CNN releases Android smartphone app - Android Apps and Games

located in the marketplace
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/04/19/cnn.android.app/

Nice. I really like the npr app.

its about time..

Yeah it is about time! It runs and looks just like the one I had on my iPhone 3GS back in the day! The video quality COULD be a little better but for now, I'm not going to complain! Hopefully CNN updates this app as much as they do for iphone users!

Related

Sling player for Android

This is from engadet.
Good news, Android fans. It looks like you'll soon have a SlingPlayer to call your own. While complete details are still pretty light, the company was showing off the app at the recent GDGT Live event in Austin, and confirmed that it will be available sometime this summer, and support streaming over both 3G and WiFi -- yes, even Friends streaming. Head on past the break for a quick demo video.
[URL="http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/18/slingplayer-for-android-coming-this-summer-demoed-on-video/"]Engadet
[/URL]
ShyTownFantasy said:
This is from engadet.
Good news, Android fans. It looks like you'll soon have a SlingPlayer to call your own. While complete details are still pretty light, the company was showing off the app at the recent GDGT Live event in Austin, and confirmed that it will be available sometime this summer, and support streaming over both 3G and WiFi -- yes, even Friends streaming. Head on past the break for a quick demo video.
[URL="http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/18/slingplayer-for-android-coming-this-summer-demoed-on-video/"]Engadet
[/URL]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About freaking time!!!
I must have that !!!
I want!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've had a Slingplayer for years and this is one of those apps that I always anticipate. But, based upon experience, Sling has horrible delays in development. They always miss deadlines. They also tried to pull "our player will only support our brand new models" and then backed down after little sales boost and loud protests.
So, in summary, I can't wait for this app because I love using my Slingbox. I also think summer is a false promise and hope they'll support their entire lineup. I'm guessing they'll charge a huge premium for the player and I must be out of my mind owning a Windows Mobile, iPhone and soon-to-be Android license.

