Three good reasons

In this last brief moment of freedom, I wanted to share my conclusion about Android, iPhone and the general future of the universe. In just a few days time, a post like this won't be possible, Censorship of the iPhone masses will prevail in the form of democratic blog moderation and we (you and I) will have to find new channels in which to share such scurrilous thoughts. Fortunately, Android provides dozens.

Why Android over iPhone OS? Let's go...

#1

A mixture of widgets and icons is more personal than just icons. The irony - Steve Jobs in his old age has decided that 'icons and widgets' is messy. This is the guy that introduced messy computing (aka windows in the Mac that didn't neatly fit the screen) as a plus. Personally, I like messy. The second irony is the modern Mac's attempt to make a messy workspace clean (expose and spaces). Which is actually a real mess. Meanwhile, tabs in Chrome and previews in Windows 7 are, well, all rather tidy.

#2

A Google-powered phone knows more about you. Because it's Google and you trust them more than Apple. Because it's Google and not Apple, it has heaps of data to share with you. Because your phone has GPS, clever apps will sift this Google data and drop it into your 'enhanced and very local reality'. While Apple is still burnishing the wet floor effect on it's embarrassing shelf/doc nonsense, Google is opening its (priceless) data up for anyone to mash for free. And as it does it, its influence and market value rolls up accordingly.

#3

Yes, the iPhone form factor is now dictating the fashion in jean pockets. But the Android Galaxy is a better phone. Lighter, brighter and more desirable than the clunky iPhone 4 with its now compulsory wet suit. My phone, the cute little x10 mini, is not an iPhone-killer. But Android proves it's ability to adapt to really quite compromised form factors and still be a heavyweight contender. After an original Palm Pilot, a P800 smartphone (anyone remember that? - it wasn't long ago), the combination of Google's services (apps, email, search, maps, streetview) and Android (rich, messy, go anywhere and skinnable out of the box), plus a random choice of handset manufacturer (Sony and Ericsson are not, after all, untalented) and the net net? The net net is awesomely competent.

Where does this leave us? For perverse reasons, I'm here with the x10. For the rest of you, go AMOLED, go Galaxy, go Android. It knocks the socks off the Apple i-offering. Thanks to Apple for trailblazing, thanks to Google for the finished product.

Over and out.