Just a thought, but how about asking your friend to try an experiment: set up an iPhone. The results of that trial would likely be highly illuminating, especially given your doubts about a similar test with the Android handset, a priori. Assuming she has used an iPod (thus, she’s familiar with the proprietary cord and Apple’s legacy desktop sync routines), she falls right into Apple’s target market…a luxury Android devices don’t have.

Truthfully, the USB mounting is amazingly hidden – I do find that a bit too techie. But when I say that, I’m not referring to someone who has been using an iPhone. I’m referring to someone like my mother or my sister who might be considering a smartphone but are still using a Razr or another older flip phone. Someone who is a a complete newbie to smartphones in general. If you’ve got an iPhone, Android is not that big of an adjustment. Would my mother or sister have been able to figure out the USB mounting? I’d say no. Long taps? Definitely not. Some of the options are just worded poorly, such as Store Location, which is the geolocation settings in the photos. (I can honestly see people thinking, “which store?”) In Accounts & Sync, it only lists Gmail accounts and not regular email accounts. I found that baffling when I was trying to remove an account. Also, the fact that there are separate options – completely separate icons – for Corporate Email (Exchange), Gmail, and Email (IMAP, POP), will probably confuse a lot of people new to smartphones in general.

It’s a better question to ask, what do I love about my iPhone that I can’t get using Android? I personally don’t care much for my iPhone, a fact that I’ve documented throughout this blog. In particular, I hate the virtual keyboard, so Android works for me. Are there apps I can’t live without on the iPhone? I Googled them to see if they exist for Android. For instance, I can’t live without Evernote, but it’s available in beta for Android. There isn’t an UrbanSpoon for Android, but there is a Zagat’s and an OpenTable, which fill that void. There are countless Twitter apps, including Twidroid, which seems to be as good as Tweetie. If I loved the slick form factor of the iPhone (I have no preference really), the Droid slideout keyboard might drive me nuts. But the HTC Eris comes out soon, also Android 2.0, and it only has a virtual keyboard.

Android is not an iPhone killer OS. It is, however, an alternative to what is becoming the norm.

Again, “techie” to me means whether or not someone like my mom or sister can figure it out. When I wrote that particular sentence, in fact, I was thinking of a very non-techie girlfriend of mine who has been attached to a Blackberry Pearl for years. I suggested she get the Storm 2, but she’s been a bit taken in by all the hype on the Droid. Knowing her, I think Android would frustrate her a bit.

Cheers!

Let me rephrase my previous questions:

So, that’s about that it? You were stymied by the lack of a self-evident/automatic desktop sync routine, and couldn’t figure out the ‘long click/press’ contextual menu call? Anything else, so far? May I assume those two issues, alone, were the basis for your ‘(Android is) too techie’ verdict?

Again, I’m asking not as critique but for my curiosity’s sake, only. As a previous iPhone owner, I’m interested in the experiences of others, yet nearly all such posts I’ve found – see the forums at tuaw, macrumors, etc. – are long on consternation (and some haughty condemnation) but short on specifics.

Oh, just FYI: I didn’t grok the long click trope, myself. Had to read about it, online. But, then, I would have never figured out the iPhone’s ‘pinch’ vs ’squeeze’ thing, either, had it not been for all of those Apple commercials. Intuitive, schmintuitive….give me an on-screen demo, every time.

“It is the OS for everyone? No. It’s still a little techie, I think.”

Would you care to offer (very) specific examples of where Android 2.0 falls down, in terms of providing a comfortable experience for first-time (or, I suppose, n00b) users? I’d be particularly interested in reading your comparison of why/how you find the iPhone experience to be superior, in those specific areas of the UI. Meanwhile, generally, are we talking about oddities related to Android’s native apps or 3rd-party apps or system settings…or, what, some random collection of both?