The iPhone has been the standard for smartphones for the past 2 years, and rightly so.  With its introduction in 2007, it completely changed the cell phone industry forever, which was a very good thing.  Incorporating music, video, applications, and a phone in one device was badly needed in the industry.  Before its introduction, there were horrible devices that did a pathetic job of combining multiple uses with costly programs, and additional costs for accessories like headset adapters.  Who thought something so simple as adding a standard 3.5mm headset jack could be so difficult?  For two years I have been in love with the iPhone.  Its industrial design is simple and perfect, and its user interface is easy enough that anyone can learn it within a few minutes or hours.  However, I think a new revolution in the cell phone industry is upon us with the release of the Droid and Droid Eris from Verizon.

With the introduction of the Droid and Droid Eris, Android has gone mainstream.  I say that primarily because its previous introductions with T-mobile have been pathetically marketed and managed.  I would bet that the majority of the population just recently learned what Android was, even though it has been released for over a year.  These two devices are not that important on their own, but when you combine the potential for growth in the coming years, Android looks very promising.  It seems like every news report for the past 2 weeks has been trying to compare the iPhone with the Droid.  I believe this is simply missing the point of the industry.  On its own, the Droid will never be able to compete with the iPhone.  The iPhone has a two year head start, and a respectable market share to boast of.  However, when one compares the Android OS with the iPhone, we have a different story.

What is so promising about Android is that it is an OS, not a phone.  With 15 – 20 rumored releases in the next year alone, we can project that Android could be running on close to 25 phones by the end of 2010.  This is staggering, and has never happened in the industry before.  We are not just talking about 25 Nokia phones, 25 RIM phones, or 25 Verizon phones, but 25 phones across many different manufacturers and carriers.  This is important, and exactly where the iPhone has failed.  The iPhone is, and I contend, will continue to be, a niche or luxury headset.  Just as the Mac is a niche or luxury computer, the iPhone will prove itself to be a niche and luxury phone.

The iPhone has some glaring issues that need to be resolved if it intends to keep gaining market share against the charging Android platform.

• Apple must update its user interface to promote a more dynamic home screen.  As much as I loved the original iPhone interface, I must say that I’m sick of looking at a grid of non-dynamic applications all the time.  The iPhone needs to take a page from Android and incorporate widgets or something similar that will bring information to the home screen.  Having to go into each application to receive standard notifications like email, SMS, and status updates is now outdated.
• The  iPhone must allow multiple applications at once and incorporate this feature into its new user interface.  Not being able to listen to Pandora while checking emails or text messages is not acceptable anymore.
• Apple needs to stop censoring its App store so capriciously.  See here.

I will not be purchasing a Droid for the following reasons, which I think are glaring problems with the device:

• The keyboard is a complete joke.  Seriously, as an industrial designer, how can you leave 2 empty keys in your design?  Really?  I’m sure Jonathan Ive and everyone else at Apple had a good laugh after they took a look at the Droid’s keyboard.  The keyboard is also too flat, and extremely hard to type on.  I would rather use the virtual keyboard, which, by the way, is not as intuitive as the iPhone’s.  Do yourself a favor Motorola and completely redesign the keyboard, or better yet, just get rid of it.
• The screen is beautiful as far as brilliance, color, resolution, and size.  However, when it comes to actually using it as a touch screen it fails to impress me.  It is nowhere near as accurate as the iPhone touch technology.  Don’t get me wrong, it is much better than the barrage of touch devices that came out immediately following the iPhone, such as the LG Voyager.  That thing was a travesty to the industry, and mankind in general.
• Fix the camera’s auto focus please.
• Overall design of the device is lacking.  I realize it is supposed to be marketed towards geeky guys who live with their parents and play Modern Warfare 2 all day long, but it could be drastically improved.  Mark my words, in 6 months to a year we will see the design for what it really is, a crude, unrefined, unintuitive attempt at industrial design.  As a photographer with graphic design/creative interests, I cannot in good conscience buy a device as ugly as the Droid.  The lines are too square, the touch buttons on the bottom need to be real buttons, and the keyboard needs to disappear.  Take a look at the Eris Motorola, it is a much better design.

In conclusion, the Droid is a good step in the right direction, especially for Verizon, but I will be waiting for other Android devices.  HTC Passion anyone?