My non-techie, frazzled mom, all-girl thoughts on Android, iOS, and stuff

[rans0m00]

Sounds like a bad phone... I took to android so quickly because I had an ip4 that couldn't handle running waze, Spotify, and text. Something was always closing or pausing... So I was already upset with my phone and more open minded to try different things. If you are happier with your 4s then that's what matters.

I quickly learned with Android if you have the drive to play with it the phone can be awesome... Straight out of the box I found it to be average with apps that are not as pretty as the ios version. After some playing and turning my phone into a mini computer I find it more useful. I am also in the minority.

 

[throAU]

I find most common apps are better on Android (e.g rss, podcast, IM, voip, social network). Firstly all these Android apps can run in the background. They can refresh/upload data or update status automatically unlike the iOS version which you need to manually launch one by one everytime.

I keep hearing about people extolling the virtues of Android multitasking, but for the average user I just don't see any major iOS deficiencies.

Google+? Updates in the background
Facebook? Updates in the background
Weather apps? Update in the background
Mail? Updates in the background
Application updates? Appear in the background
Calendar? Updates in the background


I've yet to come across a situation where I have wished "damn, i wish i could run this app in the background" on my iPhone so far.

Maybe they exist, but I just haven't run into it.

And if you don't like the keyboard, the camera, anything else all you have to do is change it.

If you didn't think it was better than an iPhone 4s you should have simply made it better lol

Why should I be doing the R&D to build my own phone software bundle, when i could just buy something that works out of the box?

I've spent 20 years in the PC industry tweaking stuff to make it work, and you know what - I don't care any more about UI fluff, different colour widgets, etc.

Give me something that works and I'll get on with doing other things with my time.


I guess there are two types of phone users in this world:

1. those who buy a device and want it to do things with a minimal of faffing about
2. those who buy a device and want to spend their time tweaking the device for the sake of tweaking the device.


Apple covers group 1. Android covers group 2.

 

[Dr McKay]

Why should I be doing the R&D to build my own phone software bundle, when i could just buy something that works out of the box?

I've spent 20 years in the PC industry tweaking stuff to make it work, and you know what - I don't care any more about UI fluff, different colour widgets, etc.

Give me something that works and I'll get on with doing other things with my time.


I guess there are two types of phone users in this world:

1. those who buy a device and want it to do things with a minimal of faffing about
2. those who buy a device and want to spend their time tweaking the device for the sake of tweaking the device.


Apple covers group 1. Android covers group 2.

Thats the thing though, the iPhone doesn't work for everybody, I for one wasn't too fond of the iOS keyboard, I hated Safari and would have loved to change the defaults.

 

[aimeeinohio]

Thats the thing though, the iPhone doesn't work for everybody, I for one wasn't too fond of the iOS keyboard, I hated Safari and would have loved to change the defaults.

True, iPhone isn't for everyone....neither is Andy, or Blackberry.

I HATED typing on the s3....and the mere thought of purchasing keyboards to see if they worked better was too much for me. The iPhone keyboard may be boring but it's accurate, and not a pain in the rear to use. iPhone OF COURSE haas its flaws (see my list of things I really loved in the Android), but the things that drove me bonkers far outweighed the things that I liked about the phone (s3). I appreciate the fact that I can hold and type one-handed on the iPhone. There's no way I could on the s3....Simply too big. Now, to play a fun little game like JetPack Joyride was AWESOME with that huge screen but again, that's not enough to cover the frustrations I had.

As for the account sharing, what I meant was- with iTunes, the hubs and I can share the same account and not have to buy everything twice. We couldn't do that with the google app store (maybe you can and we didn't figure it out, I don't know). And sBeam would not work for us (such a disapointment, I LOVE those damn commercials!!)

but then again, I got a bum of a MacBook pro....I must have bad luck LOL

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I keep hearing about people extolling the virtues of Android multitasking, but for the average user I just don't see any major iOS deficiencies.

Google+? Updates in the background
Facebook? Updates in the background
Weather apps? Update in the background
Mail? Updates in the background
Application updates? Appear in the background
Calendar? Updates in the background


I've yet to come across a situation where I have wished "damn, i wish i could run this app in the background" on my iPhone so far.

Maybe they exist, but I just haven't run into it.



Why should I be doing the R&D to build my own phone software bundle, when i could just buy something that works out of the box?

I've spent 20 years in the PC industry tweaking stuff to make it work, and you know what - I don't care any more about UI fluff, different colour widgets, etc.

