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Just a quick question!
How do you think Android will stack up to Windows Mobile when it comes to functionality? Android will certainly look better and be much more finger friendly,etc, but will it be closer to the limits of the iPhone when it comes to copy paste (Android has copy paste, but dont know if it works everywhere), email, contacts, and such? Will Windows Mobile fans be dissapointed or feel crippled when using Android?
Ive played around with the Android SDK a bit, but i havent really gotten a definite feeling if the functionality suits my needs
Cheers!
Yes I am also looking for some forum information on this matter. I would like to know the opinion of anyone who has had a hands on experience with both OS's. Found a nice article in endgadget but I like user opinions better.
I definetly want to know too!
Here is what I want to know for the Droid...
Can you use it as wifi router?
Does it do push hotmail instantly?
Is there logmein support?
Does it work with orb?
i'm moving to Android when Acer A1 liquid is out, then Sony X10a.
Android got free gps navigation with realtime traffic! nice!
segadc said:
I definetly want to know too!
Here is what I want to know for the Droid...
Can you use it as wifi router?
Does it do push hotmail instantly?
Is there logmein support?
Does it work with orb?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes
2. No, not that I'm aware of anyway, but you can forward Hotmail email to your Google Account to receive it instantly.
3. Yes
4. Yes
Anything else anyone else wants to know then feel free to post here and I'll do my best to answer it in a reasonable time.
I swapped my Touch Diamond for my G1 and I can do everything that I could do on my windows mobile (although I didn't have WinMo for long)
I've had all of the mobile OS's and always come back to windows mobile. Android is approaching windows mobile when you think of the ability to flash other OS versions and wide range of applications on an open system. But windows mobile gives me true multitasking ability like a desktop computer, and windows mobile can be edited and programmed to be something else. Through haret windows mobile phones can run haret and even android.
dashauns said:
I've had all of the mobile OS's and always come back to windows mobile........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I'm heading this way too. Android has been quite a disappointment to me. Initially I was very happy with my new Milestone that replaced an HTC Touch Pro running WM6.1. The performance difference was staggering, there really is no comparison between them. However I just find more and more things missing from Android/Milestone note this list is just a braindump, some of it's in Android, some of it's the packaging for the Milestone, I'm guessing you can tell the difference.
No Outlook Integration, I really think that should have been there out of the box, there are third party apps that i've used with varying degrees of success.
Restricted Video viewing. I used to use coreplayer to view just about anything on WM without any conversions. Now through restricted information on APIs needed to port CorePlayer to ANdroid I'm stuck with a lengthy conversion process when I want to put video on the phone.
No contact lookup while dialing from the keypad, I really miss that.
No note taking, or word editing apps built in.
Can't save attachments in email - wtf!! this is basic functionality, everytime I want to view a word file attached to an email I have to wait while it downloads form my mail server.
Can't foreward some attachment types - crazy crazy
Can't edit original text in replies or forwards - this is basic functionality missing
Cut and paste is awful - ranging from not implemented, to badly implemented depending on where you try to use it.
Can't switch an sd card without rebooting - I don't know if this is milestone specific but you actually can't remove the sd card without removing the battery.
Tethering, I'm using PDANet, I don't think there is a WMWifiRouter equivalent without rooting the phone? So I am using PDANets blueTooth Dun service, much inferior to WMWifiRouters Personal Area Network implementation.
Can't charge from my exisiting Solar charger (Power Monkey Explorer), thats a pain in the ass, not sure why it doesn't work.
Facebook Contact integration, it claims to have it but it just doesnt work
Logmein doesnt work for me, nor do citrix support it for gotomypc
I'll add more as and when.
dashauns said:
I've had all of the mobile OS's and always come back to windows mobile. Android is approaching windows mobile when you think of the ability to flash other OS versions and wide range of applications on an open system. But windows mobile gives me true multitasking ability like a desktop computer, and windows mobile can be edited and programmed to be something else. Through haret windows mobile phones can run haret and even android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you explain what you mean with real multitasking? what miss you on android?
Hi guys new to the forum and my first post
So I have both OS I just got a HTC HD2 Winmo 6.5 and a HTC g1 Android
To me the Android is a lot lot easyer to use then Winmo. And the Markit place is the best I have used. But the HD2 looks nice the layout is top notch but when I go behind the HTC front skine and in to the Winmo I get lost and it all so looks like my winmo PDA witch I dont like.
As you can tell im not realy in to phones that much so dont know the correct names for the stuff im talking about lol.
If I could have Android under the Htc HD2 skin I would be happy
This is a serious question although I appreciate it could be taken as a troll.
Should Microsoft start again with their mobile OS? I know why they have kept compatability with older software but I personally think this is hurting them more than throwing away backwards compatability.
Look at the iPhone - that started from scratch and has grown to prominence without any back catalog of software.
Cheers, Rob.
Looks like its beginning to reach game-over stauts for M$ IMO. It feels like it did when Palm went down. Sorry to say, but I'm beginning my investigation into Android.
Exchange Server
Hi all
I use an exchange server provider and I find it's features really useful, not just on my mobile, but in MS Outlook 2007, in fact much more so on the PC. Because there are few equivalent services that I can get for the same price that would be compatible with both PC software and a mobile device, I am essentially tied to Microsoft products for the time being. MS have done very well at preventing 3rd party PIM clients accessing the full services of an exchange server.
