I keep putting off doing anything on android because of java. I don't know java, and I don't really want to learn it. I suppose I will give in eventually, for android, but it will be grudgingly.
Android
41–50 of 196 posts
Re: Android
#42Windows lacked the fit and finish of the Macintosh. But it didn't matter. Because there were hundreds of Windows machines whereas there was only a few variations of Macintosh, all controlled by the same company and priced at a premium. Windows is priced at a premium, you just don't feel it because the cost is rolled into the cost of whatever piece of kit you just bought. Is our memory so shallow as to forget the anti…
> Is our memory so shallow as to forget the anti-trust methods that brought Windows to dominance? It wasn't because the market wanted it, it was because that's what was crammed down the throat of the market. Yes, that came along eventually, but might I suggest a read of "20 years of high tech marketing disasters"? The author suggests that Microsoft came to dominate only thanks to other players in the market screwing…
Quite right. The monopolist behavior came years after their original success, and doubtless in the minds of MS's leader(s) was no different from the scrappy competitiveness they had always practiced.
MS were smart, but also lucky in their competitors. Digital Research deserves a place of honor on your list. And most things I've read about Netscape seem like they were so afraid of being killed by MS that they killed themselves instead.
Re: Android
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm in my second year of a CS degree. We have a required module titled "Mobile Application Development" which from what I've heard is purely Android development. There is also an optional iPhone development module which is less popular due to the £120 Apple developer fee (I expect the people who take this module will be the ones who bring their shiny Macbooks to every lecture and complain loudly when asked to put the…
I am actually surprised Apple would charge developer fees for academic purposes. Wont they be much better of creating future developers for their ecosystems, as compared to getting their wallet fatter by $120/student?
Free university licenses exist, though I think it needs to be set up by the institution
Re: Android
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
What do you think makes WP7 superior to Android? Please be as detailed as you can; this is not an argument, it's a feature request :-) A million lurking volunteers, bored but capable as they are, will take it upon themselves to improve Android before Google gets around to it (it's a vicious race for good hacks.)
I can share my experience from developing with Silverlight and c# for a few years (Though for the past year I've developed exclusively in java). First of all the language. c#, especially in the latest iterations has become incredible. Featuring the goodness of both statically and dynamically typed languages. It has become very elegant and powerful. Sadly, I can't say anything similar on Java. Is has been very slow to…
Excellent!
Android allows you to define your UI in XML as well[1]. It's not that novel, Flex does the same thing too. But not to be too dismissive, it would nice to hear of experts in both to tell us what Android might be lacking.
Regards UI editor, yes, Android doesn't have any WYSIWYG UI editors. There is one, but it's 3rd party and not as polished as you describe MS's to be.
--
Re: Android
#45I know of no Android tablet available in the $199 price range. Someone please point one out if one exists. The argument that Windows won because Macintosh was priced at a premium is a dubious argument. Apple is able to purchase flash memory, processors, and touch screens in bulk. They own Intrinisty and PA Semiconductor. Apple looks like Walmart on their supply side and looks like Barney's on the retail side. There i…
Looks like Archos has a 7 inch tablet that they sell for $199, though it doesn't have 3G access. Archos has been around for a while and are known to build fairly solid hardware, so this isn't some drive-by-night operation hawking crap on late-night informercial either.
http://www.archos.com/products/ht/index.html?country=us&...
edit: er, apparently it still runs android 1.5...
Re: Android
#46I have been debating fiddling wither win7 or android. What is a good android phone to test/develop with? Is the nexus still the best choice?
You can start hacking Android without a phone. The emulator is just cool :-)
Re: Android
#47 Windows lacked the fit and finish of the Macintosh. But
it didn't matter. Because there were hundreds of Windows
machines whereas there was only a few variations of Macintosh...
It's really quite imprudent to bet on Android for only that reason.
Re: Android
#48But the iPhone and iPad aren't priced at a premium.
Anyway, it's a mistake pit Google against Apple. The real battle will be between Google and Microsoft for the exact same hardware manufacturers and sales channels. (Meanwhile, you can buy an iPad from an Apple Store or from Walmart without any carrier involvement).
Google hasn't managed the fragmentation problem very well, they haven't done enough to control the quality the Android OS between carriers and manufacturers, and they've utterly mismanaged the Android Market. I'm no fan of Microsoft or WinMo 7, but I expect Microsoft to do a much better job at addressing all of those issues.
Microsoft can also leverage their Zune desktop software.
And Microsoft's development tools are generally very popular with developers. I've done some work with WPF and I found it very impressive and I would expect their Phone SDK to be of similar quality. On the other hand, even though I generally like Java I'm finding the move from iPhone development to Android development to be a depressing step backwards both in terms of the dev tools and especially the SDK.
Then again, it is Microsoft we're talking about. It may take them another 3 or 6 years to get it right.
Re: Android
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm a full-time Android developer. I alternate between using a Nexus One and an iPhone 4 as my main phones. One of the big differences is that iOS devices have hardware accelerated graphics. You don't really notice how weak transitions and animations are on Android until you get used to using an iPhone. It's a subtle difference, but it's real and it makes a difference. Other "fit and finish" advantages that the iPhon…
One of the big differences is that iOS devices have hardware accelerated graphics. You don't really notice how weak transitions and animations are on Android until you get used to using an iPhone. It's a subtle difference, but it's real and it makes a difference. It's weird that Android still doesn't have this. Even tired old Symbian is now using GPU acceleration for display compositing...
This is (another area) where Apple's strictly controlled hardware platform fully specified and understood trumps Android's carrier friendliness. Because we consumers aren't the market for mobile phones, however, I don't expect iOS to "win" -- to maintain current marketshare. I also expect Apple to be seriously challenged in terms of user experience by WP7, but never by Android.
DISCLAIMER: Former Apple engineer, reasonably unreasonable fanboy.
Re: Android
#50I find it interesting that most people who like Android like it in the future tense. Android is always great, but in that next version, that is just around the corner. That upcoming tablet, that upcoming phone, that upcoming software.
I don't know what people you talk to, but the current article clearly talks in present tense.