Give me something that works and I'll get on with doing other things with my time.


I guess there are two types of phone users in this world:

1. those who buy a device and want it to do things with a minimal of faffing about
2. those who buy a device and want to spend their time tweaking the device for the sake of tweaking the device.


Apple covers group 1. Android covers group 2.

Actually I fall into a different Category. I'm the type that wants to tweak everything to my exact liking, then I usually stick with that. Just because I tweak until my heart's content doesn't mean I tweak everyday. My home screens and most of my settings have been basically same for the last several months. I just like that I can have things the way I want them to be instead of not having much of a choice with iOS.


iOS has been more than satisfactory for me, but times are differ now and IMHO they need to make iOS much more of a open OS. Until then I'll be sticking with Android or other mobile OSs.

 

[aneftp]

OP got bad trade. S3 is a much newer tech phone than iPhone 4S. Especially since Verizon iPhone 4S is limited to CDMA speeds.

Unless OP for S3 for $50-99 on contract it's a horrible trade for an older (potentially out of warranty iPhone 4S)

 

[daveathall]

I think that the OP gave the S3 fair chance, must admit, if I had all the problems that she had with that phone, I would have done the same thing. I can't help feeling though that her S3 was faulty and should have been exchanged, her experiences certainly don't echo mine with my S3.

 

[Sounds Good]

I'm not sure which category I'm in (4th?) but in my case I *mostly* just want a larger screen. If Apple provided an iPhone with a choice of screen sizes (like they do with the iPad and the computers) I'd buy the larger iPhone and be done with it. But they don't, so I'm looking into alternatives. ALSO, there are things I wouldn't mind tweaking a bit if I had the opportunity. Not constant tweaking, just once per tweak.

 

[thehustleman]

I keep hearing about people extolling the virtues of Android multitasking, but for the average user I just don't see any major iOS deficiencies.

Google+? Updates in the background
Facebook? Updates in the background
Weather apps? Update in the background
Mail? Updates in the background
Application updates? Appear in the background
Calendar? Updates in the background


I've yet to come across a situation where I have wished "damn, i wish i could run this app in the background" on my iPhone so far.

Maybe they exist, but I just haven't run into it.



Why should I be doing the R&D to build my own phone software bundle, when i could just buy something that works out of the box?

I've spent 20 years in the PC industry tweaking stuff to make it work, and you know what - I don't care any more about UI fluff, different colour widgets, etc.

Give me something that works and I'll get on with doing other things with my time.


I guess there are two types of phone users in this world:

1. those who buy a device and want it to do things with a minimal of faffing about
2. those who buy a device and want to spend their time tweaking the device for the sake of tweaking the device.


Apple covers group 1. Android covers group 2.

Actually android covers both.

 

[kiltedthrower]

Sorry to hear about your experiences. My wife has an S3 and hasn't had any of those problems. As far as sharing accounts, she just logs into my google account and syncs which services she wants. For example, we both use Google music together, so she has the music from my account synced to her phone.

I'd be curious to see which apps were much better on the iPhone than on an Android phone.

 

[aimeeinohio]

OP got bad trade. S3 is a much newer tech phone than iPhone 4S. Especially since Verizon iPhone 4S is limited to CDMA speeds.

Unless OP for S3 for $50-99 on contract it's a horrible trade for an older (potentially out of warranty iPhone 4S)

Both the iPhones we traded for were bought t the same time as our s3's (I was careful about that). "Bad trade" or not, we are happier LOL I had no desire for a iPhone 5....the size is wierd.

----------

I think that the OP gave the S3 fair chance, must admit, if I had all the problems that she had with that phone, I would have done the same thing. I can't help feeling though that her S3 was faulty and should have been exchanged, her experiences certainly don't echo mine with my S3.

Looking back and after talking to some Adroid lovers, I think I did indeed have a faulty phone. My husband NEVER pulled his battery, and we are about the same useage-wise...But the people at Verizon told me it was normal to do a battery pull....and I was so frustrated I just didn't care.

Someone asked about apps that I felt are better on iOS-
Facebook app is better, Twitter is better....Some apps I use every day weren't in existance on Andy- 2Peas, the Etsy apps I used to manage my shop, etc. Yes, for some of them I just bookmarked web pages, but that's really not the same. I like apps
Now, Instagram was better on Andy, but with the camera problems I had, it was frustrating.

And, my iPhone is my running partner, and I felt the s3 was wayyy too big for that...Although if I weren't frustrated otherwise, that really wouldn't have mattered as much, because I LOVED that huge screen.

