Where do YOU think Android is lacking? [Archive]

Supernova

07-02-2009, 04:12 AM

I am curious to know what areas of apps people think that the Android platform is currently missing, where is the general idea of what isn't good enough and what is plain not there.

Is it an entire category of applications? (categories: http://www.cyrket.com/type/1) or games (categories: http://www.cyrket.com/type/4 (http://www.cyrket.com/type/4%29?) )?

I guess a lot of answers will be games, do people think that having games on a smartphone is a selling point? Originally they are for business use, but with the greater availability and lower prices everybody can get their hands on them so the needs change.

Just wondering :)

Derrick

07-02-2009, 05:14 AM

Well I think games is a big selling point, but personally I could care less about it. I have a PSP for portable gaming. Another thing Android is lacking is business related apps. Simply put Android just doesn't have enough professional companies making apps for it. Until that happens I dont believe Android will pass up the competition.

KlaymenDK

07-02-2009, 05:53 AM

I'd pay serious money for an Android implementation of TealScript (http://www.tealpoint.com/softscrp.htm). I've been using this for years and years on my Palms (even my Treo), and I would be ecstatic to have this functionality in Android.
http://www.tealpoint.com/tealscrp/script.gif

Basically, this app does two things, which to me are of equal importance:
(a) it allows you to tweak the handwriting recognition 'alphabet' in any way you like, from minor style training all the way to designing your own alphabet from scratch and adding strokes for custom characters (say, 'å' or '•') and even macros.
(b) it enables full-screen handwriting recognition and discerns intelligently between taps and strokes. Given Android's ability to 'swipe' in order to navigate, discerning between swipes and strokes might be challenging.

PS. I'm not sure of the level of support for handwriting recognition in Android; I have seen a single video where a person filters/moves through a list view by writing a single letter. I hope it is/will be possible to write general text (sms, calendar entries, notes, etc.) by hand without bringing up a virtual keyboard.
Symbian has this crummy little box in the corner of the screen, and performance is slow; this is my main reason for dropping it from my consideration of which OS to switch to (from Palm).

KlaymenDK

07-02-2009, 06:00 AM

Well I think games is a big selling point, but personally I could care less about it.
Seconded.

Sure, it's nice with a game of Sudoku while waiting for the bus, but I'd rather have a proper PIM and productivity suite. It's amazing to see how none of the current generation of smartphones can even hope to compare to what Psion did a decade(!) ago, in terms of built-in text editor, spreadsheet, database, and scripting apps. It just goes to show that they really are smart phones, rather than connected PDAs.

My #1 ambition for Android is to write a proper outliner, but I need quite a bit of experimenting before I get there. I was half-done with an outlining text editor/task manager for Palm when they pulled the plug, ah well...

ohgary

07-02-2009, 07:30 AM

Lack of 3G in much of the US, Lack of network coverage for voice in many areas.

Scythe

07-02-2009, 08:10 AM

Lack of 3G in much of the US, Lack of network coverage for voice in many areas.

That's a Tmo/network provider issue, not Android. But yes, Tmo having more 3G would be nice.

As far as Android is concerned, a native pdf reader would be nice.

kizer

07-02-2009, 09:37 AM

Personally it would be a lack of native apps. You know you get a mp4, doc or pdf in the mail and guess what you can't do anything with them. You have to grab an app to do what should of been included in the OS in the first place. I mean your dealing with a Smart Phone that is stupid with what I call the basics.

OK, not many people are going to send you a MP4, but if that is the format the OS is capable of viewing shouldn't a basic app been included to at least view it?

As far as games go, well I don't think a game has lasted longer than a week in my phone, well except solitaire. ;)

Navik

07-03-2009, 02:50 PM

I think having a productivity suite integrated is a big lacking. I want to be able to sync to my work outlook on the fly. Also, profiles would be nice. And a way to better orginize / customize things, such as your app list. Let me create catagories for stuff. Let me select to hide things also, I don't need to see all of the random album art folders in my all images folder.

Synergy

07-03-2009, 03:46 PM

I think it needs more nifty things, such as the bar code scanner and stuff. That's the stuff that really impresses people and might get them to switch. Also, just better quality apps. I hate apps with the ugly black background and white text interface. They're so hideous.

nolimit966

07-15-2009, 06:18 AM

Thats probably the only thing i can think of at the moment. Apps and games. Also Maybe make the interface even more smooth and bouncy/bubbly. Other than this im seriously impressed with the rest of Android.

