Four months with Android (An iOS user's exploration) • Hacker News Board

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

#61

Post by ajross » Mon, Oct 17, 2011, 7:18 PM UTC

jessedhillon wrote: post #53

ajross wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nor, as was pointed out, is it an Apple invention. You could just as easily claim that Apple and Google ripped off the LG Prada: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG_Prada_(KE850)

It was pointed out by you, and it was irrelevant. Nobody claimed it was an Apple invention, and if you want to go down this slippery slope let's attribute everything to the first guy who put pixels on a screen. I'm certain everything else in the history of application development and user interfaces derives from that as a plainly obvious application.

Then you agree with me that Apple didn't invent the UI or form factor, and merely aggregated/imitated/improved on the work of others. Which is exactly the same thing Google did with Android.

So... what are we arguing about?

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

#62

Post by baconner » Mon, Oct 17, 2011, 7:18 PM UTC

zerotype wrote: post #46

lemieux wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I totally agree with you. You can't say this is a rip off... an OS is an OS. Google, or anybody else, would not have much choices when comes to build a new one. Window, apps, app store, etc. are fundamental to a mobile OS. Maybe Apple made the first one to be massively adopted and recognized, but they are not really inovators, they always took something that alreay existed (excepted first computer) and made it a more…

I don't think calling something a ripoff is unfair. Yeah, they didn't invent those devices, but when they come out with their version of it which happens to be the first successful one. Then, after that device comes out every other company decides to be inspired by that it kind of is a ripoff. I'll admit that ripoff is perhaps a bit too strong of language but the sentiment is the same. You can argue that eventually m…

Wait... so your definition of whether something is "a ripoff" is based upon how commercially successful it is? So then android would by definition not be a ripoff. I must be misunderstanding your point.

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

#63

Post by cbs » Mon, Oct 17, 2011, 7:19 PM UTC

tomkarlo wrote: post #51

cbs wrote: post #42

I heavily approached using Android as I did using an iPhone. I received a lot of shit for this, though. I was told I was “using Android wrong.” Well, duh. They're different, of course they're going to behave differently. I learned this the hard way myself, I tried approaching the iOS like it was an andriod and was similarly disappointed and frustrated. Many "why the fuck doesn't this thing X?" were yelled. Then I rea…

It's like complaining that OSX doesn't work like Windows. Different doesn't mean either is wrong, but it does mean you can't use them the same.

Exactly. A few years ago, project constraints had me working primarily on a mac for the first time. I loathed the dock for a good six months. Now I can't even remember what my objection to it was.

I believe our dislike is mostly predicated on unfamiliarity. I use various flavors of android, ios, windows, osx, and kde all on a weekly if not daily basis. I know the ins and outs and have preferences, but I'd never write a blog post like this, or even make a device recommendation on my preferences alone.

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

#64

Post by barrkel » Mon, Oct 17, 2011, 7:21 PM UTC

baddox wrote: post #56

barrkel wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See, I far prefer the browser on Android because of one thing - the single most important thing in a phone browser, IMO - text reflow on zoom.

That surprises me. I find the Android browser to be completely unusable, primarily due to performance but secondarily due to that annoying text reflow.

What bad performance? IME, my Nexus One browser is slightly less smooth to scroll, but faster at redraw than the browsers on my (admittedly, slightly old at this point) iOS devices. It's a toss-up, really.

Question: do you have Flash installed? I had to uninstall it completely, because even the "on demand" option for browser plugins didn't disable it reliably.

(Biggest problem I have with my iOS devices (an iPod Touch and 1st gen iPad) is that they run out of charge on standby, from lack of use...)

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

#65

Post by Anechoic » Mon, Oct 17, 2011, 7:27 PM UTC

bgentry wrote: post #55

How can you do a comparison of iOS / Android and not even mention Google Maps & Navigation? I used the original iPhone for 2.5 years, spent nearly 2 with a Nexus One, and now switched back to iPhone 4S. As the reviewer mentioned, Gmail integration is still very poor on the iPhone. Hopefully Sparrow for iOS will fix this. But iOS Maps is still stuck in 2007. The Android maps app has improved tremendously even just ove…

>How can you do a comparison of iOS / Android and not even mention Google Maps & Navigation?

It's funny that I just bought a touchscreen phone with an UX that most will consider to be unquestionably worse than both iOS and Android - namely the Nokia E6 with Symbian Anna - for the same reason that a lot of folks here are touting Android: Ovi Maps and navigation.

Or more specifically, Ovi Maps and navigation with offers downloadable maps which is extremely important to me since my business travels often take me to places where there is no cell phone coverage.

It's interesting how we let our specific needs color our decisions. In my case, I would much rather have an iOS or Android device, but the downloadable mapping options on either platform (that I've been able to find) are inferior or far more expensive that what I get with Nokia, so I'm willing to live with the Symbian failings.

That said, I am one of those folks that also carries an iPod touch along with my phone.

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

#66

Post by SkyMarshal » Mon, Oct 17, 2011, 7:33 PM UTC

"I’ve found home-screen widgets — save for the quick access to turn radios on and off — to be useless, ugly, space-and-battery-life hogs."

Is there any data for that? When I check my Nexus S battery usage meter, homescreen widgets are nowhere to be seen in the list of things that used up the battery.

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

#67

Post by saturdaysaint » Mon, Oct 17, 2011, 7:34 PM UTC

blinkingled wrote: post #34

I recently went the other way around. After exchanging my Galaxy Tab 2 times for random hangs and unexplained slowness I thought I will check out the iPad. I still have an Android phone that I am perfectly happy with so throughout the day I go back and forth with iOS and Android. The experience on the iPad is undeniably superior after iOS5. The UI is way smoother than Honeycombs, I haven't found any beta behavior yet…

4) There are some great iOS podcast apps. I use Instacast, which does everything you'd want (allows searching, subscribing, streaming, downloading, etc.).

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

#68

Post by babebridou » Mon, Oct 17, 2011, 7:34 PM UTC

mbreese wrote: post #37

babebridou wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I paid 0.20€ for my Motorola Atrix, one month ago. It comes with the same data plan as the iPhone. It was high-end last january.

And the iPhone 3GS is now free on contract too... You really can't compare the two. The top-of-the-line Android phones are competing with the top-of-the-line iPhone, and they are roughly the same price.

The 3GS is from june 2009. The Atrix was unveiled in january 2011 and hit the market in april 2011. It was considered the top of the line phone in may 2011.

It's useless to compare overpriced flagship phones and say that android phones are as expensive as iPhones. It's just not true. It's like taking a high end desktop PC with the very latest hardware and comparing it to the price tag of the iMac and deduce that PCs are more expensive than Macs.

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

#69

Post by jsz0 » Mon, Oct 17, 2011, 7:36 PM UTC

I mostly agree with his conclusions. Android is a very manic experience. Half a dozen icons I don't understand in the notification bar, beeps and bloops that make no sense to me, settings hidden under layers of menus, totally inconsistent UIs between apps including Google's first party apps, micro-management required for some of the most basic things (like getting acceptable battery life) and probably worst of all ads everywhere and you often have no choice of a premium ad-free version of the app. That may work for some people but it drives me a little insane. I'm hoping ICS will be the release that cleans up some of this mess. (if my phone ever gets the update, probably not)

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

#70

Post by mikeash » Mon, Oct 17, 2011, 7:39 PM UTC

jwcacces wrote: post #11

mikeash wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A physical keyboard is certainly a great reason to use Android, but I'm curious, what about ssh or gtalk requires it?

They're all separate needs. The point is on Android you have those options.

Sure. My point is that two out of the three don't appear to have anything to do with Android.