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Question about multitasking

I have a question about Wp7 lack of multitasking. Do you mean its not possible for example to listen to internet radio using a third party app and browse the xda forums at the same time, for example?
Thanks for the clarification.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

i havent heard much about the multitasking.... sorry

That's right. The only thing that runs in the background that i'm aware of is the Zune music player (which has a radio if you want). I haven't found anything else.

sammy_user said:
I have a question about Wp7 lack of multitasking. Do you mean its not possible for example to listen to internet radio using a third party app and browse the xda forums at the same time, for example?
Thanks for the clarification.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. Neither can you use it for GPS navigation while surfing the web or speaking on the phone. Your milage may vary as to how much it affects you though.

Well you can do things while calling so at least this is good.

Yes, multitasking is very limited to wp7. I am sure they might add a few features to it so that we don't feel completely controlled.

also the other noticeable thing is the web browser being able to multi task. for example, you can download a large file, and go off and do something else, and it will keep downloading.

For crying out loud! Please stop calling background scheduling for multitasking! Multitasking is, always has been, and always will be, the ability to do more than one thing. WP7 can multitask just fine, and so can apps. Period. They can.
What you're asking about is something completely different, and you're even contradicting yourself. As some of the native apps, and some made by OEMs, can run in the background, there's no doubt about the OS supporting background scheduling. It's there.
What's actually happening is that MS is protecting us from lousy programmers by not letting most programs run in the background. There's mostly no use for it anyway, unless you want some lousy piece of s.... software eating up your battery, devouring your data plan.
Hell, if you want to, I'll be glad to write a program that will fill up the file storage, using battery like crazy and even using way more data than you can afford. Only down side is that it won't run in the background to f.... up the performance of your other apps.

emigrating said:
Correct. Neither can you use it for GPS navigation while surfing the web or speaking on the phone. Your milage may vary as to how much it affects you though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh? Am I missing something? Why would you need to use the GPS while you are surfing the web?
From my experience it goes like this: surfing the web->home button->maps[back to home][back to explorer]...and just like that you are back to exactly back to where you were having done MULTIple TASKs at once ; )

tiwas said:
For crying out loud! Please stop calling background scheduling for multitasking! Multitasking is, always has been, and always will be, the ability to do more than one thing. WP7 can multitask just fine, and so can apps. Period. They can.
What you're asking about is something completely different, and you're even contradicting yourself. As some of the native apps, and some made by OEMs, can run in the background, there's no doubt about the OS supporting background scheduling. It's there.
What's actually happening is that MS is protecting us from lousy programmers by not letting most programs run in the background. There's mostly no use for it anyway, unless you want some lousy piece of s.... software eating up your battery, devouring your data plan.
Hell, if you want to, I'll be glad to write a program that will fill up the file storage, using battery like crazy and even using way more data than you can afford. Only down side is that it won't run in the background to f.... up the performance of your other apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Show me one app that can multitask please?! and by app I mean any third-party or OEM addon to the core OS.
Sure, on WM and Android there is/was a mantra that everything should run in the background - always. But that's not to say that multitasking is evil, it's not. It just needs to be controlled.
Microsoft could quite easily have allowed third-party apps to multitask (or at least register a small service running in the background) if your app needed it - they have "technical exceptions" when submitting to the marketplace, this would be a great opportunity for you to describe why your app needed real multitasking and it would be up to the testers to [dis]agree.
premiumdude said:
Huh? Am I missing something? Why would you need to use the GPS while you are surfing the web?
From my experience it goes like this: surfing the web->home button->maps[back to home][back to explorer]...and just like that you are back to exactly back to where you were having done MULTIple TASKs at once ; )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was just an example, although it's something that's bugged me more than once. But okay, I'll agree it isn't the most common scenario. How about this instead, you're driving along using Navigon and you want to change your tunes, so you press home, then zune, find an artist/album and press play, go back home and then back to the satnav app only to discover you've missed a turn because it didn't tell you you needed to turn off the turnpike at the last exit. Now you're stuck driving another xx miles to get back to where you need to be.
If you don't drive, perhaps you map your morning runs using a GPS tracker. So you're on your way and the phone rings. Since you've got a headset you continue running while talking only to have your entire statistics screwed up because the phone stopped tracking you while on the phone.
Or even better, you're using some third-party app to sync your Hotmail or Exchange tasks to your phone. Problem is, the app cannot multitask so it will never notify you of [over]due tasks unless you constantly keep the app open...
While I definitely agree you don't need your RSS reader or Angry Birds clone running in the background, all the time, there are scenarios where real multitasking is important.

emigrating said:
That was just an example, although it's something that's bugged me more than once. But okay, I'll agree it isn't the most common scenario. How about this instead, you're driving along using Navigon and you want to change your tunes, so you press home, then zune, find an artist/album and press play, go back home and then back to the satnav app only to discover you've missed a turn because it didn't tell you you needed to turn off the turnpike at the last exit. Now you're stuck driving another xx miles to get back to where you need to be.
If you don't drive, perhaps you map your morning runs using a GPS tracker. So you're on your way and the phone rings. Since you've got a headset you continue running while talking only to have your entire statistics screwed up because the phone stopped tracking you while on the phone.
Or even better, you're using some third-party app to sync your Hotmail or Exchange tasks to your phone. Problem is, the app cannot multitask so it will never notify you of [over]due tasks unless you constantly keep the app open...
While I definitely agree you don't need your RSS reader or Angry Birds clone running in the background, all the time, there are scenarios where real multitasking is important.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wholeheartedly agree. Excellent examples. Was able to put myself in those scenarios and see how important deep multitasking is. Thank you for helping me see that.

tiwas said:
For crying out loud! Please stop calling background scheduling for multitasking! Multitasking is, always has been, and always will be, the ability to do more than one thing. WP7 can multitask just fine, and so can apps. Period. They can.
What you're asking about is something completely different, and you're even contradicting yourself. As some of the native apps, and some made by OEMs, can run in the background, there's no doubt about the OS supporting background scheduling. It's there.
What's actually happening is that MS is protecting us from lousy programmers by not letting most programs run in the background. There's mostly no use for it anyway, unless you want some lousy piece of s.... software eating up your battery, devouring your data plan.
Hell, if you want to, I'll be glad to write a program that will fill up the file storage, using battery like crazy and even using way more data than you can afford. Only down side is that it won't run in the background to f.... up the performance of your other apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it cannot multi-task anything besides Zune, therefore, I guess technically you could say that it can multi-task like .1% of all the apps available.

