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Android is for startups

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Re: Android is for startups

#301

Post by slewis »

weland wrote: post #270
slewis wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My company has prototyped on both platforms, and I strongly prefer Android for this purpose. Test flight is significantly more inconvenient for all parties than sending around Android apks. So is Apple's provisioning process for development (you'll certainly have to figure out how to re-provision your development devices a few times). Android's OS integration also makes for better demos of our app. Since it's a remot…

> My company has prototyped on both platforms, and I strongly prefer Android for this purpose. Test flight is significantly more inconvenient for all parties than sending around Android apks. So is Apple's provisioning process for development (you'll certainly have to figure out how to re-provision your development devices a few times). Mine has also prototyped on both platforms and I will personally strangle anyone…

Great points (upvoted). It probably also depends on what skills and experience you have in the team.

Re: Android is for startups

#302

Post by chrischen »

engrenage wrote: post #250
chrischen wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are probably more innovative Android apps. Problem is nobody cares about the apps that much. When they choose a phone, they choose the phone first. Apps are an afterthought. iPhone caught on for the phone itself, its ability to browse the web and make calls. iPhone didn't even start out with apps. Even then, apps didn't come into play because customers demanded them.

So you're saying Android users don't care about innovative apps? That makes this whole discussion moot.

I'm saying no users care about apps, or buy phones based on apps.

*no = very insignificant

Re: Android is for startups

#303

Post by mncolinlee »

engrenage wrote: post #299
mncolinlee wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because you have potential does not guarantee you use it. Many businesses started on iOS first, producing an Android version as an afterthought by contractors. Others produced a minimum viable product which made them money, so they felt no need to iterate. This means upstart competitors can easily take away the market share of established products. It's a good thing for startups.

So you're saying that there is an opportunity in the Android market because the apps are generally significantly worse than those in the iOS store?

I'm saying there's more opportunity because the expensive applications built by large developer teams are still being built for iOS first. Android is still an afterthought in some app categories.

Most successful startups began with a niche. Look at AirBNB's cheap conference attendees or Microsoft's Altair owners.

Re: Android is for startups

#304

Post by mentat »

weland wrote: post #270
slewis wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My company has prototyped on both platforms, and I strongly prefer Android for this purpose. Test flight is significantly more inconvenient for all parties than sending around Android apks. So is Apple's provisioning process for development (you'll certainly have to figure out how to re-provision your development devices a few times). Android's OS integration also makes for better demos of our app. Since it's a remot…

> My company has prototyped on both platforms, and I strongly prefer Android for this purpose. Test flight is significantly more inconvenient for all parties than sending around Android apks. So is Apple's provisioning process for development (you'll certainly have to figure out how to re-provision your development devices a few times). Mine has also prototyped on both platforms and I will personally strangle anyone…

SoundFocus is using http://hockeyapp.net/ to do distribution of betas. It seems very smooth from my experience.

Re: Android is for startups

#306

Post by chetanahuja »

threeseed wrote: post #289
chetanahuja wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How you "get your code running" is the most important part of the dev life cycle. How you *get your code running on a device" is even better. And it's trivial with Android. It's a royal pain in the butt with iOS.

I take it you've NEVER actually developed on iOS before. The simulator in almost every situation matches the device. And I don't understand how connecting your phone to your Mac constitutes "a royal pain in the butt".

Oh yes I have. Both on iOS and Android.

While suppressing disbelief that this is even something being argued, I present the instructions to run your newly built app package on your Android device:

1) Make sure your the appropriate security options to allow app installs are checked in the phone settings. 2) adb -d install 3) Enjoy the your own app on your hardware you own without asking permission from anybody else

For iOS, start by paying $99 to Apple to register in the dev program. Then go through this tutorial explained with the help of >20 screenshots:

http://mobiforge.com/developing/story/deploying-iphone-apps-...

Re: Android is for startups

#307

Post by kfir »

chetanahuja wrote: post #162

Lots of "Android apps are no good" chiming in going on here. I've been an iOS user since the week after the first iPhone came out and still am (due to an iPad mini). But gave up on iOS for my phone because I can't find the following apps on iOS. 1) Alternate Launcher with pretty much infinite flexibility on look and feel. 2) Swype like keyboard options. Typing anything on iOS now feels like I travelled back in time t…

4) Google Now. Enough said.

You are aware that "Google Now" is available for iOS

Re: Android is for startups

#308

Post by shitlord »

pjmlp wrote: post #246
shitlord wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't make a lot of sense to buy something when you are only developing for it and not actually planning on using it. I sometimes develop software for Windows, and I hate running it, so I won't purchase a copy of it. But that shouldn't prevent me from developing for it.

So advocating piracy are we?

No, I'm saying that I cross compile and have others test things out. I develop mostly with C++ and rarely need to use OS-level APIs that aren't included in things like Qt or Boost.

Re: Android is for startups

#309

Post by chetanahuja »

kfir wrote: post #307
chetanahuja wrote: post #162

Lots of "Android apps are no good" chiming in going on here. I've been an iOS user since the week after the first iPhone came out and still am (due to an iPad mini). But gave up on iOS for my phone because I can't find the following apps on iOS. 1) Alternate Launcher with pretty much infinite flexibility on look and feel. 2) Swype like keyboard options. Typing anything on iOS now feels like I travelled back in time t…

4) Google Now. Enough said. You are aware that "Google Now" is available for iOS

In some form yes. But really the killer feature that makes it "Now" is the fact that (on Android), you don't have to do anything to activate it. It just quietly works in the background and notifies (btw, Notifications, another key feature for a phone that iOS doesn't do too well) you of things you need to know at the time you need to know them (e.g., delays on flights you might have searched for or may have received boarding pass for etc... it has been amazingly useful in exactly such scenarios for me).

That doesn't work on iOS. Probably due to limitations on background processes.. or perhaps because google doesn't feel like providing the full feature-set it on the rival platform... I don't know. But without the automated notifications for things I'm not even aware I should be searching for yet, the magic just doesn't work the same way.

Re: Android is for startups

#310

Post by domness »

ryandrake wrote: post #184
domness wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well then you wouldn't be the early adopter :) The idea is to test it against early adopters who don't mind about these quick changes and are less worried about bugs, because the idea/product is something that's good enough to help you in some way, shape or form. May I ask, what's proper market research? Considering you can get so far with "proper market research", but it definitely doesn't tell the whole picture. Pe…

I should have said, "traditional market research" instead, including trend and competitive analysis, segmentation, primary research such as focus groups and surveys, prototyping in front of a representative sample of users, etc. An iterative approach is fine, once the above basics have been done, but if you need to deploy code changes in an app every day or even every week, the product is probably not ready for V1 ye…

Well of course all that is done before all of the developing of the app. The idea is to reduce the amount of uncertainty by not creating a full blown app that has had a lot of time and money put into it, when some of the features aren't helping in terms of getting new customers, keeping old customers and bringing any value to the product/service.
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