What might I miss if I switch from iPhone to Samsung/Android?

[parapup]

Originally Posted by TG1

As an iPad owner, I really missed PhotoStream with when I left my iPhone 4 for the Razr Maxx. Having my photos show up on the iPad after a day of taking photos on the iPhone was great. Dropbox is a nice alternative here for Android, just not as seamless. It does have the advantage of also moving videos to the cloud unlike Photostream.

Google+ App and Gallery do all of that automatically. All my photos and videos get uploaded to picasa and are available on all my Android devices.

[matttye]

Originally Posted by walie

Wow, didn't know it was that complicated to setup Dropbox, do you have a link for a tutorial?

If that's too much trouble, then use google+

Where did I say it was complicated? Also, again, photos on Google+ must be downloaded to your other devices. That's not the same as what iCloud does. iCloud stores your photos in the cloud as well as locally on all of your other devices.

Originally Posted by soulreaver99

You still have to create an Apple ID, log in, put in your password, turn on photo stream on all your devices.

How is that different from Dropbox, Picasaweb, Google Drive, SkyDrive, etc?

Ok now you're just trolling

One account for everything (Apple ID). A lot of people already have Apple ID's from iTunes, like I did. Dropbox is a separate account. Obviously not having to create a separate account is preferable. Also, it's surely better for the OS to handle things rather than the user having to know about Dropbox (average joes probably wouldn't), then install it and setup an account.

Originally Posted by Dave.UK

How about using Google Drive to store/sync. Uses your gmail address that you used to set up your Android device - So exactly on par with iphone.

I only tried that briefly. Does that automatically sync photos to all of your other devices so that you can access them without an internet connection?

This is what iCloud does: -

1. You take a picture.
2. That picture is sent to the cloud.
3. That picture is downloaded on all of your other devices that are logged into the same iCloud account and have photo stream enabled. This happens completely automatically.

So basically what happens is, you can take pictures on any device and all of those pictures are automatically available on all of your devices. You don't need to manually download anything and you don't need to access the cloud when you want to view the photos, you only need cloud access at the time the photo is taken so that they can be sent to your other devices.

I only briefly used Google Drive and I don't remember exactly how it works.

Another benefit of iCloud is that you can have songs, apps and books automatically downloaded to all of your other devices when you download them.

[Dave.UK]

Google Drive acts like Dropbox and Skydrive.

You take a picture using your phone and it automatically uploads it to the "cloud". You can then access it from your PC, Tablet or any other internet connected device.

This suits me down to the ground as I dont want to fill up all my devices with pictures I have taken automatically , however its great to know I can download them from the cloud and store them if I so wish. Guessing this is where we differ.

[matttye]

Originally Posted by Dave.UK

Google Drive acts like Dropbox and Skydrive.

You take a picture using your phone and it automatically uploads it to the "cloud". You can then access it from your PC, Tablet or any other internet connected device.

This suits me down to the ground as I dont want to fill up all my devices with pictures I have taken automatically , however its great to know I can download them from the cloud and store them if I so wish. Guessing this is where we differ.

Yeah. I don't take that many pictures so they're not going to use up a significant amount of space. It's therefore nice to have them on all of my devices for convenience.

Having to download those photos when I want to see them would be an extra step.

Picasa web albums I believe require an internet connection to view them on Android, but correct me if I'm wrong. That's fine for home but no good if you're on the tube/subway or just have a limited data plan.

[Dave.UK]

Originally Posted by matttye

Yeah. I don't take that many pictures so they're not going to use up a significant amount of space. It's therefore nice to have them on all of my devices for convenience.

Having to download those photos when I want to see them would be an extra step.

Picasa web albums I believe require an internet connection to view them on Android, but correct me if I'm wrong. That's fine for home but no good if you're on the tube/subway or just have a limited data plan.

Fair enough.

Ive never looked for any alternative as im quite snap happy with my camera. As such im happy for them to be stored in the cloud and for me to download the pictures I need when I need them.