 

[daveathall]

Looking back and after talking to some Adroid lovers, I think I did indeed have a faulty phone. My husband NEVER pulled his battery, and we are about the same useage-wise...But the people at Verizon told me it was normal to do a battery pull....and I was so frustrated I just didn't care.

Once confidence is lost in a phone, or for that matter, any product, it is very difficult to regain faith in it working properly, I just couldn't have coped with pulling the battery every day or so, would have bugged the living daylights out of me. I had a 4S for a decent while and loved it, superb phone, enjoy it.

 

[americanclassic]

To be fair, I'm pretty sure you had a busted device to begin with--it's not acceptable for any new phone to glitch up like that, regardless if it's Android or iOS. But I agree with the previous poster; if your only experience with something new is negative, it's hard to give it a second chance.

I think iOS is consistently reliable precisely because of its set interface--you have some buttons, and you can move them into some folders, but everything's all laid out for you. With Android, people who don't know what they're doing can easily download a plethora apps/widgets that mess with the internal processes, which clog up and slow down the device.

iOS just... makes sense; even if you're 80 years old and never heard of a smartphone before, it would take you a few minutes to garner a functional knowledge of the iphone. You could look at a million different iphones, and use any of them without a learner's curve. Some android devices are so heavily modded, no one but the owner could understand it.

I'm an android user but I'm not a "hacker". I don't just "tweak for the sake of it lololol". It's more than the ability to add a pretty clock and have some pretty icons, imo. It's more than aesthetics, it's about functionality. And now that there are Android devices on par with iOS, you can't say they're of inferior build quality, or have inferior processors, or aren't buttery-smooth. I mean if you buy a cheap device, don't blame the entire OS for a cheap device lol. One thing I see all the time are people who say 'HEY I BOUGHT A $60 OFF-BRAND ANDROID TABLET AND IT SUCKS BALLS, ANDROID SUCKS BALLS' lol.

 

[wonderspark]

I find Apple has *always* been about making computing tech easy for everyone, regardless of their proficiency. When I was a wee little kid, my Mom was busting at the seams with joy for Apple because now *she* could finally use a computer. Her own words were, "It's the computer for dummies, like me!"

Apple made a brilliant move by focusing on making things easy for everyone to use, and as noted, it does make the experience more consistent for the majority of users. On the other hand, there are people who feel too confined by the walls put up by iOS.

 

[throAU]

Actually android covers both.

This thread would tend to indicate otherwise.

 

[Jessica Lares]

The camera problems you had were due to software, Not really to do with Instagram, but more with Samsung. Nobody that skins and adds their own framework to the Android software does it fully correctly. Amazon shipped with broken charger and audio drivers in the first Kindle Fire, the last official Samsung TouchWiz ROM I used had problems with the video drivers. Every device has different compiled code, different versions of WebKit, and differences between the base source since new versions get pushed out regularly.

It's the main reason a lot just prefer the Google Nexus devices.

When the time comes, I'm moving back to the iPhone no matter what. As much as I like Android, I need my iOS apps more. Everyone here goes about customization, but then what is the extra data plan charge for then?

 

[thehustleman]

This thread would tend to indicate otherwise.

Well actual use says it's true.

Want to make a call? Press the phone button and dial or look at contacts

Want to reply to a text? Pull down the menu and tap it.

Email? Pull down and tap.

Camera? Go straight into it from the lock screen or the dock.

Android is so simply my 1 year old son picks up my gs3, unlocks it, and goes through my pictures

 

[TheRealCBONE]

Android can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. I tweaked enough to get what I wanted, no more, no less. Swipe from the left brings up widgets with my todo list, workout, and calendar. Swipe from right brings up direct call/text/email contacts screen for people I don't want on my main screen. My toddler figured out that he can 1 touch direct call mommy by touching her picture (mommy with cellphone or mommy at her desk, depending on where she is), and 1 touch direct play phineas & ferb (aka "Ferb") or the chipmunks by touching their icon. Not to mention that I can give him my phone with a launcher just for him so he can't mess with my settings or apps. SwiftKey has text predictions that are like voodoo compared to the crap ones on ios. Android has os level integration with whatever appropriate app I say it does. I did like my iphone 4s, but it was held back by things that even a jailbreak couldn't fix. If ios brings widgets and launchers, I'd give it a look. Maybe. It would be tough to step back, though. Too bad you got a bum android phone, OP.

