Comments on: AT&T to Android — It’s Not You, It’s Me

By: Zack

Zack — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:29:11 +0000

UPDATE:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10369994-265.html

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:23:01 +0000

This is really depressing. Despite me being with AT&T, I, for one, welcome our new Android overlords.

I like AT&T a lot. But OH how the tables have turned in the last year: it used to be that NOONE had any phones worth mentioning and AT&T had them all.

Now it looks like the Jesusphone has a stranglehold on innovation at AT&T. Read my lips AT&T: I don’t WANT an iPhone, I want an ANDROID phone. CHOICE, you dig?

As happy as I am and have been for many years at AT&T, if they don’t start offering non-fascist phones, I may just have to jump ship to the free thinking competition….

By: InTheKnow

InTheKnow — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:24:34 +0000

Good thing this post is full of facts and not just conjecture.

A phone delay/cancellation does not indicate a carrier’s plans and strategy for an entire platform.

Android is alive and well.

Apple is not the enemy. AT&T is not the enemy. There is no enemy except the ideas you make up in your minds.

Stay tuned.

By: HereAndNow

HereAndNow — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:09:48 +0000

I also agree.

Some GREAT Android smartphones seem poised to hit the market, in the coming weeks. The delay is understandable, since the vendors need to:

1. get familiar with a new OS.

2. develop their own user experience, for the OS:
e.g.
– HTC: Sense UI
– Motorola: Blur UI
– Sony Ericsson: Rachael UI
– Samsung: TouchWiz UI?

3. optimize the OS for the smartphone hardware.

By: Josiah Kiehl

Josiah Kiehl — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:24:10 +0000

s/here/hear

;)

By: Oliver

Oliver — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:21:00 +0000

Agreed. While it’s pretty clear that the Android phones haven’t sold as well as the iPhone so far, there are several reasons for it (among them that they are only available for the weakest US carrier’s network on these shores). I have all three major platforms (and by that I mean iPhone, Android “G2″ ION, and Palm Pre) and they all have pros and cons. Today Apple is leading the market. But just look back two years… Windows Mobile was fairly dominant. And before that? PalmOS and the Treo line. Things can rapidly change. (and yes, I haven’t even mentioned the Blackberry yet… never really used one since the original ‘pager’ days, though that’s obviously not what the platform looks like today).

As for Apple putting pressure on AT&T… does anyone else see parallels to Microsoft and its “agreements” with various PC manufacturers that ultimately got the company in hot water? I am writing this on my MBP, which I love, but I am feeling less and less love for Apple (the company) and its business practices.

By: Josiah Kiehl

Josiah Kiehl — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:02:22 +0000

@Terry

What are these “obvious” reasons? I suppose they’re not so obvious to me. I really like the openness of the Android platform and functionality that the iphone lacks, such as being able to run multiple applications at once, are real selling points for me. I’m a software engineer, so my perspective will not be shared by the majority of people, so I’m curious to here what these “obvious” reasons are.

By: Terry

Terry — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:35:46 +0000

Android has been out over a year and has been a flop. For obvious reasons. There is no reason to think it do any better and to say it looks like a winner of anything right now is idiotic. But I have come to expect idiotic statements from this site so I’m not surprised.

By: Libran Lover

Libran Lover — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:26:26 +0000

I don’t understand… Wouldn’t both Apple and AT&T gain MORE by playing the field? Apple would definitely sell many more iPhones if they were offered on other networks. AT&T would have more customers if it offered more smartphone choices. Am I not making objective sense? Or have Apple and AT&T been in an exclusive relationship for so long that they have lost objectivity just like couples in a relationship do?

By: paul

paul — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:18:19 +0000

I think the dark horse in this is actually Nokia’s Maemo.

It’s open, widely understood in the tech community, and has finally become practical (speedy.)

Early devices (N770) didn’t really have the horsepower and didn’t have GSM. With the upcoming N900 these problems have been addressed (even though the excellent 800×480 touch screen has been hatcheted.)

By: Seth

Seth — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:51:06 +0000

This sort of arrangement bothers me more than the exclusivity contracts. Its fundamentally stifles innovation. How is technology supposed to develop when carriers nix phones they don’t like? Yes, Android can go to Verizon or Sprint, but they will no doubt set their own restrictions resulting in phones with only so much functionality as they will allow. That is the state of mobile phones these days with only 4 major carriers in the US. The only player to change their ways has been Apple, which has does amazing things but is only one company. And the Googlevoice issue shows the limitations of relying on one source to innovate. More than any other issue, I would like the FTC to limit carriers’ say on phones.

By: James

James — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:43:29 +0000

Apple may very well be putting pressure on AT&T right now to stay away from any Android devices if they want to keep the exclusivity they have enjoyed. AT&T’s iPhone exclusivity is definitely helping Android get market share via the other three (which is good for everyone). It would have been a horrible thing if the iPhone had been available to all carriers from day one and nobody took Android seriously.

By: CTSLICK

CTSLICK — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:33:58 +0000

I hear “Apple won’t let AT&T…” a lot across ye’ old interweb. In my opinion the longer Apple (a) dominates AT&T’s handset decisions and (b) allows Palm and Android based devices to become entrenched at other operators the more Apple is going to NEED AT&T. Sooner or later AT&T is going to figure this out.

By: Gadgetmaster

Gadgetmaster — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:24:48 +0000

The Hero is coming to Sprint.

By: HSK

HSK — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:50:18 +0000

Apple “talks” to Verizon to apply some pressure to ATT. I am sure ATT does some of the same posturing with other phone mfg’ers. Whether Apple applies pressure or not regarding Android, ATT does not want to rock the boat and thus makes such a decision on a flimsy excuse (Moto’s screens are not up to snuff for ATT customers). But really they do not want to make the cash cow mad. Can’t really blame them!