OStatic

Fashionistas, Design and Early Open Source Smartphones

Today, JKOnTheRun notes that HTC--the first hardware maker to back the open source Android operating system--may be putting Android on over 50 percent of its future phones. "If true this is a big blow to Windows Mobile, the platform on the major portion of HTC’s lineup for some time," they conclude. I have to agree, and this is yet another example of Android's pronounced momentum in the smartphone market, where we're going to see large waves of Android handsets arrive this year and next. Android is shaping up to be a hugely influential open source platform.  For Android phones to really get competitive with the iPhone, though, "the cool factor" matters. This is much more important than it may seem at first glance.

In a recent blog post, titled "In mobile...always follow fashion,"
Fabrizio Capobianco writes:

"Why are RAZR users flocking to the iPhone? It is a huge jump, from the most basic device to the most featured. I believe the answer is fashion. The iPhone looks good. It is the coolest device in town."

Indeed, many early buyers of the iPhone chose it in spite of major shortcomings it had when it first arrived, such as not being able to send SMS messages to multiple people at once, no cut-and-paste, lack of choice in carriers, and more. It was an example of what Apple really shines at: design. People were wowed by the pinch-and-flick photo shuffling they could do, interested in trying the many free apps they could get, and I remember sitting in more than one meeting where it seemed that people had their iPhones on the table just to show off.

Just as white cords hanging down from earbuds have become fashion accessories, like hip necklaces, how cool a smartphone looks is no small part of its success. Capobianco adds:

"The Google T-Mobile G1 phone could have all the features in the world, the best screen, the best UI, the best Google integration. But if you take it out of your pocket and people say 'What's that, a garage door opener?,' you won't feel much cool."

The good news is that there are signs that we will see Android phones that take the cool factor seriously. GigaOm recently wrote up a review of the myTouch (above) which is HTC's follow-up to the T-Mobile G1 phone. The writeup lauded the sleek, lightweight design, and I agree that the myTouch looks really good. I have heard some people say they won't move to it because it doesn't have a physical keyboard, but most people agree that it has a slick design.

As the next wave of Android phones arrives, we're going to see them from multiple hardware manufacturers. Let's hope that--even if it happens through random, Russian Roulette-style happenstance--some of the designs are deemed to have the requisite cool factor.

Google itself is certainly not noted for its hardware design acumen, but if it really wants Android to reach the masses, it may make sense to, say, help fund the hiring of top-notch designers for hardware manufacturers to consult with. The thing about Apple is, it very deliberately already has those hit-making designers in-house. Additionally, Apple was wise, early in the iPhone's development cycle, to encourage a healthy ecosystem of accessory providers, just as it did with the iPod. On the Android front, who will oversee a similar effort? These are questions for Google and the Android hardware providers to consider carefully.

• Android
• iphone
• google
• Apple
• T-Mobile G1
• smartphones
• MyTouch

Share Your Comments