Winging It

In the ongoing Oracle v. Google trial, several designs for a Google Phone have been released, including some that were shown to carriers in 2006. This was one of them:

In early 2008, a prototype phone was given to developers to test Google’s Android OS.

In late 2008, the HTC Dream (G1) was released with Android 1.0. It looked like this:

What made Google radically rethink Android phones from Blackberry clones to slate style touchscreen phones so rapidly? What could have happened in 2007?

Pre-2007 style smartphones:

January 9, 2007:

Oh. Right.

(Source: theverge.com)

A classmate sent me an invite to a Google Doc. She sent it to my UNC email.

I try to open it by clicking on the link in the Mail message.

Safari pops up and says I need to request permission from the sender to view the Google Doc from my Gmail email account.

Okay, I’m probably signed into my Google+ and Gmail Account.

I sign out.

I click the link in the message again.

It tells me to sign in.

I enter my UNC email and my goto password.

It works and I’m signed in.

Uh oh.

It signed me into my Google Account.

That’s odd.

It’s still telling me to request permission to view with my Gmail account.

I click the link that says “Choose another account.”

Only my Gmail account shows up.

I go to my Account settings. 

I remove my UNC email from the account, leaving only my Gmail address linked.

I sign out.

I go back to the sign in screen and enter my UNC email and goto password.

There’s an error with my password or email.

Crap.

I click “I can’t access my account.”

“I forgot my password.”

I enter my UNC email and click the button.

I enter the Captcha.

There’s no account linked to my UNC email.

Oh well.

I go to create an account with my UNC email.

I can’t.

I’m forced to create another Google Account that gives me another Gmail address and signs me up for Google+, even though I’m already signed up for it under my real Gmail account.

I can’t register using an email anymore.

I throw up my hands up to the heavens and pray to God that they destroy Google once and for all.

Why do they allow for multiple email accounts to use the same Google Account if I can’t access a Google Doc sent to one of those email addresses? FTS.

The Apple TV lets you buy/rent/stream movies, buy/stream TV shows, stream podcasts, stream music on iTunes Match, listen to radio stations, browse photo galleries, and watch Netflix, NBA, NHL, MLB, YouTube, Vimeo, movie trailers and the Wall Street Journal.

One thing it won’t let you do? Buy music on iTunes. You still need to do that on another device.