Google are in the process of offering a full exchange service via Google Sync. If they are successful in this (which they clearly will be) then they are really only one step away from offering their own exchange type server which will be natively compatible with?? Android of course.
I would consider switching from WM to another OS if:
1. That OS could access the full services based on an MS Exchange server.
OR
2. There were comparable alternatives to a remote MS Exchange server system which could be accessed from the device.
In fact, Windows Mobile 6.5 can't access all the features of an Exchange server (e.g. being able to set specific Follow up reminder dates & times for emails and viewing other users calendars, etc.). So actually, an alternative system doesn't need to beat MS Outlook, it just needs to beat the feature limited WM 6.5 Pocket Outlook.
Sorry for the ramble but I can't see many large companies switching to Android if their employees can't accept a meeting request OTA!
In answer to the original question, yes, MS REALLY should start again with Windows Mobile and this time make sure users are able to access all the features of an MS exchange server OTA.
Cheers
andrew-in-woking
From what I've read on the developers Blogs the WM7 framework is entirely different to 6x.. so most of them are concentrating on this.. appararently the performance is at least doubled (this wasn't an MS fanboy). I do assume though that MS will do all they can to be backwards compatible .. the howl that happened on Palm will be nothing as to the reaction should MS completely leave their userbase high & dry. Yes Apple scored well by timing their entry into the market perfectly.. but they risk being trapped in exactly the same way by advances in technology.
I don't think it's game over in any direction just yet.. MS simply dosn't give up and there is absolutely nothing similar in the way Palm ran itself into the ground.. Obviuosly the media is a huge cheerleasder for both Google & Apple - for some reason believing these guys are in some way cool, uncommerical, funloving dudes who are only interested in the love..
look guys, some years passed by, and ONLY thing m$ wants to say to us is:
let's make smartphones, AGAIN.
pda's as mobile comps are DEAD.
f your 6.5 and rich kids.
f android and their feeble ****oozas.
xoen / nothin
Sleuth255 said:
Looks like its beginning to reach game-over stauts for M$ IMO. It feels like it did when Palm went down. Sorry to say, but I'm beginning my investigation into Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
omg, sleuth is going over to the dark side
btw, which droid model are you looking at?
Personally, i love WM
I agree with Andrew-in-woking. I love the ability to sync my contacts, notes, calender, music, photos, videos, and documents both ways with my computer and my phone. And, the thing I've been telling everyone is that devices supported by a company will work best with other devices supported by the same company. I've been using windows on all of my computers since I can remember, and I will only have the best phone experience if I get a windows powered phone, which would provide the best connectivity with my computer. It doesn't make sense to get an Iphone, unless you have an apple computer, in my eyes. Same with every other device. Get android if you have other devices powered by google os. Same with Samsung, sony, etc. If you start connecting devices across different companies, it will only lead to more problems, reducing the quality of your experience with that device. Those are my 2 cents.
funny how everybody is complain about windows mobile compares to iphone.
y havnt nobody complaining about crackberry to iphone?
not everybody buy a windows mobile phone and use it as a toy (iphone)
i love my Acer neotouch S200 with 1G cpu with custom 6.5 rom 23506, i'm not sure if i still want an android phone. oh, the only reason i want android phone is because of google gps navigator.
I like windows mobile the way it is, when it become's like an iphone, there is no point in using it anymore.
I'm not saying anything can't be improved, just that if it interface's like an iphone, you might as well buy an iphone which is what I suspect most people are talking about when comparing them.
Say goodbye to the usefulness of your high resolution screen's while using a child and finger friendly interface....massive icon's, text, menu's, spend half your time zooming in and out...panning etc.
andrew-in-woking said:
That OS could access the full services based on an MS Exchange server.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't this becoming a non-problem with better browsers? Outlook web access is now a very feature rich JavaScript based client - won't that run from anywhere?
Cheers, Rob.
I'm using Microsoft OS for about 15-20 years. First DOS, later Windows, and in the meanwhile also WM.
I don't need to sync anything between PC and phone but I want a "full" OS, you can customize whatever you want, and I love my Win32 API. On the IPhone and Android you don't even have a file explorer without downloading an extra app right? Yes I know "you can get an App for everything." And sure IPhone is comfortable and user friendly. But it's like that because it's a consumer device and being that it's probably better than WM. But actually WM is not only a toy (for people who don't feel comfortable with the more tech stuff) - it's an OS.
I don't really understand all the bad talking about WM recently. I agree using the GUI without a stylus is a pain in the ass but as I can see more and more parts of the OS are being updated with each new 6.5 build. And what's the deal about it.... it's only the f.... GUI!!!
Microsoft won't restart at all. Their OS will go and and on just like their desktop versions did. Remember all the talking back then. OS/2 kills Windows, MAC kills Windows.... IMO nothing of that happened at all.
MS over?
Don't believe the hype Sleuth.
HTC on windows rules.
Good to see you here.
Really appreciated your uc work on my HD.
New rom from Miri, uc'ed all my settings & apps.
Hours of fun.
100,000 apps for the iPhone in it's short life. 18,000 in all of WinMo's existence. 50K on Android already. M$ had a major chance when it buried Palm but it took the iPhone to bring real innovation back. Geezuz.
WinMo market share was cut in half in the last year. M$ is no longer considered a contender in the space dominated by iPhone, RIM, Nokia and now Android.