Cadillac

07-15-2009, 10:14 AM

USB Host support would be nice. Grab yourself a mini-usb to usb adapter, plug in a keyboard, thumb drive, mouse, etc... The possibilities.

mwenn1

07-15-2009, 10:17 AM

either more internal storage space or apps to sd card, too quick to run out of room for new apps.

kizer

07-15-2009, 11:38 AM

I think a Desktop Sync app would be nice. You know something that you can plug your app in and it will sync your photos, videos, music, contacts, todo and all of the other stuff.

Sure its not really Android specific, but most of us are PC, phone, internet users. If all this is to flow seemlessly then well give us the tools to do it.

agentalite

07-18-2009, 07:44 PM

I would like to see something akin to the blackberry messenger on Android. Android messenger. With unique ID's and ability to transmit voice or text to other android users. There is a ptt app but it uses email. I would like google to implement wave with a ptt on put it on a unified server only accessible to android users.

an app like that would push android to a real solid communications device.

gho0o5t

07-19-2009, 06:46 AM

lol I wrote this long and drawn out "Android needs.. " essay and my friggin pc restarted due to update... motha (&*^( ...
well anyway... Add option to change fonts using font packs. Add option to set screen cell value... (I dunno what the term is called it's 430 am... and I'm at work zzz) But you know how it is 4x4 square... why not let us choose. 5x5? 6x6? 3x2? etc etc... that way we can make a more dynamic customized ui. Option to change size of Music widget. instead of 4x1 why not 2x1 (toggle for play and back forward) Option to control status bar icons. example if I have a battery widget.. why the hell do I need a battery status icon? If I have a bis 4x3 clock why do I need a clock on status bar? Why can't I hide status bar and view by touching the top of screen?
When I hold the phone in landscape, why is the lockscreen only set to portrait? Why wont it change to landscape? It only does it if I pull out keyboard. (an iphone guy pointed that one out to me... bleh)

App Market:
Add widget catagory, add more options for divison. you have By popularity and by date... where is "By Rating", "Most Recommended"?
Since everything is going social.. how about our market. List what our peers are downloading if we allow them to see. Example If I started playing a game... and forgot to tell others about it directly... someone could see I'm frequently using it and may choose to download it aswell.

Browser needs to lose that minimize and maximize feature... it annoying... why not go chrome style and use tabs... example touch left side to show tabs and bring forward tab to switch between pages. (Google android needs to get multitouch and flash asap)

Android needs a built in video editor. an equalizer, copy and paste web pages. Needs to be ablt to use video chat via gmail enabled plugin.
Android needs to make root access. Standard.

caretoo

08-12-2009, 03:09 PM

I'd pay serious money for an Android implementation of TealScript (http://www.tealpoint.com/softscrp.htm)....I'm not sure of the level of support for handwriting recognition in Android; ).

I Agree, I need some sort of handwriting recognition or i won't be able to switch. I use a stylus b/c i can input 'block' handwriting so much quicker than the onscreen keyboard....if it finally comes around, i will be able to dump my winmo system for android permenantly!! yeahhhh!!!

SOPNAV

10-12-2009, 03:37 PM

Hey Supernova,

I think games are just as important, as yes, they are predominantly business phones but then business people want to have fun too plus they spend a lot of time travelling so in my experience playing a quick game of poker or something is a good time filler.

I guess there are loads of other applications that could be good, Im looking forward to "MyLink" coming out... it means I can sync my email, calendar and address book with my Android phone.. here is the link for reference:
http://www.waveglobal.net (http://www.waveglobal.net)
Just my views but hope they help?!
Soph :-)

iclickjohn

10-26-2009, 07:23 PM

my opinion isn't based on what android is lacking, but more on what the apps are lacking themselves. I've searched through most apps and their descriptions. What I've found that most peoples inner critic compares apples to apples. And apps to apps.
This is the problem with the Android apps. They don't HAVE to be apples. You may or may not have heard of the word "intent" When you google that with android you will learn that at the heart of Android is the ability for apps to send intents back to the mothership, so to speak which will stimulate other functions that may relate to the original object of the program. Right now, even google maps on a windows platform can place "layers" over the map. Within the layer can be wiki, latitude, searches, etc. This is in a way the same thing as intents. However, in the complex world of the Android OS, intents can be even more integrated. Contacts, calendar, maps, and other programs can work together in a support team that offers the user so much more information from a button within an app, vs. closing the program, remembering the info and opening a second app, importing the info and getting deeper and deeper information. With Android, the integration should be built into the app in the first place. And I don't see that integration in very many apps available now. I've tried to assemble a crack team of developers to try to develop an "Event Suggestion-Planner"

http://groups.google.com/group/android-discuss/browse_thread/thread/f33143ce480a12e2

