Lack of Full Google Product Integration

[Colchicine]

Call me a Google lover, then call me naive. I thought that when I bought an Android phone, all other Google products and services would be integrated (within reason) with the operating system.

For instance, I have a ton of Google Docs. I had some spare time today and fired up the website. I could read the document I have saved there, but there's zero options to edit it like I would with a PC.

For years, I've been saving addresses of my friends under My Maps. Today I had a need to use that and navigate to a friends house. No Dice. No options to click "Directions" or even to select the address to copy it so I could paste it into Maps. I had to resort to writing it down then manually typing it in the Maps app.
*The Google brand of My Maps editor is piss poor, subpar.

To me, this is unacceptable. One of my biggest complaints about Microsoft over the years was a lack of compatibility even between products in the same suite (i.e. Word and Excel). Now I'm encountering the same thing. Why can't I use my Google phone to edit a Google document? Screw SkyMap, spend your time making your own phone work!!
*No Google brand app for this, the ones that are in the market are also subpar.

 

[Demache]

I agree about the Google Docs part. Its a smartphone, and very few smartphones I know of lack the ability to edit documents out of the box. It just seems natural to think it would use the Google Documents service. Storing documents on Google so they can easily be edited later seamlessly from a PC and Android phone, just seems like a brilliant idea. It makes me think either they can't get it to work very well, or haven't thought of it. I would be surprised if the latter was true though, they generally are pretty good about thinking about this kind of stuff.

And for the My Maps thing, its not a feature I really ever use. Should they work on adding it? Of course. But as I understand, your storing contact addresses via My Maps? If that's the main purpose you use it for, than your *technically* putting them in the wrong place. You need to be putting them in your contact information. Then in the contacts information you can just press the contact's address and it will look it up in Maps. And you can go from there with Navigation and such.

 

[semperLux]

I sold my soul to Google. I agree that when I purchased an Android phone, I too thought that everything Google would be integrated perfectly, I was wrong. After spending some time with the Terminal Emulator I've learned that Android is essentially a Linux OS for cell phones (tried a few years back but never caught on). Apple did the same thing with FreeBSD. It's not a criticism of Google, I've always enjoyed using Linux distros and is an example of not re-inventing the wheel. But I've come to learn that this is less a Google phone and more a Linux communications device that happens to use some of Google's apps. Frankly, I'm very disappointed with the google calendar implementation in the EVO. My data is there and that's great but it is nowhere near the full desktop version. My sense is just give them time, I'm sure someone's working on it and it will work soon. On a very positive note, if Google owned this technology, it would be closed like the iPhone's OS or Windows mobile. There are some glitches but overall, Android (linux) is a fantastic direction for smart phones to adopt.

p.s. When I need to write something that I'll need for Google docs, I use Gmail as my word processor and port the text to a Google doc on my PC. Not perfect but it's a good mobile notepad.

 

[IOWA]

I sold my soul to Google. I agree that when I purchased an Android phone, I too thought that everything Google would be integrated perfectly, I was wrong. After spending some time with the Terminal Emulator I've learned that Android is essentially a Linux OS for cell phones (tried a few years back but never caught on). Apple did the same thing with FreeBSD. It's not a criticism of Google, I've always enjoyed using Linux distros and is an example of not re-inventing the wheel. But I've come to learn that this is less a Google phone and more a Linux communications device that happens to use some of Google's apps. Frankly, I'm very disappointed with the google calendar implementation in the EVO. My data is there and that's great but it is nowhere near the full desktop version. My sense is just give them time, I'm sure someone's working on it and it will work soon. On a very positive note, if Google owned this technology, it would be closed like the iPhone's OS or Windows mobile. There are some glitches but overall, Android (linux) is a fantastic direction for smart phones to adopt.

p.s. When I need to write something that I'll need for Google docs, I use Gmail as my word processor and port the text to a Google doc on my PC. Not perfect but it's a good mobile notepad.

What don't you like about the goog calender? Works perfect for me.

 

[SBS]

You can in fact view my maps since late in v3 v4.0 broke this for me, but it was quickly fixed. Now I am using 4.3.0.

My phone is not set to English, so I am only guessing at what the english would be probably something like: menu > layer > other layer > my maps.

Or something to that effect.

 

[UncleMike]

What don't you like about the goog calender? Works perfect for me.

For me... recurring events don't always sync properly, or at all. Recurring event scheduling options on Android devices is limited when compared to the web/desktop interface. No integration with contacts (no different than web/desktop but would be more helpful on a handheld device).

 

[punky]

I think the trouble is Google have tried to tread a thin line. They want to be the opposite of Apple and keep an open OS where everything is modular and can be replaced except for the underlying OS.

I do agree if they linked it in with Google services much tighter then it would be far more usable. Apps developed for Android are usually quite poor.

 

[sonmica]

While I am pretty happy with my phone, android and google in general, I do have to agree that the lack of integration is a little bit disappointing.

Though with google products I've sort of learned that it needs to be given time to build up momentum and add new features etc (gmail and google docs for example, when they first came out there was very little functionality).

