Tasting Gingerbread — A WebOS User Dabbles With Android

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a WebOS user. For those who weren’t following the news this weekend, that means I don’t have an upgrade option. I may some day, but for right now my options are finding a used phone and one of three variations on a theme: the Palm Pixi/Pixi Plus, the Pre/Pre Plus/Pre2, or the Veer (basically a shrunken Pre).  None of these phones are technically on the market anymore. As such, I’ve been checking out different OSes as a replacement for when my phone eventually dies.

First off is Google’s Android operating system and fears of fragmentation aside, you have a choice of scores of phones on all four major networks (plus the pre-paids are getting in on the game). Your choices drop considerably when you keep it to Gingerbread (Android 2.3), but there’s a bit more variation in body type than what I’m used to (i.e. any). Then there’s specs. I can overclock my WebOS device, but I’m still not going to be as fast as, say, an LG Thrill or EVO 3D.

The last time I used the Android OS was back when it was called Doughnut (Android 1.6), and that was a hack running on an old HTC Touch. It worked pretty well, especially considering the cludge aspect. At the end of the day, I found it lacking then and still do today.

Why? Let’s break it down Eastwood-Style.

The Good
One thing Android users love is how well Google integrates their own services into the handset. Google+ may be new, but the Android app is already perfect (a far cry from the Facebook app). The biggest two Google “killer apps” have to be Voice and Navigation. Voice lets you have one number anywhere and works so well that you honestly forget you’re using it. Clients on other platforms are good, but not as solid. Navigation, of course, is the free turn-by-turn GPS solution for Android. Yes, many providers give some kind of navigation app for free, but they lack the “keen factor” of Google Navigation. The ability to speak to your GPS really needs to be industry standard already.

Discrete notifications are a big part of my WebOS life, except I honestly think Android does it better. Having the notifications in a drawer on top is perfect and far less intrusive than pop ups at the bottom of my screen, even if I can just swipe them away. I think Apple’s basically copying the Android notification system and HP moving notifications for the TouchPad to the top shows that I’m not the only person who feels this way.

One feature I love in Android that’s really working well in Gingerbread is spellcheck. WebOS 2.x has something more akin to autocorrect, which isn’t quite the same as spellcheck. When your nickname is “Typo Lad”, spellcheck is a key feature.

Then there’s the developed side of things. Unlike HP/Palm, who are messing about with their SDK, PDT, Mojo and Enyo, Google has a much firmer grip on their API and it shows. I can’t imagine Google pulling their microphone API like Palm did with WebOS 1.5. Easier tools for developers means more apps and more apps means more appeal to users. It’s really that simple.

Oh and speaking of voice, Voice Search is a dream (and to a lesser extent Translate is as well). I like JustType on WebOS (think Apple’s Spotlight but on a mobile device), but JustTalk is better. This is one area where every other OS maker has a ways to catch up.

The Bad
To put it bluntly, multitasking on Android, especially after true multitasking under WebOS, is frustrating as hell. If I leave a video app to take a call or read a text, I want to switch back and be in the video I left, not back in the index of videos (Note: I am informed that this may have just been on the handset I used). This applies to iOS too, of course, and just about everything but QNX. This multitasking gaffe really hits home in music apps. When I run Pandora on my Pre (or Koto or MusicPlayerRemix or Slacker etc.), the audio controls stay at the bottom of the screen no matter what app I’m in. When I run Pandora in Gingerbread, I get an icon in the notification area, but no way to advance, pause, etc. except to leave the app I’m in.

While WebOS is on devices with crap cameras (really HP? Still no autofocus?), the camera app on Gingerbread seems unchanged from Doughnut. I’d like to say that this is because it “just works”, but with the powerful cameras on there, it feels like the app is underpowered.

I also question Google making you rent videos via the Android Market instead of a separate app. Let the App Market be for apps and make a Movie Market for movies. This may boil down to personal taste though.

Then there’s one basic feature I can’t believe Gingerbread lacks — the ability to take a screenshot. It may not be simple with WebOS, but at least I don’t have to root my phone to do it  As my Nexus S was a review unit, I really wasn’t comfortable taking such liberties. Since writing the review, an app has come out for screenshots. I still firmly think that having the ability out of the box is a must. Maybe I’m nuts.

Speaking of rooting, hackability is not as much a Gingerbread issue as it is a vendor one. It’d be awesome if Google took the HP route and cultivated a close relationship with their side-loading community. Instead, we have a half dozen or so handset makers each with their own policies on bootloaders that seem to switch from device to device. Let’s not even get into how divisive the Android homebrew scene is. I’ll stick with the Konami Code and WebOS Internals, thanks.

The Ugly
My biggest gripe has to be email. Yes, Gmail integration is neat, but that’s about it. Want to use something other than Gmail? You have to use the separate emai” app. Yes, you could technically filter all your mail through your Gmail account, but you shouldn’t have to (and in the case of work email, may not be allowed to). There’s no reason there can’t be a single, elegant email app like in WebOS or iOS. Heck, even Windows Mobile and a bunch of PalmOS clients could pull it off. Instead, you get a muddled nightmare for the average user, complete with threaded messaging that you can’t turn off. Really, the only thing Android has on WebOS is the ability to select multiple messages. I can deal with that, as swiping away is more fun than ticking a box. Plus, there’s a patch for it.

Social networking is a bit of a muddle too. Google+ is great, as I mention, but most of the other clients out there are junk. Facebook’s app is basically useless. The only real solutions are third party ones, or worse, vendor ones. MOTOBLUR was a decent attempt, but a failed one. Sony and HTC have both tried to find ways to integrate social networking solutions to Android, but they all fail because they’re not universal. Android needs to have multi-platform social networking built in. It’s neat that the HTC Status has a dedicated Facebook button, but it’d be useless without HTC’s special client. WebOS on the other hand, has Synergy, which elegantly merges all of your accounts. The only downside is not being able to access and edit your Palm contacts when off the device (HP, get on that), but it’s leaps and bounds over Android’s multi-service support.

Ugliest of uglies would have to be the various skins for Android. I loved HTC’s Sense back when it was HTC Home and ran on Windows Mobile, but sometimes you get tired of layers. I know they’re trying to create a consistent branding across networks, but stock Android is fine and dandy. At the very least, give me the option to turn your skin off.

Summing it up
Being a WebOS user is insanely frustrating at times. Lack of apps, limited hardware, and little legacy support. However, if HP’s problem is great software and middling hardware, Google’s seems to be the reverse to me. I love the selection of available Android phones, but the OS just falls short of what I want.

That said, I think Android has the wider appeal (and market share backs me up here) and greater potential than WebOS. Google’s been great about finding and fixing issues. It’s entirely possible that the next revision, Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), could address most of my quibbles.

If the goal is to become a Swiss Army Knife of an OS, Android might be MacGuyver worthy soon (but not just yet).