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Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS

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Re: Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS

#11

Post by bad_user »

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #8
obeattie wrote: post #5

A lot of the points are certainly valid, though somewhat debatable. The #1 one-up (Multitasking) is set to become an iPhone feature in about a month. As for no notifications on the lock screen, have the authors never received a push notification? Again though, local notifications are coming in iPhone OS 4.

I was under the impression that both the Android and Apple multi-tasking implemntations were limited in various ways, but that the Apple one was more limited, so you could probably still count that if you wanted to.

Unfortunately the talks on such subjects are filled with opinions of bystanders ... insightful articles/comments comparing X vs Y from people that used both in production are few and far between.

Re: Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS

#12

Post by Irfaan »

Most of the author's complaints are completely valid. That said, a jailbroken iPhone can install software to mitigate a number of these issues. Not a sure-fire solution, of course - it's such a pain chasing after jailbreaks, and you never know if-and-when the magic update happens that'll stop jailbreaking forever.

Still, for those curious...

1: Android can Run Multiple Apps at the Same Time

"Backgrounder" will give you basic multitasking. And "ProSwitcher" builds on it to give you wonderful, Pre-like task switching. Caveat - there just isn't enough memory in anything less then the 3GS to comfortably multitask.

2: Android Keeps Information Visible on Your Home Screen

It'll cost a few dollars, but I've been very happy using "LockInfo" to provide a useful lock screen. It's a must-have application for me - it goes a long way to making my iPhone feel like an actual PDA rather then just a toy.

4: Android Gives You Better Notifications

Not nearly as nice as the Android's, but "LockInfo" does a pretty good job of managing my notifications once I told it to suppress pop-ups when my phone's locked. Paired with "Notifier" to continue pestering me if I miss an important update, I'm pretty content.

8: Android Lets You Change Your Settings Faster

"SBSettings" makes changing settings a snap - just slide my finger across the status bar at the top of the screen to access it. Though I'm not a fan of the default appearance - do yourself a favor and install the "Deep HUD" theme for a cleaner interface.

--

And while I'm advocated bits and bobs to match up with the Android user experience:

"Simple Background" is a nice bit of eye candy, if you want your iPhone to have the same sort of parallax scrolling wallpaper that Android enjoys.

"Inspell" gives you red squiggly misspelling highlighting and intuitive spelling correction. It's a fantastic addition. Honest question - does the Android have something like this?

Re: Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS

#13

Post by jrockway »

usaar333 wrote: post #4
[deleted] wrote: post #3

[deleted]

"your manhood is not automatically diminished if someone else makes a different consumer choice." In a sense this is true, but my lifestyle is definitely affected by others making a different consumer choice, at least in regards to platforms. For instance, I use Linux primarily as my desktop OS. If an order of magnitude more consumers were using Linux, my experience would be better as there would be more software and…

I disagree with this. Software is mostly a product of API flexibility rather than the number of potential users.

One thing that annoys me most about Windows is that I have to use a mouse to manage windows. There are tiling window managers, but none of them can hold a candle to Xmonad. Even though Linux has fewer users, it has better software.

Same goes for Android -- fewer users and less monitization opportunities. But more possibilities, so there are more interesting applications. (Locale, for example.)

Re: Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS

#14

Post by thwarted »

Irfaan wrote: post #12

Most of the author's complaints are completely valid. That said, a jailbroken iPhone can install software to mitigate a number of these issues. Not a sure-fire solution, of course - it's such a pain chasing after jailbreaks, and you never know if-and-when the magic update happens that'll stop jailbreaking forever. Still, for those curious... 1: Android can Run Multiple Apps at the Same Time "Backgrounder" will give y…

Most of the author's complaints are completely valid. That said, a jailbroken iPhone can install software to mitigate a number of these issues. Not a sure-fire solution, of course - it's such a pain chasing after jailbreaks, and you never know if-and-when the magic update happens that'll stop jailbreaking forever.

