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Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

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Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

#61

Post by jimktrains2 »

sixtofour wrote: post #14

Right from the beginning, it seems Verizon is the problem, not Android. They went to the Verizon store. Then they went home with an unactivated phone, and went through Verizon's crappy activation. I bought my Epic (Sprint) at Radio Shack, and left the store with an activated phone. I deleted the minimal crapware at home and have no complaints.

I've never left a VZW store with an unactivated phone. Even with the android devices, they set it up in the store (even if I mention that I can do it later ::shrug::).

I've only ever had to activate phones I've gotten in the mail.

Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

#62

Post by tlholaday »

km3k wrote: post #9

"does most of her emailing on an iPad" If she already has an iPad, isn't an iPhone the obvious choice? I love my Android phone, but if someone is already used to iOS and likes it, why not get them an iPhone?

Maybe because iPhone is unavailable from the carrier?

Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

#63

Post by joshmanders »

kbd wrote: post #54
joshmanders wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It still absolutely amazes me that you guys usually pay for incoming SMS messages. What? I've never seen a carrier charge for incoming SMS.

Really? Verizon: "20¢ per text sent (per recipient) or received (including Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)" AT&T: "All AT&T customers with Text Messaging-capable phones are pre-activated to send and receive messages at $0.20 per message with no monthly charge." Straight from their websites.

I guess it depends on location, because around my area, all I see are 'GET UNLIMITED TEXT AND DATA FOR ONLY YOUR LEFT LEG!!" ads all over the place.

Also it could quite possibly be that I am indeed living under a rock as I am very satisfied with my carrier so I don't actively look at plans of others.

Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

#64

Post by yardie »

nextparadigms wrote: post #30
PatrickTulskie wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The important thing here is that most of the Android ecosystem is like this. When you buy an iPhone, you're getting exactly what you paid for. No two Androids are sold the same though. Some have tons of crapware, some have an interface you can't change, and for someone who isn't looking to customize the crap out of their phone, hack it, uninstall things, none of that makes any sense. The Nexus S is a great phone beca…

The same could be said about the Windows ecosystem, too. The same could be same about the "Blackberries", as well. I don't think all of them are very high quality, even for people who like Blackberries. The only difference is that it's Apple who only makes a model per year, and soon 2 per year from what rumors say. But in thise case people should be more like "I'll only buy a phone from HTC", or whatever, if they car…

The same could be said about the Windows ecosystem, too

Which is why Microsoft changed the OEM model. Customers were complaining about a poor OOTB experience and blaming microsoft for it. As they should, since its MS on boot, MS on desktop, MS on start menu. If Acer's, Asus, or HP's poorly coded background widget is causing system crashes most users are going to root around for it if they barely got started with the thing.

Now, you can't sell a PC with a Microsoft sticker on it without verification now. (Notice how all the ads say Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Premium). It's not because HP is slapping bootleg installs on there PCs, it's because they sent that model to Microsoft and they assure you you won't have a crappy experience the first time this PC boots.

Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

#65

Post by nikcub »

markokocic wrote: post #19
yock wrote: post #6

The real issue here is not the hardware and not Android, but what device manufacturers and network providers cram down the throats of their customers. Custom UI enhancements/replacements, useless bundled apps that can't be removed, and the removal of standard, OS-delivered features. None of this should have been new or a surprise to the writer's mom, who was coming to Android from a feature phone. Feature phones have…

But this what you explained is exactly the problem with Android. With iPhone, carriers, phone manufacturers and such are not allowed to install their crapware/bloatware on the phone. With Android, they can do whatever they want, and the only sane option for an end user is to root the phone.

manufacturers must pass the Android Compatability Test Suite[1] in order to be granted rights to the android trademark and the permission to refer to their device as android[2].

the problem is CTS tests API consistency with the goal of preventing platform fragmentation for app developers. there is also a separate set of tests that specify minimum hardware requirements for each version of android, and specs such as battery life, etc.

compatibility and android brand licensing also requires a certain set of minimum apps, such as the phone dialer, calendar, contacts, music player, etc. but (and quote[3]):

> The Android upstream project defines a number of core applications, such as a phone dialer, calendar, contacts book, music player, and so on. Device implementers MAY replace these applications with alternative versions.

and further -- the gmail, chat etc. apps are proprietary Google apps, and there are various licensing reasons why they can not be enforced as part of 'compatibility'.

