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iOS 8 reviewed

arstechnica.com

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Re: iOS 8 reviewed

#171

Post by giovannibajo1 »

untog wrote: post #53
giovannibajo1 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, though they are more limited in Android: they are just buttons that can jump to the app (= launch a specific intent). On the contrary, the new iOS notifications can have a real interaction; e.g.: you can answer to a message within the notification itself and never switch context.

Yes and no - Android also allows apps to draw standalone windows on top of the OS, like this one does: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.everything... So it isn't quite the same, but nor does it require switching apps.

AFAICT, that's because it's a SMS application, so it's got a special hook being called when a SMS arrives. For normal notifications (delivered through GCM), that's not possible.

Re: iOS 8 reviewed

#172

Post by pohl »

EpicEng wrote: post #109
alsetmusic wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Who cares why it happens? People who are curious about system internals. Probably some of the people who read a site like HN. Even my dad likes to understand where these limitations originate and he's not a 'computer person' (though he is an engineer in another field).

I think you missed the point. I like understanding the why as well, but it doesn't actually matter. No one is going to do a 180 and say "oh, yeah, I hadn't thought of that. I guess it doesn't bother me anymore." It's still a PITA and there's no good reason for it anymore. I get great battery life on my M8 and don't have to deal with this stupid quirk.

No one is going to do a 180 and say "oh, yeah, I hadn't thought of that. I guess it doesn't bother me anymore."

I think you're underestimating one's capacity to accept a tradeoff. Once a person learns that RAM is constantly consuming power as it's being refreshed – and that a device with more RAM is going to have less standby time – they might appreciate the decision to try to do more with less.

Re: iOS 8 reviewed

#173

Post by snowwrestler »

shurcooL wrote: post #126

"This update cannot be installed because it requires at least 6.9 GB of storage." That's over _half_ of the maximum available capacity on my 16 GB model. No wonder they're releasing 128 GB iPhones now.

I think that if you tether your phone to a computer and use iTunes to do the upgrade, you don't need as much space, since the install files can be buffered on the computer instead of your phone.

Re: iOS 8 reviewed

#174

Post by Terretta »

ZanyProgrammer wrote: post #11

I really wish I could block ads somehow on my iPad Air. I'm pretty invested in the Apple ecosystem and use an LTE iPad Air almost every day on public transit, and the inability to block ads really makes mobile Safari a shitty experience. I mean, I'd never run (and I'm sure a lot of people here don't either) a desktop browser without some sort of ad blocking going on. That and being able to have two apps run side by s…

iCab Mobile for iOS used to support ad filtering, e.g., http://www.icab-mobile.de/iCabMobileFilters.html?lang=en but not sure if v8 still does that.

Re: iOS 8 reviewed

#175

Post by EpicEng »

mwfunk wrote: post #140
EpicEng wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right... or I could just use a phone which doesn't force me to micro-manage my memory usage. That's a workaround at best, not a solution. iOS has always been subpar in regards to multi-tasking.

Good luck with that.

My M8 fits that bill nicely, but thank you for your concern.

Re: iOS 8 reviewed

#176

Post by lukifer »

harywilke wrote: post #106
archagon wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a little surprised that Apple included custom keyboards. They've always been an "our way or the highway" company, and custom keyboards seem like a very geek-specific feature, even if they are better to type on. Not that I'm complaining! I can finally build a couple of new apps that I wasn't able to before. :) (If anyone is interested, I'm working on a clone of the existing Apple keyboard for use as a base for dev…

Apple has had a very long history of absorbing user hacks/extensions into its OS. Pre OSX there were lots if extensions that were bought out or blatantly ripped off that made it into the core of the OS. I'm a bit surprised it's taken them so long on this. I'm a bit surprised that some of the features of XtraFinder haven't been absorbed. Auto adjusting finder column widths are a huge pluses for me

See also: the Quicksilver/Launchbar/Alfred ideas that are being folded into Spotlight in Yosemite.

The big surprise is not that iOS8 is getting Swype, but that they are opening the APIs up for arbitrary third-party keyboards (albeit heavily curated, I'm sure).

Re: iOS 8 reviewed

#177

Post by 3rd3 »

Someone1234 wrote: post #2

Credit where credit is due, the lack of customisable keyboards was a major gripe of mine when people asked me why I'd never buy an iOS device. A Swype-like keyboard (I actually use Google Keyboard's Swype mode, even though I own Swype) is a "must have" on my phone and has been for over three and a half years (since Swype beta was available on the original Galaxy Note). While there are definitely thumb typists who can…

Does anyone know whether it's possible to add keys for undo/redo functions? I find the shaking gesture extremely inconvenient, especially on iPads.

Re: iOS 8 reviewed

#178

Post by v13inc »

EpicEng wrote: post #120
enraged_camel wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>I think you missed the point. I like understanding the why as well, but it doesn't actually matter. Of course it matters. If you understand why, you can take steps to mitigate it or work around it. In this particular case, one workaround is to close unused programs and browser tabs every now and then to clear up memory so that the active tabs don't go through a forced-refresh. This is what I do on my 4S, and I have…

Right... or I could just use a phone which doesn't force me to micro-manage my memory usage. That's a workaround at best, not a solution. iOS has always been subpar in regards to multi-tasking.

It's far worse on low-memory Android, in my opinion. iOS apps have to support being suspended and resumed (although bad apps still do it badly). This forces apps to deal with this eventuality on day 1.

Android, on the other hand, doesn't force this. All apps assume they can do whatever they want in the background, without being shut down. This means, on my low-memory Android, that opening an intense browsing session followed by Google Maps kills all of my background chat apps, making me unavailable. This is far more unacceptable in my opinion then having to wait for an app to reload.

(I would agree that iOS is too aggressive when it comes to memory management, though)

Edit: Formatting

Re: iOS 8 reviewed

#179

Post by bchallenor »

sirn wrote: post #23
Someone1234 wrote: post #2

Credit where credit is due, the lack of customisable keyboards was a major gripe of mine when people asked me why I'd never buy an iOS device. A Swype-like keyboard (I actually use Google Keyboard's Swype mode, even though I own Swype) is a "must have" on my phone and has been for over three and a half years (since Swype beta was available on the original Galaxy Note). While there are definitely thumb typists who can…

My usage case is probably a very edge case, but my biggest complaint with Android 3rd party keyboard ecosystem is how hard and inconsistent is to switch between third party keyboards. I like SwiftKey, but I use about three languages daily and SwiftKey is not good enough for two other languages I use (Japanese, Thai), so I have to use other keyboard. Switching between multiple keyboards in Android is totally pain. Thi…

I don't know about SwiftKey, but the Google English, French and Japanese keyboards all bring up the input method dialog when you long-press space. So these three at least are consistent.

Re: iOS 8 reviewed

#180

Post by evilduck »

r00fus wrote: post #138
shurcooL wrote: post #126

"This update cannot be installed because it requires at least 6.9 GB of storage." That's over _half_ of the maximum available capacity on my 16 GB model. No wonder they're releasing 128 GB iPhones now.

Is this the same case if you upgrade using iTunes and USB connection?

Nope.
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