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Every major OS seems to hit very powerfully in one area and be weak in others.
First there's iOS who's app store is their major (and in my opinion only) selling point.
Then there's android, it's pretty much completely open-source.
WP7 is all about the OS, there's nothing that quite compares in that region
Blackberry is all about reliability. Sturdy hardware with unimpressive specs but great battery life and an OS that almost never has any errors
WebOS... well some people like the cards... Honestly I couldn't think of the selling point for this one :/.
Aside from those points it seems to be primarily a matter of opinion (though I know some of the above are opinions as well they're pretty much fact)
We all war over who's got the best OS but if we would all just get along I'm sure this could be a more community oriented forum and as a whole we could get a lot more done.
Yea... I do agree with all of the OSs strong points, however I font think we "font get along" in a sense that we don't like a particular OS, we just don't like certain things about it.
I font like the fact that IOS is practically closed, and when I had an ills Touch for a while I quickly got bored of it because it was the sans through and through.
I have an Android phone and love it, but, like most people, I feel the OS could be a little more polished and the apparently along with the market could be better to compete with IOS.
Okay, first of all I am not a fan of android and wouldn't use it but I do work as a liason to some of Google's subsidiaries. I was speaking with some people on our end who were overseeing the latest update and whether or not it would finally step up to the plate and get a hardware accelerated UI like all of the other big competitors and word for word what he told me is "That's up to the boys at Samsung (he meant all other OEMs but we were talking about Samsung's devices at that point in time.) So, like the good little XDAer I am I went and did my research, android can not have a hardware accelerated UI built into the base OS because of the variation in hardware. It is entirely up to your OEM's to implement a GPU accelerated UI which would require a whole new branch to a development team and since it effects so few people it's highly unlikely that it will occur. They are more than willing to contract a third party to utilize an OS that was already in development or in HTC's case build from scratch but the prospect of hiring an individual development team for something so trivial has little to no chance of occurring. I never did expect much from the ugly duckling except for it to market well with people who either wanted an alternative to the iphone or people who couldn't afford an iphone but this is a real kick in the head to pretty much everyone. I now appreciate the way apple and even moreso microsoft are going about the mobile phone game even more.
I know I shouldn't feed the troll but I have some spare time.
Firstly, considering how smooth android is it becomes obvious that it doesn't need hardware acceleration (unlike WP7 for instance).
Should the day come when it is required, then it will be implemented.
There. Question answered.
Umm
isnt the Galaxy S II hardware accelerated
i think its the only android phone that is
qwerty warrior said:
Umm
isnt the Galaxy S II hardware accelerated
i think its the only android phone that is
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually you're right, the Tegra provides hardware acceleration, and there are several tablets and phones that use it.
qwerty warrior, the chipset available in the S2 is completely ready to go for a fully hardware accelerated UI and it is partially implemented but not fully.
xaccers, I see no reason to get into it with you regarding this matter again, android as an OS is just not up to par with the others, it's just another place for google to advertise. Trust me, the nice people here at google aren't going to prioritize adding features no one cares about. They'd much rather glorify a pallet swap and call it an update. It's slower than the rest and the only selling point is the market and the fact that you can get any app for free.
z33dev33l said:
android as an OS is just not up to par with the others
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except it is, many of us accepted your challenge regarding the lack of smoothness with android, and found you were very wrong.
You can start as many threads as you like denying it, but the fact remains you are wrong.
This is the second thread I see you dissing android. What'd the point? Why don't you use winmo 7, which I like as well, and let us use whatever we want without you winning. I could go and complain abt winno too and how its not customizable, its market is way too small and all its devices are outdated.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
It's Windows Phone 7, nothing like winmo. I'm not dissing android, just stating the facts regarding a meeting I had with a Google representative in passing.
xaccers, your "tests" prove absolutely nothing, I'm sure all of you just busted out your iphone next to your high end android device and swiped side to side? First of all that's highly unlikely and secondly regardless of what you say anyone who has moved to another OS will tell you just how terribly laggy fragmented android is. We've had this debate before, if you want to have another back and forth spanning three days with nothing but your alleged tests as your foundation then have at it. I will do the same on my smooth and seamless Dell Venue Pro that will be recieving the next update just as it did the last one.
what do u mean partially ?
ive used it and there is no stutter what so ever
ie( playing 1080p video on youtube while pinch zooming and its buttery smooth)
i just cant see any stutter
even most people on the SG2 section dont bother with custom roms
some people install custom roms because of battery draining services
currently im running stock and my phone lasts about 3+ days
im not attacking anyone i like everything when it comes to software/hardware
I've used WP7, it sucks, and I use Android at the moment, and it doesn't.
Android is smooth as silk, it doesn't need any long winded transitions to hide the lag of loading an app, I just tap on a shortcut and it opens.
Of course Android can actually have icons, we're not stuck with duplo CGA tiles to bore ourselves to death with.
Once again Zee, you've made comments that can't be substantiated (ie there are many hardware accelerated android devices) and been left looking like a fool.
Maybe one day you'll actually find something genuine to pick holes in Android with, there's plenty of them.
qwerty warrior said:
what do u mean partially ?
ive used it and there is no stutter what so ever
ie( playing 1080p video on youtube while pinch zooming and its buttery smooth)
i just cant see any stutter
even most people on the SG2 section dont bother with custom roms
some people install custom roms because of battery draining services
currently im running stock and my phone lasts about 3+ days
im not attacking anyone i like everything when it comes to software/hardware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
accidentally thanked you haha, enjoy .
I agree, it's the best android experience I've had and while my opinion may be jaded against android due to such a long history of lag and such I did get a bit of stutter exiting and entering apps, and while running angry birds and trying to check email it was not that great. :/ Also the browser and a few other aspects don't seem to be hardware accelerated but the apps I was running should not have been enough to cause such a definitive stutter. Perhaps I've been spoiled by windows phone 7 but I'm just used to everything being seamless.
xaccers said:
I've used WP7, it sucks, and I use Android at the moment, and it doesn't.
