BISKOOT

After having relied on my trusty old Nokia E61 for all of 3 years, I finally got myself an Android Dev Phone about a week ago. I’ve been having a lot of fun playing with it, but having been something of a Nokia loyalist for almost a decade, I couldn’t help drawing comparisons with Nokia.

Anyway, here’s a detailed review of my experience with the device.

First off, a few photos:

From DevPhone1

From DevPhone1

Although many people think the phone is bulky, I pretty much liked the external design. The chin at the bottom in particular is a nice thing, because it protects the screen from direct contact when the phone is lying face-down.

Getting the battery cover open for the first time to install the SIM and battery proved to be a challenge. You will have a hard time if you have no fingernails. Ditto for opening the microSD slot cover (this is not really an issue because the phone comes pre-loaded with the microSD card).

Power on, and after a few seconds the screen comes alive with the Android Desktop.

The screen is really beautiful; I felt it’s one of the most impressive assets of this device. HVGA resolution (320×480) on a 3.2″ screen means this display has higher than average PPI (pixels-per-inch). The end result is that the display looks smooth and rich. In short, the display rocks.

By default, the ADP1 came with Android 1.0. I already had the SDK, and I didn’t waste time in flashing the phone with 1.6 (donut).

From DevPhone1

I found the hardware keyboard to be average. IMO, the tactile feedback on my E61 keyboard is superior. The angular slide-out design for revealing the keyboard is ingenious – it cleverly solves the problem of accidental sliding. However, one thing I don’t like about the hardware keyboard is that it doesn’t get perfectly aligned with the screen. Anyway, after using the phone for a while, I prefer the on-screen keyboard for almost everything, since its a bit awkward to slide out the keyboard when you are in the middle of doing something, just to type.

My guess is that many users ended up feeling the same way, which is probably why HTC decided to drop the hardware keyboard in their subsequent models – Magic and Hero. But it’s nice to have the option of the hardware keyboard, though.

One thing about the onscreen keyboard – it takes a bit of practice. I had a pretty high mistype rate when I started using it, but after a few days I got the hang of it and can now type pretty comfortable with it. Your mileage may vary. If you have large fingers, you probably won’t like the onscreen keyboard.

The battery life is the biggest complaint. It SUCKS. Apparently every Dream/G1 user complains about this. The 1150mAH battery seems woefully inadequate for this device. Even light-to-moderate use of Wifi/Bluetooth/GPS leads to the battery getting drained in a couple of hours. Which means you have to really watch out and be extremely judicious in using these features.

The digital compass and orientation sensors seem to work well.

Another minor complaint I have is that the loudspeaker isn’t loud enough, and the tonal quality is pretty much mediocre.

However, the quality of audio reproduction on the stereo headset is surprisingly good. Very good tonal balance and no noticeable hiss or distortion.

The camera is pretty much average. It performs poorly in low-to-medium light, and the focusing mechanism seems to be quite slow.

In conclusion: Apart from the drawbacks mentioned, I love this phone. Google seems to have got it right the first time with Android. The software platform is stable and very usable. It makes Symbian look clunky and ugly. However, HTC falls behind Nokia in workmanship and build quality. I would love to see an Android-based device built by Nokia.

- Ketan

I recently ordered the Android Dev Phone 1 (essentially the same thing as HTC Dream) directly from Google. They officially ship to India, so I decided to try this option. Writing this post to describe my experience with the ordering process. Hopefully, this should help other folks in India who are thinking about ordering the phone, but are unsure.

In Short: The experience was GOOD, and I am happy about my decision to order.

I first tried to find someone returning from US, so that I could ask them to order it and bring it along to India. But then I saw that the custom duty had come down to $51.81 (it used to be $125 earlier, see this post). I decided to order it directly, because the saving in custom duty/shipping was not so great to justify the hassle and wait for someone returning from US to get it.

Cost

The total cost was $506.79, broken down as follows:

Phone : $399.00
Shipping : $ 55.98
Customs Duty : $ 51.81

NOTE: Before you can order the phone, you need to register as a developer on the Android Market, for which you pay a $25 fee. I haven’t included this in the cost above, because I see this as different from the cost of the phone itself.

Ordering/Shipping

The checkout process was smooth. I paid by credit card. The package was shipped via UPS. They said to allow 3-5 business days for shipping, and it arrived well in time. I had ordered it on Thursday night (IST) and it arrived on Monday. They sent me a tracking number when the package was shipped, and I could track the progress of the shipment in real time on the web.

The shipment was well-packed and arrived in good condition. The device’s own packaging box was put into a larger-sized standard UPS box along with some “filler” material for cushioning. Overall, I found the shipping experience satisfactory.

What’s in the box?

I found the following items in the package:
Android Dev Phone (of course)
Charger
USB cable
Stereo handsfree headset (wired)
Quick Start Guide
Limited Warranty Card

A 1GB MicroSD card came pre-inserted in the phone.

That’s it. I’m off to have some fun playing and experimenting with my new toy! I plan to write a separate post in detail about the phone itself, with pictures.

- Ketan

I looked at the price tag. Oracle 9i Database Enterprise Edition: US$ 40,000 (one single-cpu installation). Or about 18 Lakh Rupees.

OK, so Oracle is a high-quality software product. Not much doubt there. But… err…. umm… $40K?

I wondered. So what does it take to build a production-grade bullet-proof database system? No precious stones, hardly any classified technology that the US military controls, and no scarce, non-renewable energy sources.

It’s simply a knowledge product. It’s the outcome of the effort invested by a finite number of computer scientists and software engineers for a finite period of time.

So, what’s the deal with the 40K? When I pay cash for an Oracle licence, I am actually paying for the time and effort of some US computer scientists/engineers. (I’ll avoid the temptation to say “sponsoring their criminally high standards of living”…. oops, i said it anyway)

This is unsettling. Something’s not right. There are computer scientists and engineers in India. Quite a lot of them in fact. Why is there no Indian company yet that has a *product* that can compete with someone like Oracle? Surely, if talented and motivated professionals here in India teamed up and built a similar product, they would do it at a fraction of the cost.

Somehow this doesn’t seem to bother our supposedly star-performing IT companies like Infosys, Satyam, Wipro…

Instead, we have companies here lining up for ISO certifications, and thumping their chests in triumph while showing off their newly acquired CMM level status.

I wonder what it is these companies feel so good about. The fact is that they are wasting the potential of their people. Take a look at the following financial figures:

(figures in rupees, for Sep 02 – Sep 03. Source: yahoo finance)

All of the above companies need the same input – human intellectual capital. And they produce the same kind of output: software. Yet, we see stark differences in the way a product company (like Oracle or Microsoft) is able to generate wealth, as opposed to a software “services” company (like Infosys or Satyam).

It is clear that there is a definite strategic advantage and wealth generation opportunity in the product approach. Yet we have more companies opening service shops. IT services, Call centers, BPO, support/maintenance contracts…

Why? Lack of financial capital? Unsupportive investment climate? Hot and humid climate?

Or is it a post-colonial Macaulayan educational system that stifles innovation, rewards blind conformance, and generally kills risk appetite?

- Ketan

www.indusvalue.com