Iphone 4 vs Captivate

Which you guys think is better and Why? Please share
Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk
WTF dude? Why post this on the Captivate forum? This debate is tired already. I use a Captivate not an I Phone.
iPhone 4. It's got the 3g and the wifis
Posting it on the captivate forum is not gonna be biased at all.....
there was already a thread from a guy that was doing a debate for school asking for good arguments, and another comparison thread. search it.
android is a better thought out os but it has its problems. the captivate has a better gpu. they both have great screens, i like the amoled, but the iphone is is brighter which is good in the sunlight, iphone is better resolution which is good if you hold the phone close to your face but it may be overkill, i feel like the captivate could have better pixel density. neither is bad but if you want sugestions it depends on priorities.
how important is insurance?
will you want to video chat?
do you have friends with front facing cameras on there phones especially other iphone 4's or use webcams often?
do you take pics at night? captivate night mode is sometimes better in surprisingly dim light or for objects that are lighted at night but with no flash the camera is sometimes useless for portraits in a dark club setting or total darkness. led flash is only useful for portraits but if that's important to you then you might want an iphone.
how are you with a touchscreen? can you type on an iphone? swype is a good alternative to a keyboard.
do you use widgets? there are none on the iphone.
do you want to theme your phone?
do you like broken glass that cuts your fingers? slip on covers trap dirt that scratches the glass. scratches are stress risers and the glass breaks!
i can go on, but i think you already know what you like and can find out the information.
Well currently I have xperia x10 android phone and love it how customisable it is. Even you jailbreak Iphone you can't customize barely anything. Then apple release new firmwire and devs make more jailbreak. The only thing I want Iphone 4 is for apps and games and fps games. The reason I did vs Captivate. If Captivate can handle games like Iphone 4?
Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk
Better question: Why are you posting in the Captivate forum about this when you use an X10?
And if the games were made for Android, then they would play just as well, if not better then the iPhone4.
the_ahmadzais said:
Well currently I have xperia x10 android phone and love it how customisable it is. Even you jailbreak Iphone you can't customize barely anything. Then apple release new firmwire and devs make more jailbreak. The only thing I want Iphone 4 is for apps and games and fps games. The reason I did vs Captivate. If Captivate can handle games like Iphone 4?
Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
better!
galaxy s can handle games better than any other. g2 and mytouch 4g are the fastest phones but galaxy s has a better gpu.
get a captivate, root it, get samsung apps, temperarily change the build.prop to the gt i9000 build.prop and download asphalt 5. change build.prop back to stock. play asphalt 5. this is a version of asphalt 5 built for a galaxy s, the version number is lower than the one on the gameloft website because gameloft took out some of the open gl features so that the evo and driod x could run it better!
you will see better lighting effects and better framerates with this version on a galaxy s than the one on there website.
better andriod games will come soon and show off the galaxy s capabilities. there is a small number of high quality 3d fps games on the market because one device that doesnt sell as well as others isnt enough push for development. now that the g2 and mytouch 4g are close in the gpu area and many new phones will come soon there is likely to be some amazing new games coming out. especially from gameloft.
I think the Captivate's interface is better, even though Apple has a reputation for having better usability.
With iOS, Apple is surely lagging. Android OS is much better. The bugs people talk about just aren't there for me - they have been resolved. I also use beta ROMS, etc.
On to hardware. Honestly the touchscreen misses my intended target 1/100 times, with the iPhone 3GS it always registered what I wanted to click. I know 1/100 sounds small, but it bothers me.
Last part is third party software / hardware. iPhone has more docks, etc. Captivate has next to none. For the best apps - if it is on the iPhone, then it is on the Android. However, they are lagged. For instance, the iPhone Navigon app is farther advanced than the android Navigon app.
There ya have it.
the_ahmadzais said:
Which you guys think is better and Why? Please share
Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cause the GeeBees and the WhyFlies are very upgraded to the best. Captivate battery tastes way better and sweet yummy. iPhone plug is too much bigger and It hurt big when you put it in back. Toast?
Shovelhead84 said:
cause the GeeBees and the WhyFlies are very upgraded to the best. Captivate battery tastes way better and sweet yummy. iPhone plug is too much bigger and It hurt big when you put it in back. Toast?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I LOL'D.
10chars
Well you see, there were these winjas and nizards.....
From a phone on an app
What made the decision for me was the freedom the phone gave me. You could either have a phone where steve jobs dictates how ur phone is going to be, like it our not, or go with a phone that supports customization. I know a few people with galaxy s phones, and the beauty about them is, if you pick em up they look very different. With different launchers and widgets, you truly have more customization. And the beauty of widgets is your can get information without ever opening app. And there's swype.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Hacked Captivate >> Jailbroken iPhone 4 >>>>>>>>>>>>> iPhone 4 >>>> Stock Captivate
I have 2 or each on my AT&T plan.
Both are good choices,and wouldn't diss either one.Each go about what they do differently,and neither are perfect for everybody or everything.
My wife and I use the Captivates..both my sons use the 32 gig I 4 phones.We all like what they do and how they do it..so it really is a personal choice on what you get. Can you get bad ones of each..certainly..I've already had to have both of the I-phones go back already due to bad sim cards..so..nothing is perfect. Both of my Captivates are from the September build,and both have worked great.
All 4 of us are happy with them..I am happy with the Captivates,and am glad I can change it around easier than the I-phones..my sons are happy since they have used i-pods and i-tunes since they first came out.Both phones sound great..both look great..both give excellent call quality.
To me the biggest differences is the price of the phones.For next to nothing you can get a Captivate on a 2 year contract..not so with the I-phone.Another big difference is how much storage you can have with the Captivate.You can swap out the sd card and have tons of storage..you can't do that with the I-phone.
Look at all of the differences..and all of the applications and games you want to use.Go with the one you feel will suit your needs..and don't base it on other peoples needs.Lastly...If you want to be able to change things around and truely customize it easily..the I-phone may not be your best choice.If you just want a phone and keep it the way it is..then the I-phone may be the best choice.Then again..if none of this is applicable to you..you may just prefer how one looks and feels over the other and base it on that when you go to get it .Like I said..it is a personal choice than anything else since neither is 100% perfect.
Mac
^^^Like him, I have a Captivate and my son & daughter have Iphone 4's. After visiting my daughter and playing with her Iphone 4 I noticed 2 things that gripe me: 1) The Iphone 4 can orient google maps in a "heads up" mode..and 2) The iphone 4 can pinch to zoom in the gmail app. Being an android (made by google right?), I'm amazed that our Captivate can't do that..especially #2. My 50+ eyes really have a hard time with the tiny font in the gmail app...and there's no way to increase it -in 2.1 at least

Should my dad go for N8?