[matttye]

Originally Posted by Dave.UK

Fair enough.

Ive never looked for any alternative as im quite snap happy with my camera. As such im happy for them to be stored in the cloud and for me to download the pictures I need when I need them.

I can see the benefits of both. It's worth noting that you can still download Google+ and Dropbox apps for iOS and turn photo stream off if you don't want to use it, so the choice is yours at the end of the day.

[Tinmania]

Originally Posted by matttye

I'm talking about the auto-sync settings in a stock Android device. You need to install something like Dropbox to be able to sync photos.

My post was a little unclear.

It's still incorrect. Stock android uploads photos to a private g+ folder. Unlike PhotoStream it also will do video as well. No need to install anything at all.




Michael

[cheezeit]

Love that G+ uploads photo's as well.

[tbayrgs]

Loved the simplicity of Photostream when I was only using iOS devices, especially since my family all uses iOS devices as well. When I switched to Android, needed an alternate solution so I use Dropbox with auto upload (love how it does video as well) and set up Automator on my Mac to automatically import new photos into iPhoto so they are instantly available in Photostream and can be then easily shared with my family (via my iPad).

[matttye]

Originally Posted by Tinmania

It's still incorrect. Stock android uploads photos to a private g+ folder. Unlike PhotoStream it also will do video as well. No need to install anything at all.




Michael

I forgot that Google+ was part of Android now

In any event.. it's not the same, as demonstrated in the other posts in this thread.

[The iGentleman]

Originally Posted by matttye

Yeah. I don't take that many pictures so they're not going to use up a significant amount of space. It's therefore nice to have them on all of my devices for convenience.

Having to download those photos when I want to see them would be an extra step.

You don't have to download them to view them.

Picasa web albums I believe require an internet connection to view them on Android, but correct me if I'm wrong. That's fine for home but no good if you're on the tube/subway or just have a limited data plan.

That is incorrect. It requires an internet connection for it to sync. Once it is sync'ed pictures are viewable with or without an internet connection.

[siiip5]

Originally Posted by Sounds Good

That's my only motivation -- I want a larger screen. If the iPhone 5's screen was the size of the Samsung S3 I'd own one already and wouldn't think twice about Android. Period. (but it's not, unfortunately)

This may be your only motivation right now, but when you see what a Note 2 or S3 can do, you will realize how much more you have been missing.

It will not be an easy transition for someone that has been deeply integrated into the iOS walled garden. Please do not go into this expecting the user interface to be like iOS. It isn't and it takes some time to learn. This is like going from a Windows PC you have been using your whole life and one day getting an iMac. It looks very similar, but there are many things you have to relearn how to do.

Educating yourself ahead of time is key. Go to the stores and spend time playing with the S3 and Note 2. Learn how the settings and menu's work. Know which apps are available to replace the ones you use on iOS.

Google's cloud service is better than Apple's. Everything you do and when you do it is synced automatically (documents, photo's, apps you download, calendar events, etc. Google Now is much better than Siri, as is voice recognition.
You can very easily go into your Mac or PC, go to the folder that stores your music, photo's etc and just copy them over to your phone via drag and drop. You can do this wirelessly with Airdroid or via an SD card. Samsung's version of iTunes called Kies, sucks.

Here are some apps to look at that will likely replace what you are using on your iPhone:

Tasks (a to do list that auto syncs with Google)

Google Voice - Allows you to get a GVoice phone number and use that to make calls or text, if you wish. If you don't want to give your real phone number out, use your GVoice phone number. Also does texting and voicemail.

Google Now - Siri replacement, but better. Automatically provides you with drive times to work or home, trip schedules, meeting updates, sports scores, stock updates, etc..

aCalendar - Best calendar app you will ever use. Auto integrates and updates with Google. Much better than the stock Google calendar.

SVOX Classic - Allows you to change the phones speech output to a male or female, British, Australian and other accents.

Navspeedo - Allows you to add a speedometer to Google Maps and Navigation. This can be set to automatically turn on, adjust where you want it on screen and auto shuts off when you shut down maps or nav.

