Many things could lead a person to start a blog.
Mine was HTC Aria.
I'm not a big fan of blogs. Most of them are too long, not written well, or just not that interesting, and I don't see how mine would be much different.
Most chances are that the next post I'll upload would be around March 2012, but, that's not a good enough reason not to start one...
So, HTC Aria.
What's the story?
For those of you who don't know me (future HR personnel I may encounter, most probably...) here's a bit of a background:
Professionally-wise, I'm a product manager.
More specific - product manager of consumer products (that is - that real people interact with, as opposed to all those black-boxes that sit behind this site and make sure you are able to read these lines)
And to be precise - a product manager of consumer products on mobile devices.
Yes.
That means, what I (currently) like doing most (at work) is to think, define and develop great apps for mobile phones. And, of course, the best platform to do that these days, is on Apple's iPhone.
Generally speaking, I have the greatest and utmost respect to the folks who created the iPhone platform. I can talk for ages about all the good (and not so good) things that Apple has done, and above all, about the importance of good leadership, which kept the focus of the entire company on providing the best experience for its target audience.
No doubt, the iPhone, as a product, is a milestone.
Yet, at the same level of certainty, something would eventually come along, and kick Apple from its throne. And, as all things point, this someone would be using Google's open source Android operating system.
Even our own small modu, which has spent lots of money on proprietary OS, has woken up, shook its head and shifted to Android.
My experience so far with Android, was far from enthusiastic. I had the "pleasure" of working with some of Samsung's earlier Android devices, mainly the Galaxy, which was a great example of how to make a calm and basically sane person, to smash their phone, regardless of the consequences.
Then came along Google's own Nexus One.
That's better... that actually shows we are heading somewhere.
That also shows the real power and true value of an open platform, and we are now just waiting for someone to actually make an "Apple pie" out of those Cupcake, Eclair and the likes.
Then came HTC Sense UI.HTC Sense is a "design experience, an architecture that is all about how people use the device, making their content personal to how they use the device."
Respect.
Not only they managed to make the sometimes over-powerful Android OS accessible, stable and user-friendly for non-techies, they also used the openness of the OS to add valuable and missing features from the native layer - e.g. true integration to Facebook and Tweeter directly from the contacts app (which, smartly, changed its prehistorical name from "Contacts" to "People") and introduced "Leap" - a way to access all the home screens at once (something even Apple has just recently tried to amend in the new iOS4 with the folders option).
Most of all, it's the first time I'm holding a phone (i.e. not iPhone) that feels just about RIGHT.
It's not an iPhone, but it behaves almost as good as - everything is smooth, everything flows and [almost] everything is just where you expect it to be...
Way to go HTC! :-)
(And, what can I say, to AT&T as well, on making a smart choice on their first Android device - and that's NOT because I'm working there... ;-) )
Now, how do I bridge between the previous paragraph and the somewhat extreme title of this post?
Well, I play Slay quite a lot on the iPhone. More than my wife would like me to admit.
For those of you who don't know this amazingly simple (yet addictive!) strategy game - it's basically you against 6 other players (AI) with fairly simple set of rules: you gain more grounds = you get more money. There are 3 levels of soldiers, each one is twice as strong as the lower one, but costs three times more to maintain.
That's it. (Chapeau Sean O'Connor!)
While playing it, I came to think about Apple.
They are one.
Strong one, successful one, but one.
And, they have basically one smartphone - the iPhone.
Couple of other mobile devices, few hardware modifications, but basically it's the iPhone against all others.
Furthermore, they base their iPhone roadmap on one device per year.
In the world of smartphones, that's just not going to cut it.
The basic rules of Slay, with the robustness and flexibility of Google's Android OS, shows quite clearly that the days of the iPhone are numbered.
I say, when it comes to sinking ships, be a rat. Especially if there's nothing you can do to ease the matter.
The only question left open now, is when Slay is going to be released on the Android?
Hope seeing you here again, before 2012...
Take care,
Offir