I too like the common api. But I've seen iPhone apps that blow my socks off. Hopefully, HTC will release a killer platform for android. I need capacitive, rez and battery life.
Moto Droid is the leader here now but it can't touch HTC keyboards. Lots of room for HTC to catch up. But android 2.0 on that very same droid can turn off bt and fire up your wifi profile when you walk into the door based on its continuously updated positional awareness. Weather works the same way, using wunderground school installations from a known database to give you local weather down to the exact temp where you are standing. You can use the camera to scan a bar code in a supermarket and it'll leverage Google's claim to fame and return info/best pricing on the web for the same item.
Meanwhile, m$ can't even make a decent marketplace. They are hobbled by feature drift and don't have a security clue (see chainfire's 2hr hack just to prove the point).
I wish it were otherwise but I've seen this all before...
Phonebook
munrobasher said:
Isn't this becoming a non-problem with better browsers? Outlook web access is now a very feature rich JavaScript based client - won't that run from anywhere?
Cheers, Rob.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Rob
You make a good point for mail and tasks but it's not quite the same as dialing directly from your cnmtacts.
Cheers
andrew-in-woking
Is this actually an issue of the OS itself? It's just market strategies and modern GUI experiences. With a good kernel (like we have with WM) it's no problem to add such features on top of it (if you just actually do it), but if you have limited kernel functionality but with the "good" GUI things on top it's harder to change the OS underneath it. I have no clue about Android yet but on the IPhone you can't even run background processes. Is Android just as flexible as the Windows kernel architecture? From what I heard I assume it's not, otherwise please proove me wrong.
The problem as you can tell it is more like Microsoft didn't care a lot about WM during the last couple years and especially HTC did what MS didn't, and now they need their time to catch up on their competitors again. But of course I'm also hoping they're doing fine with WM 7. I like the road they are going with 6.5 and if WM 7 is just like the new killer OS we're all waiting for (Windows 7 desktop isn't too bad neither right?) then why do you need your Apple and Google anymore???
FTTB, I'll probably get a Tilt 2 for hardware reasons. The iPhone is too restrictive for my tweaking tastes (although being a part of the jailbreak community would be fun) and no killer hardware for Android exists yet.
m$ needs a wake-up call. The mobile world is passing it by. This time next year (when I need another new gizmo) will be interesting. My predictions go with Android because Google has the information. Gathering it is what they do. Heck, the current navigation app on Android leverages the Google maps data for for actual image based turn by turn instruction. Impressive and always up to date.
Hi Folks
Just wondering if anyone has seriously considered or is using android on the desktop?
Hear me out here!
Since stopping using windows as my main desktop OS about 18 months ago, I've been enjoying all the fruits that open source has to offer. I think I must have trying nearly every flavour of Debian/Ubuntu distro's and currently using some Mint/Gnome 2 setup. partly due to Unity's immaturity as Multihead desktop and probably part of me can't let go of that "Start" menu analog.
Through all my "testing" however I've still not settled on the right desktop/development environment, I've tried them all, really, I feel like I given pretty much every Window Manager out there a go, I especially like the blank canvas of openbox although I've got real work to do as well, so configuration wise It's not something I want to know right now
Part of my issue is I've got a what I would consider a bit of an edge case when I comes to setup. My current setup is over 3 Monitors ( I was considering 6 but thought I might get whiplash from moving my head too much :laugh: )
Right now I live my live mostly in Terminal Windows and Bash Prompts and do most of my hacking In gedit with some plugins ( maybe not the most productive but it's kinda of working for me at the minute )
After giving the Android x86 project, It got me thinking whether It would be a viable option. I know android certainly has the capability to run over multiple monitors although whether I would have to do a bit of hacking on the Framebuffer internals ( add extra ones etc ) has yet to be investigated.
With regards Android Development it kinda of makes sense to Develop right there in it's native environment ( I'm talking Kernel/System Level here not apps) . Compiling the AOSP etc should still be the same process.
So Yeah, Android on the Desktop - Discuss
I'd be interested if anyone has been crazy/foolhardy/patient enough to go down this road and are just keeping quiet about it and If there's any gotcha's etc to think about before embarking on such a mission.
Android is better off on smartphones and Tablets and Windows in better off on Desktops and Laptops.
As Im an avid gamer, I wouldnot mind having Android on my Desktop. Android has limited no. of good games but Windows dont.
Sent from my GT-i9100 equipped with Grenade Launcher and Remote Explosives
www dot apc dot io
Hope that answers your question.
Sent from my YP-G70 using XDA
nightfire37 said:
www.apc.io
Hope that answers your question.
Sent from my YP-G70 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, That's the kinda of thing, I was not aware of this project/product ( although still vapourware til next month ) At least I'm not crazy for thinking it
I spent a week or 2 only using an hp touchpad, to see if I could get away using it as a desktop replacement.
The biggest problem I found is that the apps aren't really designed for serious productivity. Google docs is great for viewing things, but is very irresponsive on large documents, and doesn't like fancy formatting. Browsing was a nightmare. I had 3 or 4 different browsers, because each had different plugins, flash support, user agents, etc. Many browsers were unstable, and flash always caused random crashes and other weird problems. Gmail is useless for attachements, and there is no reasonable text editor.