API compatibility is good, but UI and app compatibility is very flexible - and given such flexibility, carriers will almost always go the crawpware route.

[1] http://source.android.com/compatibility/android-cts-manual-r...

[2] http://source.android.com/compatibility/index.html

[3] http://source.android.com/compatibility/2.3/android-2.3.3-cd...

Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

#66

Post by hollerith »

bane wrote: post #12

I've known a few people who moved from a BB to an Android, returned it, then went with an iPhone. While I love love love my Android phone, it's definitely a geek's phone that offers a much more capable mobile platform, but at the tradeoff of more exposed complexity. And most of the additional capability are things that most people don't care about (yay! I can add more home screens, and I have a tricorder app! and I'v…

>While I love love love my Android phone, it's definitely a geek's phone

Some geeks, like the Linux-user who authored the following long personal analysis, prefer iPhone to Android:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2811768 -- "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the iOS," discussed on HN 2 days ago.

ADDED. In other words, let us not fall into the trap of rationalizing Android's lack of universal appeal by saying that the person who prefers iPhone is not geeky enough to appreciate Android.

Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

#67

Post by thequux »

cryptoz wrote: post #52
joshmanders wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It still absolutely amazes me that you guys usually pay for incoming SMS messages. What? I've never seen a carrier charge for incoming SMS.

Last time I checked (a few months ago), every large carrier in Canada charges 15 cents for each incoming SMS. That's Bell, Rogers, Telus...maybe some others. Many people have a plan addon that includes receiving some SMS for free, but the basic stock plans do not.

Canadian cell companies are a special kind of terrible. AFAICT, they exist purely to make the american companies look good by comparison. When I was there for 5 days, the cheapest way for me to get phone/internet on my Nexus S was to stick my Vodafone Germany SIM in and use roaming. (I was just using texts, twitter, and light maps; a total of 10MB for the weekend.)

Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

#68

Post by angus77 »

jm4 wrote: post #60
nhebb wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The battery life and "scorching hot" temperature sound like hardware issues, but I doubt they're representative of all Android phones - just this model.

I owned 3 different Android phones over the past 3 years. My wife owned 2 models different from mine over the same span. My experience is based on using 5 different Android models from different manufacturers. Although I'm focusing now on the things I did not like, the fact that I stayed with Android for so long should suggest that there was plenty I did like. Battery life was terrible on every Android phone I used.…

Wow... I'm replying to this from my HTC Desire, which I've had for over a year. I have had exactly ZERO of those problems. The biggest complaint I have is that I still don't have an update for Android 2.3 yet.

Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

#69

Post by ZoFreX »

Can we PLEASE stop repeating that "30-40%" return figure? Even the source article says it only applies to SOME Android phones, which isn't really that big of a surprise - some phones, like the Charge from the sounds of it, are genuinely crap. No decent source is claiming that Android phones are being returned en masse, however, in fact I have my own source on some information: Phones 4 U (high street store in the UK) tell me that 40% of their monthly contracts were for Galaxy S II's, and that the return rate on them was "exceptionally low".

Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

#70

Post by dman »

nollidge wrote: post #47
speckledjim wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's still a problem with US carriers. (Other countries have far better carriers and ecosystems than the US) It still absolutely amazes me that you guys usually pay for incoming SMS messages. I mean come on. W T F? If the carriers started charging each time you charge your battery the US public would just bend over and take it.

Only if they have a plan that doesn't include texting, which is vanishingly rare now.

Both t-mobile and verizon offer this. And I havent checked the others. Ive never paid for text and have incoming SMS's blocked too.
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