Android is smooth as silk, it doesn't need any long winded transitions to hide the lag of loading an app, I just tap on a shortcut and it opens.
Of course Android can actually have icons, we're not stuck with duplo CGA tiles to bore ourselves to death with.
Once again Zee, you've made comments that can't be substantiated (ie there are many hardware accelerated android devices) and been left looking like a fool.
Maybe one day you'll actually find something genuine to pick holes in Android with, there's plenty of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are many means of picking holes, I have no interest in doing so. I haven't even bothered with these forums as I don't need to mod my devices to make them better than any android device on the market. I just came on to verify that it was safe for me to utilize my developer account on multiple windows phone 7 devices. I am still looking forward to the day that I am so blinded by an OS that I can't see the obvious lag or lack of even moderately decent coding. Windows Phone has wowed me more than any other mobile OS in existence but even it can't leave me completely blind. I do wonder how a static icon to leave the page looking cluttered and generally ugly could possibly beat out a live tile constantly updating me with all the information I need. Perhaps I just like uniformity across an OS rather than clutter, that's my style.
z33dev33l said:
I am still looking forward to the day that I am so blinded by an OS that I can't see the obvious lag or lack of even moderately decent coding.
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Click to collapse
You think WP7 is good, congratulations, you've been living that day for quite some while, apparently so blinded that you haven't noticed.
I have 4 icons on my home screen, icons I can choose the look of, and the placement, showing off the beautiful animated wallpaper I have.
As for poking holes, I'd be tempted to believe you, after all so far you've not managed to poke any holes, however you start a thread making false claims about Android and it tends to look like you're trying hard.
z33dev33l said:
accidentally thanked you haha, enjoy .
I agree, it's the best android experience I've had and while my opinion may be jaded against android due to such a long history of lag and such I did get a bit of stutter exiting and entering apps, and while running angry birds and trying to check email it was not that great. :/ Also the browser and a few other aspects don't seem to be hardware accelerated but the apps I was running should not have been enough to cause such a definitive stutter. Perhaps I've been spoiled by windows phone 7 but I'm just used to everything being seamless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks
i used nokia phones for a long time and i never made the switch to android because there was a lot of stutter even with custom roms
that small split second of " stutter " really used to piss me off thats why i used non touch screen phones like nokia
they were super fast for what i used it for
then bought a samsung i8910
was a great phone with Symbian ,it had copy paste and the opera browser was awesome .... the the screen cracked after it for 5 meters .... still worked and used it for another 4 months and i was still waiting for the "perfect " android phone and when i saw the SG2 in action i was amazed .personally i dont see the stutter and that enough for me
i never wanted wp7 or IOS because i felt like i was in a jail( coudnt change launchers or overhaul the UI) ... that was basically it ,i just wanted a fast phone that i could upgrade forever until the OS would be soo heavy for the duel core
peace
xaccers said:
You think WP7 is good, congratulations, you've been living that day for quite some while, apparently so blinded that you haven't noticed.
I have 4 icons on my home screen, icons I can choose the look of, and the placement, showing off the beautiful animated wallpaper I have.
As for poking holes, I'd be tempted to believe you, after all so far you've not managed to poke any holes, however you start a thread making false claims about Android and it tends to look like you're trying hard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What it does have is not due to Google or Icecream or whatever pallet swap they're pumping out now. It is due entirely to Samsung so Android itself does not and will not have a hardware accelerated UI and it will likely never be fully implemented on any android device. I have 12 tiles on my homescreen, once for my calls, constantly updating with any missd calls or voicemails, one with my people which constantly cycles up to 9 friends at a time over the icon, all my friends or people I know, a messaging tab which keeps me updated on any missed texts and has a cool little face that shows different emotions based on the number of tabs, my hotmail which just keeps me updated there, my maps which shows my current or most recent destination, my internet explorer... pretty inactive... my me tile which cycles between a picture of myself and my son and any facebook/MSN notifications I might have, an xbox live tile which actively has my live avatar popping in and out (he's wearing a scorpion outfit, it pretty much rocks) and leads to the greatest game hub ever. My calendar that is pretty much my lifeline with this new job, my pictures hub that cycles between 30+ pictures of my little boy, a zune tile that shows my most recent artist listened to and a marketplace hub which constantly informs me of updates. All of this information is readily available with one swipe of my finger and I don't have to worry about whether that unlock is going to go through, whether I'll meet lag on the way down, or anything else. I can also pin literally anything to my homescreen but I don't like clutter. Overall it is without a doubt the most user-friendly user interface and is lag and clutter free, iOS can claim lag free, android can claim neither.
qwerty warrior said:
thanks
i used nokia phones for a long time and i never made the switch to android because there was a lot of stutter even with custom roms
that small split second of " stutter " really used to piss me off thats why i used non touch screen phones like nokia
they were super fast for what i used it for
then bought a samsung i8910
was a great phone with Symbian ,it had copy paste and the opera browser was awesome .... the the screen cracked after it for 5 meters .... still worked and used it for another 4 months and i was still waiting for the "perfect " android phone and when i saw the SG2 in action i was amazed .personally i dont see the stutter and that enough for me
i never wanted wp7 or IOS because i felt like i was in a jail( coudnt change launchers or overhaul the UI) ... that was basically it ,i just wanted a fast phone that i could upgrade forever until the OS would be soo heavy for the duel core
peace
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Commendable enough, I do appreciate the ability to change launchers and such and force updates on your phone but neither of them are things I would've ever done if I hadn't needed them. That's why I swapped, the speed and functionality were just a plus... Plus no other mobile game can compare to ilomilo.
I had a nexus one since day one and there was never any lag on it. Seriously smooth on everything it did. I now have a sensation and there is some lag here and there because of sense (i used temp root to disable some bloatware and its much better now). I had an HD7 since launch and it was a great phone, really smooth but I missed some apps on my android and tethering so I gave the HD7 to my dad and moved back to android. Moral of the story, my dad loves his HD7 and I love my android phone.
Android is fine now as is. I use google everything so android just integrates better with that than any OS ever will. Google maps on android is amazing and free.