It's doable, but you may have to spend a while finding apps to replicate all the functionality you expect from your PC.
trevd said:
Thanks, That's the kinda of thing, I was not aware of this project/product ( although still vapourware til next month ) At least I'm not crazy for thinking it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your welcome. I am thinking on getting this for the fact to support the devs on the product.
Sent from my YP-G70 using XDA
As a desktop replacement I'm not so sure but Android can definitely work as a netbook replacements.
It also depends what you use ur desktop for. Anything more that web browsing and email, I'll still prefer having a full fledged OS on it.
theInfected1 said:
As a desktop replacement I'm not so sure but Android can definitely work as a netbook replacements.
It also depends what you use ur desktop for. Anything more that web browsing and email, I'll still prefer having a full fledged OS on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An android desktop could do mail, web browsing, multimedia, usenet or torrent downloads, games, dlna streaming, ebook reading and text editing (writing, creating pdf, etcetera) well.
It would not be able to do some of the things a desktop can do such as transcode video, run open office, use pc accessories, etcetera.
This is primarily because android is a mobile oriented os though it's likely that other than the use of pc accessories developers will write apps to get android doing even more as it is now a very popular tablet os and tablets often get used as a pc does.
Android could be a desktop for general everyday use right now but not for everyone.
For now windows and linux still beat android for both software, peripheral support and overall os speed making those better options however its also easier to have a new user mess those up than it is to mess up android so for general use it could be a good option.
Dave
( http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAownKXmAQ/bigfatuniverse )
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk 2
Short version: Currently, I would say no. In the future (2+ years minimum), I highly expect Android to compete for the desktop. It comes down to software moreso than hardware.
TL;DR version: Let me start by saying I've owned quite a few Android smartphones, and I've worked on twice as many for friends, family, etc. I've also owned a couple of Android tablets. Without trying to sound too cynical, let's just say I've been around the block when it comes to Android devices When it comes to phones, Android is as perfect as any OS could be. With it always improving, there's always more to love. For tablets, the experience didn't come off to a great start, but there have surely been improvements since. The first high-end tablets, as well as cheap alternatives, ran on Gingerbread or older. My first cheapo tablet ran on a rare version of Android 2.0 Eclair. Let me tell you, it wasn't pleasant at all! I decided to wait for Honeycomb to come out before trying another tablet, and that's when I picked up an Acer Iconia A500 with the sole intention being to use it like I'd use a computer. The only computer I had at the time was a 10" Acer netbook, so once I bought the tablet, I sold the netbook right away. Now, I will admit that I waited a little bit to see how Honeycomb took off. By the time I got my Iconia, 3.2 was just coming out. In order to completely replace any kind of computer, I knew I would need at least 3 accessories: a stand, keyboard, and mouse. In my initial research, I learned that Android 3.0 didn't have mouse support by default. This was fixed by the dev community here, and Google was prompt to add mouse support in the 3.1 update. So by the time I had my Iconia running 3.2, everything appeared to be ready as far as being a PC replacement. Or so I thought. One major reason I picked the A500 over other tablets was the fact that it had a full-size USB port right on the tablet itself, whereas others either didn't have one at all (Xoom, Galaxy Tab), or it was only available on the keyboard dock (Transformer). As a computer replacement, USB was important to me. It didn't take long for me to realize that a tablet as a PC replacement wasn't the most ideal choice at the time. While there are plenty of apps available to perform many different tasks, the real problem I had was with the way Android itself handled. The apps were more than good enough. There's email, web browsing, multimedia, word processing, etc. The problem is the way Android feels with a keyboard and mouse. One major problem for me was that Android has no proper right-click support with mice. It simply works like a back button. I feel that right-click would be more natural as the functionality of a long press. Another issue I was constantly trying to deal with was the amount of clicks required to complete simple tasks. I could do the same tasks twice as fast on any computer running Windows or Linux. This caused more frustration than anything else. File managers were generally really good - there's actually a couple that I really like a lot, but navigation was always an issue. It wasn't only file managers, but within several areas. Once again, this goes back to needing more clicks for the same tasks, and long pressing where a simple right-click would feel better. While the move to ICS was a huge improvement in performance, it didn't really solve anything with productivity and ease of use. USB support was also hit or miss, and a lot of it has to do with drivers. Now that's understandable, as most hardware venders don't expect Android to be the host OS. Hopefully this changes some day. Eventually I ended up trading the tablet and all the accessories for a mid-range laptop which I use now. I have this system triple-booting between Windows, Linux, and Android (android-x86.org). The same problems I faced with the tablet, I also face with ICS on my laptop. I find myself only booting to Android once in a blue moon, and it's always just to show off to my friends. Any real work is done with one of my other OS's. There's definitely a lot of potential with the Android platform as a desktop OS, but I feel like it's still a couple years away at least. There are still a few minor annoyances trying to use Android as a computer that need to be addressed. Maybe by the time Android 6.0 or 7.0 is released, it will put up a good fight for the desktop. Only time will tell. Another viable option is phones that dock to a computer with a desktop interface. Anyone remember Canonical's plans? Also keep in mind Linux kernel 3.3 which adopted Android natively, which is a huge step for Canonical and their Ubuntu-Android dreams.
i have been using android since 2008. The only thing i can tell you is Android can replace netbooks but not laptops and desktop. I used macbook for a year or so but I went back to windows.
HP Touchpad replaced my netbook.70% of the time i use my hp touchpad to chat, browse and play videos.
