Thursday 18 June 2015

What Google Does Well and NOT!



I recently got a Nexus 6 phone. Set aside my very low end Windows 8 Phone and decided to give Google a Whirl. Well the Nexus 6 is more of a tablet than a phone. Now Google is king of the web to be sure with the most dominant search engine they rule data and revenue. But they do not do appear to do Mobile well.
My impression after week 1 is that Windows 8 Phones for me are better integrated with the functionality of the phone and business functionality of apps also.
Also I notice a lot of negative reviews on the apps that I want to use especially those that manage contacts and groups in particular. Contacts should be should be managed as contacts on the phone itself rather in the Google or Outlook contacts stored in the cloud.
Bluetooth is proving particularly problematic both in terms of management of in car hands free functionality and connectivity.
All this maybe attributable to the hardware or software incompatibility but I have tried the Nexus with a Nokia built in Bluetooth hands free kit and a Parrot plug and go product and it needs constant attention which is not desirable when you are driving. So you never know how it is going to behave. The “Ok Google” function does not recognise half of what I say either which adds to my in car frustration.
Added to that you would think that Google to Google devices would play nice. There are considerable lag and crash issues with the Nexus and the Google Chrome Cast.
I suppose it’s what your used to and having spent the money we’ll have to plug away for a bit more. But I’m tempted to slip the SIM back into the Windows 8 Phone everyday. I’m also tempted to write an Android App to manage Groups and Group Texts on the Phone without having to get all my contacts to signup and download an app. It’s got to be easier than that. SMS is the lowest common denominator for Mobile communication especially in Ireland and it should be handled effectively with the phone’s eco system by default as part of the operating system. That’s the way it used to be before phones got too fancy for their own good.