Seriously man, just let go.
For the record this is not the android general section and any post speaking of another OS as superior is not blasphemy, I am just repeating what was told to me by a high-ranking official working on the latest version of android. It is entirely up to the OEM to set up and always will be.
I notice significant lag on my Nexus One between the time I unlock the phone and when it becomes fully usable, that's using the stock Gingerbread 2.3.4 GRJ22. It's not a big deal though, I just have to wait a few seconds before things settle down before it becomes responsive.
I don't really notice hardly any lag on my Froyo Droid Incredible.
So, lack of UI acceleration... why should I care?
And actually, iOS is not as un-customizable as most would believe. There are plenty of themes and UI customization, I've even seen some emulating WP7 for whatever reason. All you need is to be jailbroken, a process easier than rooting many Android phones.
So far I have not found any way to jailbreak the latest version of WP7, it really is a phone for people who just want to use it the way Microsoft intended. I've read you can downgrade, install ChevronWP7, then re-upgrade and keep the jailbreak, but other than pirating apps, there's not really any benefit to doing that that I'm aware of as I don't believe the homebrew community has really taken off with WP7 (but I'm sure I will be corrected if I'm wrong).
z33dev33l said:
What it does have is not due to Google or Icecream or whatever pallet swap they're pumping out now. It is due entirely to Samsung so Android itself does not and will not have a hardware accelerated UI and it will likely never be fully implemented on any android device. I have 12 tiles on my homescreen, once for my calls, constantly updating with any missd calls or voicemails, one with my people which constantly cycles up to 9 friends at a time over the icon, all my friends or people I know, a messaging tab which keeps me updated on any missed texts and has a cool little face that shows different emotions based on the number of tabs, my hotmail which just keeps me updated there, my maps which shows my current or most recent destination, my internet explorer... pretty inactive... my me tile which cycles between a picture of myself and my son and any facebook/MSN notifications I might have, an xbox live tile which actively has my live avatar popping in and out (he's wearing a scorpion outfit, it pretty much rocks) and leads to the greatest game hub ever. My calendar that is pretty much my lifeline with this new job, my pictures hub that cycles between 30+ pictures of my little boy, a zune tile that shows my most recent artist listened to and a marketplace hub which constantly informs me of updates. All of this information is readily available with one swipe of my finger and I don't have to worry about whether that unlock is going to go through, whether I'll meet lag on the way down, or anything else. I can also pin literally anything to my homescreen but I don't like clutter. Overall it is without a doubt the most user-friendly user interface and is lag and clutter free, iOS can claim lag free, android can claim neither.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except, once again, you're wrong about the lag, you always have been, you always will be.
I don't like clutter, hence only 4 icons, the lovely animated wallpaper, and a subtle slide down notification bar sould I recieve new emails, texts, missed calls, open wireless networks, etc (It's so good even apple have copied it, give it a few updates and Microsoft will probably copy it too).
I don't want anyone who's looking at my phone to just be able to see what my friends are up to, why would I? So I just slide to another page and get the updates as they happen (of course if I was a saddo I could have that on my home screen).
A flick the otherway and I'm listening to my music, again I can have that on my home page if I so wished, but I don't like clutter such as the WP7 tiles force upon you.
Rather than having a tiny photo of my loved ones trapped in a tile, I can of course have them as full wallpaper images, cycling through the photos, after all, if you want to see pictures of your loved ones, 480x800 (or 960x800) is so much better than 173x173.
I have just gotten an upgrade for my carrier and I am having trouble deciding if I would like to stay with an iPhone and get the iphone4s or go to an android and get the Samsung galaxy s2,I have never owned an android so I was wondering what can an android do compaired to iphone.
bigger screen and expandable storage, feels more like a computer than iphone does. They can both achieve the same goal but with different methods I think.
iOS shoves you into a shoebox.
Android shoves you into a moving box.
While both boxes, at least android you can move your elbows around.
Through rooting you have a wide range of customizing your phone with competing ROMs. These roms most often allow you to have a more optimized experience. But choose your manufacturer carefully if ROMing is what you want to do. Some manufacturers make this process easier or harder, but generally you'll have a bunch of super nerds that are more than willing to help you out.
iOS has a claim to stability over android. But think of it as having a paint by numbers and apple hands you the colors one at a time and forces you to do it their way. Android has versatility.
Uncle Rico: "I…I said the twelve pack, not the twenty-four pack. You're just gonna have to mix and match." Napoleon: "Shut up, say it so that the whole world can hear."
IOS Devices -
Smoother (High end androids such as SGS2 are about as smooth)
More Games.
Easier to use
Siri? (4s only - There are similar android apps but i don't believe any are as good.)
Android -
Customization (You can basically change everything on stock android.)
Larger variety of apps (Keyboards such as Swype, Launchers, etc)
I Don't really see why people complain about android Crashes/FC. They rarely happen on Stock roms (Not enough to be annoying) and usually occur due to doing something that isn't meant to be done (Task managers, Bad ROMs), or a faulty app.
Also, Rooting is pretty useful. It basically allows you to do anything with your phone (Such as install ubuntu, Android roms, better Radios for better signals, uninstall system apps, etc)
Everything!! I'm on my way to root this very instant.
From my personal experience, Android is far superior than the iphone 4 (can't say much about 4s as i just upgraded from the iphone 4).
Yeah iphone 4 has more apps but the majority of them are useless and get boring FAST. Whereas, flashing roms like cyanogenmod is totally addicting and so much fun (shame my phone is stuck in alpha version for cyanogenmod). I havent seen much of a difference in the retina display because my phone's screen is larger, looks crisp and looks beautiful.
Best thing is if you dont want to root you can still install emulators for free regardless of rooting. I <3 pokemon on my android.
Choice is yours but i am never going back to iphone because my phone is more fun.
Cheers
Sent from my SGH-I727R using XDA App
Well I like iPhone. I am using Android now. I like the spirit of android that trust its' user.