MartyLK said:
Wholeheartedly agree. Excellent examples. Was able to put myself in those scenarios and see how important deep multitasking is. Thank you for helping me see that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol,
I think it's as simple as like with Android I can have google maps open and have turn-by-turn open in the background, so the british lady still gives me audio directions while I play Angry Birds or surf the web (as a passenger in a car) like going to a party or something.
Also let's say I'm at the gym and want to use Pandora (which WP7 doesn't even have or I sure as hell can't find it in the app store) in the background while im texting/emailing between bench sets, just simple **** like that I wish WP7 could do.
It's not life or death but it is the reason I use Android more than WP7 on my HD2, although I do like WP7 more at times as well, but it sure as hell can't multi-task for any practical purpose.

orangekid said:
lol,
I think it's as simple as like with Android I can have google maps open and have turn-by-turn open in the background, so the british lady still gives me audio directions while I play Angry Birds or surf the web (as a passenger in a car) like going to a party or something.
Also let's say I'm at the gym and want to use Pandora (which WP7 doesn't even have or I sure as hell can't find it in the app store) in the background while im texting/emailing between bench sets, just simple **** like that I wish WP7 could do.
It's not life or death but it is the reason I use Android more than WP7 on my HD2, although I do like WP7 more at times as well, but it sure as hell can't multi-task for any practical purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear ya there. I keep the sim card in my HD2...running Android...for purposes of using TbT voice nav and other things WP7 doesn't give me.

MartyLK said:
I hear ya there. I keep the sim card in my HD2...running Android...for purposes of using TbT voice nav and other things WP7 doesn't give me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly.
I'm glad I've got dual-boot rocking on my HD2, as much as I do like WP7, I don't think I could use it as a daily without being able to restart the phone and load up android whenever I want to, maybe when the OS is more matured and actually CAN multi-task and offer more of the apps I like.

Somebody needs to just make something like the jailbroken iphone app backgrounder that lets you choose what multitasks. It worked fine back before apple had "fast app switching"

Anthonok said:
Somebody needs to just make something like the jailbroken iphone app backgrounder that lets you choose what multitasks. It worked fine back before apple had "fast app switching"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's true. I used backgrounder + Proswitcher forever before iOS4 came out and it worked great, smooth, and had awesome palm pre-like task switching, and you could background any app, it really didn't hurt battery life much at all. I would love to see this on WP7 if it could be implemented till MS gets their act together.
kinda like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMAVyaNQdnw

orangekid said:
that's true. I used backgrounder + Proswitcher forever before iOS4 came out and it worked great, smooth, and had awesome palm pre-like task switching, and you could background any app, it really didn't hurt battery life much at all. I would love to see this on WP7 if it could be implemented till MS gets their act together.
kinda like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMAVyaNQdnw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep it was great. I coudlnt live without it. Also this way only people with unlocked phones (thus meaning they more than likely have knowledge of how things work) will be using this and shouldnt complain if there device gets slow or anything. They would know the consequences.

Anthonok said:
Yep it was great. I coudlnt live without it. Also this way only people with unlocked phones (thus meaning they more than likely have knowledge of how things work) will be using this and shouldnt complain if there device gets slow or anything. They would know the consequences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well if the 3GS can handle it so well on a 600mhz processor and 256mb ram, I'm sure a WP7 device with 1ghz and 576mb ram could handle it just fine with no slow-downs.

tiwas said:
For crying out loud! Please stop calling background scheduling for multitasking! Multitasking is, always has been, and always will be, the ability to do more than one thing. WP7 can multitask just fine, and so can apps. Period. They can.
What you're asking about is something completely different, and you're even contradicting yourself. As some of the native apps, and some made by OEMs, can run in the background, there's no doubt about the OS supporting background scheduling. It's there.
What's actually happening is that MS is protecting us from lousy programmers by not letting most programs run in the background. There's mostly no use for it anyway, unless you want some lousy piece of s.... software eating up your battery, devouring your data plan.
Hell, if you want to, I'll be glad to write a program that will fill up the file storage, using battery like crazy and even using way more data than you can afford. Only down side is that it won't run in the background to f.... up the performance of your other apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen your post history and, no offense, but you're starting to remind me of the fanboys at MacRumors, thinking that their phones are perfect until Apple changes one thing. Then suddenly it is revolutionary and intuitive.
Multitasking would greatly benefit WP7. Live with it. Apps don't even run under lock properly. But I'd like to be able to run a music app and surf at the same time. Want a gimped experience? Fine with me. Just don't go whining when people want to make the most out of their experience with their phones.