Anyways, I stumbled upon this. Haven't tried it out yet though: GDocs - Android app on AppBrain

 

[Colchicine]

But as I understand, your storing contact addresses via My Maps? If that's the main purpose you use it for, than your *technically* putting them in the wrong place. You need to be putting them in your contact information.

Agreed! And I should have stated the obvious in my OP. That just happened to be the one use I had for it yesterday. I haven't migrated everyone's address over to the contacts yet, just because it requires some PITA manual labor to do it. I started that particular map YEARS ago.

My phone is not set to English, so I am only guessing at what the english would be probably something like: menu > layer > other layer > my maps.

BOOM! That was it! I can now more easily VIEW the My Maps. I just hadn't dug that far into the menus to see that option. I just wish the editor app worked better (or at all!).

As far as editing docs, I can totally understand the technological complications that come with it. I've been trying to wrap my head around all this morning. As far as editing, it would be complicated in phones with only a virtual keyboard. How would you edit the document and still show the entire document and the keyboard? My guess is that they would have to break it up into paragraphs, editing only paragraphs at a time.

I have used the "email to myself" trick, but it doesn't work well when I already have a doc saved.

 

[ewingr]

Not yet having an Android phone, I have had a suspicion that I will be disappointed at this point in time, similar to the comments of this thread. Not having Google Docs available is definitely frustrating.

The problem for me will be comparing to what I can do wiht WinMo, which is quite mature (and of course, considered old an on the way out). And the Android is very new, and needs to mature. There certainly has been a lot of enthusiasm for the new version of Android...although not out there much yet.

The other thing tha tis a bit frustrating with Google anything, is what seems to be zero support from Google themselves. They point you to community forums, which sometimes is greatn, and often results in no response at all.

All that being said, as much enthusiasm as there seems to be for Android, hopefully it won't be too long before it is more mature.

 

[Colchicine]

Thanks for making that point ewingr. I am in no way a short-timer and willing to drop this platform altogether just because it's not mature NOW. Realistically, the first phone most people know if is the Moto Droid, and that only came out 7 months ago. I understand fully that Android is not mature. But unlike Apple that is making the OS, the phone, promoting, and controlling the apps, Google only has one job to do. Unfortunately most people are impatient and short-sighted (no political parties come to mind here ), and I'm afraid that the lack of maturity when most people are first exposed to Android may hurt them even in the long run.

 

[semperLux]

What don't you like about the goog calender? Works perfect for me.

Your question inspired me to find out exactly what I didn't like about the mobile Google calendar. I take back some of what I said, I didn't have it set up properly and after viewing some tutorials on YouTube, I like it much more. The only thing that I still can't find are the tasks, I rely on those and I can't get those to show up on my mobile setup. Thanks for getting me to look into the calendar better.

 

[mrqs]

What don't you like about the goog calender? Works perfect for me.

my only gripe with the calendar is with the limited options for reminders

 

[takeshi]

BOOM! That was it! I can now more easily VIEW the My Maps. I just hadn't dug that far into the menus to see that option. I just wish the editor app worked better (or at all!).

...and now you'll discover the next problem with My Maps and Android.

Try making a route in My Maps. Bring up the map on your device. Then try to get Google Maps Navigation to follow the route.

As far as editing docs, I can totally understand the technological complications that come with it. I've been trying to wrap my head around all this morning. As far as editing, it would be complicated in phones with only a virtual keyboard. How would you edit the document and still show the entire document and the keyboard? My guess is that they would have to break it up into paragraphs, editing only paragraphs at a time.

The current method of handling text fields would work for me.

 

[SBS]

...and now you'll discover the next problem with My Maps and Android.

Try making a route in My Maps. Bring up the map on your device. Then try to get Google Maps Navigation to follow the route.


The current method of handling text fields would work for me.

At least you have turn by turn direction is the US... (タケシさんはアメリカにいるよね。。。&#65311

 

[ewingr]

Speaking of Google Apps in Goolge Products.

Guess what Google Product can be installed in IE and Firefox, but not Chrome...

Google Toolbar

Now, I expected that to automatically be part of Chrome. What was I thinking?

 

[mrmojoz]

Speaking of Google Apps in Goolge Products.

Guess what Google Product can be installed in IE and Firefox, but not Chrome...

Google Toolbar

Now, I expected that to automatically be part of Chrome. What was I thinking?

Because the functionality is already there...

Also, people use 3rd party toolbars?

 

[Colchicine]

The toolbar is the only reason I'm not using Chrome only. I have not found a way to have all of the toolbar's usefulness in Chrome.

 

[ewingr]

Because the functionality is already there...

I haven't searched Chrome enough to argue that point, but it is not easy to find if it is.

I was looking for the Google Bookmarks I created, which I get to through IE with Google Toolbar, and do not find a way to get them.

I don't see any of the buttons form the toolbar on Chrome: translate, sidewiki Spell Check, etc. If its there, it's not easily found.

 

[IOWA]

my only gripe with the calendar is with the limited options for reminders

Yeah I have to agree with you there. The reminders IS a bit limited. Better task management like on WinMo would be better too. But I always thought of tasks/to-do list separate from the calendar.

 

[Colchicine]

Here is a timely article
Google Docs viewer on Android, iPhone, iPad browser? Why, yes | iPhone Atlas - CNET Reviews