I like android, because you can experiment a lot
Sent from my HTC Runnymede using xda premium
Apple makes something that just works. but if you don't like the way it works, too bad. Android devices work just as well, albeit differently, but it's nice to know that if there is anything in the UI that isn't to your liking, you can simply change it. in the early days of Android, the UI was sluggish and riddled with incompatibilities and crashes, which gave the iPhone a heightened sense of 'perfection.' this is a thing of the past. new, high-end Android devices are well-polished and just as snappy as any iPhone. ICS will further bridge the gap, especially in dual core devices.
one area Android cannot compete with Apple in, though, and I don't know if it will ever be able to: battery life.. and when you consider what the device is (above all else, it's a phone.. you probably need it to communicate, and therefore you probably want it to be powered on at all times), that's as important as any other feature. there's just no comparison. even if you spend 5 hours tweaking settings to minimize draw, your fancy shmancy Android device's battery will never last as long as an iPhone's. of course, again, we come back to the customization thing: with Android devices, you could just get a ludicrously overstuffed battery replacement and probably come near iPhone uptime, something you cannot do with Apple devices.
my honest opinion? (keep in mind I have owned 6 android devices since the Dream first came out.. I'm not an Apple fanboy at all - I'm not a fanboy of any fancy telephone. it's a phone, not my life) I would own an iPhone 4S over any current Android offering if I hadn't boycotted Apple years ago. they're not the type of business I willingly support... but give them respect when it's due: they make fantastic mobile devices.
for now, I'm more than happy with my MT4GS. I like the phys keyboard, which is superb, and I don't have to look like a halfwit when I'm sending e-mails on the go to the executive team. I like the hardware, which is identical to the Sensation's. I like the 3.7" screen coupled with HDPI resolution, which gives me plenty of viewing area on webpages and whatnot without crazy battery draw like you'll get from these gimmicky 5" HD screens. the camera is phenomenal for a phone. and even though it ships with the most disgusting form of Sense imaginable (T-mo's espresso), as I've said, it's easy to change things around to get the experience to my liking thanks to Android's ease of customization.
to all of the Android zealots who have posted here and will surely continue to post: get over it. the iPhone is the benchmark, that's the way it is, and in the foreseeable future, that's the way it will be. there's a reason for that, and it's not just because people who are Apple loyalists are idiots... ALL of apple's products are highly refined and very user friendly. if you're the kind of person who doesn't have the patience for technology, but wants to stay connected, you'd be dumb to go with anything but Apple. if you don't fit into that category; if you like to tinker, if you don't like feeling locked down by your mobile OS, buy an Android device and enjoy it... quit getting your panties in a bunch because the entire world doesn't see eye-to-eye with you concerning your choice in the realm of glorified telephones. if it works for you, that's all that matters, and who cares what your buddies with their iThings say? it's all just stuff in the end... stuff that will end up in a landfill just like the rest of the stuff you own.
just my $.02 (more like $.05, that was a novella)
I'd liken the iPhone to a safety bubble, where everything works well and doesn't overextend its boundaries. If you're someone who likes to tinker with everything, and wants more customizability, in terms of OS and phone choice, I'd go with Android.
This is how I recently described the difference between the iPhone and Android. I expected to get tutted at for saying it, but most people here agreed.
iPhones are for people who want to look like they know tech.
Android is for people that actually do know tech (or at least want to learn).
Nerds = android
IPhone = everyone else
If you wanna mod and my your phone and completely make it your own get an android.
The iPhone is great straight out of the box but is really locked down.
You basically need to tweak an Android phone to make it have decent battery life or get an extra battery.
Perks of android is options and oh btw ICS is amazing, it runs flawless on my phone, though I had to tweak it.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
basically everything a computer can
Android is like having a normal car, with all the proper features. iOS is like having that car with only 1 pedal, 1 gear, and just the fuel gauge on the dashboard.
Skv012a said:
Android is like having a normal car, with all the proper features. iOS is like having that car with only 1 pedal, 1 gear, and just the fuel gauge on the dashboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
....and it's shiny....
sooyong94 said:
....and it's shiny....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah yes, polished chrome for paint job that just blinds everyone else including yourself. Also, mirrors show what's in front of you rather than behind.
Most of the stated I agree with. I'd add that to me, iPhones are boring. What do you have when you turn on iPhone? Just a bunch of icons. Not very creative or different? Not even animated wallpaper. On Adndroid, half the fun is customizing the desktop. You can have live wallpaper, widgets, folders, icons... And yes, iPhone is probably a BIT smoother and more stable than most Android phones. But this is not the fault of Android phones, it is more a thing that you can't do half the things with an iPhone that you can do with Android. Apple limited their device and ofcourse it performs better because it doesn't do many things android does. Imagine only Live Wallpaper. How much more CPU power Android phones must use in order to display animated background.... then all the widgets. That constantly change/update.... while Apple devices only display rows of icons and no wonder they run slightly smoother. And in the end, as someone already stated, I will never buy an Apple product because I don't like the attitude of people using Apple. Those are mostly non-tech people that think they are so cool only because of something they OWN. IMHO it is way more cool to be ABLE to customize your device and understand how it works and tweak it than to be able to PURCHASE something. Just like they say in new Samsung commercial... one guy says "I could never have Samsung, I'm creative" and his friend replies "Dude, you're a barista" ;-) 99% of thos cool people are not businessman or even IT. They're waiters and shop assistents that need an ego boost....
P.S.
here it is for those that haven't seen it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&feature=player_embedded&v=6h5JSojJN3Y
Well, just my opinion, hope I didn't insult anyone.
regards,
D.
dalanik said:
Most of the stated I agree with. I'd add that to me, iPhones are boring. What do you have when you turn on iPhone? Just a bunch of icons. Not very creative or different? Not even animated wallpaper. On Adndroid, half the fun is customizing the desktop. You can have live wallpaper, widgets, folders, icons... And yes, iPhone is probably a BIT smoother and more stable than most Android phones. But this is not the fault of Android phones, it is more a thing that you can't do half the things with an iPhone that you can do with Android. Apple limited their device and ofcourse it performs better because it doesn't do many things android does. Imagine only Live Wallpaper. How much more CPU power Android phones must use in order to display animated background.... then all the widgets. That constantly change/update.... while Apple devices only display rows of icons and no wonder they run slightly smoother. And in the end, as someone already stated, I will never buy an Apple product because I don't like the attitude of people using Apple. Those are mostly non-tech people that think they are so cool only because of something they OWN. IMHO it is way more cool to be ABLE to customize your device and understand how it works and tweak it than to be able to PURCHASE something. Just like they say in new Samsung commercial... one guy says "I could never have Samsung, I'm creative" and his friend replies "Dude, you're a barista" ;-) 99% of thos cool people are not businessman or even IT. They're waiters and shop assistents that need an ego boost....