 

[einmusiker]

I've found that iOs works fantastic for my aging mother. She is not techie AT ALL and has a hard time finding things on Android, she just likes the big easy icons on iOs. Nicccee and eassssyyy

 

[TheRealCBONE]

I think the biggest problem with going from ios or a dumbphone to android is option overload. Depending on the phone/launcher, there can be too many options with too many possibilities presented at the same time with minimal instructions. Some people dig that and some people hate it until they see how easy it can be.

 

[Wrathwitch]

i find it entertaining about the title inclusion of "all girl". i am quite sure that you don't speak for a majority of women and therefore your clarification in the title is rather pointless.

if anyone actually cares, i have the S3 and have never had to do a battery pull. i have never had my phone or my camera dog lock on me.

it took me a few months to warm up to android vs ios. but now i can hardly imagine going back.

sorry for the lack of capitals in my post, i am at a school computer and the stupid shift key is so small that it really slows down typing to use it.

bottom line is that at least you got something within your comfort zone. personally if my phone was as lemon fresh as yours seemed to be i would have exchanged it and given it a fair shot then.

peace all

oh yeah and from an all girls perspective, i would not consider changing back to an iphone until they get their heads out of their a***** and offer some variety for people who want some ie: screen size and at least minimal customizability...

 

[Dr McKay]

I think the biggest problem with going from ios or a dumbphone to android is option overload. Depending on the phone/launcher, there can be too many options with too many possibilities presented at the same time with minimal instructions. Some people dig that and some people hate it until they see how easy it can be.

With my Nexus 4 I've opted to keep most things default as I like most of the default stuff, I did however change the email client as I disliked the way it doesn't make emails fit on the screen. Of course if you go in with the mindset that you've got to change everything, it could be overwhelming.

 

[Stuntman06]

This definitely sounds like a defective device that you have. Having to do a battery pull twice a day is not normal.

I have never experienced items in folders moving around on their own. That just sounds very weird. I am using Nova Launcher which overrides the default TouchWiz homescreen. I never used folders before using Nova Launcher. Sounds very weird.

As for the keyboard, I don't like it either. I ended up getting Thumb Keyboard. It is much better. Also, many people I find use SwiftKey.

I think that much of your frustration may be that you are just used to the iPhone. As an Android user, I have similar frustrations when I have to use an iPhone occasionally as the UI is different enough that some of the common and less common things are done differently. It took me a long time to figure out how to put the cursor in the middle of a word on the iPhone. On Android, I just tap in the middle of the word. Also, some people just prefer the iPhone over Android. You may be one of them.

 

[The iGentleman]

But, after a few days, my like became dislike again...the darn thing was annoying in so many ways. My stuff moved around- for example, in my 'web' folder, I have everything lined up just how I want it. BUT sometimes, when I would open the folder stuff would be moved.
Facebook should be the 3rd from the left, top row, but it wasn't always where I left it. LOL

Your homescreen doesn't just rearrange itself on its own.

The camera kept freezing.

I have never experienced this, nor do I know a single GS3 owner this has happened to.

On day 5, the phone froze. I went to Verizon, they did the battery pull (duh, I didn't think of that). They assured me this was a rare thing to have to do, and that I would grow to love the phone
They were wrong.
I had to pull the battery AT LEAST twice a week....and when you OTTERBOX the damn thing, well, that's just not acceptable.
Typing on the thing SUCKED BUTT!!! And, one-handed useage? uh, no.

I find it hard to believe your phone was crashing a minimum of twice a week. If it was, then it was certainly something you did to it. When I had my GS3, I ran it without rebooting it for months. I literally did not have a single crash. The same is now true for my Nexus 4, I don't reboot it, and I have yet to experience a crash.

The little apps thing in the bottom right corner....Really, I want my apps in the folder/on the screen I put them on, not ALSO somewhere else that I have to see them (and you cannot move or change this). It drove me nuts knowing everything was there as well as the folders I had set up!!

Yes, you can change the launcher. You can set your home screen however you'd like to.

Can;t share a google account like we can with iTunes.

Not true. You can very easily share a Google account.

S-Beam? It's a joke

How is it a joke? It works....

iOS might be 'boring', but it WORKS!!

iOS has it's own shortcomings in its own right.

 

[chris2k5]

The OP's experience is pretty much similar to mine.

Android simply just doesn't "work" like iOS does. Even though Google has made strides in stabilizing the OS and adding cool features, it simply doesn't feel finished to me while iOS feels very polished.