Smart Phone vs Smart MP3 player
For a while now I've been waiting on two things: Zune HD and a Sprint Android phone. I've burned my bridge with AT@Tso I'm never going to to get an iPhone. What I want is a hand held I can easily surf the web and have some fun miscellaneous applications to use. Now that Spring has finally introduced their Android phone it's time to decide.
I really like the look and feel of the new Zune HD. The new screen looks really good and I'm glad it now comes with a web browser. The device will be integrated into the Xbox 360 so that you can access the video content on the 360 then play it on your Zune. If you can then get your music on the 360 I think that would be a great option for people that don't have a PC. The flaw is I tend to not really care about watching videos on my Zune. It's a nice to have but not a selling point. Where the Zune HD fails for me is internet connectivity. You have a wireless network adapter but you have to find a network to join. Free wifi is more accessible but it still isn't everywhere. It is also not clear if you will be able to get apps for your Zune. Microsoft has been a little too resistant to opening up their marketplace for anyone interested in building apps. This means the app store will be limited to only Microsoft approved apps.
The new HTC Hero is now available on the Sprint network. It's a nice, thin phone with a touch screen. The phone has the Google Android phone UI so I can easily access GMail, GTalk, Google Calendar and other apps like Twitter and Facebook. Since the phone is always on the Spring network I never have to worry about finding a wifi hot spot to connect to the internet. Google has an Android store which is established and already has tons of apps to buy for your phone. Having fun apps to check out will only enhance my experience with my phone.
The twist in this is the games you'll be able to play on these devices. I'm not a huge portable gamer but I'd like to have some games to play. If Microsoft makes their Zune the 360's hand held gaming device that would be a huge feather in the Zune's cap. It might even be a system seller for me if I can play a quality Halo or Project Gotham Racing on my Zune. So far Microsoft has not been vocal about this possibility which is a bit disappointing. I think the HTC Hero is bound to be in my home soon. I still need a hands on look at the device to make a final decision. There are a few more Android phones coming and I'd hate to jump now and see a cooler phone come out in a month or two.
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