She’s pretty tech savvy –uses Gmail, has a Tumblr, does most of her emailing on an iPad
That is all it takes to be called tech savvy these days?
Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone
71–80 of 211 posts
Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone
#72It seems that Google's mistake has been in allowing the carriers too much latitude in modifying an otherwise decent platform. The carriers have proven, definitively, that they provide negative value for end-user experience and overall device quality. If carrier interference isn't somehow controlled -- or even limited -- then Android's reputation will be severely damaged.
I think being pally with carriers is also whats gotten Android where it is. Among other missteps that Nokia has done - alienating carriers with things like Ovi is one of them - as a result Nokia phones are hard to find on most networks and customers cant buy what is unavailable on carriers. Yes Apple is the shining counter example but until the rest of the world figures out how to negotiate without conceding anything things are as they are.
Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone
#73I wrote this up yesterday and didn't publish it because my Facebook friends couldn't care less.
CyanogenMod releases faster, has more stable [stable] releases, uses better, more mature, widely embraced software (mtd over bml, ext4, etc), has more (and more consistent) features. Carriers are asking the manufacturers to lock the bootloaders to keep you from flashing CyanogenMod on it and your mom having a stable phone that receives fast updates.
They prefer methods of control that cause users to want to upgrade because half their phone capacity is already being spent running Blur, Sense or some daemons that have running to support their proprietary front ends. And none of it, of course, is truly necessary. Extremely complex theming options are available, again via an open source feature developed by T-Mobile and shared with the OSS community.
And before anyone says it, my mother hated her Droid in it's later Froyo days. It was faster and better battery than Eclair but was also more prone to freezing and being low on memory. I installed CM7 stable, she gets push updates that are seamlessly handled via Rom Manager. The only thing I had to tell her was to make sure the "Backup checkbox is filled in". If need be, restoration instructions are very simple for me to give over the phone, but in ALL my days of flashing nightlies on several (of my) phones, I've never had to.
Same story with the brother's Droid Incredible with the horrendous and offensive previous versions of Sense. The sad thing is, Verizon killed the Gingerbread update. It was leaked and largely fully functional, but no phone will ever see it.
Not all Androids are created equally. [Just to be on the same page, I'm not using this as an excuse. It's a huge perception problem. End users don't know that the Thunderbolt, Nexus S, and Droid X all have different interfaces and complexities going on in the background.] I'm also not sure if I "want" Google to do anything about it, besides be more emphatic that the "Google" branding on the phone makes it better. (That branding is reserved for the clean, near-AOSP roms)]
Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone
#74Earlier 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…
> because the article is primarily about problems with the Android ecosystem. IN THE U.S.A. If you want better cellphones with better carriers who don't do stupidly intrusive things, move to Europe.
...or just get an iPhone.
Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
From what I understand, the mobile phone system in the EU works differently than in the US. In the US, almost all phones are bought at carrier-subsidized prices - i.e. much cheaper than buying the phone standalone. The catch is that you have to sign for a 2-year contract with that carrier to get the subsidized prices. The prices for mobile phone plans in the US are much higher because they include the phone subsidy.…
In the EU (well, I can speak for Greece), you get the phone with carrier subsidies, with year-long contracts. You can choose not to get a phone and deduct an amount off your contract each month. The carrier-subsidized phones are usually exactly the same as the stock devices. Some carriers install one or two apps (rarely), but I've never seen a carrier-locked phone in the hundreds of devices I've seen. Any carrier-spo…
In France, most carrier subsidized phones are locked to the carrier.
However they must unlock it for free after 6 months.
Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
All of Linux's problems on the desktop aren't really problems with Linux. Errr, what?
What he's saying is that all of Linux's problems are with the kernel and surrounding low level code (which is quite stable, performs well, etc.), but with the integration, support and design of the distributions laid on top of them. For example Ubuntu has made great strides in this regard, but some would say the continual, sometimes drastic changes in the shipped apps and modifications of the interface make it hard f…
I actually think he is being facetious. It may be true to say "it's not android", but as far as they end-user is concerned it _is_ android. It's got the logos, came with an android sticker on the box. For that user, when it comes to purchase or recommend another phone, will they make the same distinction or will their previous android experience influence their choice?
Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone
#77Earlier 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.…
Task killers don't do anything, the issue that created a need for them was patched in 2.2. Now they're just a placebo.
Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone
#78This has turned out exactly like the Windows PC situation, it seems. Computer comes loaded with so much crap it's almost unusable, and you have to have a tech-savvy friend spend a day cleaning it up (or doing a clean reinstall) to make it usable. I wonder if Google will do more than Microsoft has done to try to retain control of the end user experience.
Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone
#791. I'm not sure where you went to pick up the phone but I went to an official Verizon store and got the same exact phone a few weeks ago and they set it up for me while I was there. I just had to be able to type in my GMail password.
2. The camera app that wouldn't rotate? I agree. That would be nice to have but certainly not a deal breaker.
3. Your battery is getting scorching hot because an app that you're using is broken.
4. My battery lasts a long time if I'm not constantly using the phone and I have decent service.
Overall I agree with your points though. The user experience is inconsistent from phone to phone and it makes purchasing one really difficult because you can't rely on hearsay from someone else who doesn't necessarily have the same brand/model.
Re: Why my Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
I'm glad yours is working out. I know people that absolutely love their Android phones. I know some others that don't like them so much. After 5 phones, 3 manufacturers and 2 carriers I have seen enough to believe it's not an isolated thing, but I also realize my experience is not necessarily representative of the majority of Android phones. Still, it's enough for me to avoid them. It seems to me like a pretty hit or miss proposition. In any case, my wife and I are happy iPhone users now.