Android Rants

I just couldn't hold it any longer:

1. There are too many versions of Android that are mutually incompatible - Google thinks it can release phone software as it can do server software. It is not true. How many iterations have iPhone OS and Symbian S60 gone through in the past few years? And, how many major interface changes have occurred in these iterations? I bet Android did 10X changes in just one year. And these changes are NOT backward compatible. An app that works perfectly fine in 1.5. 1.6 CRASHES on launch in Android 2.0, 2.1. Who's to blame? How will the developer know what changes Google would bring about in future versions?

2. Android Market SUCKS - There is no way to browse apps from the website. You need to have an Android phone to even look at the apps in the market. What you get in market.android.com is just a gist with featured apps.

3. You cannot delete all contacts - It is funny that an app we wrote for system utilities is nearing 10,000 downloads. There is no way to 'Select All' and delete contacts. I guess it is because of their deep integration with GMail Contacts, Facebook contacts etc. But this should be overwhelming for a new non-tech savvy user. Or, Android should be labeled as 'Geek-only' phone.

4. VCard Support - You cannot receive a contact as VCard and save it as contact in your contacts. Believe this! Eons old Nokia phones would do this.

'Nuff said!