Hey guys, my dad is looking for a new phone. He currently has a 3 year old HTC Herald(A beaten up, broken touch screen, piece of ****) and seriously wants to have a replacement. He loves photography(Always tries to learn new things about his DSLR and improves his photography) so wants a phone that has a good camera. He wants a nice capacitive touch screen with e-mail(G-mail push) and facebook integration and GPS(With maps as well as map tracking) and perhaps some decent time-killer games. Nokia N8 costs about 22-24k INR here and sounds perfect for his needs, his other opinion was Dell Streak but it is about 34k INR plus its future of having gingerbread seems weak. Desire HD/Z are not available here plus they might be quite expensive when they make it here. I got a Desire and he doesn't want to have the same phone(Not that he found it to be bad, but he doesn't want to copy anyone. Plus camera on Desire is something he doesn't like(Not that I do)).
What do you think?
This is a matter of preference and I cant say much about the actual phone BUT after using android symbian just doesn't cut it anymore. But again this is only my opinion.
Agree with Daml...if you want to have also a GPS and maps, what is better than Android? I would stick with google OS instead of Symbian...
My GF has the N97 mini & was looking at N8 as hates the N97s Horrid UI, unfortunatly N8 is not a lot better.
Trying to move her to Android as far better OS than Nokia's bodged efforts at making Symbian touch friendly.
WM5 was better than OS on her N97 mini.
the n8 is a brick.
i played with thae phone. Symbian is wack in my opinion.
Well what would you guys suggest?
My wife has the N8. She likes it. It seems like a solid phone and hasn't given her any problems. Battery life is average, nowhere near her old phone, E71. She chose the N8 because of the ease of migration and the familiarity and she wanted a great camera. I forget where I read it, but the tagline was Nokia made a great camera with cell phone capabilities. It seems to be true. The Ovi Store and Ovi Maps are pretty good.
I can't directly compare with Android though. I prefer winmo and only boot to android for specific tasks or some game play.
Found migration using the Nokia transfer a long way from perfect.
The camera & build are only plus points, OS is simply a pathetic effort for aimed market & price.
Don't ask people on XDA about a Nokia device. You will only get troll and false answers. The only minus about the N8 is the application selection. Buy one to open the eyes of developers.
Seems like this post has been here for almost 2 weeks now so not sure if u have bought ur dad his phone yet.
However, i would disagree with the comments of people above me.
1) What is so bad about symbian^3? i agree that symbian1 sucked due to the inconsistent one and two touch to enter thing but symbian 3 has no such problems at all.
2) n8 offers alot more than just a 12Mp camera! It records in 720p HD, has active noice cancellation.
3) What other phones has a HDMI output? after taking pictures u can even just hook the phone up to a tv
4) I agree that there arent that many games yet, but it already has more than 10 HD games already so far and it's only been about 2 months. EA games are even backing the n8 symbian 3 by creating HD games for them!
hmm what else, i guess it does sell itself with the casing etc. I blive the top andriod atm is samsung galaxy s? The screen is nice indeed, but it has no flash and only 5mp camera, so night pictures are totally out of the picture. but yea try it before buying it! It's a really good phone i reckon, love the GPS on it too. oh and also not to mention the photo editing software that it comes with!
Mister B said:
Found migration using the Nokia transfer a long way from perfect.
The camera & build are only plus points, OS is simply a pathetic effort for aimed market & price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh and btw, i migrated from my n86 to n8 without any problems. All my stuff got transfered over perfectly!
Yeh files migrated after afew attempts but sms dates are changed to date of the transfer which is a bit pathetic.
Had an issue with Thai font turning to squares after transfer, not good as both Nokia devices are Asian market & support Asian fonts so the transfer software appears to have an issue with this !