Android Market is Horrible

As a new Asus Transformer owner and first time Android Market customer I have to say that I am utterly disappointed with the current state of the Android Market. The android market ap is a joke. The website is a little better, but desperately needs a better way to filer aps by tablet/non-tablet or hd/sd aps.
There is no legitimate reason that the market couldn't have a specific section dedicated solely to tablets. Or at least better filter/sort functions that allow you to filter in a more effective way. I was going to post a list of what is bad about the marketplace, but there is just too much. I'm sure that everyone who owns a honeycomb tablet is well familiar with the problem(s) by now. Anyway, just wanted to vent. /rant

Use appbrain (google it), it's much nicer and lets you filter your search.
see here for compatible tablet apps: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032381

el_brio said:
As a new Asus Transformer owner and first time Android Market customer I have to say that I am utterly disappointed with the current state of the Android Market. The android market ap is a joke. The website is a little better, but desperately needs a better way to filer aps by tablet/non-tablet or hd/sd aps.
There is no legitimate reason that the market couldn't have a specific section dedicated solely to tablets. Or at least better filter/sort functions that allow you to filter in a more effective way. I was going to post a list of what is bad about the marketplace, but there is just too much. I'm sure that everyone who owns a honeycomb tablet is well familiar with the problem(s) by now. Anyway, just wanted to vent. /rant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There actually sholdnt be a tabletsection at all. If a dev programs oroperly their app will work fine on any size screen. Thats the benefit of the way the xml layout in the sdk work. Locations all become relative. You say x is next to y andbelow z. Then let the device sort it out.

crater said:
There actually sholdnt be a tabletsection at all. If a dev programs oroperly their app will work fine on any size screen. Thats the benefit of the way the xml layout in the sdk work. Locations all become relative. You say x is next to y andbelow z. Then let the device sort it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not necessarily true, especially as Honeycomb introduces new layout elements that many app developers want to and should take advantage of to make their apps more tablet friendly. It might still all end up in the same APK in the end, but the developer still should do some tablet specific work to make it more user friendly. It would still be nice to know which APKs have been "tablet-optimized".
They do have a "Featured Tablet Apps" section, which as far as I can tell is just a list of all/most of the APKs that have been optimized for tablets.

I thought some of these issues were fixed with 3.1 according to xoom owners.

I think it's because they don't want people to see how few apps there are optimised for tablets.

case0 said:
I think it's because they don't want people to see how few apps there are optimised for tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 internets

I agree
There should be a tablet filter. Even amazon apps suck at it. I download some apps and it FC on me.
You say all apps should work on tablet? Well that's not the case for many apps so there should be some kind of distinction. But, I hear some problems will be fixed in 3.1.
The pop down add won't be popping down anymore, it will just be there when you open it up, more catagories, and when you view an app and go back, it suppose to remember your location.
Be nice to be able to add reviews, but I didn't hear anything about that.

as a poor uesr from china pr
i need an app like market access lol

No no no... there is nothing about an Android app that says "I'm a tablet app" unless it just happens to be written for _only_ the Gingerbread API level (and that will be false the second the next version of Android comes out) which is pretty bad practice.
Using 3.0 classes is possible via reflection while remaining compatible back to 1.6, given that you can have a specific layout for x-large screens you can use 3.0 layout elements there even if your app targets a lower API level. Fragments are available all the way back to 1.6 now.
There is no "Tablet version" switch to detect, nor should there be.
It is up to the devs themselves to support the use cases they want to target, not specific devices, with freedom comes responsibility.

there should't be a tablet filter..android is different from iOS in terms of the layout design and ideally all apps should just run just fine on hc.

I remember reading that Google were going to put extra layers/levels into the current market to provide better touch browse/navigation - which might be nice.
But I don't really have any problems with the current one and the other sites do a good job at simplifying searches anyway.
It will never please everybody, but will continue to get better I am sure.

magicpork said:
there should't be a tablet filter..android is different from iOS in terms of the layout design and ideally all apps should just run just fine on hc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not whether or not they run fine, it's whether or not they are optimized for a tablet, like the CNN app. So I agree, a filter for apps that are tablet-optimized is a must. Until then, I just rely on the Featured Tablet Apps to see if anything new has been added.

magicpork said:
there should't be a tablet filter..android is different from iOS in terms of the layout design and ideally all apps should just run just fine on hc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes ideally they should, but theyre phone apps. When they do work correctly, they just stretch. Everybody makes of the ipad saying its a giant ipod touch, but the apps that are optimized for it look amazing. So yes there should be a tablet filter.

What makes android "smart"

As an iPhone user, I want to know why the people in this community prefer Android, what makes Andorid phones “Smart” to you.
I know customization is a big one for most people, it used to be my number one as well. I used WinMo since the 2003 edition, then the HTC Hero. However slowed I became tired of it, and I realized customization is a pretty big waste of time. At the end of the day, having the option for a customized user experience doesn’t mean it’s a better experience. Power hungry news widgets, youtube widgets, facebook widgets are quite gimmicky and almost useless. The only things useful were the quick settings.
This is just my opinion on the customization argument. Don’t hate.
For me, features that makes life easier makes phones smart, and iPhone has a number of them that gets used all the time:
Wireless sync without hassle (plug in the power, no button pushing at all)
Air Play, wirelessly play music on my speakers (I have yet to get a apple TV, but able to wirelessly stream video would be pretty cool too)
iPod with music controls on the Lock Screen, and also multi-tasking bar. These little things really makes the overall experience top notch.
Facetime/iMessage – I love native apps, so fast, easy, reliable.
I want to make a switch to Android because I want a larger screen (G NOTE!), but I don’t know enough about the OS to overcome the pros of iPhone.
What features/apps do you use all the time that are great and exclusive to Android?
So far im thinking:
Better Gmap, youtube, actual folders, screen size, independence from computer. What else?

