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General Android, just wow.
- Thread starter killerbee79
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Widgets are awesome and blow anything iOS has, but that's me specifically, if you don't find them useful of course you are entitled to use your device the way you use it. For me widgets provide me a LOT of variable information at a quick glance. On my desktop I have a calendar widget, an email widget, and a google voice widget for example, they each have several emails/gvoice messages/appointments etc so I can tell at a glance, without opening a single program, who left me messages, when, what they said, etc. I'm not sure how you use your device in business and personal, but for me that's HUGE, especially if I'm careening down the road at 80mph (yeah sue me).
You're the one that laid out the technical claim (too resource hungry) without even hinting that it was your take on Apple's marketing.
I think that widgets really can be extremely useful for some, and for others couldn't mean anything less. I personally fell into the latter group, mainly because of the way I use my phone. I have owned in the last six months: Droid Razr, Galaxy S2, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, Galaxy Note, HTC One X, Galaxy S3, and now an iPhone 5.
Personally I tried to use widgets, I really wanted to like them (and all the other things you can customize on android) but at the end of the day I found myself with a plain old iOS - esque homescreen with just apps.
One thing I will say, is being able to open apps from a homescreen using shortcuts is fantastic. Huge plus for android. On the other hand, not having very good options to show messages on the homescreen - BIG minus. Overall though I found myself craving iOS after all that experimentation
Personally I tried to use widgets, I really wanted to like them (and all the other things you can customize on android) but at the end of the day I found myself with a plain old iOS - esque homescreen with just apps.
One thing I will say, is being able to open apps from a homescreen using shortcuts is fantastic. Huge plus for android. On the other hand, not having very good options to show messages on the homescreen - BIG minus. Overall though I found myself craving iOS after all that experimentation
When you get a text on the S3 for example it just shows that a message has arrived. I like to see my messages. The Droid Razr was worse, it didn't even have a notification. Having said that the One X did have a decent option to view messages so this is by no means an android-wide issue.
Even if they are watching this thread, your comments won't get deleted. So you're safe. I remember perfectly well how it went down the last time we had a conversation.
Then you get an alternative app that has options to show an incoming message. chompsms or handcentsms come to mind. Why would you think you're stuck with the default messaging client on Android?
When I get a text on my S3, it comes in the notification bar at top. I can read the whole text as it comes through. If i miss it, i just pull down the bar and read the whole thing there without opening the app. Not only that, i can quick reply or call back from the pull down bar without opening the apps. Idk if you can do that on your Iphone, but if I can do that this easy, then doing it on the Iphone just takes to long!
My sentiments exactly.
After a while I just found them useless. Maybe you all find them useful, but I do not.
And don't get me wrong, I think you guys are thinking that I don't like Android. I do, I'm glad there is Android and there is a fierce competition between Apple and Google/Samsung, it's only better for consumers.
But it seems that all the advantages Android offers are not really what I want. It has all these grandiose features but in the end they are more like bragging rights than actual useful features you'd use.
There are lots of videos showing how you can connect tons of USB drives, etc... use an Android phone as a computer... but are you really going to do it? It's a pretty ****** replacement for a computer, good luck getting any real work done on it. I mean, the technology is going there, no doubt, in couple of years phones WILL replace laptops, mobile and desktop operating systems will merge. Maybe even next year Google will give Android an official "desktop mode". But now? Nothing but a show off feature.
Or sending files through bluetooth... be honest, when was the last time you sent your friend a file through bluetooth? Nowadays you use email, or cloud sharing service, like Dropbox.
I'd much rather take what the iPhone can do with bluetooth. I get into my car with a Pioneer stereo, turn the ignition, there is an instant connection and I can control my iPhone through the car stereo, don't even need to take it out of the pocket... now that is amazing and actually useful and functional. I cannot do that with Android.
What matters to me are also the "little things"...
Polished UI, with attention to detail, bounce-back, motion blur or whatever it is that makes iOS' use so smooth looking when scrolling.
And small apps, as listed before
All the above, even small things like third party Calculator, iOS does better and in the end, it's all these small everyday things that matter to me more than being able to connect a mouse and keyboard once in a blue moon.
And also, as noted, centralized audio controls, background audio API.
EDIT: You know what, I don't even need the toggles widgets, it'd be useless to me, I just have everything on and let iOS manage it, which it does beautifully.
Then you get an alternative app that has options to show an incoming message. chompsms or handcentsms come to mind. Why would you think you're stuck with the default messaging client on Android?
I am well aware that you are not stuck with the stock messages app, but trust me I tried many other apps, and only found them to be more trouble than they were worth. Bottom line for me was that the iOS way of showing messages on the screen and being able to swipe them to reply is simple and really doesn't take much time at all. This is one of my small gripes with android, along with garbage music players.... both are things that apple has just done better.
