A few quick questions about the G1

[refused9150]

We have had a user who sent us over some questions that I am sure others are wondering as well so I am going to try to answer then the best that I can.


1) Will the Android device allow for synchronization with items on my Outlook like Tasks, Calendar, Contacts, etc (this includes wireless synchronization)? Also, will it support direct push email that can be used with an exchange server like my Wing does now? Also, will it support Word, Excel, PDF, etc?

• The device will more than likely support email, contact and calendars synchronization out of the box. I have a feeling it will be thought Gmail, but there is nothing stating it will not be with Outlook as well. As for wireless only time will tell. Push email though has become a mobile standard so I am confident that you will see it in this device. Word, Excell and PDF support it becoming increasingly popular even in lower end devices, and weather or not it comes with support out of the box, there will undoubtely be support for it from developers.

2) What exactly makes Android the next big thing? From what I have read, it is an open source device. I am guessing that means that you can fully manipulate the program, customize everything in it, and download all sorts of programs. Is this accurate, or is there much more behind the curtain? What does this mean for the average user? If I'm not a developer, how would this open source help me in my every day life?

• The Android is a huge thing not only because of the open source ability to customize anything and create applications limited only by hardware, it also has huge support from the entire opensource community as well as developers from around the world. In the developers contest alone there were more than 1,700 entries. Now that word gets out it will only get larger.

3) If it does not have certain things on it (GPS, Video recording, Stereo Bluetooth, etc),can it be installed later or do we wait for a second edition?

• Certain features like GPS is based on hardware and cannot be added by any means. However features such as Video recording can be added later as long as there is a camera in the device.

4) If this an open source project, I presume there will be tons of similiar applications out there. Can this be a bad thing if there is no regulation, or does it become a situation where each user decides which application best fits his or her needs? I saw a BBC video with Andy Rubin showing off the phone, and loved the web browser application. However, he says it was a heavily modified app to maximize user experience. As a consumer, how are we to know which apps are "the best"?

• There will be a lot of similar applications out there but it is only good news for the user asthey have more options rather than being stuck with say only one Instant Messenger client that they are not particularly fond of. The applications will be user regulated. If it does not work it will be flagged and either removed or fixed for the users. There should be a rating and review system implimented in the Android Market that helps weed out the Diomonds in the rough so to speak.

I hope this helps answer any questions user may have. If there are any more that you have just post it here in the forums. We are all on here the bulk of the day and looking to help.

[GreenLeaf]

.

Nice info... thanks.

.