Tweetcaster Pro - Twitter client replacement

Poweramp - Best music player

Zedge - Able to download and use any notification, ringtone, announcement, wallpaper, sounds and use them on the phone. I think it has something like half a billion of these you can download and use. It is free too. And there is a PC webpage as well, so you can create a login and never lose your sounds again.

Officesuite Pro - Microsoft Office for Android. Works like a charm.

Printershare - Allows you to print to your home printer from anywhere in the world. At home you can print via wifi, usb, bluetooth, whatever. I love this app.

Beyond Pod - All your podcast needs.

Notify+ - Need to remember something and don't want to have to open and close an app to do it. Want that little note to stay in your notification center and edit it as you need to? This is the app.

Alarm by Doubletwist - Best alarm there is
TV Show Favs - Awesome app that alerts you to upcoming tv shows you watch, nice widget to give you a visual of upcoming tv shows for the week, nice led notifications, each individual show can have a different alert and provide info, and so on

[Sounds Good]

Awesome, thanks very much for that list! For the record, I've been using Google Voice since the very beginning. Love it.

Thanks again!

[jojoba]

I never had an iPhone in the first place, but the only thing I'm missing having an android phone next to my Air, iPad and iPod is full eco system integration. However, in practice it's not a big issue - my calendar syncs via google, my photos are in dropbox, and I mostly use the iPod for music. it would be great to have full integration, but I'm not ready to give up my Samsung Nexus for an iPhone.

[soulreaver99]

If apple ever opened up iMessage and charge 99 cents or even $3 for it, they would make a ton of money on Android and even Windows Mobile. It's funny how Google makes apps for the iPhone and Apple doesn't make apps for Android. That would definitely bridge the gap.

[Ubuntu]

Originally Posted by Sounds Good

Hi guys,

I don't really have any complaints about the iPhone (I had the original iPhone for years and now have an iPhone 4). But since I'd like a larger phone I'm toying with the idea of switching to either a Samsung Galaxy S3 or a Note 2. I waited for the iPhone 5 hoping it would be larger/wider, but of course it's only taller.

I've never used Android before so I know nothing about it, which makes me nervous about a switch. So before taking the leap, what things might I miss from the iPhone and/or iOS?

My wife also has an iPhone (as do other family members and friends) so I'll likely miss iMessage. But other that that, what things might make me regret switching to Android and leaving the iPhone behind?

Thanks in advance...

It might suck if you're using Mac and/or iPad as in my experience the Android device will naturally be a bit left out. I managed to sync the contacts from iCloud to my Nexus 4 but that was it at the time. I missed the nice stock apps like Reminders (mostly because it synced with iCloud) but also just the quality of apps. There are some really awesome stock apps from Google but I found that the third party apps tended to be quite different in terms of quality.

Other than that, I didn't miss so much. In the end I sold my nexus 4 (for a bit of profit!) because while it was the best Android device I had tried so far it still seemed to miss that touch of quality and control that iOS has. I liked a couple of the widgets I could use but I found myself disabling them because of the battery life.

About the larger screen: I actually quite prefer the iPhone 5 in that respect. The screen on my nexus 4 is great for browsing but for general use it can be a bit awkward to use. I have big hands but I find myself having to pretty much stretch my thumb to reach the top left/right corners. It can also be a bit annoying when trying to tap something in the bottom region of the screen as it feels like the phone might fall out of my hand, so do try out whatever phone you're interested in a lot before purchase.

EDIT: Also, you might want to consider the nexus. It's a pretty awesome phone that is just pure Android. It has none of Samsung's TouchWiz interface (which you may love or hate of course) but it seems to be a lot safer when it comes to updates. A fair few friends of mine who own S2s have had their phones rendered practically useless when updating to Android 4.1, and this was after having to wait for months and months because the updates go from Google to Samsung to the user.