Well, just my opinion, hope I didn't insult anyone.
regards,
D.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also known as sheep.
Thing is, I have recently fled from the flock of sheep (I had an iphone 4, got it from a friend for free as I lost my Galaxy). I absolutely love the creative ability of android, I miss being in a moving truck instead of a shoebox. If you're deciding on which to get, it depends on what you want it to do;
Want something to just work? Get an iPhone.
Want the phone to be more flexible and allow you to customize almost every conceivably possible option? Get an android phone.
android can do what chuck norris cant
I know for a lot of average phone users, the argument is always, "Apple is so much easier to use!" It's understandable why people claim it's easier with Apple's focus on simplicity, unchanged UI, and locked down user environment on their OS. I've been using the latest jellybean and I'm trying to be as fair as possible giving my opinion for a non-techie/average phone user. I really think that Nexus (pure Android) is now as simplistic as iOS. Yes, there is a file system on android and other additional features, but average phone users mostly only explore home screens and other basic features. Jellybean UI only has the on-screen three navigation buttons with the three dot menu access either located at the top right of bottom right.
Apple only has the home button, but some times the back button is located in different areas of an app or to access shortcuts, you have to click the home button a certain amount of times which can not be very user friendly for people that just want to 'see' the button to access what they want. I've been using my parents' phones (HTC EVO 4G) and I agree gingerbread or other older android versions for that matter are hard to use for an average user. There's too many navigation buttons, phone's touch input is bad, plenty of needed improvements on an unsupported android version, and gingerbread is slow. I believe new comers can adapt very easily to Jellybean; everything is fast, fluid, attractive, and has become much more simplistic for setting up or accessing everyday features on the phone.
What do you guys think? Have you convinced family or friends to convert to the Nexus line of Android?
Ive been trying so hard to convert my gf from her icrap... Geez she had a droid bionic before i knew her but that had old gingerbread and skinned with blur(the worst ui for android) aosp or nexus is way to go
Sent from an Apple killing JellyBean
moparfreak426 said:
Ive been trying so hard to convert my gf from her icrap... Geez she had a droid bionic before i knew her but that had old gingerbread and skinned with blur(the worst ui for android) aosp or nexus is way to go
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Yeah. I need to sit down with some people who own iPhones and just show them side-by-side everyday tasks on Nexus (aosp). For example, telling them to show you how to attach a photo to a text message and then showing how to do it on Android. It's virtually the same and everything is much nicer on Android.
I'll say up front that I've owned Apple products and would consider doing so again.
iOS is a flaming heap of crap when it comes to the UI. It was what the user-base needed when smartphones where new, but we have so much more functionality now that it's ridiculous not to integrate it.
iOS is that person that still thinks it's the 1980s. Really garish and outdated, but not old enough to be classic and cool - or at least make people smile at how quaint it seems. It's everyone in Bruce Springsteen's Glory Days - those people that had an awesome time in high-school and now can't think of anything else.
I understand wanting to keep things the same for "non-tech" people who don't want to learn a new system every time they get a new phone. This is why they need to integrate small changes and improvements over time and teach people how to use them by explaining in a tutorial/greeting on the phone. I feel that Google does a very good job of that.
3/4 of my parents and step-parents have Android devices - and they have all picked it up pretty quickly.
My mom has a dumbphone on which she doesn't text and probably uses less than five minutes a month and still asks me how to attach files in an e-mail. I helped her pick out, buy, and set-up a TF700. She seems to be doing really well with it - a lot of people I've spoken with feel that an Android tablet is more "tech n00b" friendly than even a traditional computer - it's simple, everything is easy-to-find (and you usually don't need to go mucking around in the file-system), and you can reach out and touch what you want to do which is more natural for many than using the mouse.
She originally was thinking of an iPad, but it honestly wasn't the best choice for her. She needed a good camera (work-related) and the iPads that were in her price-range didn't have very great ones - and having a microSD card slot means that she doesn't have to worry about her video-recording taking up too much internal space even if she forgets to delete them when she's done. And she has the processing power and RAM that what she does isn't skipping and struggling when going back and forth through frames of HD video (something she specifically mentioned being worried about).
I think she would have been fine with an iPad, but she didn't have the budget for a newer one. Android offers options, customisation, and competition. Manufacturers are willing to take chances and try new things that might fail - whereas Apple plays it safe. I give credit to Apple for being the force to really push tablets into the mainstream - I just hope that iOS can get some much-needed innovation.
I believe my friend's "tech impaired" mom got an S3 and is doing fine. Touchwiz might be more bloated than Stock, but it does a pretty good job of being simple and teaching new users how to use it without overwhelming them. I think Samsung has done a great job with the S3 and their push behind it - offering something that appeals to many users and many different needs, allowing everyone to get what they want out of it. To me, that's what Android is all about - options, choices, and finding what's best for yourself.
Pennycake said:
I'll say up front that I've owned Apple products and would consider doing so again.
iOS is a flaming heap of crap when it comes to the UI. It was what the user-base needed when smartphones where new, but we have so much more functionality now that it's ridiculous not to integrate it.
iOS is that person that still thinks it's the 1980s. Really garish and outdated, but not old enough to be classic and cool - or at least make people smile at how quaint it seems. It's everyone in Bruce Springsteen's Glory Days - those people that had an awesome time in high-school and now can't think of anything else.