But when it comes to work or college work I go back to my good ol' desktop or laptop because
google spreadsheet is nowhere near MS Excel
google docs is nowhere near MS Word
fortemcee said:
The only thing i can tell you is Android can replace netbooks but not laptops and desktop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I coming to that conclusion...... More for on the move devices, Although there some good stuff going on with the 10ft Experience (Android on TV's) at the moment.
It is also interesting to hear how people interact with their devices,
I'm far from an average user..... If i'm not developing with/on android I don't what to do with it :laugh: I think that's why my tablet has a keyboard and mouse plugged into most of the time
Thanks for the Input.
Bloodflame said:
Short version: Currently, I would say no. In the future (2+ years minimum), I highly expect Android to compete for the desktop. It comes down to software moreso than hardware.
TL;DR version: ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brilliant That's exactly the type of responses I hoped for, a man whose got he's knees dirty in these dam robots on the desktop ... little long but I did read it.
[Short Version] In Summary I'm inclined to agree with you give it a couple of years, As a developer I could probably fix it up but I probably wouldn't be finished before google etc sorted it themselves[Short Version]
Here's a more verbose reply :laugh:
I have seen some 2.x tabs in my time, trailblazers but not nice.... I presume you gave the 1.6 x86 one a go as well then? Just for kicks.
I've been using a mouse and keyboard on my tablet, an Archos G9 through a usb hub which also has full size usb slot..... I've never really twicked onto the mouse lack of context menu/right click being an issue until you pointed it out, I can see how it would become an irritant after a while unless you're a MacUser than one button should be fine
The right mouse button acting the same as long press would be a vast improvement, I'll probably have a look at what development effort is involved in that ( or at least add it to the pile of interesting stuff I want to do with my time )
I've found the keyboard to be useful, Shortcut Keys are generally the same as there desktop counterparts. Take Ctrl+L to type a web address in your browser for example and If I dig around the android source code for a while I'm sure I could find some more unpublished ones or add my own and help on the number of click navigation issues etc .
USB Support is not a problem with each iteration of Android it gets better internally and I'm currently working with the opinion that if a linux driver exists I can compile it and at least get android the recognize the device... I've been deep in the USB Internals with android for the last few months.
On the Androidx86.... I've not checked the project in a while, there maybe have greater focus on solving some on these usability issues.
With regard to phones and docking I do remember canonicals plans ( wasn't that earlier this year) or are you talking about the circa 2009/10?!? ubuntu proposed project to run apks directly on your pc? essentially running the dalvikvm/surfaceflinger framebuffer management, support services on ubuntu with an X Window for the app.
The latter I feel is highly possible especially with android fully "unforked" in the kernel - not looked at the full details but I presume that includes all androids system level binder stuff and their shared memory modules and the former, I think a manufacturer release something called "Android in a Window" (Motorola or LG, maybe) An interactive android window on the desktop... also motorola's Webtop looks interesting.
I've written enough, Thanks for the Input
no one found any way to run android on PC or Laptop ???????
saqi4you said:
no one found any way to run android on PC or Laptop ???????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It runs in virtualisation fine and there are a few PC's that can run it natively, I would bet Jelly bean will run on x86 without fuss.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium HD app
I've had android ICS x86 on my Acer W500 (a windows tablet) for a little while now. It was installed along side the Windows 8 Developer Preview which expired and shuts down after a few minutes of use now. Instead of updating it to the W8 Consumer Preview for more time I just started using ICS full time. With my tablet in the "dock" (which is just a keyboard really) and a mouse hooked up I used it for days as a PC replacement (the power supply in my normal desktop died).
Android would be totally fine as a desktop OS, but apps would have to start being designed with that in mind.
Think about it:
You can't have multiple windows open at once on the screen for serious multitasking. What if I want to have a terminal/command prompt open while I reference a document in the web browser? With android I'm going to be switching between fullscreen apps.
The OS will have to be redesigned to allow for that capability and then new apps will have to be written to able to take advantage of it. Is it possible? Absolutely! Is it ready to be your desktop replacement? Not yet!
deathsled said:
Think about it:
You can't have multiple windows open at once on the screen for serious multitasking. What if I want to have a terminal/command prompt open while I reference a document in the web browser? With android I'm going to be switching between fullscreen apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say there is arguments for and against sizeable apps (I suppose that describes it), Personally I run multiple monitors and generally have Maximised Windows all the way, obviously every use case is different but I think android would become "just another window manager" and lose some of what android is If it had totally free window placement.
It is also assuming the current desktop metaphor which is in use today is the best/most productive way of interacting with the machine.... Maybe we're just blindly doing it because we've all be trained to think like that, and it's always been that way.
I don't claim to have the answers on any of these points though
I suppose the only thing I can do is stop talking and start doing, "try it yourself" as we say in the "trade" .....I've got a laptop I could give it a blast on, I can at least try a multiple monitor test with that with out too much disruption.
saqi4you said:
no one found any way to run android on PC or Laptop ???????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dragon_76 said:
It runs in virtualisation fine and there are a few PC's that can run it natively, I would bet Jelly bean will run on x86 without fuss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to read the full thread guys It's kinda what we're talking about, check the Androidx86 project out if you've never seen it before
Actually with apps like overskreen and the open source standout library which lets apps float, so you can have several open at once on screen together and swap between them, you could multitask with multiple open windows.
