Didn't know cellphones didn't exist before the iPhone.
Oh well, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.
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Game Developers Scaling Back Android Efforts as iPhone Continues to Dominate
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Didn't know cellphones didn't exist before the iPhone.
Oh well, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.
I thought the same. Then I tried some games. I was impressed with some of the cool games for such a little device. Doesn't even rival my dedicated gaming PC of course, but easily one of the best mobile gaming devices out there.
I wouldn't call it excellent -- that keyboard leaves a lot to be desired. Very underwhelming.
This is exactly why Apple is successful. They control ALL the hardware which in effect gives a great user experience with the software. BECAUSE IT WORKS. When you have the level of control that Apple has you then control the user experience and make it top notch.
I agree. I didn't think much of it either, but it is fun to have a game or two to play when you're sitting at the DMV/Dentist/etc.
I would, and that's despite the keyboard, which I agree with you on. I use the virtual keyboard 99% of the time.
If the Eris had the same specs otherwise, I'd have gone with that instead.
And that most users will never use, and that have design ramifications, and that have work-arounds for those that need them.
I'm a little bugged I can't run Simplify or Pandora in the background, until I remember how poor my battery life is just running them in the foreground. The one important choice that Apple made was treating the iPhone like a god damn phone. A device with a specific purpose and software tailored to that purpose, rather than a tiny computer with some internets.
The result has been superior performance and user experience on what is now aging hardware.
To some extent, that experience is a result of the intentional limitations of the machine. Example: as any Vista user will tell you, to maintain a responsive UI on top of a huge stack of tasks competing for CPU requires constant management of those tasks. Apple, rather than give us a device that required management, gave us one where applications could not multitask, and could be interrupted at the touch of a button. As a result, good developers deliver applications that save, load and launch very quickly.
The Droid is a beautiful little machine; it has the best screen around and plenty of horsepower. And if you wonder why it seems sluggish and hazy compared to the much older iPhone, just remember that this is part of the trade off. Any device that embraces platform and process flexibility does so at the expense of realtime performance.
Finally, a realistic article. Android is not kicking Apples butt. It's a landslide. Like Carter versus Reagan except more contrast. It's clearly David versus Goliath, but we don't know the end of this story and Android is just barely on the radar. Also, Palm is also in a desperate situation and those stories are just coming out too.
Don't get me wrong, I like competition, but I also like to see products that pioneer/lead/set-the-pace get credit instead of free advertising for their me-too competition.
Don't get me wrong, I like competition, but I also like to see products that pioneer/lead/set-the-pace get credit instead of free advertising for their me-too competition.
Title is misleading
Their sales figures don't take in account iPod Touch sales... All the iPod Touch ads have to do with gaming, and that's what people associate it with. So most of their sales is probably on the Touch
Their sales figures don't take in account iPod Touch sales... All the iPod Touch ads have to do with gaming, and that's what people associate it with. So most of their sales is probably on the Touch
This is why it sucks to be second to market-- I'd guess the "400 times more" number isn't that outrageous given the number of units of each type sold so far. Especially when you roll in the touch.
This isn't the desktop. I don't think most Android users understand that Linux is driving their phone, and I don't think they expect it to behave like the hobby machine, or server.
Best is relative to point of view, but competition rarely results in the best product. Usually it results in a compromise product.
and that's a good thing?
ever hear of competition, jeez where do people get their education these days Homer Simpson?
Unlike gaming consoles, I don't intend to own "one of each," so I think it is a good thing that software vendors focus their efforts on the platform I happen to own and use.
If Apple didn't give the masses just what they wanted, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, affordable apps, and most importantly a standardized way to buy them, they would have never dominated this market. Apple did. They keep doing it better. They didn't need to compete with the competition. There was none. There were plenty of products. Just none that thrilled anyone or gave them easy and familiar options.
Apple used an old model that made McDonalds globally successful. Everybody wanted hamburgers and there were plenty of businesses selling them in the early 60s. The problem was, at that time, nobody new what to expect from store to store. Some people like anarchy. Most do not. Like McDonalds, Apple created a familiar ecosystem with better options for their products AND the people who buy them. That's the real power behind Apple's success. Brand loyalty and being pro consumer. Competition in products will do nothing to change that.
When the competition realizes that success is knowing your market and supplying what your customers want, they will innovate and succeed. They don't have to have the better MP3 player, phone, store, or cheaper price.
Workarounds
The workarounds aren't enough. I know there are benefits from sandboxing everything, but I need shared file storage. I would buy Documents to Go in a heartbeat from the app store, but at present it can only work with files uploaded to it, not the phone, the app itself. That doesn't work. I want to be able to open a document from an e-mail, edit it, save it and e-mail it back. Maybe edit it in a different program that does something better than DTG.
Heck look at MMS. On any other phone you can save an MMS and then transfer it to a computer later. On the iPhone, the only method I have to save something outside of the SMS program is to e-mail it to myself.
The workarounds aren't enough. I know there are benefits from sandboxing everything, but I need shared file storage. I would buy Documents to Go in a heartbeat from the app store, but at present it can only work with files uploaded to it, not the phone, the app itself. That doesn't work. I want to be able to open a document from an e-mail, edit it, save it and e-mail it back. Maybe edit it in a different program that does something better than DTG.
Heck look at MMS. On any other phone you can save an MMS and then transfer it to a computer later. On the iPhone, the only method I have to save something outside of the SMS program is to e-mail it to myself.
A far better notification system.
Calendar API access.
Alarms API access.
Those are my top 3.
iPhone gaming around here was a d6 rolling app to play Axis & Allies.
LOL.
But seriously, there's full-scale RTS, RPG, Racing, and FPS games on the iPhone with darn good graphics for such a little puppy. Rivaling 2003 PC games, I'll even venture to say.
I actually have to agree here. I'm more Linux than either OS X or Windows, and I do expect to get simple apps for free if they are open sourced.
I ditched my iPhone and got a Droid and every app I need is free. So I am not complaining. The navigation is sweet (free), the IM client I use is completely integrated (free), and the email/calendar/doc sync with google apps is integrated (free). I am not a gamer on my phone, so gaming companies never made money off me from the iPhone to begin with.
Yup. I'll take an open-sourced program over something else any day. Since there are a ton of free apps on Android already, it's going to be tough to charge anything unless you create something that's unique.
I'd say it's potentially a life saving feature that you don't have multitasking on your iPhone.
What with your desire to be listening to Pandora, using your GPS to avoid construction messes, and talking to your wife on your phone all at the same time.
With multitasking you might even be able to play Peggle as well.
Give it time...
I'm sure Google will iron out it's kinks.
But I could care less about whether the Droid's screen screams compared to iPhone or anyone else. Or who has the most games in their app store. I'm not a gamer! Never have been. Never looked at my computer as a means to play games, and not looking for it on a smart phone!
It may be the end all, be all for others and that's okay, "He's just not that into you"... er I'm just not that into it!
For everyone's edification....
http://incompetech.com/gallimaufry/care_less.html
Congratulations -- you're free to use inferior, community developed clones of basic functionality that's ALSO free on the iPhone.
That'll be $200, or 40 $5 apps. Cohesion, performance and software innovation not included.
You really don't get it, do you?
You're entitled to your opinion, but it's disrespectful to suggest that I "don't get it" simply because I disagree with you.
That's quite the bit off effort for phone gaming. It's good to see that level of quality. Hopefully it turns out to be worth the venture for those devs.