Much to everyone here at Playgroup's dismay, I've got an android. A gorgeous little HTC magic, which looks considerably dainty compared to the rest of the iPhones here at the office, and I love it. I'll admit I've got an iPod Touch too, but the customability, navigation, general UI is so much easier. Plus apps are cheaper, and google creates some great ones. (With Google Translate, I can type into my phone in english and it'll talk back to me in italian!)
Quite recently, however, there was an article on Gizmodo how the usership of Android was quite predominantley male, which I was quite surprised about considering I thought my phone was quite pretty.
Last night, however, I found out why. Upon not being able to download an app that was supposedly available for Android, I found out that it was actually only available for Eclair (or what the Nexus One & Droid/Milestone run). So I decided to try and hack my phone to run Open Eclair, which meant potentially "bricking" my phone, but I have an external microSD card reader so I wasn't that worried.
It's amazing how many forums there out on the interwebs to teach you how to hack things. I downloaded developer software, SDKs, operating systems, .exe files, all of which are open-source, just like Android. But it's also how the forums tell you how to hack your phone step by step but not one mentioned that on a mac, when using Terminal you need to put a linux-styley ./ before you type commands. It took me a good hour to work that one out.
And I still failed. My poor phone may feel a little violated being fastbooted, but it didn't want to play ball and is still dismally a tiny cupcake rather than a creamy eclair. I think it might be "perfected", whatever that means, and breaking that means the risk factor shoots right up. Upon searching the app store for "backup", you come up with hundreds of apps for root users - who are people who have successfully managed to hack their phones, which opens up a whole load of usability, as well as the capability of installing your own ROMs, such as Open Eclair.
Which is why I think Android has a "dude problem". Only the uber-techie can get the best out of their phones. Nothing to do with the Droid advertising over in the US.
After all, my laptop's is called snow leopard, and my phone's is called cupcake. One is quite obviously more girly. Even if the other has a big pink gelaskin sticker on it.
p.s. Thanks to Laihiu for the pic