You've just pointed out that the general purpose CPU in the iPhone can run other software. This isn't what is at issue, what's at issue is the default/sanctioned install that comes with the iPhone. Of course you can get other android-like features on your iPhone if you replace or supplement the core iPhone software with something else. But then, your jailbroken iPhone isn't really an iPhone anymore, is it?

"Inspell" gives you red squiggly misspelling highlighting and intuitive spelling correction. It's a fantastic addition. Honest question - does the Android have something like this?

The default Android keyboard, and other keyboards, corrects as you type and/or gives you spelling suggestions and word completions. This has been a much better experience than having to go back and try to correct misspellings after the fact.

Re: Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS

#15

Post by Irfaan »

thwarted wrote: post #14
Irfaan wrote: post #12

Most of the author's complaints are completely valid. That said, a jailbroken iPhone can install software to mitigate a number of these issues. Not a sure-fire solution, of course - it's such a pain chasing after jailbreaks, and you never know if-and-when the magic update happens that'll stop jailbreaking forever. Still, for those curious... 1: Android can Run Multiple Apps at the Same Time "Backgrounder" will give y…

Most of the author's complaints are completely valid. That said, a jailbroken iPhone can install software to mitigate a number of these issues. Not a sure-fire solution, of course - it's such a pain chasing after jailbreaks, and you never know if-and-when the magic update happens that'll stop jailbreaking forever. You've just pointed out that the general purpose CPU in the iPhone can run other software. This isn't wh…

You've just pointed out that the general purpose CPU in the iPhone can run other software.

Actually, the gist of my message was to point out specific bits of software to help folks who feel hindered by some of the limitations the article's author mentioned. I know they help me feel more comfortable using the iPhone.

I didn't think I was being particularly subtle, but I guess I was mistaken.

But then, your jailbroken iPhone isn't really an iPhone anymore, is it?

That's a... strange claim to make. And the only way it seems even related to my message is if you ignore my explicit caveat about how annoying and fretful jailbreaking is. Which I'm fairly certain you read - why, it's right there, in the bit you quoted.

The default Android keyboard, and other keyboards, corrects as you type and/or gives you spelling suggestions and word completions. This has been a much better experience than having to go back and try to correct misspellings after the fact.

Given the tone of your response, I seem to have really irked you. I'm asking an honest question here - this is a feature I find really useful (enough that I gladly paid for this bit of jailbreak-only software that could vaporize at Apple's whim). I'm not asking for your opinion on how text input should be done (because frankly, I don't agree), nor for platform advocacy. Really, I thought my question was rather straight forward.

Re: Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS

#16

Post by masklinn »

awolf wrote: post #7

Could someone elaborate on how Android's multitasking is better than iPhone OS 4's? I was under the impression that the mechanics of each were nearly identical.

> I was under the impression that the mechanics of each were nearly identical.

They're actually very different: with Android you create what's basically a daemon server, no UI but does everything it want, while with OS4 you register against service (there are 7 service types to choose from) and the OS itself runs and manages it, calling your registered service hooks.

Android gives far more control, at the cost of more (programmatic) complexity and more battery life risks (a badly implemented daemon/service will kill your battery life quick, whereas on the OS4 since the OS keeps full control of the execution it has a much better shot at managing battery/power issues, and it can more efficiently handle multiple applications registering for the same service).

The part that is similar is the handling of non-multitasking-aware applications (regular applications in OS4, applications with no daemon in Android): they're simply frozen in RAM, and killed if memory pressure becomes an issue.

Re: Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS

#17

Post by masklinn »

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #9
awolf wrote: post #7

Could someone elaborate on how Android's multitasking is better than iPhone OS 4's? I was under the impression that the mechanics of each were nearly identical.