More customization of transfer options would be good too.
For price & Nokias long running in mobile market I would expect a lot more, the OS is about 3 years behind the compition ! My old WM2003se HTC Magician with Resco Photo Viewer makes an N97 mini photo viewer look completely pathetic, put it next to an iphone or WM6.5.3 OS & it looks like a 1st year students software project.
I'm not a nokia/symbian fan BUT, according with your dad's purposes, i think the N8 sounds exactly like the phone you're looking for.
xdaid said:
I'm not a nokia/symbian fan BUT, according with your dad's purposes, i think the N8 sounds exactly like the phone you're looking for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
uma app
will the uma app below work on the NOKIA N8 does any one know .I am thinking of buying one ..thanks
"T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling app has finally been hacked to work on Google Nexus One. If you are a Nexus One owner on T-Mobile, then you can install this hacked app and make Wi-Fi calls without any pertinent issues. However the installation instructions of this hack are still a bit of a task for novices, as it requires you to flash kernels and libraries before planting the APK file. "
gariec11 said:
Seems like this post has been here for almost 2 weeks now so not sure if u have bought ur dad his phone yet.
However, i would disagree with the comments of people above me.
1) What is so bad about symbian^3? i agree that symbian1 sucked due to the inconsistent one and two touch to enter thing but symbian 3 has no such problems at all.
2) n8 offers alot more than just a 12Mp camera! It records in 720p HD, has active noice cancellation.
3) What other phones has a HDMI output? after taking pictures u can even just hook the phone up to a tv
4) I agree that there arent that many games yet, but it already has more than 10 HD games already so far and it's only been about 2 months. EA games are even backing the n8 symbian 3 by creating HD games for them!
hmm what else, i guess it does sell itself with the casing etc. I blive the top andriod atm is samsung galaxy s? The screen is nice indeed, but it has no flash and only 5mp camera, so night pictures are totally out of the picture. but yea try it before buying it! It's a really good phone i reckon, love the GPS on it too. oh and also not to mention the photo editing software that it comes with!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have both a premium android device (mytouch 4g with froyo) and N8. Although it comes down to individual preference, I prefer the android device. The UI is much more user friendly and smooth, theres actually a portrait qwerty keyboard available. The widgets are also much more customisable and easier to use. Additionally, the apps make the android device much more favourable. As a medical student, I find a plethora of medical apps available on Android (almost as many as the Iphone), and even otherwise there are a lot more apps available to make it feel like a true smartphone. It's also the little things that matter, such as the fact that the Android phone automatically syncs your contacts with facebook and twitter profiles of your friends, whereas the N8 does not appear to have this capability.
Admittedly the N8 feels like a lot more sturdy device (has gorilla glass and aluminised body), but I got it largely because of the availability of Ovi Maps (although I like Google Maps, I don't like the idea of needing a data connection everytime I go outside and need it). One other thing is that the N8 is a pentaband 3g device, meaning it would work on 3g networks in virtually every country and with every provider, although to my knowledge there is no such android device. This would be esp useful if you travel a lot (like me). This is something I personally think the people at Nokia should have actually bothered to mention when marketing the device. I mainly keep the N8 to listen to music, and for when I go overseas, but it is not my main device.
Overall, I'd definitely say go with the android device (esp. as the mytouch 4g is a great device).
it's up to you , but i think HTC is better!
Not in the camera department. If you want a camera phone look at samsung, nokia or sony's selection.
Arc
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