And you will see that even there, there is not much interest. Why have an OS that offers this power and have no apps that take advantage of it????

and a youtube from Google explaining intents
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LkNlTNHZzE&NR=1

RightOnTime

10-26-2009, 08:16 PM

Hardware compared to other higher end phones that it is competing against

bmcclure937

10-26-2009, 11:05 PM

Hardware compared to other higher end phones that it is competing against

Don't worry... this will all change in the course of the next few months :D

Besides, which "higher end phones" are you speaking about? I assume the iPhone 3Gs with 600MHz ARM CPU ;) Any other devices specifically?

The upcoming Android devices look very impressive!!

hondamx525

10-26-2009, 11:08 PM

The iphone 3gs and the Palm pre are 2 phones that put the smackdown on android hardware right now. Looks like there is going to be bunch to talk about on the android front soon enough. Now which carrier will be getting the sony infinity?

mtl171

10-26-2009, 11:49 PM

better hardware and the need to release full android source code(including market). i wish i could access Market on my n810.

RegGuheert

10-27-2009, 02:22 PM

One thing that is a big problem to me is the constant applications updates that are occurring as new versions of the OS and new phones are released/tested. The problem is getting worse with time as developers need to support new phone releases constantly.

It's funny because my wife complained about this with her G1. I thought she was just bellyaching. Then I got my MT3G and she made me uninstall all but about 20 applications from her phone. If you have over 100 applications installed, the updates are simply constant.

I don't really even know what to suggest that Google do to improve this, but I will say that it is not memory that limits the number of applications I will install on my MT3G but rather it is update frequency.

Sign me,
UpdateDroid

yosi-bu

11-01-2009, 01:55 AM

did'nt find pc remote control such as logmein or rdm + which allow htc magic take over pc and opperate it as if you where beside its key baord.

origins81

11-01-2009, 03:19 AM

I dont really think its the software, used to be a hardware issue but with incoming crop of devices, Sony Xperia Infinity/ Rachael, HTC Dragon (maybe?) and the Droid thats sure to change. Seems they did their beta tests to see if there is a market and are ready to move on to bigger and better. Sure enough with what Google is doing software-wise (Gnavigator) Android is getting the exposure it deserves and can only get better from now onwards

supra_holic2002

11-01-2009, 08:58 PM

I was thinkin about a vo/ip app that allows u to use the phone over wifi in the case of no reception in an office building or if u are out of the country where roaming charges could be astronomical on a foreign network.

chiefvelo

11-18-2009, 06:20 AM

I have 3900 contacts and the current PIM is very weak for business. If you have every seen the palm version of Agendas pro, that was very powerful.
spell check in email!

ohgary

11-18-2009, 09:10 AM

I functional 3g network on t-mobile is what is lacking on the G1

nenwnw

11-18-2009, 05:29 PM

a version of Tunes Remote that works!!!!!aghh

supra_holic2002

11-26-2009, 12:45 AM

an easier way to delete multiple messages not all of one thread or all the threads..... a multi select funtion maybe?

jonesyruless

11-27-2009, 09:11 AM

definately games. i had way more/better games available to me when i had my nokia 5300 phone before getting my mytouch, which is sad. all the big developers like gameloft, ea mobile, and digital chocolate have like one or two games out for android, and they're not even up to par with the quality of the games on iphone, which is greatly supported by all those big developers i mentioned, plus more. i don't understand why this is, but i really hope it improves very soon.

