purchase and I am eager to see how the balance changes over the next 1-2 years.
b00ky
one more point…
I should add that I had a Windows Mobile 6.1 phone prior to my Droid and I never used it. It was painful to try and do anything and usually required more time than it was worth.
Now I have a “power phone” that I actually use and enjoy using.
Christopher Urena
He seemed a little bit biased when commenting back on his article.
Jason Krellner
He certainly did his best to make himself appear astonishingly non-savvy.
Android is not as “user friendly” as an iPhone. No shit Sherlock. Nor is Windows as user friendly as a Mac. Apple prides itself on ease of use. What it sacrifices there is power.
The Droid comes with no manual and within a few days I was as savvy with it as my wife is with her iPhone after 4 years. Come on, give the Droid, and Android, a fair shake.
I agree with the “power phone” point above. It is amazing what the Droid can do.
mathowie
Biased? Astonishingly non-savvy?
I have an opinion that paying hundreds of dollars for a new whizbang phone with a much publicized operating system that I have heard (and hope) gives Apple a run for its money (competition is good for all devices in the end) and I came away frustrated and disappointed.
It’s been a day and I’m certainly getting around easier, but I’m still frustrated by what feels like major user interface stumbling blocks. I can’t get standard def video to playback without pausing. I still can’t figure out how to just silence new email notifications.
I am impressed with the Gmail client and the Google Voice integration, though I have not successfully been able to make an outbound call on Google Voice (it just fails and makes me use the phone’s outgoing number).
I’m not an Apple fanboy and I didn’t write my post to piss off Android users, I just wanted to write down all the frustrating aspects of the device.