Android 2.0 reviewed & loved

Gizmodo just posted a full blown review of Android 2.0 today. It was obviously don on the Motorola Droid which is currently the only Android 2.0 phone. The overall impression is that Google’s updated mobile OS is a step in the right directions. Nothing really stands out besides the nicely integrated Voice Command function and Google Navigation applications. Every other features was already available before on devices like the HTC Hero and Motorola CLIQ (Social media integration, Exchange support etc..) everything else is just UI tweaking. It’s definitely the best overall mobile OS right now (without OEM customization).

Software is inextricably tied to hardware in many respects, and nowhere is that more true than performance. Droid, the first Android 2.0 phone—and the only one we’ve used—is ridiculously capable, with an ARM Cortex A8 TI OMAP3430 processor that’s basically the same as the chips inside of the Palm Pre and iPhone 3GS. Point being, it’s got heavy duty processor firepower.

So it’s absolutely inexplicable that while it’s overall the fastest version of Android yet—most apps fly open instantly, run zippily and practically zoom from one to another, even with a couple running in the background—very basic user interface elements, like the main pop-up menu on the home screen and sliding over from one desktop to another, often stutter or lag (with no apps running up front, and just a couple of widgets on the desktop). At this point, it’s clear that these performance hiccups are an Android problem, not a hardware deficiency. It’s maddening to hold a badass phone like the Droid and watch it handle menus like a pussy.

The iPhone 3GS doesn’t have a TI OMAP 3430…

In time, Android very well could be the internet phone, hands down, in terms of raw capabilities. And while it’s not as easy to use or polished or seamless as the iPhone—or to some extent, Palm’s WebOS—it’s way more usable than most other smartphones, and keeps evolving, way faster than anyone else, continually closing that gap. Android 2.0’s potential finally feels as enormous as the iPhone’s, and I get kinda tingly thinking about it. I can’t say Android 2.0 is ready for your mom yet, but it’s definitely ready for anybody reading this.

Not a single mention of Windows Mobile in the whole review…geez

Source: Gizmodo