Android

College Humor: Android vs. the iPhone

By Rene Ritchie, Thursday, Sep 25, 2008 a 7:55 pm

Okay, phew, it's not just us. Seems everyone is being swept up in the iPhone vs. Android hype, including the fun(nerer)-loving folks over at College Humor, who wrote in to tell us:

Yesterday, Google introduced their new Android cell phone platform, which is expected to bring big competition to the iPhone, but people are already starting to notice a few glitches with the new phone's features. Specifically the Did-You-Mean feature.

Visual hilarity ensues, so be sure to go check it out!

How Does Android Compare to the iPhone? Top 5 Wins and Losses

By Rene Ritchie, Thursday, Sep 25, 2008 a 10:55 am

Sure, on the surface Google's Android seems more like a shot through the heart of Windows Mobile -- or the head of Palm's Linux-based OS 2.0 aspirations -- but while those platforms enjoy their own historical and market share, it's Apple's iPhone that has all the mind share of late. That means, despite Google's CEO being on the Apple Board of Directors, Google's Maps, Search, and other services having a prominent place on both devices, and -- let's face it -- Google's full on tech-crush for the iPhone -- no one is going to hesitate to pit the two systems head-to-head. Including us!

So, what advantages does each one have? What drawbacks? Here they are, in our opinion: the top five iPhone vs. Android Wins and Losses... after the break!

Today on the Forums: Android vs. iPhone 3G! How Many Home Screen Pages Do You Have?

By Jeremy, Tuesday, Sep 23, 2008 a 4:48 pm

Today is a good day, we have had a few Android related stories today here at TiPb but competition is good. It will only make Apple kick things into high gear and improve on what is arguably the top touchscreen phone on the market today. That brings us to the first thread I want everyone to check out. It's brought to us by none other than our very own writer extraordinaire, Rene. Android vs iPhone! What are your thoughts?

Android vs. iPhone: The Battle for Funnerest Begins!

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Sep 23, 2008 a 2:22 pm

Yeah, A-Day -- it's like that. No sooner did Apple announce the iPod Touch as the "funnest" ever (yet apparently didn't tell OS X's built in dictionary not to take issue with that obscure, yet valid usage...), then Google and T-Mobile decided to have a little, er, "fun" with it themselves:

UPDATED: AndroidCentral Meta Live-Blog: gPhone or iClone?

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Sep 23, 2008 a 10:54 am

A-Day just goes on and on. We're not obsessed, mind you, but for reasons outlined before, from Google's CEO being on the Apple board, to Google services being inextricably linked into the iPhone, to Location Based (Mobile) Services and the Cloud being the Next Big Thing, this launch matters to iPhone owners almost as much as Windows Mobile (whom they're gunning to replace) and Palm OS 2.0 (whom they may render obsolete before launch).

Curious to know more? We are! In fact, Dieter's Meta Live Blogging the even right now over at AndroidCentral.

UPDATED: Our take, post event:

Amazon to Provide "iTunes"-Style Media for Google Android?

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Sep 23, 2008 a 9:55 am

A-Day continues! AndroidCentral will have continuing coverage of T-Mobile's new GooglePhone throughout the day, but we here at TiPb are keeping our eyes peeled for those nuggets that collide (or will collide) with the iPhone.

$250K iPhone Dev Says "No Thanks" to Google Android

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Sep 23, 2008 a 7:55 am

Today is "A Day", the day T-Mobile announces Google's Android mobile platform (see our brand new little sibling site, AndroidCentral, for all the details and coverage) to an anxiously anticipating world. Well... mostly anxiously anticipating.

Turns out some people aren't as interested. Is it because Google's latest forays into content, including YouTube and Wikipedia rival Knol, and platforms, including Android and Firefox rival Chrome (and gLinux OS on the horizon?), make them think "don't be evil" is just a sinister plan to catch the world -- and our privacy -- off guard and unaware? Nope. We tend to like and trust Google. What then?

This Week in Smartphone Schadenfreude, September 6th Edition

By Rene Ritchie, Saturday, Sep 6, 2008 a 1:55 pm

Not evil twin to theiPhoneBlog.com Week in Review, not an invasion by Fake Steve, This Week in Smart Phone Schadenfreude brings you all the feel-better news you need about the smartphone world outside Apple’s current media dominator. (Who knew there was such a world? We were just as surprised! Inelegant, interface challenged, keyboardy, crashy, single-touchy place — best not to linger…). Join us as we mock review the big news from last week at our sister sites. Everybody loves sibling rivalry!

Android Delayed, Still Not Competitive With iPhone

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008 a 12:58 pm

Quel surprise: Google's Android will be delayed. It looks like Google and their hefty consortium of partners are struggling a little with getting a new mobile OS deployed across a wide array of hardware connected to all sorts of different networks. Who coulda predicted it? (Yeah, okay, basic high school chaos theory, given complexity growth and propensity for system break down and all, but other than that...)

Originally slated for second half 2008, its now looking more like fourth quarter, if not 2009. Seems like the T-Mobile launch is so Google-tention intensive, it's pushing Sprint's launch further back. Also -- wait for it -- Sprint doesn't want to just deploy a clean Android build, they want to ~~wall it off~~ brand it up all personal like (couldn't see that one coming?). Meanwhile, mega-carrier China Mobile is "running into issues" pushing its launch back as well.

To top it off, Android is more challenging to develop for, which is also a startling revelation, given the alpha/beta status of the SDK. Hitting deadlines is one thing. Hitting them through an asteroid storm of OS changes is another entirely.

Not to beat a dead horse, but all these problems were wicked obvious going back to launch day. In fact, Fake Steve satire'd it up brilliantly from the get go, and Daring Fireball sums it up nicely now.

Keep reading after the break to find out how this effects the iPhone...

This Week in Smartphone Schadenfreude, May 31st Edition

By Rene Ritchie, Saturday, May 31, 2008 a 3:55 pm

In this week's edition: Windows Se7en, Great Googley Android, India's circling the RIM, the Treo 800w guest commentary, and no other news on Safari for Samsung...