After several weeks of surfing with the alien# living with the Android, I’m comfortable declaring any build 1.5 or higher as a suitably modern, powerful mobile OS that will meet the needs of most. In addition to carrying Sprint’s rendition of the HTC Hero (along with my iPhone 3GS), I’ve also had the opportunity to play with a few office Droids. While Android (even 2.0) isn’t nearly as polished as the iPhone OS, there are several compelling enhancements that ‘droid does.
Multitasking is the most obvious. And something many like me have been effectively managing since the Windows PocketPC days. Being able to continue streaming Slacker while checking email? Priceless. Unlike the iPhone home screen, in addition to application icons, Android also provides support for folders and widgets (as shown above). Lastly, Android conveniently collects various configurable system/app notifications in a drop down bar.