It's a new approach but already finding favour on tablets.
Dave
( http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAownKXmAQ/bigfatuniverse )
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk 2
deathsled said:
You can't have multiple windows open at once on the screen for serious multitasking. What if I want to have a terminal/command prompt open while I reference a document in the web browser? With android I'm going to be switching between fullscreen apps.
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Click to collapse
If I am doing some coding on my PC (running Ubuntu) I use i3-wm which is a tiling window manager. I find the best option is to have all applications full screen and switch between them quickly using keystrokes. The same thing can be done with a theoretical Android Desktop.
I think the case for an Android Desktop is a strong one. Just looking at mobile phone shops and sites, Android is the most popular firmware for smartphones on the market so the amount of people owning one is only going to increase. With that it means that online communities like this site will get bigger with more people offering support and development. An Android desktop might not have the same look and feel as the smartphone version but if it can emulate the same functionality i.e. the way to do something on a smartphone is the same as on the desktop then the leap from smartphone to desktop won't be so hard for people. As you will have the same underlying platform, the same will apply for developers so it means application development on the Desktop version should in theory be faster.
That's a way of doing it but my preference would be a convergence of devices where say I can plug my smartphone into a docking station which hooks it up with a monitor, keyboard and mouse or like the Assus Padfone where a smartphone can be pluged into a tablet dock which turns it into a tablet.
With Windows 8 and Surface coming out soon and the fact that I've enjoyed Windows 8 on my laptop and it's new ecosystem, I think I may dump Android for WP8.
I know the biggest thing to come up is Apps. Android apps I use on a daily basis or ones I really like are:
Flipboard
Google Reader
Google Maps (and navigation)
YouTube (Official App)
I am tied into the Google ecosystem for my contacts and google services and I know they can be converted to a Microsoft Account. But, I do have a Windows Phone 7 as my work phone and while I love the OS much more than Android, I love the above mentioned apps much more on the droid. I've tried the third party Reader and YouTube apps and they just don't measure up. But I am also ready for one ecosystem and since I already have an XBOX and a Microsoft shop at home, I am ready to go all Microsoft for my mobile world. But so want my apps!
Anyone else face this quandary?
garak0410 said:
With Windows 8 and Surface coming out soon and the fact that I've enjoyed Windows 8 on my laptop and it's new ecosystem, I think I may dump Android for WP8.
I know the biggest thing to come up is Apps. Android apps I use on a daily basis or ones I really like are:
Flipboard
Google Reader
Google Maps (and navigation)
YouTube (Official App)
I am tied into the Google ecosystem for my contacts and google services and I know they can be converted to a Microsoft Account. But, I do have a Windows Phone 7 as my work phone and while I love the OS much more than Android, I love the above mentioned apps much more on the droid. I've tried the third party Reader and YouTube apps and they just don't measure up. But I am also ready for one ecosystem and since I already have an XBOX and a Microsoft shop at home, I am ready to go all Microsoft for my mobile world. But so want my apps!
Anyone else face this quandary?
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you need to decide what you can do without more.
Personally I don't give too hoots about the apps on any platform which then leave the OS choice its self as the main reason for change, and hence why im on WP7 as well.
If I were you I would consider this, those apps you talk about have alternatives on WP7, so its not like its completely missing, so the question you need to ask yourself is this, is the overall OS and general phone features of WP more important than half a dozen apps that are still available to WP but not quite as youd want?
in my humble opinion again, a WP device is a phone first device, everything else is secondary inc apps.
dazza9075 said:
you need to decide what you can do without more.
Personally I don't give too hoots about the apps on any platform which then leave the OS choice its self as the main reason for change, and hence why im on WP7 as well.
If I were you I would consider this, those apps you talk about have alternatives on WP7, so its not like its completely missing, so the question you need to ask yourself is this, is the overall OS and general phone features of WP more important than half a dozen apps that are still available to WP but not quite as youd want?
in my humble opinion again, a WP device is a phone first device, everything else is secondary inc apps.
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Well, I understand the apps arguments. If there isn't an app, I can always use the browser. And I really don't care that I have every Angry Birds edition. But it is important to me that the platform is shown some love. I can't imagine why it is so hard for Yahoo! to release a Fantasy Football App for example. It is much easier to use in an app than in a mobile browser.
As mentioned, I have Verizon's one and only Windows Phone for work, the HTC Trophy. It is very lackluster hardware but I am able to get my WP7 fix. I just don't find myself using it much, mainly because I really don't like carrying two devices (often just forward the number to my personal phone.) I took your advice and looked for good, alternative apps:
PrimeTube: Prime tube seems to work quite well as my YouTube app. The Android YouTube app is pretty good but I was quite surprised with this app as it may surpass the Android App. Nice Work.
NextGen Reader: A passable Google Reader app. Kind of generic looking but it does the job. The small screen of the Trophy doesn't help so I imagine it will look good on a larger phone. The mobile web page for Google Reader isn't a bad option either.
Those are the only two I found. I do enjoy playing Madden 12 from time to time on my Android devices. The YouVersion Bible app is good but it is lacking the LIVE notes option.
My next step is to try out navigation on WP7 to see how is measures up with Google Maps. Going on a trip in a few weeks, so will test it. I will also try merging my Google contacts with my live account to see how I like the cloud services that MS offers.