Is anyone else thinking about actually USING WebOS?

I am really starting to like WebOS a lot and since we know it is the tablets and not the OS that were scrapped, I have to wonder about a possible groundswell of new development for the native operating system.
I am not quite as excited as most about getting FroYo on this thing, I actually think it may be a downgrade, performance-wise. GingerBread struck me as slightly different than FroYo, but Honeycomb is sweet. I also have a Viewsonic Gtablet running the FlashBack Honeycomb ROM and it is pretty damn nice, but I find WebOS to be a little more elegant and refined feeling. Especially after installing PreWare and adding the performance patches and stuff.
I am not a developer, but there are a lot of them around here and quite a few of them either already got or will get a touchpad to play with. I am hoping that some of them will be impressed enough (or intrigued enough) to look at the WebOS SDK and PDK.
Since there are already drivers for full functionality within WebOS, I would think it would not be too arduous for some of these intrepid devs to port a few of the popular apps over for those sticking with it. There is also a web-based widget builder called Project Ares that looks interesting.
Anybody else? Bueller?
I would continue using WebOS if there's a way to use Android apps on it
Webos is probably my favorite tablet os now. The problem is there's no Apps for it. I bought the touchpad for my girlfriend yesterday and she said she loved it but after 10 minutes of just checking facebook and some websites she was like, ok what now?
They need more games optimized for it and better prices
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
With no apps just think how youll never exhaust its resources
Just read a site claiming to have an andriod dump from HP's tablet. There will be decent android roms in no time.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
i'm kind of torn about using android on my TP.
i quite like the way webOS works.
i honestly can't understand why HP gave up on this thing. it's brilliant.
sure it's a little slow out of the box, but so was my HTC magic. a new rom fixed that.
it has fantastic support from the preware community.
i'm loving gestures and cards.
a 3G modem would've been nice (or a usb port to allow a dongle), but again not a big deal given that most phones these days can do wireless hotspot and 99.9% of the time if i have my tablet, i also have my phone. therefore it's always able to connect.
i'll admit the build quality leaves a bit to be desired, but for a first up effort it's pretty good.
the touchstone dock is brilliant.
i'm tempted to buy a second one so i'll have one at home and one at work.
i love android. (i'm somewhat of a fanboy)
i recommend it to friends all of the time. but after experiencing webOS i'm starting to wonder why.
EDIT: maybe HP will sell or licence webOS off to google and we can get the best of both worlds?
Since WebOS was released on the Pre few years ago I always wanted to try this OS as I mostly heard good comments about it and it looked good.
I must say that WebOS on a tablet is WOW! I love it.
I really hope new apps will be developed and that I will be able to continue to use WebOS.
I like my Android phone, but I would be happy continuing having a WebOS tablet.
I have heard that the HP Touchpad has a 3G and 4G wan aready on the chip and just waiting for software to activate. Just like the Nook color bluetooth that it never came with but was activated within Gingerbread.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
I really hope we will get the dual boot option. I would love to use that UbuntuChroot on it while enjoying Froyo or GB
I've always been interested in webOS ever playing witha mates palm pre. The cheap touchpads seemed like a great way of getting a webOS device.
I don't understand why people want to remove webOS, however I can understand trying to port android apps to it.
I'm still waiting delivery of my touchpad, cant wait to get playing around with it.
Does anyone know if I can mess with the browser so I can access chrome webapps?
I bought for two reasons, price and Android. For $149 you cant go wrong, I thought of buying more to try and sell for a small profit but decided against it. My local Arrons had one in their store, but had access to 6 more WebOS looks cool, but I am not familiar with it at all. I really dont care to learn it being WebOS is done. If worse comes to worse and only the Android market/APPS will work on it then I will be happy Heck, who am I kidding, at such a low price I am happy no matter what!
cordell12 said:
I bought for two reasons, price and Android. For $149 you cant go wrong, I thought of buying more to try and sell for a small profit but decided against it. My local Arrons had one in their store, but had access to 6 more WebOS looks cool, but I am not familiar with it at all. I really dont care to learn it being WebOS is done. If worse comes to worse and only the Android market/APPS will work on it then I will be happy Heck, who am I kidding, at such a low price I am happy no matter what!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The point is, WebOS is not "done." In fact, it sounds like HP is planning to put a lot more into it.
Here is what the VP of Developer Relations said: http://developer.palm.com/blog/2011/08/the-next-chapter-for-webos/
Hopefully the Palmdroid project produces results. Because I prefer the webOS experience.
nunjabusiness said:
The point is, WebOS is not "done." In fact, it sounds like HP is planning to put a lot more into it.
Here is what the VP of Developer Relations said: http://developer.palm.com/blog/2011/08/the-next-chapter-for-webos/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, WebOS development will continue.
I really don't understand the cry for Android either. Froyo is not that amazing, Gingerbread isn't that great either. Heck, I have owned quite a few Honeycomb tablets (Xoom, rooted Nook Color, Dell Streak 7) and none of them impressed me.
