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An iPhone lover’s confession: I switched to the Nexus 4

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Re: An iPhone lover’s confession: I switched to the Nexus 4

#121

Post by kalleboo »

robmcm wrote: post #91
w1ntermute wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you kidding me? The iPhone has the optimal width? You sound just like Marco, Gruber, and all those other Apple sycophants who were claiming that the iPhone size was perfect for the hand, until the iPhone 5 came out, of course. Just like they got their thumbs surgically altered when the 5 came out, no doubt you will be getting all your pockets resized if Apple increases the iPhone width.

I still think the iPhone 4 & The iPhone 5 compromises to make the screen bigger, but only by a little. I don't think I could use a 4" device like a Nexus 4 (I have a Nexus S which was a good size), on my commute where I need to hold onto a handle of the train, underground with one hand, smartphone in other.

Some people have larger hands than others. Android gives you the whole range from an Xperia tipo to the Note. On the iPhone, unless you want to compromise performance, you have one phone.

Re: An iPhone lover’s confession: I switched to the Nexus 4

#122

Post by chousuke »

SeripisChad wrote: post #102
ScottWhigham wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The facial recognition is very cool. Does it take longer than a swipe+pin? I guess it's just a matter of the hardware - how long it takes the camera to focus, how long it takes the chip to process, etc. It's just that I can swipe+pin in probably 1 - 1.5 seconds and I'd be surprised if facial recognition is faster.

Takes about the same time to unlock in my experience(EVO 3D). I'd really prefer for a different unlock method all together. I'd like my phone to be locked in case its lost/stolen, but I'd like it unlock faster. It's be fine wearing a Bluetooth-enabled accessory (ring,tie pin, device secured to the shoes/belt/pants/wallet in some fashion) that would bypass the lock because I'm with-in a given radius to the device.

Something like that is probably possible with NFC tags. My phone doesn't support them so I can't give details, but I'm fairly certain it's doable.

Re: An iPhone lover’s confession: I switched to the Nexus 4

#123

Post by Tyrant505 »

lanelio wrote: post #116
greggman wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't read the article but I was an iPhone3 for a year, nexus 1 for a year, nexus s for a year and now iPhone 4S for a year. Things I still miss: I still miss that android apps can download in the background so for example when I wake up I the morning any new podcasts I'm subscribed to are already on the phone. Contrast to iOS6 where I have to remember to manually run the app. Which generally means I only run it…

"I haven't read the article but..." So it's come to this on HN...

No.. it was just stated instead of not.

Re: An iPhone lover’s confession: I switched to the Nexus 4

#124

Post by micampe »

bane wrote: post #86
Cor wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can get it here - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.pooley.beta... . You'll also need to install the 'Ultimate Clock Widget' app from here - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.vineetsiroh... . Enjoy!

The coolest bit is that I can install both of these on my phone and tablet (which is back at home and not with me) right now via the links you just shared without having to interact with either device.

What's funny is that this feature gets often pointed out as one of the cool Android exclusives, but iOS has it too: you just need to turn on Automatic Downloads in the store settings, it works for apps as well as media and books purchased from the store.

It's more limited, in that it will download all purchases made on any other device (or iTunes) connected to the same account, but it seems like very few people are aware of it.

Re: An iPhone lover’s confession: I switched to the Nexus 4

#125

Post by corresation »

aioprisan wrote: post #120
jeffcutsinger wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That said, if you really care about customizability, you can always jailbreak your iPhone ... * Yes, you can, for now. There are no guarantees this will happen with future versions of iOS. * If you jailbreak you are forever a fugitive. You can never again just update, you have to wait and make sure it doesn't kill your setup. You can end up losing your warranty, be refused tech support, etc. * Finally, from a philo…

>> Finally, from a philosophical standpoint, it is absolutely absurd that I should ever have to break something I have paid for to take full ownership of it. Actually, if you buy a phone on contract, you didn't pay the full price and aren't entitled to the same rights as someone who paid the full $650+tax sticker price and gets it SIM-unlocked.

The discussion had nothing to do with being SIM unlocked or not, but rather constraints that remain whether you paid full price up front or not.

However the "on a contract" bit is frequently misrepresented I think: when you get a device on contract, in most cases you are being loaned the cost of the device. You have zero recourse to simply return the device when you decide you don't want it any more. There is little to no difference between buying a phone "outright" on a credit card, or getting it "on contract" with your carrier.

