13-02-2008: For the first time, the Google platform Android is shown to the public for the first time. Texas Instruments had the honour of showing a white-label phone operating on Android with working internet.
By: Tim Wijkman
Only three months after the launch of Android, the new platform for the mobile phones of Google, finally the first mobile phone operating on this platform is shown to the public. At the booth of Texas Instruments at the Mobile World Congress, a white-label phone phone can be seen that operates on the Android platform. What makes this even more remarkable: We managed to get a working internet connection on the device.
Android on white-label phone
Despite of the sofware on the device not being really stable already, a good impression of the phone can be formed. Clear is that Android as operating system will end up in the same section as the Symbian and Windows Mobile system are. In our opinion, there is not many news in comparison with other platforms, but it could be that the software developers that are currently working on the software for Android will still come with the real "killer-app".
Application menu in Android
What many others did not seem to be able to do is something we did manage: Making an internet connection go on Android. The browser of Android makes us think of a mix between the Seris 40 platforum of Nokia, the Symbian OS and Windows Mobile. The browser is expanded when it comes to possibilities and the menu structure is even a little complicated. Despite of this, browsing the normal internet is not a problem. Unfortunately the internet was really slow, this because the device only had a GPRS connection.
Surfing the internet on Android
A lot of standard applications run on Android. In this it is very conspicuous that all branches of Google are embedded into Android. With this you can think about Google Maps, YouTube and Gmail. This also makes an end to the options besides the regular phone functions because a lot has still to be developed for Android.
Camera
Concerning possibilities, te camera function of Android can be placed between the Apple iPhone and Windows Mobile. Nothing can be changed in the settings of an Apple iPhone camera, the basic functions are present in a Windows Mobile camera. At this moment, Android is in between these two and, accoring to us, is less than basic. Furthermore, the camera application is far from stable, the camera regularly crashes.
Gallery
The gallery on Android makes us think of the gallery the Apple iPhone offers. Just like on the Apple iPhone, thumbnails of photos are indicated in an overview, without further information about the photos.
Our conclusion: Android looks nice but the real spectacular thing still has to come. Besides this, the software seems a little slow. It takes a while before applications are started and navigation withing applications also takes some time. Whether this is a processor or software problem is something the future will tell.