All I can say is wow, I have an iphone 4, ipad 2, galazy tab 10.1 and galaxy s2. Everything you mentioned can be done on andriod with the exception of itunes crap, lets not forget that half the stuff you mentioned were actually on andriod a long time ago.( Apple always announces producta as new but in reality their just really stating they can now do it. Just google specific app types for what you have listed and you will find them easily.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda premium

your choice s is right..Andorid is a good platform ..

You don't like customisation? you probrobly still won't like android. None of the features you mentioned are impressive they are availible to android phones in one form or another. WHat makes android smart is its ability to be how you want it. If you like being told how to use your phone and what to do with it, stick with apple, or try wp7. If you want your phone to keep suprising you go for an android handset. Some apps you may need to set up once. That goes for any phone.

I have chosen android because of the great community of developers and the possibility to use customroms.
Sent from my Galaxy S (ICS Beta 1) using Tapatalk

All I can say is wow, I have an iphone 4, ipad 2, galazy tab 10.1 and galaxy s2. Everything you mentioned can be done on andriod with the exception of itunes crap, lets not forget that half the stuff you mentioned were actually on andriod a long time ago.( Apple always announces producta as new but in reality their just really stating they can now do it. Just google specific app types for what you have listed and you will find them easily.

I'm careful about posting at night, but:
Cm nightly 263
Tmobile g2
300 dollars on ebay 6 months after it dropped
183 apps
Paid for 2:
Geocaching app
ICS blue theme
Pandora no ads
Unlimited skips
Plugged into 18 dollar cigarette lighter mp3 player in expedition with 9 speaker surround sound
Full keyboard
Etc etc
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App

Even if you need some apps that aren't stock from the market, Android is a better experience. With some tweaks (legally, opositive as Jailbreak), like ROOT and unlock bootloader, you have everything you need and don't need in no time.
Android is the way you want it. I used a little of his iPhone and entered on the App Store. That thing don't have NOTHING. No substitute music app, video app. And the things I saw have 2.5 of 5 in ''points'' (sorry, coudn't find the correct word), and in Android Market most of apps have 4.0 or more.
The thing I want to say is, with Apple, in my opinion, you pay for things you won't have. Processors are from Samsung, camera sensors are from Sony, desing is horrible, in my opinion, compared to Xperia Arc.
But all of this is my opinion.
Sorry for english, btw
Sent using Mini CM7 Pro by Paul

I would say large number of wrapper classes

bennyx8903 said:
For me, features that makes life easier makes phones smart, and iPhone has a number of them that gets used all the time:
Wireless sync without hassle (plug in the power, no button pushing at all)
Air Play, wirelessly play music on my speakers (I have yet to get a apple TV, but able to wirelessly stream video would be pretty cool too)
iPod with music controls on the Lock Screen, and also multi-tasking bar. These little things really makes the overall experience top notch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, actually all the things you mention there are on Android; in fact they were already on it long before the iPhone could do it.
music control on lock screen - Android has had it for a long time, I think since first release. in fact, there are several music player apps that are able to set their own controls to the lock screen, Player Pro is one of the most popular. I prefer btunes though, which you might like because it's basically an exact copy of the iOS player with some enhancements that I was really craving back when I had my iPod.
speaking of, Android's stock music player app is pretty good, although a fave feature of mine is the ability to download alternate ones if you wish, many of which have a wealth of feature the iOS app really out to have by now. as for your music itself....
wireless sync - Android could do this before iOS. in fact, it could wirelessly sync with itunes months (maybe over year or more) before Apple even announced the feature for iOS, which only a month ago received the feature. just use Doubletwist, or iSyncr wifi, (both allow it over wifi or USB). for a good long time now, these apps and others have allowed this. i prefer iSyncr, as it allows you to sync only the checked songs in Itunes. USB can be configured to sync automatically at plug in, and the wifi add on allows it to be set to auto sync at certain times of day, on the hours, every four hours, every 8 hours or manually. it also lets you auto sync and upload new music, photos and videos, default to your iTunes folder but you can set it to send the anywhere else on your computer that you like. best of all, the USB version can sync with any Mac or PC running iTunes without installing ANY programs on said computers, and the wifi version only needs a very small counterpart program installed on it, which is free and can be loaded to your phone's own sd card for easy installation if you don't have a connection on the comp at the time. configuration is easy, but only takes once, and anyway both versions come with common, good options preset if you wish.
Also, Doubletwist does Airplay on android, as do several other apps, although I can't say much about them because I never really got into local vid streaming. I'm told they work great though.
there's also more options for buying music on Android, as we have Amazon MP3 and now google music to download directly to the device or through your computer, and of course, iTunes through your comp if you wish.
as for multitasking bar, well Android had that too, you hold the home button and it shows a list of recent apps. there's lots of additional third party options for this too, like alternate home screen launchers and such that allow scrollable docks.
I know you said you don't like widgets, but of course you don't have to use them. there are several widgets that also add multitasking capabilities too, like circle launcher and some folder-type organizers.
God I write too much. anyway, check out some of the apps I mentioned on the Market website.
https://market.android.com/

The ability to do basically anything on it, customized it so it fits your needs, and being unique from other devices.
And you can change to a thrid party keyboard instead of using the stock keyboard.
OK which i have SwiftKey X.

In some words, iOS does not have everything Android has but Android likely has everything iOS has and more than that.

silveraero said:
In some words, iOS does not have everything Android has but Android likely has everything iOS has and more than that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good way to put it, yes. In fact, Android users got quite a kick out of the iOS 5 unveiling a few months ago; it was widely noted that of all the "new" features unveiled, every single one of them was actually stolen directly from the Android OS, or one of it's popular exclusive apps, except for iMessaging, which came from BlackBerry.
It really angered a lot of people actually, because Apple even copied the pull down notification menu, renamed it the notification "center" and still proceeded to sue every Android dvice manufacturer it can, claiming they infringe on things like scrolling, anything with a touchscreen, rounded corners, black borders, etc.

