Where do YOU think Android is lacking?

**Supernova** · 07-02-2009, 05:12 AM

I am curious to know what areas of apps people think that the Android platform is currently missing, where is the general idea of what isn't good enough and what is plain not there.

Is it an entire category of applications? (categories: http://www.cyrket.com/type/1) or games (categories: http://www.cyrket.com/type/4 )?

I guess a lot of answers will be games, do people think that having games on a smartphone is a selling point? Originally they are for business use, but with the greater availability and lower prices everybody can get their hands on them so the needs change.

Just wondering

**Derrick** · 07-02-2009, 06:14 AM

Well I think games is a big selling point, but personally I could care less about it. I have a PSP for portable gaming. Another thing Android is lacking is business related apps. Simply put Android just doesn't have enough professional companies making apps for it. Until that happens I dont believe Android will pass up the competition.

**KlaymenDK** · 07-02-2009, 06:53 AM

I'd pay serious money for an Android implementation of TealScript. I've been using this for years and years on my Palms (even my Treo), and I would be ecstatic to have this functionality in Android.

Basically, this app does two things, which to me are of equal importance:
(a) it allows you to tweak the handwriting recognition 'alphabet' in any way you like, from minor style training all the way to designing your own alphabet from scratch and adding strokes for custom characters (say, 'å' or '•') and even macros.
(b) it enables full-screen handwriting recognition and discerns intelligently between taps and strokes. Given Android's ability to 'swipe' in order to navigate, discerning between swipes and strokes might be challenging.

PS. I'm not sure of the level of support for handwriting recognition in Android; I have seen a single video where a person filters/moves through a list view by writing a single letter. I hope it is/will be possible to write general text (sms, calendar entries, notes, etc.) by hand without bringing up a virtual keyboard.
Symbian has this crummy little box in the corner of the screen, and performance is slow; this is my main reason for dropping it from my consideration of which OS to switch to (from Palm).

**KlaymenDK** · 07-02-2009, 07:00 AM

Originally Posted by Derrick

Well I think games is a big selling point, but personally I could care less about it.

Seconded.

Sure, it's nice with a game of Sudoku while waiting for the bus, but I'd rather have a proper PIM and productivity suite. It's amazing to see how none of the current generation of smartphones can even hope to compare to what Psion did a decade(!) ago, in terms of built-in text editor, spreadsheet, database, and scripting apps. It just goes to show that they really are smart phones, rather than connected PDAs.

My #1 ambition for Android is to write a proper outliner, but I need quite a bit of experimenting before I get there. I was half-done with an outlining text editor/task manager for Palm when they pulled the plug, ah well...

**ohgary** · 07-02-2009, 08:30 AM

Lack of 3G in much of the US, Lack of network coverage for voice in many areas.

**Scythe** · 07-02-2009, 09:10 AM

Originally Posted by ohgary

Lack of 3G in much of the US, Lack of network coverage for voice in many areas.

That's a Tmo/network provider issue, not Android. But yes, Tmo having more 3G would be nice.

As far as Android is concerned, a native pdf reader would be nice.

**kizer** · 07-02-2009, 10:37 AM

Personally it would be a lack of native apps. You know you get a mp4, doc or pdf in the mail and guess what you can't do anything with them. You have to grab an app to do what should of been included in the OS in the first place. I mean your dealing with a Smart Phone that is stupid with what I call the basics.

OK, not many people are going to send you a MP4, but if that is the format the OS is capable of viewing shouldn't a basic app been included to at least view it?

As far as games go, well I don't think a game has lasted longer than a week in my phone, well except solitaire.

**Navik** · 07-03-2009, 03:50 PM

I think having a productivity suite integrated is a big lacking. I want to be able to sync to my work outlook on the fly. Also, profiles would be nice. And a way to better orginize / customize things, such as your app list. Let me create catagories for stuff. Let me select to hide things also, I don't need to see all of the random album art folders in my all images folder.

**Synergy** · 07-03-2009, 04:46 PM

I think it needs more nifty things, such as the bar code scanner and stuff. That's the stuff that really impresses people and might get them to switch. Also, just better quality apps. I hate apps with the ugly black background and white text interface. They're so hideous.

**nolimit966** · 07-15-2009, 07:18 AM

Thats probably the only thing i can think of at the moment. Apps and games. Also Maybe make the interface even more smooth and bouncy/bubbly. Other than this im seriously impressed with the rest of Android.