hi,
i've had a J2ME background and switched over to android a few
months ago since nokia placed their (in)famous restrictions of Java
Verified Certification for J2ME apps on the Ovi store. some thoughts
on ur queries -
> 1.
> Looking at the documentation for Android it seems to me that the
> learning curve for working with Android is large.
>
compared to J2ME, android has loads more built in classes and
libraries. however the JAVA syntax, concepts of inheritance etc remain
the same. the learning curve is not steep ... its just that getting
good learning material for newcomers takes some time. what u need to
pick up first is the basic structure of an android applications -
activities, intents etc. once u get the hang of this u'll see that the
language elements will take no time to master. a BIG difference - in
android u'll have to design for touchscreen devices. its not enough to
simply implement the appropriate event handler. designing the
application to ensure a convenient UI is crucial.
> 2.
> Looking at the available phones they are all about $500 without a
> contract. We're in a Recession and $500 is a lot of money. Compare
> that to my 3-inch touch screen Sciphone i68 which was $100 and has
> MIDP support.
>
fair enough ... but another way to look at it is that android is an
upcoming platform. most manufacturers, with the exception of Nokia,
are on board and will be launching devices in the coming months. i'm
sure u can research a bit and get the sales of the G1 last year as
well as the projected sales for coming years. it was enough to
convince me that its worth the effort :)
also, while the iphone is much cheaper than the $500 tag (thanks to
operator bundling) i dont think u can really call it inexpensive. the
bottom line IMHO is that a there is a market for a good product price
notwithstanding.
ur free to form ur own opinion on this.
> 3.
> I don't do contracts. I have heard that Android phones are hobbled by
> the requirement that I'd have to have a contract. I use prepaid
> exclusively to keep my phone bills down.
>
> 4.
> No contract means no data plan.
>
are u concerned about this aspect as a user or a developer? if its
the latter then i dont see why it should be a consideration for u. i
dont have exact figures, but i do know that paid downloads from the
android market are steadily increasing. as a developer i wouldnt be
too concerned about the data plans of my customers apart from the fact
that i should keep the size of my application (for download) down to a
minimum and avoid unnecessary communication between the device and
server.
if ur concerned about being restricted to a particular operator on
the G1, then u can always purchase the dev phone and choose ur own
service provider and tariff plan.
> 5.
> I can get a Windows Mobile phone for $260, called the CECT M88+. It
> will run native apps and J2ME. That's half the cost of an Android
> phone.
>
ok ... now i'm really confused - are u evaluating android as
prospects for a developer or as an end user? u ask about the learning
curve and documentation etc but then ur worried about the cost factor
of the phone.
as a developer J2ME doesnt give u even a fraction of the control
and access to APIs that android does. agreed, there are thousands more
J2ME apps floating around currently ... but it'll all change in a year
or two in favour of other platforms.
if ur looking at this whole thing from a customer point of view,
then i'm sorry i cant help u much. maybe u should post ur query on
customer feedback forums where u'll get a better perspective.
> 6.
> Regular consumers know we're in a recession. They are going to avoid
> expensive phones and long contracts more now than ever. Will $500
> luxury Android phones take hold? I'm skeptical.
>
i shall refrain from making my views on this weird statement here
on a public forum. in case ur interested then drop a private mail to
me and we can dicuss it then.
> 7.
> I am not someone who is easily impressed by Google. There is no "wow"
> factor for me in using Android. I'm entirely pragmatic.
>
take ur call. i can only give u a developer's perspective on
android vs J2ME. for ur considerations about the cost vs benefit of
purchasing an android phone i can only refer u to hundreds of customer
disucssion boards on this topic.
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