I am also a long time ZunePass subscriber. I am disappointed at the lack of playlist options for streaming music. It if becomes more like Spotify, Microsoft will have a hit on their hands here.
Again, I want WP to succeed but I also don't want to ditch what I am comfortable with. I have a few months until Surface and WP8 are released. We will see what happens when that time comes.
VLC player - nearing completion
Facebook
Please also mention if the app on your wish list is already a windows phone 8 app. I will try to compile the most requested apps in this initial post.
After making this post, I discovered this nice table of the 100 "most popular" apps on iOS and if they are available for windows phone or windows 8:
http://www.infragistics.com/communi...-ios-android-windows-phone-amp-windows-8.aspx
I still think there are other apps worth mentioning. I'm also curious which of the apps the users on XDA would like to see the most. So feel free to post your support if you like an app that someone else has suggested.
Onlive
VLC
PayPal
Chrome
Steam
Sky Go
BBC Iplayer
There are so many it's quite hard to write them all down.
Onlive
-- never heard of this. Is it useful?
Chrome
-- I think this is unlikely to happen given the Microsoft vs Google war going on
Steam
-- interesting. Also had not heard of this. EDIT - see later post by "Good Day to Die" explaining why this seems impractical
Sky Go
BBC Iplayer
-- Both are very interesting. I think if enough people pressure the BBC then they will make an app.
There are so many it's quite hard to write them all down.
-- I think it is super useful to write these down. Trust me, this is a useful mini-project
You are not, I take it, a gamer? Not having heard of OnLive is understandable (people actually use that?) even though it would actually suit RT quite well. Not having heard of Steam is really, really weird. On the other hand, there is simply no point to having Steam on RT; you couldn't actually *run* anything. You could buy stuff and manage Friends lists and so on, sure, but you could do that from the website just as easily and with less downloading. I can *maybe* see the point of such a crippled Steam app on a phone, where website UI is difficult to use, but it should be quite usable on a tablet...
Well it's not really a Windows 8 app, but Spotify, but I take that's not an open source API?
Dropbox, but I suspect it would be closed off source also.
bigsnack said:
Well it's not really a Windows 8 app, but Spotify, but I take that's not an open source API?
Dropbox, but I suspect it would be closed off source also.
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We are making a wish-list of closed source apps. That is the first step.
Well then if that is the case:
Adobe Lightroom(even if it is an express version).
Windows Media Player Classic
Flipboard
At home finances
Quicken would be at the top of my list.
I have so many to wish!
VirtualBox
Steam
OnLive
Google Chrome
Minecraft
Its not an app but an OS. Ubuntu!
Sent from my Carbonized Blaze
Someone else did his homework with the same idea.http://www.infragistics.com/communi...-ios-android-windows-phone-amp-windows-8.aspx
I'm skeptical of the point of VirtualBox; you want a VM platform on ARM? I can see the desire to dual-boot, and I can see the desire for an emulator when you *really* need to run some code from some other architecture (or are trying to run something so low-footprint that it runs OK when emulated on a relatively weak CPU), but virtualization... why? VirtualBox on RT would not be able to run x86 VMs; it's not an emulator. You think Ubuntu for ARM would virtualize nicely alongside RT? Highly doubtful.
Also, again with the Steam. Steam offers exactly zero games which are compiled for ARM. Everything else useful that the app could do, you could do from the web site. I don't see the point. If you want to ask Valve to port their games to ARM, and encourage others to do the same, *that* would make sense - some of their slightly older stuff, like TF2, would probably play fine on RT - but Steam itself would be pointless.
Please, people - if you want a list like this to be taken seriously, be serious about (and put some thought into) your requests. Minecraft makes sense, for example; it's highly popular, the hardware can handle it, and it would be viable to port it. Chrome makes sense for the same reason (I really need to take another shot at that). Ubuntu even makes sense. Lightroom might be a bit of a waste on the hardware that your typical RT device has, but it could be useful and is not impractical to port.
Don't waste your time on pointless requests, though; that will just lead to you (and the platform you're asking for support on) being completely dismissed.
bigsnack said:
Spotify,.
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Apparently, the spotify website on windows RT is free. the app would cost money. Do we really want to lose the free website access?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2374692
I am using it on the web at the moment(on the desktop browser since the Metro one doesn't support music in the background). But, I was thinking that maybe the RT app would be more like their desktop app, i.e. free with ads, and not like their mobile app, radio only.
Okay, because you asked for my whole list here it is; (Some games Inc.)
Online (Cloud gaming)
VLC
PayPal
Chrome
Steam
Sky Go Sports
BBC Iplayer
Block Fortress
Worms
Bloons TD 5
Rise alarm clock
Youtube?
Google maps
GTA 3/VC
VLC Streamer
Sims
Nike + Running
Walking Dead
Now TV
Ubuntu One
Capital FM
Jelly Car 1,2&3
Real Racing
Drop box
Opera
Speedtest
D-Link Share Centre
MotoGP
Instagram
Gmail
Mail.com
Santander
Utorrent or Bittorrent
Photoshop
XDA Developers
ITunes
Devolo
Dane Reynolds said:
Okay, because you asked for my whole list here it is; (Some games Inc.)
Online (Cloud gaming)
VLC
Paypal
Chrome
BBC Iplayer
Bloons TD 5
Youtube?
VLC Streamer
Gmail
Mail.com
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Gmail and Mail.com both work in the included mail app, probably 3rd party mail apps on store already.
