After the sweet surprise of news regarding Android crossing over to AT&T, many started dancing in the AT&T covered streets and shouting praises. If you happened to be one of those dancing fools, you might want to reel yourself in just a tad, sit back, take a breather, and look a little harder at the picture. AT&T loves to push their own in house crap that is often over priced, under developed, and just plain sucks all around. What effect does this methodology have on any potential future Android handsets?
In article detailing the HTC Lancaster and its possible AT&T branded future, there was a bit of troubling information that went something like:
Initial lab entry dates were based on Google Mobile Services (GMS) UI. AT&T Standard UI has been requested, which puts schedule in question.
First off, Android looks slick, it isn’t ugly by stretch of the imagination. It works and is more or less intuitive for most (in my opinion). AT&T branded UI’s on other feature phones aren’t bad, but they aren’t great either. Second, the fact that they mention the AT&T Standard UI leads me to believe that they’re going to water down a high end device with a UI that looks just like every other plane jane phone AT&T ruins with their UI. Who wants that? Furthermore, AT&T will no doubt want to stuff the potential Android phone with a slew of their own in-house apps and services while at the same time locking out other free options, and/or options provided by other 3rd parties.
Does AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega even understand the point and allure of Android? Obviously not as his statement regarding his dire want to alter “Google Phones”/Android to a point where they don’t look like Google phones. While I can understand wanting to put a little flavor of your own into a device, completely removing any resemblance to a popular, well known and loved UI and complete package such as Android is beyond me. If Google and the Android team proceed with AT&T and allow them to neuter the device, the new distorted and less attractive face of Android that AT&T could possibly create will bring about a new “interpretation” of everyone’s favorite “open” OS.
Going further, locking down an “open” OS because the OS gives you the ability is hardly a novel idea or one that is going to please customers. At first, news of Android coming to AT&T would I’m sure cause many current Big Blue customers to renew their contracts as well as pulling in some new customers who are wanting some open source love on a network that at times can be better than others. However, locking down Android phones, the complete opposite of what Android is about, will only cause AT&T grief as Android flops as people get tired of AT&T’s bloatware filling up their phones.
How does this potential setback/revelation make you feel? Would you switch to AT&T for an Android device that is so AT&T-ified that it looks like an in-house AT&T phone? Would you be content with having to deal with being locked into AT&T apps and services with other 3rd party apps and services being blocked from the device thereby removing your ability to choose what you want? I for one wouldn’t touch an AT&T-ified Android device if they do in fact take this route. I’d go get an unlocked T-Mo Android device or even re-flash the AT&T branded unit with another firmware. There is always ways around such carrier limitations and restrictions. But in the end, is it worth it for all of the hassle?
