Ballmer keeps talking, says Android "looks like version one"
by Nilay Patel 
posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 8:04PM
Steve Ballmer's whirlwind UK media tour ahead of the Professional Developers Conference just keeps giving us sound bite gems: first it was Windows Cloud, then Zune on Windows Mobile, and now Stevie's taking shots at Android and the G1. Calling Microsoft David to Google's search Goliath, Ballms said that he wasn't worried about Android because it won't be "attractive" to other handset manufacturers because it's "version one... and it looks like version one." Not only that, but he apparently thinks Google's going to sit still, saying "they've got one handset maker, we've got 55. They're available through one operator, we've got 175." True for now, sure, but we know Android isn't going to languish on a single handset on a single carrier for long -- and we're pretty certain Steve knows that HTC and T-Mobile aren't exactly minor players, regardless. Still, it's some masterful bluster from a master of bluster -- now if he'd just back it up with Windows Mobile 7, we'd be way more inclined to believe him.[Via Cool Smart Phones]
Filed under: Windows Mobile, Android
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Monte @ Oct 2nd 2008 8:47PM
So what's Ballmer's excuse for WinMo functioning like it's still in beta?
Galen20K @ Oct 2nd 2008 9:16PM
Here Here!!1 I dont think Window's Mobile is the Future, as it Stands, its the PAST. We need to Look Forward.
nerdtalker @ Oct 2nd 2008 9:44PM
Admittedly, just about _all_ the mobile phone smartphone OSes behave like they're in beta.
* Google - Everything is beta, everything. Gmail is still in beta. Docs and Spreadsheets is still in beta. Can android really be taken seriously as anything but a beta?
* Apple - Even engadget agreed that the iPhone 3G launch has been completely un-apple. Mobile me: beta. Firmware 2: beta. 3G handset reliability: beta. Application store: beta.
* WinMo - 6.1 is great, but even with very polished and streamlined kitchens, my HTC Mogul still crashes with nothing installed but skyfire, SPB backup, and two IMAP boxes. Threaded SMS is much better and speed is faster, but locking up in my pocket is no more acceptable than the iPhone dropping calls.
Tor Slettnes @ Oct 3rd 2008 1:01AM
That leaves Symbian, by far the largest smartphone OS in the world (by number of phones).
Boring? Sure. Touch screen? Not yet. Cumbersome? A little.
But it is by far the most capable and mature phone OS out there. It powers workhorses like the N95 (now N85, N96..), E90, and so on. Thousands of Symbian-specific applications exist, such as Internet Radio which you can use to stream live radio streams from around the world to your car stereo, a GPS-enabled "Sports tracker" application that keeps data of where you are going, how fast, with real-time and post mortem plots importable into Google Earth, accelerometer-based games galore...
I have no doubt that Android will mature. It *will* be the first OS to give Symbian some competition... (Blackberry might come close, but it is very North American centric...)
TheJalAbides @ Oct 2nd 2008 9:58PM
funny how he failed to mention that even version 1 of Andriod is more user-friendly than version 6.1 of Windows Mobile. though to his credit, he's at least got an excuse for being a WinMo fanboy... what with being the CEO of Microsoft and all.
GoodWill8675 @ Oct 2nd 2008 10:36PM
Balmer is THAT guy. . .
Stupid cocky pain in the ass
Student Driver @ Oct 3rd 2008 2:07AM
I've been a user of Windows Mobile (PocketPC) for around 6 years, and I'm a big fan. However, I've also used Palm OS (that was first) and a couple of Linux GTK/QT ROMs on my iPaq. Even now, I have 2 T-Mobile Dash phones. One of these phones was given to me because it was unstable, and didn't work right for the year my friend owned it. It seems to be a failed battery.
Strangely, Windows and its mobile OS cousin are almost everywhere, but the usually get remembered for stupid problems. My Dash has been OK in the 2 years I've owned it, but I hate how slow it is (you can blame that on the CPU), it's bizarre management of applications, and the alarm.
Yep, after all this time, the stock alarm still has stupid issues with ghost settings, and for some reason my Dash doesn't interpret Arizona's lack of DST usage when handling messages. The worst part is that nobody has the right answer, and you get workarounds at best (get a freebie alarm app, reset timezone setting and disable autoupdate). So yeah, I think it's time to give someone else a shot. Since I hate Apple as a company (they design some cool hardware) and love HTC/Google, this wasn't much of a test for me. I thought about an N96, but I found the N95 to be too "plastiky" and cheap feeling so I didn't have much hope for the N96. Also, for $179, I can use it for a bit, then have T-Mo unlock it for sale if I don't like it and buy a Touch HD (what I really, really wanted).
OrganizedFellow @ Oct 3rd 2008 2:46AM
"You’ve got to remember Android is version one….and it looks like version one," he said.
Just like a majority of Open Source applications, the development time for new versions is rather short. How long did it take for Win98 to become ME? ME to XP? XP to Vista?
Right, you get the point Steve!
While Microsoft takes years (literally) to update their software, Open Source developers do not.
"They’ve got one handset maker, we’ve got 55. They’re available through one operator, we’ve got 175."
*slaps*steve*across*face*
Looky here Steve (http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/oha_members.html)
Handset Manufacturers = Samsung Electronics, Motorola, Inc., LG Electronics, Inc., and HTC Corporation.
Mobile Operators = Telefónica, Telecom Italia, T-Mobile, Sprint Nextel, NTT DoCoMo, Inc., KDDI CORPORATION , and China Mobile Communications Corporation.
And while we are at it Steve, let's look at the Software Companies!
SONiVOX, SkyPop, PacketVideo (PV), Nuance Communications, Inc., LiveWire Mobile, LivingImage LTD., Google Inc., Esmertec, eBay Inc., and Ascender Corp.
But wait Steve! We also have Semiconductor Companies, too!
Texas Instruments Incorporated, Synaptics, Inc., SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc., Qualcomm Inc., NVIDIA Corporation, Marvell Semiconductor, Inc., Intel Corporation, Broadcom Corporation, and Audience.
While this was/is just a blatant Copy/Paste from http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/oha_members.html, Steve should know better ... tsk tsk.
slance66 @ Oct 3rd 2008 9:20AM
I think Ballmer is mostly correct. Android looks pretty weak at the moment. I have grave doubts that an open souce platform can realistically provide the platform for successful mobile devices. Perhaps, due to their disposability, it can. Linux was touted in much the same way, and while it has made its way into may low cost web servers, it mostly flourishes in garages around the world. It isn't a serious player. If Apple wasn't so locked-down proprietary, OS-X could be licensed, and might be a hit. But they won't do it. Symbian dominates everything else right now, but is Nokia pouring effort into it?
squiggleslash @ Oct 3rd 2008 10:54AM
I've used it on the emulator that's part of the SDK. There's some minor functionality missing (bluetooth tethering would be top of my list, I believe the camera can't take videos either), but it's considerably more finished and feature-complete than, say, the iPhone UI. I don't think Ballmer's comments, for the most part, make much sense. It's an extremely clean and pleasant UI. It's responsive. It makes the advanced aspects of the phone easy to use. If the G1 turns out to be open (it's not clear yet whether the Android Store is the only way to get software onto it), I'm buying one full price.
Ry @ Oct 3rd 2008 10:30PM
I've used the G1 and yes, it does look and feel like version one.
DssTrainer @ Oct 4th 2008 12:29PM
But... Android.... is.... version 1.0.. So I don't really understand the comment. He was just stating that 1.0 looks like 1.0. while 6.1 looks like version 1.1