Cryoflesh

11-27-2009, 10:55 AM

jonesyruless

11-27-2009, 04:21 PM

On place the android is sadly lacking is style and polish. I hate myself for saying this, but android is way behind the iPhone in terms of polish. The iPhone looks much more 'together' in pretty much every way. The apps are slicker, the music player is miles better, etc. And yes I appreciate that this comes at the cost of being utterly controlled by Apple. But the reason apple win with this is because they are 1 company focussing on 1 handset. All the android developers are too busy competing with each other for both hardware and software that no united front is presented. Just look at HTC. They make the G1 and the Hero, but only the hero gets the sense UI, but because of this the hero still doesn't have Donut. If HTC can't even present a united front, how the hell can any of the other manufacturers manage it? Google should have designed the handset and UI and followed Apple's business plan. At least they would only have been competing with the iPhone instead of fighting between themselves.

I know we can root to get all the snazzy stuff on our handsets, BUT WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO!!

agreed. i mean at least have every android phone updated to run the same version of android. all these compatibility issues and whatnot are ridiculous.

eminembdg

11-27-2009, 05:12 PM

That is def a hiccup with Android. If they made all phones , who's roms have room, run the same version of Android then would help have a "united front" like Cryoflesh stated

tranz

12-07-2009, 05:41 AM

Holy cow, do I feel lucky!

A lot of what I'm reading here is SOLVED for me. I've got a Moto A855 "DROID" with Verizon and I've got RAM, chips, CPU power, network coverage, big clear display, keyboard, great apps,,,,,,

BUT I WANT GRAFFITI!!!!! There's a SHARK based "scribble" app out there that some might like, but I'm seconding the motion for some GOOD handwriting recognition type software.

gmail contacts isn't as good as my Palms were, but gDocs with your gmail Google Docs does good for memos and wordprocessing, spreeadsheets, all that. gmail calendar is good. It does fine with any email. If you text like a crackberry kid you won't like any of the Android PDA phones I've seen.

Get a jawbone bluetooth and the phone's fine. Get the pricey Bose corded stereo headset with mic and you've got phone calls and music both covered TOTALLY.

I just don't think it's as rugged as a Treo 700 or 755 or crackberry, or NexTel.

As far as "slick" goes, the DROID is slick like a jet ****pit, not slick like the paint on a Honda.

Scythe

12-07-2009, 08:48 AM

On place the android is sadly lacking is style and polish. I hate myself for saying this, but android is way behind the iPhone in terms of polish. The iPhone looks much more 'together' in pretty much every way. The apps are slicker, the music player is miles better, etc. And yes I appreciate that this comes at the cost of being utterly controlled by Apple. But the reason apple win with this is because they are 1 company focussing on 1 handset. All the android developers are too busy competing with each other for both hardware and software that no united front is presented. Just look at HTC. They make the G1 and the Hero, but only the hero gets the sense UI, but because of this the hero still doesn't have Donut. If HTC can't even present a united front, how the hell can any of the other manufacturers manage it? Google should have designed the handset and UI and followed Apple's business plan. At least they would only have been competing with the iPhone instead of fighting between themselves.

I know we can root to get all the snazzy stuff on our handsets, BUT WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO!!

You're comparing 2 different types of handsets. Anything that says "with Google[tm]" on the back has the standard Android UI and can't be different then what Google allows. That would be the MT3G, G1, Droid, etc. HTC created a custom rom for the Hero.

I actually dislike the fact that companies are making custom flavors of Android. It makes it more difficult on developers, limits the amount of updates the user of the phone will get (since HTC/Moto/etc have to custom brew an updated rom), etc.

All I want is Google to update the base UI with some cleaner gradients, and remove the black on orange feel of the phone.

somewhereinusa

12-07-2009, 10:13 AM

I was quite excited when I heard about the Moto Droid, until I found out you couldn't initiate a call from a bluetooth headset with voice dialing. As a professional driver this is a deal killer. It has to work without me looking at or touching the phone. If and when it gets this feature, I'll be the first in line to buy one.To all who read this and say it kinda does this with a workaround or that it's not important, I've heard your arguments and they don't cut it.

confuseddroid9

12-11-2009, 01:50 PM

These are seriously lacking
1) native editing with ease: cut/copy/paste between apps and interfacing with screen. The keyboard is awful as is the ergonomics for editing, phone numbers especially from all note taking apps
2)sync data: phone contacts, calendar data, tasks/notes/memos

Derrick

12-11-2009, 02:09 PM

The only thing I really dislike about Android is the music player. I mean really it is just bland looking and just annoying to use. I was really hoping for a revamp for it in 2.0 but no dice :( Still HTC has done wonderful with their Sense UI and I can't wait till the Bravo comes out.