[Tinmania]

Originally Posted by matttye

I forgot that Google+ was part of Android now

In any event.. it's not the same, as demonstrated in the other posts in this thread.

I have used both and from where I sit the Android way is better for two reasons:

1.) It does video (this is huge in my opinion).

2.) It does not upload screenshots (I hate that PhotoStream does that).


As far as other differences that is about it: uploading was automatic on my Nexus 4 and it "just worked." Nothing that I needed to configure or turn on whatsoever.

If someone likes iOS, fine. But to assert PhotoStream is better than Adroid's equivalent seems odd when PhotoStream is devoid of at least one key feature.




Michael

[Tinmania]

Originally Posted by Ubuntu

It might suck if you're using Mac and/or iPad as in my experience the Android device will naturally be a bit left out. I managed to sync the contacts from iCloud to my Nexus 4 but that was it at the time. I missed the nice stock apps like Reminders (mostly because it synced with iCloud) but also just the quality of apps. There are some really awesome stock apps from Google but I found that the third party apps tended to be quite different in terms of quality.

If you only managed to sync contacts it is not Android's or Google's fault. As mentioned in a prior post the Tasks app works and syncs wonderfully with Gmail tasks. And you are not limited to that one app: there are dozens of others to choose from if you desire. You are not stuck with one single Reminders app.

Calendar is of course trivial to sync to google. And, again, many apps to choose from if you don't like stock.

Music-wise I like Google play better than iTunes match. And the latter is a paid service while the former is free.

And all of that data can easily be viewed or modified from any web browser. That includes auto-uploaded photos and videos. iCloud.com is a slow and strange-looking beast to my eyes. And where the heck are the photostream photos? Can't see them at all at iCloud.com. Apple does not even own the domain photostream.com.

Google is an internet company first: its cloud features are more advanced than Apple's in my opinion.





Michael

[3bs]

Originally Posted by soulreaver99

If apple ever opened up iMessage and charge 99 cents or even $3 for it, they would make a ton of money on Android and even Windows Mobile. It's funny how Google makes apps for the iPhone and Apple doesn't make apps for Android. That would definitely bridge the gap.

I would definitely buy that.

[tbayrgs]

Originally Posted by Tinmania

"Not the same?" What kind of a reply is that?

I have used both and from where I sit the Android way is better for two reasons:

1.) It does video (this is huge in my opinion).

2.) It does not upload screenshots (I hate that PhotoStream does that).

Had no idea about number 2--pet peeve of mine as well, very cool. I've been using Dropbox auto upload and while it also does my video I hate that I have to sort out my screenshots.

I just started using Google+ a few days ago on my Nexus 4 so really not familiar with it. I do like have my photos automatically downloaded into iPhoto so that I can still use Photostream with our family's other iOS devices and can do that with Dropbox. Any idea if there is a way to have photos/video automatically downloaded from G+ into iPhoto?

[cynics]

Originally Posted by soulreaver99

If apple ever opened up iMessage and charge 99 cents or even $3 for it, they would make a ton of money on Android and even Windows Mobile. It's funny how Google makes apps for the iPhone and Apple doesn't make apps for Android. That would definitely bridge the gap.

I'd pay 10 bucks for that on my N10. That is one of the few things I like about my iPad 3.

[Tinmania]

Originally Posted by cynics

I'd pay 10 bucks for that on my N10. That is one of the few things I like about my iPad 3.

The dilemma is that Apple will never do that, which reinforces why it sucks to be roped into my-way-or-the-highway solutions.

That said I would pay it too.

I have been using Whatsapp lately and while it works well it seems to really drain my N4's battery. Worse, the double check-mark thing that is supposed to show if a message is read is not reliable. The other morning I woke to a whole string of messages from my girlfriend who swore I read them as they had two checkmarks by them (which stupid me explained was "the same as 'Read' in iMessage). The 11MB video limitation, with no auto-resizing, is a pain in the azz too.

I would go back to just plain text but good gawd what SMS/MMS does to video should be illegal in this day and age.




Michael