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700,000 Android devices activated each day

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Re: 700,000 Android devices activated each day

#81
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does this take into account people who are upgrading to a new Android phone from an old one? If not it could really impact the metrics if one is looking at this as a measurement of new entrants into the Android ecosystem.

This metric is used is because Apple uses it for their iOS devices in keynotes. Surely both platforms could use "app store accounts with their first device added" per day as a metric if they wanted to. And for Android, you'd want to know what version these activated devices are - no reason a 1.5 device couldn't still be activated today even if the app ecosystem has seemingly moved on.

Apple also provides the number of iTunes accounts in existence (with credit cards and one-click purchase access) from time to time.

http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/02/apple-200-million-itunes-ac...

Re: 700,000 Android devices activated each day

#82
post #63

Android is the new Nokia: the lowest common demonimator phone; the default. Or, to cross realms, it's the new Windows. While Apple costs carriers a pretty penny, carriers get a share of the advertising revenue from Android based web searches, and they can preinstall whatever carrier apps they want on their Android devices, unlike on the iPhone.

Don't get me wrong, but this argument sounds like sour grapes. Another way to look at it is that Android is an open platform that people install on anything they want. And if it's open for users, then it's also open for carriers, which goes without saying. Also, if low common denominator phones are anything like my Galaxy S, then Apple is screwed ;)

"open for users" this is not true, for all intents and purposes, Android is as open for users as iOS, but unlike Android iOS is not full of bloatware from the carriers. If you want to get the most out of your Android phone, you have to install community mods no different from an iPhone. My phone costed $3000 MXN and it was paid in cash, and I feel it was no worth it. I just hope one day (when my warranty expires) my phone gets a mod, because right now my phone is not supported. My next phone is certainly not going to an Android one. If you have the cash go for an iPhone, if you don't maybe Windows Phone is better?

P.S. Android is definitely the Windows of the smartphone world, but unlike on PC you can't replace it with the OS of your choice.

Re: 700,000 Android devices activated each day

#83
post #63

Android is the new Nokia: the lowest common demonimator phone; the default. Or, to cross realms, it's the new Windows. While Apple costs carriers a pretty penny, carriers get a share of the advertising revenue from Android based web searches, and they can preinstall whatever carrier apps they want on their Android devices, unlike on the iPhone.

Don't get me wrong, but this argument sounds like sour grapes. Another way to look at it is that Android is an open platform that people install on anything they want. And if it's open for users, then it's also open for carriers, which goes without saying. Also, if low common denominator phones are anything like my Galaxy S, then Apple is screwed ;)

Nonsense. We've been hearing apple is screwed for 10 years now. That's idiotic. Apple doesn't have to own the market, and if you believe the Galaxy S is going to convert iPhone fans, you're nuts.

Re: 700,000 Android devices activated each day

#84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't get me wrong, but this argument sounds like sour grapes. Another way to look at it is that Android is an open platform that people install on anything they want. And if it's open for users, then it's also open for carriers, which goes without saying. Also, if low common denominator phones are anything like my Galaxy S, then Apple is screwed ;)

"open for users" this is not true, for all intents and purposes, Android is as open for users as iOS, but unlike Android iOS is not full of bloatware from the carriers. If you want to get the most out of your Android phone, you have to install community mods no different from an iPhone. My phone costed $3000 MXN and it was paid in cash, and I feel it was no worth it. I just hope one day (when my warranty expires) my…

With iOS:

* there are no phone models available that allow to root your device without jailbreaking, a process that voids your warranty

* you cannot install software from third-party sources, unless you jailbreak it

* as a developer you cannot distribute software from your website, unless you want to limit yourself to nerds that have jailbroken their device

* you cannot build your own device with iOS on it

* certain classes of software, like phone number blacklists, are banned from the iTunes store, but are allowed on the Android Marketplace

* the source code for iOS is not available. This means no forks are possible (e.g. the Kindle Fire)

PS: don't confuse openness with convenience. Unlike Windows, if Google is doing such a poor job, you can always fork it, which is why Google has to play nice. Also, I love my Galaxy S and I only paid $100 for it. And I also own an iPhone 3GS which is gathering dust.

Re: 700,000 Android devices activated each day

#85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't get me wrong, but this argument sounds like sour grapes. Another way to look at it is that Android is an open platform that people install on anything they want. And if it's open for users, then it's also open for carriers, which goes without saying. Also, if low common denominator phones are anything like my Galaxy S, then Apple is screwed ;)

Nonsense. We've been hearing apple is screwed for 10 years now. That's idiotic. Apple doesn't have to own the market, and if you believe the Galaxy S is going to convert iPhone fans, you're nuts.

I was an iPhone fan until I got my Galaxy S. Don't I count? Do you want pictures of me holding both phones?

