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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

#141

Post by dannyr »

micampe wrote: post #124
bane wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 a…

I didn't know about this. It would have been better if I didn't need to launch Itunes though.

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

#142

Post by dannyr »

gallamine wrote: post #85
gonehome wrote: post #3

Interesting - I switched from android to the iPhone 5 recently (after having the N1, NS and Galaxy Nexus). I thought this was the first iPhone that finally had the necessary hardware (LTE being required after the galaxy). The main things I miss are better google voice integration on the nexus phones (the ability to use the web interface for texting is something I can't give up). I also used to not pay for texting thi…

Do you find you have problems with MMS and Google Voice? Last I checked, it was unsupported and text messages with pictures or video just went to /dev/null without any notifications to either party. That was a no-go for me.

My main # now is Google Voice. For the past 4 years, there was just 2 instances that I needed MMS.

What's frustrating though is the inability of Google Voice to receive SMS from short codes. Craigslist and Paypal also don't verify accounts with a Google Voice number.

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

#143

Post by bertomartin »

I was just making the case for investing in Apple on seeking alpha (an investing site). I've seen few people switched to the iPhone and even I was tempted with the release of the iPhone 5. To be honest, I haven't played with an android phone that matches it hardware wise. The lack of nexus 4 devices in the store really hurts google as there's no way one can just walk in a store and 'test' it out, like one can do with the iPhone. You have to make do with youtube unboxing videos, which are good, but leaves much to be desired. FWIW, I'm now seeing the value of iPhone's especially for people already in the eco-system. I could have never seen this before

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

#144

Post by ConstantineXVI »

ricw wrote: post #136
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…

The downside of auto-downloading is that your tablet/phone will run out of battery much faster than on iOS. iOS has stand by times of weeks (31 days?), which is wonderful. My nexus 7 runs dry after days, arguably because of the apps I use, or because the OS allows them. I'm unsure which I prefer, though I'd like to be able to configure a trade-off between the two myself..

Simple fix: permissions.

> [Podcast App] would like to run in the background. You can change this at any time. Allow/Deny?

Or perhaps being a bit more specific:

> [Podcast App] would like to sync nightly. Allow/Deny/Charging Only?

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

#145

Post by nmcfarl »

w1ntermute wrote: post #70
pagliara wrote: post #10

Interesting. I too am an iPhone lover who recently picked up a Nexus 4 to get into Android development. This is my first experience with Android, so I didn't realize that the Nexus 4 Android experience might be different than your typical Android smartphone. I was very impressed with the overall experience. If I wasn't so used to iOS, I could easily see myself using Android on a Nexus 4. But in the end, I walked away…

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.

On this note - I didn't get surgically altered, and if there is one thing that drives me bats (daily) about the 5 it's the bigger screen. Man do I wish we could go back to the 4's screen size!

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

#146

Post by jvzr »

vacri wrote: post #47
jvzr wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was going to say the same things. Hopefully, there has been some serious work done on iOS 7 and it'll probably address most of the OP's concerns. However, I do hope they introduce none of these customization shenanigans. I don't care for widgets (nor do I want another icon or thing I cannot remove from my homescreen). If the base OS is sufficiently good UI-wise, there is no reason ever to need to customize its look…

If the base OS is sufficiently good UI-wise, there is no reason ever to need to customize its looks besides the wallpaper I take it you share Jobs' opinion on clothes? Same jeans, sneakers, turtleneck every day. Hey, it's perfectly functional, why would anyone want to vary things or look different? I mean, everyone has the same use-case, right?

Actually, now that you mention it, I pretty much wear the same-looking clothes all year long. I have one brand and a favorite cut for each of my garments and I stick to it. I even have 20 pairs of identical black socks for easy selection in the morning.

I like how iOS and OS X force us into one particular set of minimalistic UI. I despise skeuomorphism and I'm eager to see it go away on iOS. But I realize others may want to customize their OS, and for that they have to be grateful to have alternatives, namely Windows/Unix and Android/WP.

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

#147

Post by robmcm »

vacri wrote: post #110
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…

It has a normal screen timeout. When it gets close to the timeout, it looks for 'open eyes looking at me' and if it detects them, stays on. When the screen does turn off, it's like any other timeout - it won't flick back on by newly detecting eyes again. And no, of course if you're going to use your screen as a flashlight, it's not going to detect your eyes and stay on. If you're not willing to go to the marginal eff…

See previous comment, I was under the impression that the phone turned off when you looked away, rather than stayed on if you were looking at it.

Blame poor marketing.

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

#148

Post by jvzr »

knightni wrote: post #12
jvzr wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was going to say the same things. Hopefully, there has been some serious work done on iOS 7 and it'll probably address most of the OP's concerns. However, I do hope they introduce none of these customization shenanigans. I don't care for widgets (nor do I want another icon or thing I cannot remove from my homescreen). If the base OS is sufficiently good UI-wise, there is no reason ever to need to customize its look…

I disagree - widgets are enormously important to me, and were the deciding factor in my choosing an android phone. I'm quite forgetful, and I have a tendency to focus on one thing to the exclusion of others. Widgets allow me to display important information on my home screen that will be shown to me every time I look at the phone . This means that I can have a list of (for example) upcoming birthdays on my phone that…

But see, you have analyzed that you desperately needed some kind of birthday widget and that iOS didn't suit your particular needs. You switched over or went directly to Android. That's fine, you have an alternative and you seem happy with it.

However, I despise such things. I've analyzed that I wouldn't stand using Android for those reasons, and that I'm better off with iOS.

I go with Apple's motto: "there's an app for that".

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

#149

Post by driverdan »

blinkingled wrote: post #24
gonehome wrote: post #3

Interesting - I switched from android to the iPhone 5 recently (after having the N1, NS and Galaxy Nexus). I thought this was the first iPhone that finally had the necessary hardware (LTE being required after the galaxy). The main things I miss are better google voice integration on the nexus phones (the ability to use the web interface for texting is something I can't give up). I also used to not pay for texting thi…

Battery life in Android land is a matter of choosing the right handset. I don't believe the iPhone holds a candle to my Note 2 or the RAZR Maxx if you actually use the phone heavily. Plus replaceable/extended batteries are another option.

The Note 2 is a tablet that also happens to make calls. Compare it to the iPad Mini. The Nexus 4's battery is not removable.

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

#150

Post by ConstantineXVI »

ScottWhigham wrote: post #63
zaidf wrote: post #58

Apple is increasingly making me look stupid, something I couldn't imagine happening when the iPhone first came out. Few days ago I saw a friend of mine unlock her phone using facial recognition. I was amazed. She was surprised at my amazement. I feel lots of iPhone users have similar moments when they see their friends with android use "magical" looking features the iPhone is slow to adopt.

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.

Depends on the lighting; can be anywhere between instant and 2s. Trade-off is the camera's useless in the dark, takes maybe 1s for the phone to realize this (or there's an override button) and falls back to pattern/PIN.
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