Some thoughts on Android

I'm slowly starting to become a bit more positive about Android. I've been in the US for most of the last week, and it was interesting to see how many "normal" people had Android devices, compared with the UK where it's still viewed as geektastic. Google's introduction of free turn-by-turn navigation is a bit of a smart move too: this article makes a fascinating read about the Google business model evolving.

It seems to me that the OS is maturing faster than anticipated, and certainly more quickly than Symbian and Windows Mobile. It looks as though Google will take a leaf out of Microsoft's book and jump all over its rivals if they make a mis-step (which certainly seems to be true of recent S60 and WM6.5 devices). It will be interesting to see if Maemo steps up to the plate, given Nokia's announcement this week.

I had a quick play with a Motorola Droid and was fairly impressed. Fast, comes with a QWERTY, decent-seeming camera etc. I could see myself possibly using one as a work device, if it's possible to buy one unlocked for a sensible price, although I wouldn't want to use it as a personal voice/SMS device.