I think the real question. Is why not android? Not much you can't do with these devices.
Sent from my DROID X2 using XDA App

I had a Droid, sold it and went to iPhone. There are some features I prefer on iOS compared to android. Syncing to iTunes for one. When I was on my Droid, doubletwist was in its infancy and didn't work all the time. If it does now, that's a big plus.
My iPhone plugs directly into my car stereo via usb, so it charges and plays at the same time. Not sure if something like that is possible on android, but it wasn't at the time to my knowledge.
I prefer the music app on the iPhone and the way it manages everything. Again, that has likely improved.
I recently got another android device in my Nook Tablet. It's gotten me back into wanting to find my way around hacking android. Now if there was an app compatible with FaceTime, and a game I play was ported over, I'd switch back to android when my next upgrade came around.
I also have a lot of audiobooks in m4b format that I don't want to reconvert, not sure if there is an Android player that will play them. That would be an important factor in switching to android.
Sent from my BNTV250 using Tapatalk

I'm glad you can do that on that small screen, also can you send me a file by Bluetooth ?

I choose Android not only because of customization, but because Apple is so ANTI-customization. They shove their consumers in a box and expect them to stay there. If anything's changed, they face bricking/fines/etc. Apple doesn't condone freedom. Apple screws innovators. Therefore, I say screw Apple.

bennyx8903 said:
Now, I'm not exactly shooting you down, but rather mentioning that these are available on Android;
For me, features that makes life easier makes phones smart, and iPhone has a number of them that gets used all the time:
Wireless sync without hassle (plug in the power, no button pushing at all)
DoubleTwist + AirSync.
Air Play, wirelessly play music on my speakers (I have yet to get a apple TV, but able to wirelessly stream video would be pretty cool too)
I've seen this several times; HTC devices have it built in and several Market apps do it.
iPod with music controls on the Lock Screen, and also multi-tasking bar. These little things really makes the overall experience top notch.
Every single lockscreen in the world has Music controls, and Android has recent apps (which are greatly revamped in ICS)
Facetime/iMessage – I love native apps, so fast, easy, reliable.
Google Talk, built in app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had to do some things there. On a side note, I respect you for coming to a site filled with hardcore Android fans and talk about the iPhone.

bennyx8903 said:
As an iPhone user, I want to know why the people in this community prefer Android, what makes Andorid phones “Smart” to you.
I know customization is a big one for most people, it used to be my number one as well. I used WinMo since the 2003 edition, then the HTC Hero. However slowed I became tired of it, and I realized customization is a pretty big waste of time. At the end of the day, having the option for a customized user experience doesn’t mean it’s a better experience. Power hungry news widgets, youtube widgets, facebook widgets are quite gimmicky and almost useless. The only things useful were the quick settings.
This is just my opinion on the customization argument. Don’t hate.
For me, features that makes life easier makes phones smart, and iPhone has a number of them that gets used all the time:
Wireless sync without hassle (plug in the power, no button pushing at all)
Air Play, wirelessly play music on my speakers (I have yet to get a apple TV, but able to wirelessly stream video would be pretty cool too)
iPod with music controls on the Lock Screen, and also multi-tasking bar. These little things really makes the overall experience top notch.
Facetime/iMessage – I love native apps, so fast, easy, reliable.
I want to make a switch to Android because I want a larger screen (G NOTE!), but I don’t know enough about the OS to overcome the pros of iPhone.
What features/apps do you use all the time that are great and exclusive to Android?
So far im thinking:
Better Gmap, youtube, actual folders, screen size, independence from computer. What else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android has wireless sync...its not just a iPhone feature as the iPhone 4 and 4S are both minor fails. Atennagate and iOS 5 battery problems.
I'm thinking of going to WP7. An Android app exclusive is PewPew. I haven't seen that in iTunes.
Sent from my SPH-M920 using xda premium

Android is open source OS, many developers can come up with Custom ROM and kernel that is better in terms of performance other than that, i like how it sync with my google mail, contact and calendar.

How bad is multitasking issue?

Hello,
I'm considering purchasing One X but after reading so many posts about multitasking issues I have serious doubts. I can not really check this since it takes time to see the issue but how if I don't use Sense (use alternative launcher like GoLauncher, will I still have this issue or Sense is bigger then just laucher itself.

artisticcheese said:
Hello,
I'm considering purchasing One X but after reading so many posts about multitasking issues I have serious doubts. I can not really check this since it takes time to see the issue but how if I don't use Sense (use alternative launcher like GoLauncher, will I still have this issue or Sense is bigger then just laucher itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sense is bigger than the launcher. Sense affects a lot of the core phone's features can can't be removed with just a launcher. In this particular case, Sense affects memory management, as well as the actual multitasking app itself.
Let's put it this way. If you're playing a game like say... Radiant Defense (awesome game, btw) that takes a while to complete a level and you get a text message... switching to the messaging app will actually cause the game to close. Now you can use the "multitasking" app to go back to the game, but the game will reload. It will not leave off where you left it.
If that sounds like something that would bother you a lot... I'd avoid the phone. HTC has even said that this is a core Sense 4 FEATURE, not a defect. So they won't be fixing it.

Personally don't think this really warrants a new thread, you probably should have just asked in the ongoing discussion on this.
Haven't tried an alternate launcher yet, so I can't comment on that. But as to the basic question of "how bad" the issue is, I think it depends greatly on how you use your phone, and what you expect from it. Obviously, HTC expects most people to be okay with it, or they wouldn't have tweaked it this way. Only had the phone for a few days, but so far the memory management doesn't seem much different from how the HTC Flyer does it, and I've been fine with that (having owned it since June 2011).

