Android Update Addresses Pet Peeve
August 15, 2010 at 9:50 pm Leave a comment
My Droid updated itself to Android v2.2 tonight. It’s a critical update, if only because it expands the number of home screens on which to organize your apps. Up until this version, it was limited to three screens, a major pet peeve of mine.
It ran out of room fast, because I wanted distinct areas for contacts, bookmarks, games, and for my most commonly used apps (e.g.: Hootsuite). One screen has spaces for 16 apps, fewer if you use Android’s widgets (mini-versions of popular apps, such as Facebook). The problem was exacerbated by the fact that you needed to use these spaces for basic functions such as the phone and the camera. In addition to two more home screens, v2.2 has relieved this issue by adding permanent phone and browser buttons that do not use any of your spaces.
The Droid now feels more powerful. This is a clever appeal to our emotional side. There’s nothing technically superior in this update (at least that I’m aware of, but I haven’t done any research). While there are significant technical upgrades included in v2.2, code-named “Froyo”, this has the most immediate impact on me. Before the update, I felt limited by the home screens. Now I feel that I have more control and more options. And when our devices are more powerful – we feel more powerful. How does this translate to business results? Loyalty, for one. If I was surveyed today, I would be more likely to respond that I would buy an Android phone again. That’s a nice return on this improved product feature. I suspect others will feel the same way – what do you think?
UPDATE: When I originally posted, I had not realized this was the much-discussed “Froyo” update. This upgrade is significant for other reasons beyond the home screens, including Flash support that will be rolled out in a second upgrade. My point regarding the added home screens, however, remains the same.
Entry filed under: mobile. Tags: android, apps, droid, Facebook, Hootsuite, loyalty, mobile, phone, satisfaction, updates.
My name is Adam Gross. 
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