I get that people here overwhelmingly like Android. But the only merit I can see for putting Android on this guy is for the apps. And, lets be honest, anything besides Android 3.X isn't even optimized for a large display like the touchpad. The Gmail application for example is just a giant list of emails. The WebOS email interface is leagues ahead because it actually takes advantage of the screen size by layering slide-panels instead of just being a giant list of messages!
WebOS is an awesome operating system. The only things holding it back to this point have been total garbage hardware (the Pre was trash) and a lack of developer interest. With HP pushing out hundreds and hundreds of thousands of these tablets in days, its safe to say that development will speed up on the WebOS front. Applications will start to trickle in faster, and things will improve.
The desire to have Android, yet alone a non 3.0 Android, on this thing just seems silly. But whatever, each to his or her own. I for one can appreciate the qualities of WebOS and will keep using it since it is a polished, tablet friendly operating system. After the "oh wow look what I did" factor of having Android 2.X on a tablet wore off, I realized non-Honeycomb Android on a tablet really sucks.
I already have an Android Tablet...it's cool.
I bought this for a cheap price, to have as a "coffee table" device for cruising the net and checking email. Maybe a youtube video once in a while.
AND...when you register the device you still get 50GB of cloud storage through box.net. I'm looking forward to using mine and have no intentions of putting any other OS on it...
I am a huge android fan, but Ill admit that after using the TP for a few days, WebOS is hands down a better tablet OS. Its just so much more structured. Thats why Im looking forward to see what comes out of the Palmdroid project. From my understanding, theyre trying to port the Dalvik VM over to WebOS which will allow android apps to run in "cards".
Been checking this every day for the past week now
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1230723
aim1126 said:
Webos is probably my favorite tablet os now. The problem is there's no Apps for it. I bought the touchpad for my girlfriend yesterday and she said she loved it but after 10 minutes of just checking facebook and some websites she was like, ok what now?
They need more games optimized for it and better prices
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WebOS is dead Install Android 3.2 Honeycomb
Haha no, not at all. This is the worst OS I've ever touched. The OS is overall sluggish and not made for a fluid experience what so ever.
I just had mine fail to download a 30MB System update about 10 or so times.
Browsing the poor apps in the market takes a minute to load each individual apps page.
The pre-installed "apps" are a link to go download it on the market which takes the aforementioned minute load of the page.
The best app would have to be the youtube app that opens up the browser to Youtube.com, absolutely ingenious!
It has. . nothing. On it. I can't even find apps if there were good apps, you can't go to the top of free apps.. there is either top, paid, or free search tabs but not a top free.
Even the browser leaves me yearning for more as I sit there and watch the checkered white boarder all over.
Is anyone else thinking about actually USING WebOS?
Yes, me!
Im running psycho-f15c-kernel-touchpad_3.0.2-41 on my ToychPad at 1.9GHz 100% stable! This thing is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaast!
Best and fastest Tab ever and WebOS is simply extraordinary... what a loss that that the best Tab EVER is discontinued and the most elegant and accomplished OS for a tablet has been sentenced to death. I have an ipad2 that I really like and a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" that I use as my phone running Android 2.3.
Nothing touches WebOS, nothing! And nothing touches the speed of the Touchpad at 1.9Ghz! Ill use and love the Touchpad for as long as I can can, even iwht limited apps and an OS that is frozen in time. What a great loss, this is just so amazingly great! If HP had launched this a year ago and seriousely wanting to make it a success, this would be for sure the ipad killer... my a million miles.. really sad, but happy I have one and that works so well.
Thank guys for making this thing work so well and fast. XDA is the best community on the internet, period!
I just got my touchpad in the mail and have been playing with it for the last couple of hours. Here is my first impression:
wow, webos is pretty impressive. I owned and used iphones, ipads, android phones and tablets extensively and I can say that webos has the simplicity and user friendliness of ios and the multitasking and openness of android. Kind of best of both worlds. If it had the dev support of ios and android, it would certainly be better than ios and a huge competitor to android.
it is such a shame that it is almost dead. HP should have sold these tabs at $250 at launch ($50 below manufacturing cost) just like they do with the consoles and build dev support. Once established, they would make a ton of money off of their app market by selling media and apps just like apple.
introducing this tab at the same price point as the already established and ridiculously popular ipad with no apps and dev support was a quick and sure way to failure.
Such a shame. I really would have liked to see a mature webos platform as a strong competitor.
ps. I am writing this comment on my touchpad 32gb while listening to grooveshark on another browser window. The speakers are pretty loud and have great audio quality. Too bad Hulu just blocked access.
ps2. I really like the usa today app a lot. Nice job with the design and the use of gestures. That is exactly what touchcreen apps should be like
Defiantly liking WebOS alot but until more development takes place atm I will move to android when it surfaces.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