Like posted above, Sense is more than just a launcher. The multi-task changes are likely deep in the kernel.
To me, it is not a big deal. I don't like anything running in the background anyway. And for that matter, the number 1 app in the past a typical Android user uses is Auto Task killer which serves the exact same purpose as the new Sense 4.0. I suspect a lot of those Auto Tasker kill users now also the ones who complain about HTC's feature.
Either way, the biggest problem is with Android itself. There isn't any uniform way to inform OS that an app requires to remain running in background (unless you created a service) can be kept that way. And there is no way for an app that doesn't do anything in the background to be suspended without using any system resources. For later, both iOS and WP7 have much better implementation.
For many years now, I use Google Listen as my podcast player everyday. It works in most times while in the background but a lot of occasions, this app will be closed by OS while I'm listening to the podcast. This behavior is the same on couple different Android phones (samsung and now HTC One X). So, if google's own app can't even stay alive in background in various Android phones, it speaks volume that multi-tasking is a over-hyped feature. What HTC did is not necessary bad to everyone. For example, my Samsung phones (SGS, SGS2 and GTab 10.1) doesn't auto kill bakcground tasks (still kills my GListen) but they all lags badly from time to time.
For what it worth, I can use Google Listen in the background while running Google Nav app in the fore ground for a few hours without problem (other than occasionally Listen get closed for no reason).

I have had mine for 2 weeks and only knew about a "problem" from reading these threads.
In all in how you use it. First reply answered it best

ricktat said:
I have had mine for 2 weeks and only knew about a "problem" from reading these threads.
In all in how you use it. First reply answered it best
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. The only app I use for streaming in the background is subsonic, which functions just fine.
Also I have the very very slight annoyance that games have to completely reload if you exit them and don't switch back very very quickly. So if I get a phone call and go right back to game it's fine, but if I go web browse or something else and go back the game has to reload. This is mitigated somewhat by the raw speed of the phone, as game loading doesn't take very long (unless the game is a ****ty port like PvZ).

To avoid confusion, lets just keep this conversation with the ongoing one here. Thanks.
Thread closed.

No lag...runnin like a boss!...for simple folk

Delete

lucius.zen said:
A lot of people have been complaining about UI and browsing lag. I have absolutely no lag, I thought it was because I have cleanROM, but ppl with custom ROMS still complain about lag. I am like Mary Poppins when it comes to keeping my infinity clean, which has led me to beleive the lag most people see is because they have too many homescreens, widgets, and unnecessary crapware. It doesnt matter how powerful your machine is if it is not used efficiently it will lag. If you want to get rid of lag, consider using a simpler set up. I only have 1 homescreen, 3 widgets, zero icons anywhere (including app drawer). I only have 12 downloaded apps, and only 1 runs in the background - GMD Gesture Conrol - which allows me to access everything i need at anytime with no more than 2 gestures. This allows me to multitask like a beast and delete everything else (widgets, icons, homescreens, etc.). The moral of the story is.....
Take a very long hard look at every app, every setting, and every widget, and ask yourself "is this really necessary" - If you would rather throw away your tablet then disable it, keep it, if not, get rid of it.
I havent disabled all animations either, just the unnecessary ones, looking good and being functional are not mutually exclusive.....in all walks of life lol
When in doubt, remeber the adage....
Aint nobody dope as me im dressed so fresh so clean
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although, obviously, I agree that loading up any device to the very brim with crap, I hardly believe that the developers in here (who are much more experienced, I assume, than you and me combined) haven't looked at that aspect as well. I myself have a spartan desktop (no icons, no widgets), but even then I sense some lag here and there.
It's device-specific to boot, so I think -- speaking generally -- it's a bit too easy to tell people to throw their widgets and icons off the homescreen and TADAAA... the lag is gone. I think it is more complicated. I'm happy it works for you, though.

MartyHulskemper said:
Although, obviously, I agree that loading up any device to the very brim with crap, I hardly believe that the developers in here (who are much more experienced, I assume, than you and me combined) haven't looked at that aspect as well. I myself have a spartan desktop (no icons, no widgets), but even then I sense some lag here and there.
It's device-specific to boot, so I think -- speaking generally -- it's a bit too easy to tell people to throw their widgets and icons off the homescreen and TADAAA... the lag is gone. I think it is more complicated. I'm happy it works for you, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There a lot less developers on here than you think, take a look at some of the questions that are asked, its not hard to tell most people on here are not developers (also why this is posted in the "general" section). I agree that while we each have the same hardware, not all hardware is equal, manufacturing isnt perfect, no doubt, not all cpus of the same model get the same performance. Also, take a look at some of the homescreens, etc, that are posted, and its somewhat obvious that most people do not have a spartan setup. While I am not suggesting people throw everything away, something simple like cleaning the hell out of your system can make a significant difference, more so than what a general user would expect. This advice is obviously NOT for developers who know their stuff lol

lucius.zen said:
There's a lot less developers on here than you think. Take a look at some of the questions that are asked....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe your user experience input is a good thing!
Most Androidians myself as well are not the all knowing developer types.
What I see most is folks just wanting basic info to reach a fully functioning comfort level.
When someone like yourself can speak in simple terms and offer a boot up all the better!
The Infinity forum is one of the best.
There are some great folks in here!