I understand wanting to keep things the same for "non-tech" people who don't want to learn a new system every time they get a new phone. This is why they need to integrate small changes and improvements over time and teach people how to use them by explaining in a tutorial/greeting on the phone. I feel that Google does a very good job of that.
3/4 of my parents and step-parents have Android devices - and they have all picked it up pretty quickly.
My mom has a dumbphone on which she doesn't text and probably uses less than five minutes a month and still asks me how to attach files in an e-mail. I helped her pick out, buy, and set-up a TF700. She seems to be doing really well with it - a lot of people I've spoken with feel that an Android tablet is more "tech n00b" friendly than even a traditional computer - it's simple, everything is easy-to-find (and you usually don't need to go mucking around in the file-system), and you can reach out and touch what you want to do which is more natural for many than using the mouse.
She originally was thinking of an iPad, but it honestly wasn't the best choice for her. She needed a good camera (work-related) and the iPads that were in her price-range didn't have very great ones - and having a microSD card slot means that she doesn't have to worry about her video-recording taking up too much internal space even if she forgets to delete them when she's done. And she has the processing power and RAM that what she does isn't skipping and struggling when going back and forth through frames of HD video (something she specifically mentioned being worried about).
I think she would have been fine with an iPad, but she didn't have the budget for a newer one. Android offers options, customisation, and competition. Manufacturers are willing to take chances and try new things that might fail - whereas Apple plays it safe. I give credit to Apple for being the force to really push tablets into the mainstream - I just hope that iOS can get some much-needed innovation.
I believe my friend's "tech impaired" mom got an S3 and is doing fine. Touchwiz might be more bloated than Stock, but it does a pretty good job of being simple and teaching new users how to use it without overwhelming them. I think Samsung has done a great job with the S3 and their push behind it - offering something that appeals to many users and many different needs, allowing everyone to get what they want out of it. To me, that's what Android is all about - options, choices, and finding what's best for yourself.
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This post is excellent. Apple does integrate small changes in the software every year, with the same minor upgraded phone that, "Changes it all." Problem is, is their platform is not moving fast enough and every software upgrade is poorly integrated leaving lag for multitasking and the notification bar to name a few. Apple definitely started the revolutionizing of smartphones and tablets into the mainstream, but I feel like they are no longer as innovative or exciting to hear about. Android has many phones across their platform with different themed phones that can deter users to go and choose an iPhone, but like you said it also gives the user many options and customization.
How come you didn't just buy your mom a phone for hd photo/video and rendering? Tablets are kind of awkward to hold for users who want to do that. I know that Apple has more apps optimized for their tablet, but on a budget, they're not the best buy. The best buy right now is the Nexus 7 or 10, but no sd card slot. You think she would need more than 16-32gb and additional cloud storage? Many "tech-impaired" people are still able to use old android phones quite well - more than I would want to. If they could just see what newer android phones offer, they're so much easier to use and it should no longer be said that, "Apple is so much easier to use than Android!" It's simply not true anymore - especially for the Nexus (pure Android) devices I'm talking about.
Google does do a great job of user-interactive tutorials first setting up the phone. I hate to be completely biased; I've had Apple devices in the past and am around them nearly everyday. They don't have that excitement or new features that have been on Android for awhile now. Not to mention how locked down their hardware and software is - slowing down development. I've also heard recently that Apple's new approach for their devices and software, is what they feel is the best for their interest and not the communities interest. That right there completely turns me off of ever owning one of their devices and I'll continue to support Google as they're my favorite company.
Another argument you'll always hear is, "Well Apple just has so many more apps and they work better." Well, they been around longer than Android and recently Android announced they have around 675000 apps now which is nearly identical to the Apple store. Pretty impressive considering how much longer Apple has been out. Also, saying they work better is entirely not true. There's been many tests on apps on both platforms and apps perform better on newer versions of Android. I just bought a Nexus 4 for $300 off-contract featuring a quad-core cpu, 2gb ram, true hd ips+ lcd screen, and the latest purest version of android. Does it get better than that?
Well, after developing for a few different OSes (WinMo, Windows Phone, Meego, Maemo, Android, BBOS) and owning pretty much every high end phone under the sun, I thought I'd pour out my thoughts pertaining to each individual OS and why I feel this way about them. This is by no means a comprehensive guide or anything to live by. Just one person's experience in each OS that I've used.
Windows Mobile:
Have to start with the classic, I never owned a Palm and WinMo had a place in my heart from the first time I ordered that HTC Wallaby, of course back then it was something like, "Microsoft Pocket PC 200X" or some outlandish name like that. Oh man, 32 MB of ram on a phone? This thing was monstrous! Mockeries aside, it started a love affair, the likes of which many girls came to be jealous of. I was an avid Winmo fanboy, transitioning from the Wallaby, to the Samsung Behold, HTC Dash, Samsung Behold 2, HTC Touch, HTC PPC 6800, then the Samsung Omnia which was everything a phone should be at the time. I remember geeking out so hard over the accelerometer. So few phones had them back then. I even briefly went back to WinMo after starting Android when I saw how amazing the HTC HD2 was.
I always felt that, despite not being truly open source, Windows Phone was just so much more capable than Android. I know that's not the case but it definitely felt like it. That and the launchers for it offered so much more depth than the same generic rows of icons with one added, mostly menial, feature. I played my first PS1 emulator on Winmo which made me love it by itself and I also co-developed my first app on it. It was an awful little RPG with 32 bit graphics but I was so proud you wouldn't believe it. It was my high school project and my little game blew people away. The OS was definitely not without flaws. HTC delved in as far as they were allowed to make the menus usable by something that wasn't a stylus but could only go so far which required a pretty nice and very well-aimed push right on the check box. If you missed it, too bad. This was also mostly on resistive screen technology making the odds of being dead on much worse. I'd also get random reboots even when I was just texting at times. Still, I remember having so much trouble transitioning into Android only because how could I use an OS without Swype? Sounds like some kind of sadistic torture if you ask me... WinMo held it's own and just destroyed the iPhone in every way except being pretty. For that and for it's time frame, it will always hold a special place in my heart.
