The ONLY thing I don't like about Google/Android

[mountainbikermark]

Don't get me wrong fellaz. I am a huge fan of the architecture and the idea behind it.
I am Handcents #1 fan.
My main gripe is really the music player. I was beyond disappointed in that. It's junk. Like Google, one of my favorite companies, put about zero thought into it.
Then we got Froyo and I couldn't wait to see what was new with the music player........ nothing.
So I used it. Then I used Mixzing. Not bad. Then Winamp. Better.
Then PowerAMP. Best yet, but not free. Another update or two and I may pay for that one.
Now I know this is exactly what you guys are talking about: PowerAMP surprised me because he added support for FLAC files. Now I never thought that could happen without Google updating the codecs on the phone. Amazing, right?

I guess it really only annoys me because I would like to see Google put some kind of update/effort into the base apps and not rely completely on the community. It's as if they are saying "here. Take this. Don't like it? We know it's crap. Too bad, go find something else".

Read the press release for gingerbread before giving up on a better music player and built in messaging
Support Our Troops!! UltraKeyboarded from a wifi monolith.

 

[Youminker]

I don't get anything about Android OS. Maybe it's apps bugs rather than OS. Anyway, I havent' experienced this kind of issue.

 

[Backdraft]

Basically Google needs to buy some good app companies out there, ie. Appbrain, Beyondpod, DoubleTwist, etc. and "Captain Planet" them.

I fear that there's not a good way to do this without fundamentally losing some of the freedom we have. Maybe they could provide a secondary software system, but the moment they make something mandatory, we've started to lose the freedom we like.

I hope I'm wrong and the wizards at Google prove it.

I understand your point, but I don't mean that they make it mandatory (in the Apple sense), but only that they make it the best possible product that they can. Most of us are "forced" or inclined to use Google apps daily, ie. Gmail, Calender, Reader, Chrome, etc., yet innovation and modability still flourish on the platforms that these "tools" exist on (PC and/or webapps), and there are a plethora of other options out there, ie. Firefox, Thunderbird, etc. However, we (or at least I do) choose to tie ourselves to their products because they are, for the vast majority of people, simple to pick up/use and have most of the functionality they need, all tied together quite seamlessly into one package.

Now looking at the Android platform, frankly, many of the apps that Google has released for it have been subpar compared with 3rd party efforts, ie. Listen & the new GReader (seriously Google, no offline caching?). It's almost embarassing, but when a single/small party of developers can come up with something that is better than what a company as rich in resources as Google can, why not buy/hire the competition in order to have them improve Google's own apps, if Google show almost no signs of doing so themselves.

 

[Mister Moo]

Google Listen is a fantastic app for podcatching/queing and playing;

Just want to disagree with you on this one... Google listen just could not catch and/or play podcasts. Buffering---> Error. Buffering----> Error. Over and over...

Mysteries of cyber-ether? Having experienced inconvenience and frustration with podcatching the old fashioned way (the chain of bad podcatching software=>PC=>playlist=>sorry old MP3 player) Google Listen was a breath of (so far, perfect) fresh air. With respect to the OP I guess this is my (only) bright spot with Google apps.

 

[takeshi]

Am I alone here?

Probably not alone but I don't agree. I mean, I don't complain that Paint on my PC is such a poor application. I just find a better application that suits my needs. Same thing with Android.