WP7 vs Android, help me out

I'll be getting a new phone within the next month probably. The question is what OS it will run. Currently I have a Motorola Milestone XT720 running Android (running a poor build of CM7 right now). The phone has an underpowered processor and miniscule amount of RAM and doesn't do the best job of running android.
I've been watching WP7 for a while and I've felt tempted to make the switch from Android to WP7. I think Android is a great OS, but I have issues with some aspects of it and have been checking out the other camp (iOS/iPhone does not appeal to me at ALL btw).
Here's what appeals to me about WP7:
+ Metro UI looks slick, pretty and unique
+ All the transitions around the OS (at least as I've seen in videos) look fantastic. Really looks like a lot of detail, animations and polish around the entire OS.
+The unified UX and UI of Metro are really appealing to me, who has had a headache of an experience with Android (I am what I believe is a "power user" and do not have trouble with technology, but navigation and looks of android have been clunky).
-ICS brings more polish to Android and looks like a big improvement but google has basically taken the swiping around OS straight from Microsoft's book and the new UI isn't as consistent around the entire OS as I'd like to be (as opposed to Metro).
+ Some Microsoft services. Zune looks gorgeous, and the service seems interesting (although I found the previous model in which users kept 10 songs at end of month more appealing). Microsoft Office looks very nice and seems to have all the productivity I need (Google Doc app on Android pretty much sucks - though I do like gdocs in general). I use my android primarily for productivity and music and looks like WP7 has great stuff built in.
+ I hear performance and battery life on WP7 generally tops android.
+ "The phone to save me from my phone". When I saw that ad campaign a year ago when I had just gotten my android, I didn't really get what the tagline meant. After spending a year endlessly tweaking, theming and modifying my android in every way possible, I understand. Android is customizable and that is nice. However, I waste so much time with that aspect of Android. What I want is the complete package, in a beautiful design that simply works. It's what I spent all that time tweaking android and switching ROMs to achieve, but I never seem to be happy. I feel that WP7 may actually save me from my phone.
The problem with WP7 for me:
- I worry about making the switch from Android's massive app market to WP7's smaller one. I do see the statements about it being the fastest growing one though.
- There are a number of standout apps on Android that are simply amazing quality apps. (i.e. PowerAmp, SPB Shell 3D, Beautiful Widgets etc...) Can anyone list some unique quality apps that WP7 has? Like 5-10 app list would be great.
- I'm a fan of a bunch of google services. How do the microsoft ones compare? (i.e. bing vs google, office vs docs, maps etc...)
- APPS ARE SO DARN EXPENSIVE. Looked at the market the other day and saw games seem to go on average at $7 as opposed to Android where pretty much everything is free.
- Where are the phones? This is my biggest issue with WP7 right now. I live in Canada and use AWS for my carrier. There are like 2-3 WP7 phones that work with my carrier (WIND) and they are all old stuff from like WP7 launch. The new phones don't seem to be carrying AWS 1700/2100 bands. New Nokia phones looking amazing (except for lack of ffcamera) but no AWS bands and not coming to Canada for a while (and I want to get a new phone within the month). What WP7 phone with good specs could I get if I wanted one?
Galaxy Nexus is coming to Canada and works with Wind and has amazing specs so that might be what I end up with... but I'd like to know if I can consider getting WP7.
Lastly, if you've made the switch from Android to WP7, please feel free to share your thoughts on how you feel after the switch.
Thanks!
(Hopefully I posted this in the right section - not sure)
I'm a windows mobile / windows phone lover and have been since day 1 so I won't go on and on about why you should jump to wp7, but I will say this...
Now that Nokia has entered the fray the app market and support will grow more and more... There will be new wp7 users purely because of nokia...
My mates are all android boys and i gotta say, its looking dated compared to wp7... My android mates marvel at the speed of metro ui when they see me check on several emails and some text messages and delete them and have the phone back in my belt pouch in seconds...
Well you won't need SPB Shell or Beautiful Widgets in WP7, since WP7 is already 'beautiful' enough and I'm sure you'll agree with me. PowerAMP is pretty sweet in that it can play a lot of file types, something you can't do in WP7, but I really don't see the need to play so many types of files. Usually I use my phone to watch Youtube videos, which WP7 does flawlessly, or listen to MP3 songs, not some other funny formats. But then again, it depends on your usage.
