Letters: Google's missing links

I read with interest your editorial about the Google Phone (“When web meets the phone”, January 10). It has presented an overview of Google’s foray into challenging the dominance of Apple’s iPhone but the optimism is rather misplaced.

At the time of introduction, Google’s executives were at pains to explain that the phone was HTC’s initiative. By many accounts, the form factor for the phone is based on earlier models of HTC. The same hardware manufacturer is also focusing on a Windows Mobile platform which means that Google’s Android-based operating system (OS) is not sacrosanct for HTC.

The Android needs increasing amount of resources and faster processors. Also, Google’s reliance on a single platform may not find many takers, specifically when increasing reports of its poor customer care are pouring in. Based on the reviews, Nexus One’s Organic Light Emitting Display (OLED) screen may be brilliant to look at while indoors, but is pretty useless in the sunlight.

Apple is riding on incremental improvements to its phone, and this makes it easier for existing customers to upgrade to a newer version. There is a huge market for the applications; although some may find the idea fancy, but the fact remains that the number of applications appear unending. Android’s “bazaar” is as basic as it can get and it needs a lot to generate sufficient excitement to be able to fetch returns for the developers.

In my opinion, it’s better to wait till Google addresses the missing customer care issues and improves the Android platform to do something that Apple’s OS doesn’t do.

Abhishek Puri, New Delhi