My next big transition was into Android. I saw HTC making a big move and I was an HTC fan. That Z Hinge on the HTC Dream/G1 was too cool and futuristic to pass up, plus who doesn't like track balls? So, I went to Android. Android has and will always be to me, a very basic OS that the consumer is expected to make usable. This isn't based off just the one HTC Dream (Which, funny enough, is currently flashed with Kit Kat) I've actually owned over 80 Android phones throughout the years. I've felt this way even on my Galaxy S4. I became a fan only because I got to say, "Oh, your iPhone can... Well, mine actually has 3G and can picture message." It was all a battle with the iPhone for us early adopters. A battle that back then, we won. Then, Apple kept progressing, they fixed all of the little things that effected everyone and only left flaws for us nerds to gripe about. That war quickly became pandering. Something along the lines of, "Well, my phone has this trivial gimmick so it's better than yours!" I was literally trading around and upgrading phones every 1-2 weeks. I lived in Austin and there is always someone dumb enough on Craigslist to trade you what you want there if you make yours sound sweeter, especially when it's not. I had pretty much every GSM Android phone released in the US from the G1 to the Galaxy S2 Of course there were some that I missed but I even had that awful Garminfone Asus that we all try to forget existed. I always wanted something that could keep up but as I was playing RoboDefense on my Android device, the iPhone was getting Infinity Blade. It got to the point where I harbored a distaste for Android but I was too stubborn to go iPhone. Roughly when I reached that point is when Windows Phone 7 dropped. Android was dead in the water to me though I still own Android devices. They're there for development. My opinion on Android is this, it is a foundation. It's something that you take and you build on to make good. It is awful as a standalone. That said, individuals aren't going to be able to make the same quality software that a multi-billion dollar company can. To this day there are no good keyboards on Android. The OS is still buggy, there are still no devices that feel premium and there is still far too much lag even on the revered Nexus devices. I think that perhaps the Oneplus One might aid in resolving some of these issues based solely on videos but anything can be spoofed in a video.
So, on to Windows Phone 7. Spoiler alert: I hated it. At least I thought I did. I got the HD7 three days prior to release due to an error and was so excited. After using the Galaxy S Vibrant with it's AMOLED display, the HD7 looked awfully washed out but I'll deal, whatever. I thought I wanted those roms though, I thought I wanted Swype, I thought I wanted app folders. So, I traded that HD7 for a Dell Streak. Many of us remember this as the first "Phablet" with it's absolutely massive 5 inch screen *snicker* and prior to the HD7, I thought it my dream phone. I was absolutely giddy to get that trade... Then, I started really noticing Android's flaws. The incessant lagging, the bad keyboard, everything. I missed that HD7. I missed Windows Phone. I missed a coherent and speedy experience. I hunted and hunted and finally found another HD7. This was late in the year, maybe October, and for Christmas, I knew what I wanted. The Dell Venue Pro. Hands down, the best hardware keyboard I've ever used and I've used most. It was the first of two phones to ever last me more than two months and actually retained use for a full 8 or 9 months. I loved the thing. It was everything I wanted in a phone. Then, in a stroke of luck, I got offered to be a part of Nokia's developer program and got a pair of Nokia Lumia 800s shipped to me. I believe one was supposed to be for my old development partner who'd left to pursue other interests two months earlier so I had two Nokia Lumia 800s. One of which I traded for a Nokia N9 and both of which inspired a love for Nokia in general Nokia sells Windows Phone as well, if not better than the OS and the early marketing was often effective and always hilarious. This phone was bulletproof... I got pushed into a pool holding it, I fell off a motorcycle with it in my pocket and landed on it and this thing just kept going. In my opinion, it's the highest quality Nokia device with a touchscreen. However, it wasn't long til I realized that it would soon be tragically obsolete with the release of Windows Phone 8. I made the sad decision to trade it for the iPhone 4S which was new and worth a lot more at the time in hopes that I might soon trade the iPhone for a Lumia whatever comes out. Windows Phone 8 is an entirely different monster so I'll come back to that one. Ultimately, Windows Phone laid a strong foundation but due to poor support on the part of developers, it really was as their advertisement said, A phone to keep you away from your phone.
So, as I stated, my next endeavor was Meego. I also branched in to Maemo at this point but it was pretty uneventful and I don't have any strong feelings one way or the other about it. I got myself a cyan 64 gig monster with a front facing camera, imaging software that destroyed any other non-Nokia phone at the time and features that Samsung is just now incorporating into their phones while claiming they're revolutionary. Meego is also a heavily gesture driven OS which, let's face it, is the future. Meego, to me, was what Android should have been. It was smoother, it felt alive, it was on a premium device, it seldom lagged, it was pretty and it was bursting with features. Honestly, I still wish I hadn't gotten rid of that thing. I might still use it as a backup if I hadn't but as a broke College kid obsessed with the latest and greatest I had to get rid of both for the Nokia Lumia 920 which I don't regret but I would still love to have that huge piece of cell phone history. To date, I'd say it's the only non-Windows phone to breach my top 5 favorite phones of all time. Everything was seamless, the experience was great... I'll be honest, I had 0 complaints with this phone. I mean, sure there weren't a lot of apps but the basics were there and at the time it trumped Windows Phone in that regard. Aside from that, I wish Meego were still alive.
Then, there's iOS. I had this phone all the way up to iOS 7 so I can give at least some opinion on each version from then on. iOS when I got it on the 4S was ugly, plain and simple. It looked so painfully outdated that I had to jailbreak it just so looking at it didn't give me an aneurysm. The keyboard was almost as bad as Android's and the auto-correct was worse. It just felt like a jumbled mess at all times regardless of how things were arranged. If I had to explain iOS as an OS at that point, I'd call it a glorified app launcher because it was little else in my eyes. That said, as it progressed they added new features to make it a unique experience and enhance Siri (The one part of the OS I enjoyed) to offer deeper integration though it doesn't touch Google Now or Cortana. My biggest issue is that if you went Apple, it seemed you had to go all Apple or bust. To get out of their stupid iMessage system is hell, want to transfer contacts away from iPhone? Too bad, go through this lengthy and unorthodox process to do so. It was pretty bad. 7 added a few gestures I really liked but having been spoilt by Meego at this point, it was pretty underwhelming in comparison. iOS, to this date, feels like a glorified app launcher that they occasionally attach a new gimmick to for people to confuse for revolutionary. At least they finally made it easy on the eyes though.