There are a lot of quality apps in WP7, but I don't know what to recommend because it's basically all up to your usage. I find things like 'The Onion 7' and 'Cyanide and Happiness' really unique and good on WP7, but it's not for everybody.
For those apps that are 'for everybody', the integrated Facebook and Twitter experience is really something that is unmatched. There are really good Twitter apps too like Birdsong for more functionality.
As for Microsoft services vs Google services, I'll have to say that Microsoft has the upper hand in Office compared to GDocs, and Google has the upper hand in their Maps. Bing vs GSearch, it's subjective. I find GSearch much better for searching serious stuff, while Bing in WP7 is really useful is helping make your life easier. Local cinemas, food and stuff like that. I don't get to enjoy them because I live in a country that is not supported by Bing.
At the end of the day, I think the question you have to ask yourself is this: Are apps more important, or general user experience more important?
Because WP7 is still really short on apps. The big names are there, but when it comes to maybe your local cinema or airlines to purchase ticket, or funky apps like FaceNiff to steal people's Facebook passwords, WP7 just won't have it for now. I can't say for the future.
Meanwhile, WP7 is great on the user experience. Live Tiles to me is much more functional than Widgets, battery life is great, UI is fluid and responsive, seldom crashes, more integrated services (I use the integrated Facebook chat a lot, it has become sort of a WhatsApp for me.), less problems.
I'm using a HD2, couldn't stand using NoDo, went back to Android NAND, wanted to try Mango 'just for fun', stuck with it. Just couldn't leave it. I'm seriously considering buying the Nokia Lumia 800.
it depends...now I'm on the WP7 side...
I'm a proud owner of a HD2 and with it I passed through WM 6.5 all Android Roms and finally WP7
The decision is hard, by the way if you go with WP7 will not regret you just have to wait 6 months to have a Marketplace comparable (in quality) with Android Market. If I have to chose, I would not consider Android if I was not meant to root it; if you want to root then wait for ICS to see if that brings something worth...
This is my view;
- Phone core features: both are extremely dependable, Android has been optimized a bit more and usually drains less battery (even if that depends also on the HW). I would give 10/10 to Android and 9/10 to WP7
- Phone UI: Android stock UI sucks, maybe ICS will be better but at the moment the only comparable UI are MIUI (there are excellent themes) and at some extent Sense, but that means that you have to root it. I would give 9/10 to WP7 and 6/10 to stock Android (8/10 to MIUI and 7/10 to Sense)
- Embedded Apps: WP7 has embedded Mobile Office, a wonderful Zune and an excellent Messaging apps; I would give 9/10 to WP7 and 6/10 to stock Android
- Third Party Integration; Android is great and API natively support deep integration with 3pp applications; I would 9/10 to Android, 6/10 to WP7
- Market: Functionally wise they are similar; Android Market counts "uncountable" apps, MS Marketplace is at its beginning...but many useful and popular apps have been ported and in the last 3 months it has improved a lot, so I expect a huge development with current (Nokia) and future device launches (Christmas)
- Other: WP7 is coupled with Zune that is a great piece of SW; nothing similar on Android side. I would give 9/10 to WP7 and 6/10 to Android
Thanks guys. I was worried I would be getting "Android sucks GO WP7!" posts as replies, but responses so far have been exactly what I'm looking for - good analysis. Of course I'm not quite ready to make my decision, but does anyone have any idea of any upcoming T-mo or other AWS 1700/2100 band WP7 phones coming out soon? Do you think Nokia will make a 1700/2100 band Lumia?
On a side note - I find it dissapointing that there's no front facing camera on the lumia. With the skype buyout by microsoft that seems like a really poor decision.
syrenz said:
Thanks guys. I was worried I would be getting "Android sucks GO WP7!" posts as replies, but responses so far have been exactly what I'm looking for - good analysis. Of course I'm not quite ready to make my decision, but does anyone have any idea of any upcoming T-mo or other AWS 1700/2100 band WP7 phones coming out soon? Do you think Nokia will make a 1700/2100 band Lumia?
On a side note - I find it dissapointing that there's no front facing camera on the lumia. With the skype buyout by microsoft that seems like a really poor decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, MS is still ironing out WP7. It's still in the invention mode, so to speak, and probably in another year WP7 will be finally fully caught up to iOS. We all should begin to see some serious hardware by then.
syrenz said:
(Hopefully I posted this in the right section - not sure)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not right section, this is not related to Q&A about WP7. Thread closed.

Categories

Resources