Ah, I see. Well, you can instal any SMS app that shows a pop up notification then.
Oh I tried, found many to be terrible, and a couple that were good in that respect but had other more irritating issues. Overall, this is a small complaint on a platform that I very much enjoyed.
People are not bothing to retort your apps post because it;s just plain wrong or full of opinion that it's not worth their time replying too. And you are still ignoring my question about what specific experience of Android you actually have.
Been playing with my Note 2 for about a week.
Not liking it as much as I hope. Too many things that annoys me.
3rd android phone and 5th android device. Best Android device I've own so far. Jelly Bean finally got rid of the annoying lag of Android. Almost as smooth as iOS.
Will probably go back to my iPhone 4S as my main phone.
The only 2 things I'll miss form Android is:
widgets
quick settings
I think that's about it.
Not liking it as much as I hope. Too many things that annoys me.
3rd android phone and 5th android device. Best Android device I've own so far. Jelly Bean finally got rid of the annoying lag of Android. Almost as smooth as iOS.
Will probably go back to my iPhone 4S as my main phone.
The only 2 things I'll miss form Android is:
widgets
quick settings
I think that's about it.
I've been using Apple Maps for over 2 months now. Apple Maps never gotten me lost.
Been using Google Maps on my Note 2 for about a week. Already gotten me lost tonight. About 4 blocks off the mark.
Directions in Google Maps is wrong.
Yet Google Navigator got it right.
Google Maps and Google Navigator should be one app. Seem silly to be two separate apps.
Been using Google Maps on my Note 2 for about a week. Already gotten me lost tonight. About 4 blocks off the mark.
Directions in Google Maps is wrong.
Yet Google Navigator got it right.
Google Maps and Google Navigator should be one app. Seem silly to be two separate apps.
You can try something Popup Notifier. This not only popup SMS but any notifications (i.e. those that appears in notification pulldown). A lot of customization on how the popup appears. It works flawlessly and certainly much better than iOS.
I think the problem is multiple apps fighting over who is the default app. Part of the other issue is being accustom to iOS. First week is always the adjustment period.
Just yesterday while driving.
Got in car. Car sync to Note 2 through bluetooth. Bluetooth popup dialog shows up. Had to get rid of it.
Music starts playing. Starts playing classical music on my phone. My car display shows the song info, but it's showing 'superman' as the song name, which is not correct. Using my car controls to change song does change the song, but it still shows "superman" as the song name on my car display.
Want to see what music app is open. Double click on home button for app switcher. Force of habit on iOS. Got s-voice instead.
Hold onto home button. I get app switcher. Problem is no music app is showing. Didn't want to mess with finding the music app, so I just left my car playing classical music.
I think the problem is that double twist somehow started playing classical music when my Note 2 sync to my car. The last song played on Play Music app was "superman". So Play Music was sending the song info to my car. But doubletwist was the app playing the music.
Obviously the simple solution to the music issue is to place the music widget or music app shortcut on the home screen.
I then use Google Now to search for directions to a store. Google Now then opens up Google Maps with directions. I tap only navigate. It opens up another app Google Navigator. Now I somehow got 2 voice directions. One telling me to go straight, the other voice telling me to turn left. Navigator map shows I should go straight. I keep going straight, it keeps telling me to go left while another voice said continue going straight. Not sure where the other voice direction is coming from. Directions were wrong, about 4 blocks off the actual location. Somehow routing to the name of the store
gives wrong direction. Tapping on the store name and getting the address and using the address for directions instead works fine.
It was a frustrating experience being away from my iPhone.
Didn't like the app switcher on my Note 2. Didn't like that multiple apps are fighting for the same functionality. Wished Google Maps and Google Navigator is one app. Wished I can customize my home button.
The Note 2 is pretty huge for one hand use while driving. I'm glad it has a physical home butting I can feel and press when I'm driving. If it was like the touch buttons on the Nexus 4, it would frustrate me a lot.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that you was use to ios! Apps fighting over defaults can be fix by just choosing always when you find the one you like best!
How do I set the default music app that automatically plays when I connect to Bluetooth?
I don't really know since I don't listen to music that way. Probably theres a setting in double twist that makes it the default player. You may have to just chose which one you want to use, whether it's Play Music or Double Twist. Or transfer all of your music to Play music and use it. Or maybe you can use a car mode app if there is note one built in the phone to use double twist as a default player. Idk man Im just throwing out options/ideals!
Hmm I wish I would have heard of that while I still had my S3 lol, next time. Thanks for the tip!