Re: An iPhone lover’s confession: I switched to the Nexus 4

#126

Post by vacri »

w0utert wrote: post #117
vacri wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You seem to think that 'allows customisation' and 'defaults that work well' are mutually exclusive for some reason. Note that I was responding to your characterisation of personalisation, which was essentially "give people the ability to personalise and they make it ugly!". Yes, to you. Not to them. I've also never really understood the toddler argument for 'well-designed'. 'Simple', sure, but not 'well-designed'. We…

>> You seem to think that 'allows customisation' and 'defaults that work well' are mutually exclusive for some reason. Well often they are, especially in a complex piece of software like a phone OS. Customizability requires trade-offs which may affect usability or performance. More often than not, software that allows skinning looks butt-ugly in the default setting and integrates poorly with the rest of the system (t…

I'd say 'simple' is almost the penultimate goal of UI design

I've run out of time for big swathes, sorry, but I had to comment on this. 'simple' is not the ideal goal of UI design. 'appropriate' is. You want a UI that is best appropriate for the situation. Sometimes this will indeed be simple. Other times it will not be. As an extreme example, could you imagine a cockpit with a single hardware button and a small grid of soft dials?

A more moderate example is that to do serious business work, people still need desktop environments - tablets do not cut it. Mobile OSs are too simple for most serious business work - they don't have an appropriate UI.

Re: An iPhone lover’s confession: I switched to the Nexus 4

#127

Post by r4vik »

apierre wrote: post #16
so898 wrote: post #7

Tried so hard to get a Nexus 4. However.... I am using iPhone 5 now. LOL

Exactly! The Nexus4 is still sold out as we speak and even if you manage to order one, you will get a 8 weeks window for delivery but Google will make you pay £10 for "express" delivery. What a joke.

and express is 2 fucking days in the UK, I'd call that a cultural faux pas, as 2 day shipping here is the crappy option. I've had amazon get things to my door in less than 14 hours given the right conditions.

Re: An iPhone lover’s confession: I switched to the Nexus 4

#128

Post by bstar77 »

greggman wrote: post #38
w0utert wrote: post #6

I agree with what the article says about sharing data between applications, this really is one of the biggest pain points of iOS right now. Fortunately, it looks like Apple will finally address this in the future, iOS 6 already has infrastructure in place to allow for remote view controllers that (in theory) should allow any application to register itself to handle certain data and events. Right now seems to be only…

I haven't read the article but I was an iPhone3 for a year, nexus 1 for a year, nexus s for a year and now iPhone 4S for a year. Things I still miss: I still miss that android apps can download in the background so for example when I wake up I the morning any new podcasts I'm subscribed to are already on the phone. Contrast to iOS6 where I have to remember to manually run the app. Which generally means I only run it…

For podcasts, I use Instacast and that definitely downloads in the background, but I believe the app just can't be in suspend state. As long as a bunch of apps have not been opened after instacast, it should download everything fone.

The trade-off is to have background downloading on all the time, which is something I hated about android in the 4 years I used it. Background processes were always killing my battery and it was never obvious what was running.

I think the sane compromise that I wish apple would make is to allow for more permanent background tasks to run, but only when externally powered.

Re: An iPhone lover’s confession: I switched to the Nexus 4

#129

Post by robmcm »

niklas_a wrote: post #112
robmcm wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have always wondered about that feature, and always think.. - What if two people are looking at it. - Does it flick on and off as I look around - Is it using a huge amount of power when ever the screen is on, not only with powering the screen but with powering the camera. - Can I still use my screen as a light, or does is power off when I face it away from me? (I have a flash light app but it's quicker some times t…

1) Just as it is about to lock the screen it checks if someone is looking. Doesn't matter if it's one or two persons. If you're looking away at that instant it locks. A reasonable compromise that ensures it works more than good enough if you're reading an article. 2) It doesn't power off just because you are not looking at it. You can still use the phone as a flashlight. 3) It doesn't work if you're holding it sidewa…

Ok that makes a lot more sense.

As the guy said HTC don't do a good job of communicating these features, the advert shows a guy falling asleep and as he shuts his eyes the phone locks...

I have never actually had this problem though generally I can read a screen full of text before the phone locks. My scrolling will reset the lock timeout. Videos and games stop the phone from locking.

Re: An iPhone lover’s confession: I switched to the Nexus 4

#130

Post by untog »

bstar77 wrote: post #128
greggman wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't read the article but I was an iPhone3 for a year, nexus 1 for a year, nexus s for a year and now iPhone 4S for a year. Things I still miss: I still miss that android apps can download in the background so for example when I wake up I the morning any new podcasts I'm subscribed to are already on the phone. Contrast to iOS6 where I have to remember to manually run the app. Which generally means I only run it…

For podcasts, I use Instacast and that definitely downloads in the background, but I believe the app just can't be in suspend state. As long as a bunch of apps have not been opened after instacast, it should download everything fone. The trade-off is to have background downloading on all the time, which is something I hated about android in the 4 years I used it. Background processes were always killing my battery an…

As long as a bunch of apps have not been opened after instacast, it should download everything fone.

See, for me that uncertainty is a killer. I want my podcasts downloaded in the morning. I don't want to have to check before I go to bed that the app is still in memory, that's mad.

There are Android apps that abuse their background abilities, but the vast majority work just fine and don't kill your battery.

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