Four months with Android (An iOS user's exploration)

"If it’s for those who still want to make some sort of argument predicated on shouting the word “OPEN!”, that’s sad, because Android’s “openness” is a meaningless bullet point to average users and a facade championed by its most devoted."

"Open" is not just a keyword, and it's not something that "average" users should feel so complacent about ignoring. While issues exist with Android's Honeycomb branch and openness, the bottom line remains that Android is far more open than iOS, and that average users benefit. For one thing, that openness makes censorship much more difficult, and so users get access to a wide array of content that is unavailable or difficult to access on iOS. The other side is that Android's openness means that app developers are free to make their apps more useful, such as remapping volume keys to page turn buttons in a reader or allowing users to set phone features based on triggers (Locale, Tasker and to a lesser degree Shush). Even if users are not by and large aware of the effect that openness has on their experience, it does have a very positive effect for them. The recent example of Instapaper being crippled by Apple's design decisions in iOS 5 is a good example of that: had Apple been more open in their approach to iOS's design, then Instapaper would be able to store data somewhere else and thus to deliver a better UX.

I remain unimpressed with articles that simply assert that "openness" doesn't matter to users, without exploring what effects the open-vs-closed dichotomy has on their experiences.

In a recent discussion on HN, I asked saurik, the developer of Cydia, why he's stuck with iOS over Android and he gave me this epically amazing answer: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3115732

My house is a divided one. My wife is all Apple, while I'm a Windows/Android user. I did use an iPod Touch extensively before I got a smartphone, and agonized over the iPhone/Android decision, but eventually went with Android. Four handsets later, I haven't looked back. Here are some of the reasons why:

* I'm a Google fanboy. It was tough when Apple and Google started to fight. It was like mom and dad were getting a divorce.

* Relatedly, I'm heavily invested in Google services. Gmail, GTalk, GCal, GReader, G+, GMaps/Nav all work better on Android. Period. And I use them all heavily.

* Widgets are not just radio toggles. I use a live interactive calendar/agenda widget as well as a live todo list. It's great.

* Configurability. I can change my launcher. I can change app icons. I can put them wherever I want. It used to drive me nuts that I couldn't arbitrarily place icons on my iPod, or get rid of the Stocks app. And that it was always sunny and 73 degrees. I can install different keyboards. Swype!

* In fact, this deserves its own bullet: Swype!

* Apps have deeper integration with the OS. The intents architecture is what enables the share menu that TFA mentions. It also lets apps link to each other in cool ways, like Tweetdeck can send me to the browser, and I can use the hardware back button to go straight back to Tweetdeck instead of via the home screen.

* Apps are often ugly but enable amazing functionality. Titanium backup lets me backup all my apps and system data and sync it to dropbox. Locale lets me set up contingencies. So when I leave the house, it turns off wifi and ringer, and turns them back on when I get home automatically. It turns sounds on when I put in headphones and adjusts volumes of everything. It sets my GTalk status to "Work" when I'm at work. Tasker is uglier but provides even more functionality. It's pretty amazing.

* Openness matters. At least to me. I like that I can install apps without Google's permission. I like that Google doesn't pre-approve apps. I don't like that as actively censorial a company as Apple has that much power. I've said it before: I like Disneyland, and enjoy visiting, but I wouldn't want to live there. Say what you want, but Android is a lot more open than iOS. To dismiss its openness because it's not completely and absolutely open is silly, especially when you express preference for an unequivocally more closed platform.

I agree that iOS is more polished. I wish Android were more polished. It's true that the UI isn't as responsive as I'd like. And I agree that iOS is better for most people. I regularly advise people to get iPhones. I've even told several people who own and like Android devices (in two cases even people who chose Android because they don't like Apple) that I think they'd be happer with iPhones.

But to spend four months and end up "mostly answerless" as to why someone would want an Android device is either willfully ignorant or pandering.