    Apple doesn't have to own the market
Are you sure you're replying to the right comment? Are you talking to me? What I find truly idiotic is the myopia (some) Apple fans are capable of.

Re: 700,000 Android devices activated each day

#86
post #80
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indded, one of my friends went to buy a windows phone recently, c# dev looking for a phone he could work on. The clerk literally told him they only have display models and don't hold stock and that he'd been told not to push them. The clerk couldn't even organise for a windows phone to arrive at the store so my friend decided he'd try learning obj-c and walked out with an iphone 3G (as said dev is a jaded ex-java ent…

Your friend should consider doing a full-length blog post about this, naming the carrier he visited. That's a pretty shocking story.

Vodafone New Zealand was the carrier. Store was in Wellington.

Re: 700,000 Android devices activated each day

#87
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I got told he asked which store had one and he was told none of them do, he asked to order one and they said they wouldn't from the store but he could order online. The guy is a grumpy troll of a man so I would of imagined him loosing his temper and just demanding something else. I know his old phone had stopped working so he did have a little pressure to get a phone ASAP, but yep I raised my eye brows as w…

That story is quite hard to believe if I'm honest. I'm guessing a Windows phone developer would own a windows pc and not a Mac as you say he is known to "rant about apple". Since you need a Mac to develop/publish for iOS would he really buy an iPhone, learn obj-c and buy a Mac just because the store he visited didn't stock Windows phones?

The bit I found hard to believe wasn't that he ended up an iPhone, it was that the store was essentially refusing to sell windows phones.

Anyway just dual boot you're desktop its really straight forward these days.

I recently rekitted my workstation to a i5. To install lion was literally as easy as boot off a USB drive, insert the install lion USB drive, let it do its thing, grab the associated drivers and put them onto your desktop, run the MultiBeast tool. Bingo running OSX.

Re: 700,000 Android devices activated each day

#88
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trying both ios,blackberries etc, I deployed 12 androids in the family. I like its flexibility, and being a programmer, I sometimes download roms. Android gives a lot of freedom. I didnt like ios, mainly no widgets, no context menu standardized and too many buttons and button clicks, no true multitasking. it is for single threaded people, because it puts you in a mode where you have to go one by one. Android is truly…

Genuinely curious, how many other members in your family download and install their own roms? Or do any significant customization at all?

i deployed roms to the 2 older devices and will do so in the future. just my sister is customizing her phone herself a bit, for the others i am customizing it usually. yes i am the one who installed their computers too and i am the one who helped them for some hard to discover settings in their feature phones. i am helping friends with iphones or wp7 or earlier too, when they have problems. aha by the way, i am responsible for the deployment of over 100 linux boxes. and i don't think i am an unique, in every family or friend circle there are people like me, who help and influence their circles. i am sure i am responsible for the purchase of a few dozens of androids. i like it a lot.

Re: 700,000 Android devices activated each day

#89
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Going to have to say that I've had a much better experience with iOS than any other platform. In the past three years I have moved in the following sequence: - Windows Mobile (Motorola Q) - Various BlackBerry Devices (Curve, Storm, Torch, etc) - Android (Nexus One) - Windows Phone 7 (Samsung Focus) - Android (Nexus One, again) + iPad 2 - iOS (iPhone 4S) Having dabbled in J2ME, BlackBerry, Android and iPhone developme…

Trying both ios,blackberries etc, I deployed 12 androids in the family. I like its flexibility, and being a programmer, I sometimes download roms. Android gives a lot of freedom. I didnt like ios, mainly no widgets, no context menu standardized and too many buttons and button clicks, no true multitasking. it is for single threaded people, because it puts you in a mode where you have to go one by one. Android is truly…

Or reading between the lines, your family are lumbered with third rate devices because of your ideological geeky fanaticism.

This is all reminiscent of the "Linux will take over the desktop" advocacy of 8 or 9 years ago. People with knowledge of "the real world" just roll their eyes heavanwards and find someone interesting to talk to.

Re: 700,000 Android devices activated each day

#90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"open for users" this is not true, for all intents and purposes, Android is as open for users as iOS, but unlike Android iOS is not full of bloatware from the carriers. If you want to get the most out of your Android phone, you have to install community mods no different from an iPhone. My phone costed $3000 MXN and it was paid in cash, and I feel it was no worth it. I just hope one day (when my warranty expires) my…

With iOS: * there are no phone models available that allow to root your device without jailbreaking, a process that voids your warranty * you cannot install software from third-party sources, unless you jailbreak it * as a developer you cannot distribute software from your website, unless you want to limit yourself to nerds that have jailbroken their device * you cannot build your own device with iOS on it * certain…

Android is full of possibilities, but the carriers are often the ones doing something with this, making it worse for the majority of users. If every Android user got the next version as quickly as iOS users get their next version, and it was as clean as Google wanted, their phones would be massively improved.
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