A gruber-approved link with a pro-Apple explanation of the iPhone's limitations: http://davidquintana.com/entry/mobile-multitasking Quote: There are only three types of actions allowed to be performed in the background and each is handled differently. They are: * Background Audio * Voice over IP (VOIP) * Background Location

Your quote is incomplete, the phrase before it is important:

> If an app needs to continue functioning indefinitely while in the background

Operative word here being indefinitely, in the paragraph above he describes task completion as well (an application can request up to 10mn [or something, might have changed] to finish handling a task)

Re: Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS

#18

Post by masklinn »

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #8
obeattie wrote: post #5

A lot of the points are certainly valid, though somewhat debatable. The #1 one-up (Multitasking) is set to become an iPhone feature in about a month. As for no notifications on the lock screen, have the authors never received a push notification? Again though, local notifications are coming in iPhone OS 4.

I was under the impression that both the Android and Apple multi-tasking implemntations were limited in various ways, but that the Apple one was more limited, so you could probably still count that if you wanted to.

The Android way has less (if any) limitations (you register a service/daemon which behaves as an application server, it's headless but other than that does whatever it wants). Apple's solution is much more limited (you register tasks against the OS and the OS runs it, which limits what you can do to what the OS itself provides) but the tradeoff is that "debatable" programming has lower chances of eating your battery alive (and the OS can more efficiently handle some services e.g. if 5 different applications asked for GPS/movement notification, the OS can poll the chip once and it will then dispatch that one message to everybody, whereas with the Android solution you'd have 5 different services polling the location API)

Re: Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS

#19

Post by masklinn »

jrockway wrote: post #13
usaar333 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"your manhood is not automatically diminished if someone else makes a different consumer choice." In a sense this is true, but my lifestyle is definitely affected by others making a different consumer choice, at least in regards to platforms. For instance, I use Linux primarily as my desktop OS. If an order of magnitude more consumers were using Linux, my experience would be better as there would be more software and…

I disagree with this. Software is mostly a product of API flexibility rather than the number of potential users. One thing that annoys me most about Windows is that I have to use a mouse to manage windows. There are tiling window managers, but none of them can hold a candle to Xmonad. Even though Linux has fewer users, it has better software. Same goes for Android -- fewer users and less monitization opportunities. B…

> One thing that annoys me most about Windows is that I have to use a mouse to manage windows. There are tiling window managers, but none of them can hold a candle to Xmonad. Even though Linux has fewer users, it has better software.

It's not XMonad by a long shot, but Windows 7 has much improved shortcuts for moving windows around and doing some basic tiling (left half/right half of a screen, as well as fullscreen and "normal" with the Win-arrows combinations)

Re: Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS

#20

Post by warfangle »

Irfaan wrote: post #15
thwarted wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of the author's complaints are completely valid. That said, a jailbroken iPhone can install software to mitigate a number of these issues. Not a sure-fire solution, of course - it's such a pain chasing after jailbreaks, and you never know if-and-when the magic update happens that'll stop jailbreaking forever. You've just pointed out that the general purpose CPU in the iPhone can run other software. This isn't wh…

You've just pointed out that the general purpose CPU in the iPhone can run other software. Actually, the gist of my message was to point out specific bits of software to help folks who feel hindered by some of the limitations the article's author mentioned. I know they help me feel more comfortable using the iPhone. I didn't think I was being particularly subtle, but I guess I was mistaken. But then, your jailbroken…

The point was about how things come out of the box - for the consumer, not the prosumer :). Of course it's annoying to jailbreak. That's why, for all intents and purposes, it doesn't matter. It's like Δx^2 while you take the first derivative: in the end, jailbreaking doesn't really affect the sales of a product.

Anyway, red squiggly lines are good for checking a mass of text after the fact. But only if your input method does not allow for checking and correcting at time of input. When this type of thing happens at input-type instead of scan-before-hitting-reply-time, you're probably less likely to miss something.

Also, given that you can manually add words to the phone's dictionary is something my iPhone never did have (another win for Android).

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