VLC has had a very successful kickstarter for a windows 8/RT port and is currently under development. I presume this includes streaming.
Youtube I think has an official app. Otherwise, there are plenty - and I mean plenty - of 3rd party alternatives. My favourite on my x86 desktop PC is metrotube which I think is also available on ARM. Otherwise, you've got a full blown desktop based web browser on RT, not some ****ty mobile browser. It can cope with youtube fine.
OnLive I thought went bust, screw that. But if its not gone bust, then that is definitely a good suggestion.
BBC IPlayer, browser.
Bloons TD5, browser.
Paypal. Browser, but is fair enough as a metro app.
Chrome. On x86 systems if you install chrome, set as default browser, click to open the menu in the top right and there is an option to relaunch as a metro app. Microsoft have banned web browsers from the store though so there is no hope of an official chrome port. Chromium for jailbroken systems may eventually happen but whether that would include the relaunch as metro functionality or not I have no idea. But the gist of it: on x86 its been done.
Some of your others are either fair enough suggestions or you can use browser.
My personal wish list might be just as far fetched sadly, or it may not.
Cave story
Minecraft (suggested already, not happening according to mojang)
Halo combat evolved
Halo 2
Halo 3
Halo wars (actually I imagine that being playable with touch alone, as a mouse/keyboard based game it would be pretty poor though)
Halo Reach
Halo 4
Halo ODST
ok, so I love halo, don't kill me for it. Just to make some other people happy:
Call of duty
Battlefield (I loved 2 actually, didn't mind the first bad company either)
I also want microsoft to lift the restrictions on COM ports (ie, they don't allow access from an app and I think they should) and network connections to localhost (I seriously dont get what harm there is in using localhost, why block from a store app). Even if it requires adding new permissions to do so.
Just Four
Minecraft
Quicken
Waze
Endomondo
is there an official XDA forum app from windows RT?
I'm starting to get sick of the advertisements on the IE 10 modern browser and occasional crashing of IE 10 modern that this XDA forum website causes....
SixSixSevenSeven said:
Gmail and Mail.com both work in the included mail app, probably 3rd party mail apps on store already.
VLC has had a very successful kickstarter for a windows 8/RT port and is currently under development. I presume this includes streaming.
Youtube I think has an official app. Otherwise, there are plenty - and I mean plenty - of 3rd party alternatives. My favourite on my x86 desktop PC is metrotube which I think is also available on ARM. Otherwise, you've got a full blown desktop based web browser on RT, not some ****ty mobile browser. It can cope with youtube fine.
OnLive I thought went bust, screw that. But if its not gone bust, then that is definitely a good suggestion.
BBC IPlayer, browser.
Bloons TD5, browser.
Paypal. Browser, but is fair enough as a metro app.
Chrome. On x86 systems if you install chrome, set as default browser, click to open the menu in the top right and there is an option to relaunch as a metro app. Microsoft have banned web browsers from the store though so there is no hope of an official chrome port. Chromium for jailbroken systems may eventually happen but whether that would include the relaunch as metro functionality or not I have no idea. But the gist of it: on x86 its been done.
Some of your others are either fair enough suggestions or you can use browser.
My personal wish list might be just as far fetched sadly, or it may not.
Cave story
Minecraft (suggested already, not happening according to mojang)
Halo combat evolved
Halo 2
Halo 3
Halo wars (actually I imagine that being playable with touch alone, as a mouse/keyboard based game it would be pretty poor though)
Halo Reach
Halo 4
Halo ODST
ok, so I love halo, don't kill me for it. Just to make some other people happy:
Call of duty
Battlefield (I loved 2 actually, didn't mind the first bad company either)
I also want microsoft to lift the restrictions on COM ports (ie, they don't allow access from an app and I think they should) and network connections to localhost (I seriously dont get what harm there is in using localhost, why block from a store app). Even if it requires adding new permissions to do so.
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do you have a link to where Mojang states that they refuse to make the game minecraft for windows RT?
Mint.com didn't want to make windows phone or RT app for ages, but enough people on the forum convinced them otherwise....
med007 said:
do you have a link to where Mojang states that they refuse to make the game minecraft for windows RT?
Mint.com didn't want to make windows phone or RT app for ages, but enough people on the forum convinced them otherwise....
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no link no but when windows 8 came out notch posted a few mini rants on twitter about how windows is moving to a closed platform and how they refuse to submit minecraft to any sort of verification process (blatent lie as it has the same for android, IOS and xbla). Carl manneh then backed that up stating that mojang will not be submitting minecraft to windows 8.
Even if they did want minecraft on the Microsoft store, they couldn't use the existing minecraft desktop version, its java. The store only allows .NET, HTML5/JS and C/C++ software, no java. If you did see minecraft for windows 8 and RT it would either be a modified pocket edition (pocket edition uses a C library with many common functions and then wraps this library into android and IOS apps, same could apply to RT in theory) or a new version based from the xbox version which is C# and XNA supposedly (not been confirmed but without full developers hardware that's all 3rd parties can use, its never been confirmed if 4j studios have the developers hardware or use xna, if they do use anything else it would be C/C++ again). C# is fine on RT but there is no XNA on the windows store so new render code would be required, or they could swap to monogame but to my knowledge monogame is Windows 8 on x86 at the moment and doesn't have an arm version (might be possible to port) but is allowed on the store.