People give me a lot of shit for saying that the only Android devices worth buying are the Nexus handsets. There are few exceptions to that rule, namely the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Samsung Galaxy Note, but for the most part … I simply can’t deal with the atrocities that handset makers commit for the sake of differentiation. Brandon Miniman from Pocketnow made a beautiful 9 minute and 19 second video demoing HTC’s new flagship device, the One X, and how it compares to the latest Nexus device: the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. HTC, looking to make themselves standout compared to everyone else making an Android device, created a software skin called “Sense”. At first it was incredibly welcome since Android was such an immature software platform. Times have changed though, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is downright beautiful. HTC acknowledges this and admits that their latest version of Sense is incredibly light. Are they right? Watch below and reach your own conclusion:
Apple controls iOS and the iPhone. Google makes Android and will let damn near everyone use it, but you have to follow a certain set of rules to get access to the Android Market and Google’s services such as Maps and Gmail. Microsoft controls Windows Phone with an iron fist, to the point that they even dictate the spec sheet that everyone has to use, but they let everyone go crazy in terms of hardware designs. We prefer Microsoft’s model. There’s no reason that HTC, Samsung, LG, Huawei, anyone really, can’t compete on hardware alone. By hiring engineers and designers to pretty up an operating system that doesn’t need a layer of makeup, phone makers are not only cranking out inferior products, but they’re also reducing their own margins.
What do you think, are you for or against skinning?