I hope I have articulated this reply a bit better (and nicer) than my first one. It was running late ( deep into the night already) after a pretty busy day, and I still had a lot of stuff to do. Not good for my energy level and state of mind, LOL. I apologize if you felt crossed, or if I hit a nerve. That was never my intention.
lucius.zen said:
There a lot less developers on here than you think, take a look at some of the questions that are asked, its not hard to tell most people on here are not developers (also why this is posted in the "general" section).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I fully agree, but I wasn't referring to them and their own devices -- rather, it's them who develop the ROMs we are running, and they are doing pretty amazing stuff eliminating lag at its basis. Keeping a system clean is the cherry on that cake.
I agree that while we each have the same hardware, not all hardware is equal, manufacturing isnt perfect, no doubt, not all cpus of the same model get the same performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was exactly my point regarding the effect being device-specific -- both in regards to the origin of the lag and the solution to that nasty issue.
Also, take a look at some of the homescreens, etc, that are posted, and its somewhat obvious that most people do not have a spartan setup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You formulated that quite nicely. I am a bit surprised that some people can actually get their 700 to boot up with all the crap.
While I am not suggesting people throw everything away, something simple like cleaning the hell out of your system can make a significant difference, more so than what a general user would expect. This advice is obviously NOT for developers who know their stuff lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As Thats_OK said, I, too, are thankful you're speaking up, and give the newbies to Android in general and the ones in here specifically a pointer. I only deplored the fact that you didn't hit oil, or a gold vein, in terms of solving lags. And I just wanted to point out -- just to clarify my point regarding the devs coming into to play here -- that, as long as you pick a solid custom ROM, you already get a tweaked system that is less sensitivie to lag out of the box, and that a large proportion of that lag is hardware-based, and is here to stay (unfortunately).

I f I got a euro for every idiot that keeps his/her desktop absolutely loaded with rubbish, and then complains about lag, I'd be in the Quote 500.
Regardless of the OS, the more crap you have running and deposited on your desktop, the slower it becomes.
Every single fancy Widget, Launcher, Overlay, LWP, App, Shortcut or bloody Popup slows your system down.
No developer can defend him/herself and their ROM against idiots who think it's a good idea to put their entire app drawer on their homescreens along with half a dozen sticky notes and some funny clocks and other random crap. You can release the cleanest ROM you can think of, but if an ignorant user puts a hundred apps on the homescreen and runs a heavy Live Wallpaper, it'll lag.
People also need to learn to shut down useless processes. Pressing the home key whilst in a game shuts it down on a phone, it DOESN'T do so on a tablet. At least, not this one. It keeps running. It does on occasion help to go into Settings-->Apps-->Running and kill all remaining games, apps and junk. And then going into Cached Processes (top right), and doing the same thing again. A cached game still uses part of the system.

Just to play devils advocate here, one of the big "pluses" of Android is the fact that it has widgets! Personally, I have 3 home screens and probably a total of about 10 widgets total. But, there is no way in hell that I'm going to dump these widgets as they are *extremely* useful and one of the reasons that I switched to Android in the first place!
That being said, my system runs perfectly on CleanROM using the *stock* kernel. I used to run Clemsyns' kernel, but with the latest version of CleanROM, I've found that the stock kernel actually seems to run better (and also allows unlimited email sync, which for some strange reason, goes away with Cleamsyn kernel)... Even the animations seem smoother on the stock kernel now...
I also use an app called WidgetLocker, which allows you to place widgets on the lock screen, so that my lock screen looks like this (excuse the crude editing to protect the innocent!):
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
With this, a simple press of the power button (or moving my bluetooth mouse when at work) gives me *tons* of useful information *very* quickly! I couldn't live without it at this point (my main home screen is similar, but different).
I guess I'm just trying to say that if you are going to abandon widgets and homescreen, etc - then you just lost a *big* benefit of Android!
You *can* still use widgets (even a lot of them) and multiple home screen and still get great performance. I don't want new users to get the wrong idea from this thread!
Also, I *never* manually stop any processes and never have a problem... Again, you shouldn't have to worry about killing processes to get a good-running system.
Just my two cents!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

I think jtrosky is right, and this occurred to me last night when going over the post after having replied: essentially, we're talking about usability. Optimizing that should mean to strike a balance between raw power (i.e., absence of lag, amongst other criteria) and the added bonus of having information at your proverbial fingertips. It's very inefficient if you have to enter a specific application every time you need that little scrap of information (whether that is a weather forecast or an e-mail header or something).

While I appreciate the gesture of sharing the information, I have to question the rationale behind all the suggestions in the OP. Of course the device will lag here and there, but it is still usable out of the box. Why would I want to refrain from using features that are so useful like widgets and multiple home screens just to make other things that I don't need run faster (for instance, faster boot time)? Most importantly, limiting the number of apps installed is not an option, at least to people like me who use the tablet to replace my laptop most of the time.
If lags really bug you guys this much, someone may have to start working on porting iOS to our Infinity. Then there would be no complaint about widgets and multiple home screen slowing you down.
Anyway, I just want to share my point of view. No intention to start an unnecessary argument.

I think I need to clarify some things I meant.
An App you use and an App that's just there.
Some (many) have the weather widget on their homescreen, but never look at it or even update it. It's the first thing I deleted
Email widgets. If you only get one/two emails per day, and/or if you keep WiFi off all the time, there's really no point in keeping it on your homescreen.
Some, (and I'm guilty of this. All my games, anyway.) have all their apps on their homescrees as well. The app drawer is only one tap away.
News widgets, when you keep WiFi off.
Three or four different keyboards at once. I once had Swiftkey, Hackers and Asus running at once. This slowed down my system, while I only used one of them,
Live wallpapers. Some are so resource-heavy that they cause a lot of lag. Fine if you like it, but don't whine your system lags.