One other thing I would like to say is why do people hate Google's VK so much? The only thing I don't like about it is that theres no feedback when you hit the keys. Whats the deal?

tranz

12-13-2009, 03:01 AM

"Googles VK"? If I had a clue what you meant, maybe I could contribute an insight.

To the pro driver(s) I think us Moto "DROID" users will have a car "cradle" soon that'll make things a lot better. (Genuine Motorola I'm told)

I found a couple handwriting recognition app's that show some promise. I'll do another thread for that though.

tranz

12-13-2009, 03:09 AM

Good news!

I just downloaded an app called "MobileWrite" yesterday. It does 2 versions of Graffiti, and "print". It works pretty well, but for some reason the document display area is vey small, and the touchpad area is more than 1/2 the display size. I think it's a "bug", but info about the actual Android app is sparse. Good doc's on setup and use however.

Try out the "Trial" version at least, and keep us posted!

Leap

03-06-2010, 10:10 AM

Seconded.

My #1 ambition for Android is to write a proper outliner, but I need quite a bit of experimenting before I get there. I was half-done with an outlining text editor/task manager for Palm when they pulled the plug, ah well...

Ah man. I dream about getting a good functional outliner for the android. I have no programming skills, so this will be difficult. I too am an old time palm user and the various outlinning tools that I got were phenominal for me. Being able to click to expand lists within lists, hide/show checked items would be amazing. I love the mindmapping app but it doesn't function as a checklist. Here is a list (http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199806/outliners001.html) of several that I have looked at. The one that I settled on was Hands High's Thought Manager (http://www.handshigh.com/html/thoughtmanager.html) PLEASE someone give me something functional like this. It is a huge gapping hole in the Android cloud. (ya, I am being dramatic, But I waste so much time checking to see if anyone has written one.)

bernhardts.centurytel

03-10-2010, 09:07 PM

USB Host, USB Hosy, USB Host, pleeeeeeaaaaasssseeee. Built in terminal to root. If Google is after app developers, there must be a built in supported way to put apps on the SD and to access the system to do things with it. IBM beat Apple in the early PC days by publishing the IBM reference manual that had schematics and all the API data to integrate components and applications. The flood started and it took Apple 20 years to come around. Apple is rocking the world with the first somewhat open app product in iPhone. Google needs to open up MORE if they want to take over the minds and hearts of the developers and that includes hardware external device integration with and without wires and UI customization. OpenMoko started, but failed due to limited resources. Google Android is working the platforms well.

q4norm

03-15-2010, 03:37 PM

InsightGoalie

03-16-2010, 12:40 PM

The music player is horrid. That is the biggest complaint from me by far.

Dancingwaters

04-01-2010, 10:09 PM

This thread made me register to answer.

For me it needs a really good calendar. One that you can select a color for the appointment and allow you to change it later. I used to use a calendar that allowed me to put all my bills as green then I would switch them to gray after they were paid. All I had to do then was look at my calendar and quickly view which bills still needed to be paid. I haven’t found anything like that on the droid yet..

dcheng11

04-01-2010, 11:54 PM

my perfect android phone has the following:

-muliple games with complexity (they take at least 3 hours to beat, on average, without being insanely boring, and save your progress on a force close)
-ability to become an open or protected wifi hotspot (maybe this is hardware related, but would still be nice)
-ability to do wifi <-> wifi voip without any cell connection or carrier
-ability to tether https for free (paid apps exist that do this, but still)

-Total programmatic control, including to things related to the phone services. A programmer writing an app should be able to override any functionality they want to (isolated to the app they are making, of course). Programmers should be able to create a "phone2" app if they wanted, for example, and make changes to the way calls were handled when the user was in that app instead of the default phone application.

i don't get why everyone is hating on android games.. i mean, there's no really great android-only games that i can think of, but yongzh is doing his all to make android gaming amazing. i have a g1 (is the lack of a hard keyboard making you reconsider?), and i play gameboid and snesoid every so often. he's got other emulators, and i'm pretty sure he's working on a n64 emulator for you n1 guys. and now that you have multitouch, just imagine playing oot on your phone.. my computer was even chugging a little when i played oot on it.

as for tethers, if you're rooted, that shouldn't be a problem. i don't have a data plan, so i kinda brush by tethering. i know there's some app.. can't think of the name.. that supports both open and closed servers, so you might want to look into that. i'm pretty sure djunio was talking about it once; maybe pm him.

xerleh

04-20-2010, 07:58 PM

Constant update of installed apps or an update all app would be nice. Also have a box that would enable all warnings and they wouldnt have to show. I get so tired of going through 4 screens for each app to update.

justSteve

04-22-2010, 07:23 AM

Honestly can't believe no one else thinks the simple act of recording one's phone calls is needed.

