As someone who most people would probably call a nerd, I do like smartphones. About two years ago I got a Windows Mobile phone (the HTC Herald) and now it’s slowly becoming time to make the switch to a new device. The reason for this post is that the smartphone scene has changed significantly in these past two years and here is my take on it (in reverse order of greatness):
Windows Mobile
- Slow and clunky interface
- Almost no customization
- Most available applications (at least the free ones) are either unusable or you don’t really need them
- Paying for applications is too difficult as there is no centralized shop
- I think if Microsoft doesn’t do a major overhaul here soon Windows Mobile will be dead
Android
- The idea of an Open Source system based on Linux is good
- There seem to be good applications available and there is an easy way to get them
- From what I hear, the interface is alright
- For my taste, there is too much Java
- Google is slowly becoming too ubiquitous and has a pretty tight hold on the platform1
iPhone
- The interface is obviously great, but it’s customizable
- There are so many applications available and they are easy to get
- It’s a good platform for small developers to earn some money2
- I don’t like Apple’s style of locking down the device
- It’s starting to feel like everyone has an iPhone
Palm Pre
- The interface looks great
- There seems to be good support for Open Source applications
- It’s pretty new
- Come on, writing applications in HTML and Javascript only? And native applications only by trusted third-parties?
- There are rumors that the Pre gathers user information and uploads it to Palm
Nokia N900 & Maemo
- The idea of running Linux on a smartphone is just awesome
- So there’s also very good support for Open Source software
- The device is very powerful (real multi-tasking!), it really is a computer
- The interface looks good and intuitive
- Nokia seems to get the idea that openness is good
To me, the Nokia N900 and Maemo look like the best choice for a smartphone at the moment – if it will ever be released. And no, I won’t wait for the N900 Duke Nukem Forever edition.