Linux Solutions

Google’s new open source mobile phone platform is to hit shelves next week, and a few lucky so and so’s have got their grubby little mitts on to the G1 handset from T-Mobile. So far the reaction from these insiders has been positive and the G1 shows a lot of potential, but there are reportedly a few flaws to.

The biggest bugbear to come from testers is the existence of a “kill-switch” – which allows Google to remotely disable any Android application on a phone at will. The discovery of a similar feature back in August drew comparable backlash from testers so have Google slipped up again?

Regardless, the G1 is receiving praise for its customisation options, full QWERTY keypad, and overall ease of use. The lack of a standard headphone socket, video camera, and Exchange synchronisation are among the biggest complaints so far, however, Google say the exchange issue will become available as a third-party app shortly.

“If you look at the iPhone, obviously the user interface is what really captivated people, coupled with the very strong industrial design,” Dan Hays, director of PRTM Management Consultants, said.

“In the case of Android, Google doesn’t have control over the industrial design of the devices — so it really needs to be focused on the quality of the user interface, the innovation that it can execute in that, and driving the ecosystem of applications that will ride on the operating system,” he said.

The Android’s TOS state that if Google finds a product that “violates the developer distribution agreement,” then “it retains the right to remotely remove it…at its sole discretion”.

Hays thinks Google will handle this fine.

“I think it’s less an issue of the existence and more an issue of how it might be used,” he pointed out. “To me, the question is, ‘Is it going to be used to shut down a rogue application that may be doing something on the network that’s inappropriate?’ If so, that’s probably a good thing.”