MartyHulskemper said:
I hope I have articulated this reply a bit better (and nicer) than my first one. It was running late ( deep into the night already) after a pretty busy day, and I still had a lot of stuff to do. Not good for my energy level and state of mind, LOL. I apologize if you felt crossed, or if I hit a nerve. That was never my intention.
I fully agree, but I wasn't referring to them and their own devices -- rather, it's them who develop the ROMs we are running, and they are doing pretty amazing stuff eliminating lag at its basis. Keeping a system clean is the cherry on that cake.That was exactly my point regarding the effect being device-specific -- both in regards to the origin of the lag and the solution to that nasty issue.You formulated that quite nicely. I am a bit surprised that some people can actually get their 700 to boot up with all the crap. As Thats_OK said, I, too, are thankful you're speaking up, and give the newbies to Android in general and the ones in here specifically a pointer. I only deplored the fact that you didn't hit oil, or a gold vein, in terms of solving lags. And I just wanted to point out -- just to clarify my point regarding the devs coming into to play here -- that, as long as you pick a solid custom ROM, you already get a tweaked system that is less sensitivie to lag out of the box, and that a large proportion of that lag is hardware-based, and is here to stay (unfortunately).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you, insalling a custom ROM is the best way to go to fix lag, and the developers on here are bad ASS!
I think people who do end up with great setups with reduced lag should share more in general, considering how many people post about having really negative experiences.

jtrosky said:
Just to play devils advocate here, one of the big "pluses" of Android is the fact that it has widgets! Personally, I have 3 home screens and probably a total of about 10 widgets total. But, there is no way in hell that I'm going to dump these widgets as they are *extremely* useful and one of the reasons that I switched to Android in the first place!
That being said, my system runs perfectly on CleanROM using the *stock* kernel. I used to run Clemsyns' kernel, but with the latest version of CleanROM, I've found that the stock kernel actually seems to run better (and also allows unlimited email sync, which for some strange reason, goes away with Cleamsyn kernel)... Even the animations seem smoother on the stock kernel now...
I also use an app called WidgetLocker, which allows you to place widgets on the lock screen, so that my lock screen looks like this (excuse the crude editing to protect the innocent!):
View attachment 1597790
With this, a simple press of the power button (or moving my bluetooth mouse when at work) gives me *tons* of useful information *very* quickly! I couldn't live without it at this point (my main home screen is similar, but different).
I guess I'm just trying to say that if you are going to abandon widgets and homescreen, etc - then you just lost a *big* benefit of Android!
You *can* still use widgets (even a lot of them) and multiple home screen and still get great performance. I don't want new users to get the wrong idea from this thread!
Also, I *never* manually stop any processes and never have a problem... Again, you shouldn't have to worry about killing processes to get a good-running system.
Just my two cents!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, widgets are sweet and one of the reasons i love android. My tab is still incredibly functional, there are just ways to do everything and get all the information you need without loading a tons of stuff. My spartan setup has not sacrificed functionlity for cleanliness - I am getting a degree in sciences and havent used my laptop since i got this tab 6 mos ago, my tablet is incredibly functional, to the point where i prefer it to using brand new iMacs at my lab.
I just see most widgets and apps as completely useless. Most settings are accessible from the status bar, and all apps can be accessible at any time thru apps like swipepad/GMD gesture control/home2shortcut which can help cut down on the need for widgets, homescreens, and the app drawer altogether (which i have functionally disabled).
Edit - My major pet peeve is live wall papers, seriously wtf is the point, consuming cpu? lol
EDIT - I know this aint for the faint of heart, however, I just flashed CLemsyns 1.9 Ghz Kernel this morning and everything is super stable and temp is good after stress tests. Also..........
GOT A 7524 IN QUADRANT....wadup....I can load **** loads of flash videos and I dont even get lag.....fckin sweeeeeet

jtrosky said:
Just to play devils advocate here, one of the big "pluses" of Android is the fact that it has widgets! Personally, I have 3 home screens and probably a total of about 10 widgets total. But, there is no way in hell that I'm going to dump these widgets as they are *extremely* useful and one of the reasons that I switched to Android in the first place!
That being said, my system runs perfectly on CleanROM using the *stock* kernel. I used to run Clemsyns' kernel, but with the latest version of CleanROM, I've found that the stock kernel actually seems to run better (and also allows unlimited email sync, which for some strange reason, goes away with Cleamsyn kernel)... Even the animations seem smoother on the stock kernel now...
I also use an app called WidgetLocker, which allows you to place widgets on the lock screen, so that my lock screen looks like this (excuse the crude editing to protect the innocent!):
View attachment 1597790
With this, a simple press of the power button (or moving my bluetooth mouse when at work) gives me *tons* of useful information *very* quickly! I couldn't live without it at this point (my main home screen is similar, but different).
I guess I'm just trying to say that if you are going to abandon widgets and homescreen, etc - then you just lost a *big* benefit of Android!
You *can* still use widgets (even a lot of them) and multiple home screen and still get great performance. I don't want new users to get the wrong idea from this thread!
Also, I *never* manually stop any processes and never have a problem... Again, you shouldn't have to worry about killing processes to get a good-running system.
Just my two cents!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely agree here. My reason for staying with Android is how it allows you to customize it to the way you want to use it... widgets and all. If not, I'd just go with iOS as it's more stable and "just works."

jvnat said:
Completely agree here. My reason for staying with Android is how it allows you to customize it to the way you want to use it... widgets and all. If not, I'd just go with iOS as it's more stable and "just works."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Soooooo true, android was made by nerds, for nerds. If you want to simply open a box and be a lemming, go for apple.
I work at the computer store on my universities campus and most ppl buying an ipad dont even know why they want one, it makes selling their products hella easy (i try not to to be honest), apple is unbelievable at marketing and design, i will give them that lol.