Scythe

04-22-2010, 07:49 AM

Honestly can't believe no one else thinks the simple act of recording one's phone calls is needed.

It's against US law to record a call without first allowing the other person on the call to accept/reject the recording.

Google Voice will let you record a call, but it informs and prompts the other user first.

Xarthos

04-22-2010, 08:58 AM

ggrant3876

04-22-2010, 10:12 AM

I don't know yet. The press and information I have seen all point to Android having just about everything I like and more.

Can you redownload purchased apps from the Android Market store? If so they beat Apple in this. If not they should do this. It would give buyers a lot of confidence over Apple. Steam does this and it works great. :D
Yes, any apps purchased can be uninstalled and reinstalled at will. If you have to wipe your phone you will have all your downloads ready in the market once you sign back into google.

squattinbull

04-26-2010, 12:04 AM

Where do I think Android is lacking?

I recently upgraded from my blackberry Curve to the new Android phone. A lot of the applications that come with the phone are great. The only few things I see lacking are:

ReQall - I am a person with a very busy life style and scheduling my week out is a must. Always being on the go I need the talk to notes that convert directly into text.

Quicktime - I know It's apple. But I love trailers.apple. Being able to support the .MOV files would be a great big plus.

Flash - Adobe originally said it would be ready by November of 2009 for the new Android. Well Adobe it's 2010 and you are still delaying. :p

Customization - Android software was built using a modified version of Linux. I would love being able to customize it and edit the OS as freely as Linux itself. Yet I don't have that freedom. :(

tical2399

04-26-2010, 05:45 AM

As someone planning to get into android phones for the 1st time with the 4G i was researching the apps and I noticed there is not really any good office suites for it. I know MS office won't be on it but I thought open office would have been on it by now.

On a personal note having Chase as a bank I'm kinda mad there is not REAL Chase app. I think there is this web sorta thing but not a real dedicated Chase app. Not really into games on phones as thats what I have a PSP for, but a new more games (RPGs) can't hurt

alamoe

04-26-2010, 06:45 AM

multimedia polish and more settings in the camera app

Sent from my HTC Dream G1 using Tapatalk

Jarhead

04-26-2010, 07:10 AM

Bluetooth, bluetooth, bluetooth.

Slither

05-09-2010, 03:44 PM

It's been mentioned but voip would be great. I don't have very good Verizon or any other service where I live, due to mountains, and a voip would really help out.

Second, OTR (http://www.cypherpunks.ca/otr/index.php#downloads) for gtalk. Being compatible with Pidgin (http://pidgin.im/), where encryption keys are made and stored on the phone itself and not rely on the gtalk server (if the phone accesses SSL in the first place). OTR libs are available in Java.

Just reading through this thread, tremendous improvements have taken place in less than one year. Great job devs! and much gratitude.

Wonsanim

05-09-2010, 03:52 PM

Slither welcome to AC forum:)

Scythe

05-09-2010, 04:21 PM

Lacking
- Better multimedia experience. If you want to compete with the Apple's of the world, we need improved video/music players. More codecs (yes I know, licensing sucks), etc.
- Improved bluetooth, although this isn't very key to the 90 percentile of users.
- More BroadcastIntent's for basic operations within the OS.
- More consistent UI's. I like pinch to zooming in the gallery app, but from the camera app I can't? Eh?
- A decent sports app.

Wonsanim

05-09-2010, 04:29 PM

TomChavez

07-08-2010, 06:56 PM

Holy cow, do I feel lucky!

BUT I WANT GRAFFITI!!!!! There's a SHARK based "scribble" app out there that some might like, but I'm seconding the motion for some GOOD handwriting recognition type software.

Great news! ACCESS has released Graffiti for Android. Download for free from the Android Market. Supports the original Graffiti input system that everyone knows and loves from your PDA days. Built-in help screens guide you in learning the Graffiti strokes.