Now, back in to Windows Phone 8. Given that my brand new Lumia 800s were made obsolete, I wanted something profound. What it felt like I got were slight improvements and a lot of apps that I'd paid money for that didn't transfer over. Some of my favorite Windows Phone 7 games don't exist on Windows Phone 8. This includes several Xbox live titles that I poured a bit of funds into including Tentacles, Splinter Cell, and the bullet hell game that Cave released for us. The name escapes me at present. I was taken aback, I had given up my perfect little Lumia 800 for this? The Lumia 920 which felt okay in comparison. On top of that, the wireless charging coil wasn't even in my first one so I needed a replacement and had to settle for black instead of yellow for my replacement. Overall, the experience started rough. Then, there was wordflow. Since the beginning of phones, I'd always wanted a keyboard that was smart. Sure, there are learning keyboards out there but none compared to Windows Phone's. I don't know who Belfiore sacrificed to The Dark Lord but this is perfect. The live tiles also certainly kept me enveloped. The slightly better customization in different tile sizes also made everything a bit less stagnant. Overall, it warranted at least a continued interest. Since then, I feel that Windows Phone has made great strides plus, thanks to Nokia, they're releasing the highest quality devices of any OS. At this point, I feel like Nokia took Windows Phone and single-handedly built it. The 8X was a beautiful device with a lot of issues and no real added software and Samsung just tossed another OS on their galaxy series. However, despite being carried by a single OEM, Nokia paired with Microsoft has created an OS to be revered and even with little things like Glance background has really flexed their muscles. Overall, the OS wasn't enough of an upgrade to just sell me but thanks to Nokia's additions and the overall quality of the OS that it exuded from it's Windows Phone 7 roots, it is the premium OS. That said, there is still an app gap that was made even worse by the poor transition to Windows Phone 7 to 8 and they've shown that they're not shy about alienating users.
Then, there was the Blackberry. this is something I bought from someone locally for $40 very recently and overall, it's a new experience. What do I think so far? Well, it's budget Meego on higher end hardware. The gestures are not as good, the OS itself looks like a very confused version of Android (which has enough conflict of it's own) and it's heavily dependent on the work of other OSes to try to stay afloat. I never had the earlier Blackberry devices so perhaps there was a point at which they were ahead of the game and the hardware is honestly pretty amazing, easily matching the iPhone in terms of sheer quality. However, they sacrificed security which was a massive selling point for them in favor of trying to swim in the big kid's pool and to say that they failed miserably would be an understatement.
So, what am I rocking now? I'm sadly rocking a Lumia 1520. Not that it's bad, it's great really, just a bit big. I'd bite on the 930 but no Glance screen is a deal breaker. I also have a Moto G and a Blackberry z10 as backup/development devices. None of them have ever been taken out into the wild though because they're not functional daily drivers to me. A key point in my eyes is texting and the keyboards are pretty dismal. I know I've touted the Windows Phone keyboard a lot in this thread but honestly, it's that good and with the shapewriting technology in 8.1, they put themselves light years ahead of everyone else in a very necessary though sadly underappreciated area.
Wow, you've had quite the journey, it seems like you experience nearly every version of Android and the last couple versions of iOS, as well as every version of windows phone.
Personally, I've only had a 3GS, NL 521, and NL 1520 (current).
I got the iphone about two months before iOS 6 came out and so I really didn't experience any of the annoyances that made iOS less than pleasant. Still when I switched to WP somehow things still felt streets ahead.
SoI can say you have long experience using different smartphone OS
I have 3 questions
1- What is the best OS you have ever used ?
2- What is the OS which you think now is the best for your needs ?
3- What is the formula for the best Smartphone I mean which OS with which company hardware will make the best smartphone ?
Some people says Nokia smartphones hardware with Android OS.
one-option said:
SoI can say you have long experience using different smartphone OS
I have 3 questions
1- What is the best OS you have ever used ?
2- What is the OS which you think now is the best for your needs ?
3- What is the formula for the best Smartphone I mean which OS with which company hardware will make the best smartphone ?
Some people says Nokia smartphones hardware with Android OS.
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1. That's a real toss up between Windows Phone 8.1 and MeeGo
2. Windows Phone, you won't get something more intuitive. Sure, you can't customize or overclock or all that crap but you don't need to. It works perfet out of the box.
3. Nokia Windows Phone has me nailed down pretty hard. I wouldn't want Android on a Nokia because Nokia is about infallible quality and that's pretty much the opposite of Android.
I`he used Windows Phone, the system is intuitive, looks nice but there aren`t many features available on android.
iOS on tablets and iPhones is usefull but I always feel limited by prices or lack of some solutions that is why I choose android.
I know android from Capcake 1.5 and I was always pleased and surprised by subsequent changes of capabilities of the system.
Hi Poecifer
I agree with you, I have used Lumia 520, 720 & 920 and to be honest Windows Phone is such a stable system, but I left it back to Android because VPN & file manager wasn't supported at the time in the OS.
Now I'm waiting for the WP8.1 Nokia devices.
for me Lumia 630 is missing flash light & Lumia 930 come with small battery, hope Nokia will provide prime high end flagship soon.
Holy crap 80 androids, I've had like 3 or 4 phones in the last 10 years xD
Some experiences about the newly released Firefox OS?
You say you don't like android keyboards. What about SwiftKey? I've tried many keyboards, from all different os's, and I think SwiftKey is great. And as for androids lagging, I am currently using a n5, and have used a m8 and I experience zero lag from both of those phones. I was wondering where you experience lag in these higher end devices. Currently I'm all about Android, the only thing I dislike is the build quality. Even with the m8, it could have been designed better. All these companies designing android phones have no taste or style.