Many Random Android/G1 Questions

[docprego]

1. Do you think we will see Firefox Mobile or Opera 9.5 for Android?

2. Will there be a charging cradle available for the G1? If so will it be able to charge a second battery?

3. Can I buy more than one micro SD card and swap them at will?

4. From what I an gather the black finish is the only one that is completely matte, both front and back. Does this black finish show fingerprints like the black MacBook so clearly does?

5. Why do reviewers focus on minute missing features such as no video app when there is already a solution in the marketplace? It seems to me that every single shortcoming of this device will be addressed within days/weeks of the release by ambitious developers. Even things people did not realize they wanted will be addressed, just have a bit of patience!

6. Is the YouTube app performance less than great as many reviews seem to indicate? On my Touch Diamond the videos look great but they take forever to buffer and start playing. Is the G1 quicker to buffer and what are the frame rates like? I also read somewhere that the video does not play full screen but rather leaves a small border visible.

7. Is anyone aware of a movie app that is in development similar to the Movies or Now Playing apps on the iPhone?

8. How often do you think we will see new firmware updates for this device? Apple takes forever to issue new firmware updates, will Google be any better, or gasp.....worse?

9. Since this platform is open source, can a developer modify basic features of the phone in firmware? For example can they alter the settings page to offer new options like rotating the screen using the accelerometer? I know someone has said they already wrote code to do this but need to test it on an actual phone. What I am asking is if these modifications can be incorporated into the actual firmware of the phone instead of running as a seperate application. Is Android THAT open?

10. Why did HTC build in the accelerometer if it is not used? What purpose does it serve (other than possibly compass mode in Google maps)?

11. How does the speaker sound for speakerphone and music or other media playback? Volume levels? Distortion?

12. Do the volume keys have a satisfying click or are they mushy for lack of a better term? The keys on my Touch Diamond (also manufactured by HTC) are awful so I am concerned.

I have more questions but that will do it for now. Thanks in advance for any comments.

[Darrell]

Don't you think it would have been better to post these as individual questions in the relevant forums, or better still use the search facility as most of these have been asked and answered before.

[ministersin]

Wow. Let's see what I can do.

3. Yes

5. So much hype about competition with iPhone makes comparison natural. Since iPhone is currently the standard, it is measured against it pretty readily. Funny thing is..it is not an iPhone competitor IMHO. Google is already wrapped up in the iPhone. They are just trying to get into the other phones as well for th ead revenue and they know Apple will always stay proprietary.

6. I heard YouTube can be choopy on frame rate and CERTAINLY has less clarity than iPhone YouTube app. Which I think is stupid since Google/YouTube ar one oi the same.

7. I think VLC will put out something in short order.

10. Speaker is great...I've heard.

11. Click.

[RegGuheert]

1. Do you think we will see Firefox Mobile or Opera 9.5 for Android?

Yes, one video showed Firefox concepts for Android. Looks nice!

3. Can I buy more than one micro SD card and swap them at will?

Maybe, but since apps will be stored there, I'm not sure how that's handled.

8. How often do you think we will see new firmware updates for this device? Apple takes forever to issue new firmware updates, will Google be any better, or gasp.....worse?

Word is one is coming Oct 20.

9. Since this platform is open source, can a developer modify basic features of the phone in firmware? For example can they alter the settings page to offer new options like rotating the screen using the accelerometer? I know someone has said they already wrote code to do this but need to test it on an actual phone. What I am asking is if these modifications can be incorporated into the actual firmware of the phone instead of running as a seperate application. Is Android THAT open?

Yes, it is THAT open! However, the source code will not be released until sometime later in 2008. That said, I think I'll stick with Google's OS because I don't want to brick it just yet!

10. Why did HTC build in the accelerometer if it is not used? What purpose does it serve (other than possibly compass mode in Google maps)?

Some apps use it to rotate the screen. I saw a movie of a video player that did that. I suspect the OS may take advantage of it at some point.

[marcomixtle]

1. No
2. No
3. Yes
4. No
5. Not a question
6. Connection speed is key
7. No
8. One comming Oct. 20th, beyond that nobody knows
9. Apps run on managed code, so no you cannot alter the OS
10. The accelerometer is fully used, do research
11. Speaker is quite good actually
12. No

[bigzae]

1. yes to both

But i have a battery question.I want to fully charge it as suggested but i want to know if i will disrupt this "fully charge b4 use" process if i play around with it while it charges.

[NOBU]

yes to number 6
i have the diamond aswell as one of my phones
SO LAGGY
htc let me down after i loved me tytnII

[docprego]

Don't you think it would have been better to post these as individual questions in the relevant forums, or better still use the search facility as most of these have been asked and answered before.

No, I felt this was the most appropriate forum to post in, after all it is called "Just Talkin' about Android".

I read this and every other Android/G1 forum I can get my hands on with a voracious appetite for information. If I posted the question in this thread, I felt that I had not discovered a satisfactory answer to it.

[docprego]

7. I think VLC will put out something in short order.

Thanks for the information. The Movies and Now Playing apps on the iPhone are location aware apps that give you movie times, trailers, movie reviews, and theater information. They are not media playback apps. I hope one of these or a similar app comes to Android. I am confident that one will, Android is perfect for this sort of app.