Seriously, that keyboard is terrible. The keys are too close together and so difficult to push that I found myself hitting multiple keys at once pretty often. The top row is too close to the slider, making it difficult to get my thumbs in there to push. The keyboard seems even more out of place when you use the virtual keyboard. I didn’t like it as well as the iPhone, probably because of the lack of multi-touch support, but it’s the best I’ve used outside an Apple product.

The obvious conclusion is that it’s meant to be a differentiator from the iPhone. Unfortunately, it detracts from the quality of the phone, and makes it a lot thicker than is necessary. I think part of the problem is that no one wants to make anything so close to the iPhone that an exec says, “Well why wouldn’t they just buy an iPhone,” and that’s a terrible strategy. The iPhone is great, but it can be improved upon, and there are people who just want something a little different. So give them Android, but leave the pointless differentiators on the design table.

My only other problem with the phone is the Android Market. It’s still too barren to make me seriously consider a switch, even if it would mean Google Voice and Google Navigation.

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It’s not just that I think Android is a superior platform (which I do), or that Palm continues to botch almost everything it tries with regard to the App Catalog (which it does). It’s really that Verizon isn’t trying to pioneer a new OS against the world’s most successful smartphone. Android is not the thriving development community it could be, but it’s not brand new either. That means there will be plenty of app support on launch day, but more importantly that developers are familiar enough to create apps that take advantage of specific features of the new Motorola phone – a big part of what makes the iPhone so good.

On top of that huge advantage, the phone looks really nice. It’s sleek and slim, has a landscape keyboard that far outstrips the cramped POS on the Pre, and it’s on Verizon. I don’t think I need to mention all the other features Verizon’s new ad points out.

This isn’t something Apple will take lying down, though. We should see the rebuttal in what promises to be a snarky little ad war before long.

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But Android may start to get a leg up as more and more devices turn to the mobile OS. The number of Android devices already announced for next year is way too long to print here, and solid app support is one of the reasons the platform is so popular. As more apps get developed, we can hopefully start to see more talented developers head that direction.

I know, I know, I’m usually only so jubilant about iPhone apps. Honestly, though, I want Android to continue to succeed. The few times I’ve used it I really liked the OS, but more importantly I want the iPhone to have some serious competition. Right now, Android is the only thing that comes close. Yes, Blackberry has a huge installed base, but feature to feature, Android is the most comparable OS with the best long term growth potential. Here’s hoping the Android Market continues to improve.

The post Android Has 10,000 Apps appeared first on Gadget Teaser.

Then the iPhone came out and sold millions, spurring competitors to make their own touchscreen wonderphone. We’ve now got the Blackberry Storm, the HTC G1, the Palm Pre, the Nokia N97, and the Samsung Jet, all running on a different operating system. While the manufacturers tout the hardware features that make their phone the best (physical keyboards, a screen that clicks, a camera with a flash), consumers are starting to look to the software that runs the phone, and the applications they’re finally able to install, to make a decision.

Apple has been most successful with third party application sales and support due to their App Store, which opened in mid-July, 2008. Since release, the App Store has seen more than a billion application downloads and now showcases more than 50,000 third party applications. From games to translators, finance tools to ereaders, the Apple App Store has an app for almost anything, leaving its competitors lagging far behind.

It’s taken nearly a year for competitors to get their mobile application stores up and running, time during which Apple has continued to lure consumers with the promise of a robust app catalog. As Business Insider points out, consumers aren’t just investing in a phone, they’re investing in a platform, with application quality and quantity as a major component of that investment. In a similar article, BI adds that time users spend with applications is replacing time spent on the web. Apps like Yelp allow users quick access to restaurant reviews, where before they would have been using Google.

This isn’t just good news for Apple, it’s an important statistic for developers. As more and more users turn to applications, developers are making decisions about which platforms to support, and which to ignore. Though there’s no direct competitor to Apple’s App Store, other platforms have made a decent start. Google’s Android, for instance, has nearly 5,000 applications, which puts them at a 5:1 advantage over their closest competitors, Nokia and RIM’s Blackberry. Palm, which launched the Pre in early June, has a meager 30.

As I mentioned earlier, though, it’s not just quantity that counts, so Palm may not be out of the race. Application stores are continually adding features, like the ability to recommend apps to friends. The best apps are sure to see increased traffic as it gets easier to share your favorites.

There’s also ease of development to consider. Developer support for the iPhone has been mostly good, though the application approval process can be a bit unclear, which could frustrate some developers away from the platform. WebOS, which runs the Palm Pre, is based on web technologies like Java and HTML, meaning developers already know how to write for the phone. They just need access to the SDK.

Lastly, developers have to think about upgrade paths. While WebOS may offer a familiar development language, what will the upgrade path look like in 3 years? Will the next WebOS break current applications? Will WebOS still be around? I would love to say yes, but it’s hard to bank on something like that when WebOS is a first-of-its-kind OS from Palm. They may reverse their thinking on the platform come their next major hardware release.

However young, the application marketplace is extremely volatile, and it will have an ever greater effect on consumer choice as store offerings grow. Can the Palm App Catalog keep the Pre alive and well? Is Windows Marketplace a mistake? Is Android the way of the future? I’ll be following all the latest developments here, so be sure to check back often.

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