Smartphone battle is heating up

[Cod3rror]

Did you guys watch Google I/O 2011?

Some good stuff from Google,

The most interesting for me was Android Ice Cream Sandwich announcement, basically what they're going to do is merge all Android versions into one. And they'll make it so the UI is adaptive according to the device it's running on, but all applications will work.

They will also improve the UI.

Besides that they also formed an alliance with manufacturers and carriers to set standards on how soon and for how long will devices continue getting updates.

If the above plans are executed well, they will solve their fragmentation issues and Google can really start to gain tons of momentum cause the above mentioned problems right now is basically what's holding Android back, at least for me.

Google is big on cloud and cloud seems to be the future, and they'll probably work more and more on syncing between desktop and Android, stuff like calendars, Chrome browser syncing bookmarks, history, etc... with Android browser.

On the other end Microsoft is working real hard on Windows Phone and adding lots of features to it.

All in all, it's very interesting cause in the end it looks like we'll be left with iOS, Android and WP, the rest of the operating systems to go into a niche segment.

Android and WP are catching up to iOS, I hope Apple have something interesting ready for WWDC, at the same time I understand that there's only so much you one can innovate, the touchscreen wheel has been invented and established already now it's all about fine tuning the threads on it for the best traction.

 

[mltaylor]

Definitely some good competition makes every one better. I still prefer iOS but Android is getting it going and fast. I like the fact that they are dealing with fragmentation.

I still hate that there are new tablets and phones release seemingly every other day.

 

[Tarzanman]

lol. Android caught up with iOS a long time ago. Android has offered more features than iOS for a while now.

Where have you been?

Android has always been about the cloud. Google was doing cloud services waaaaaaaay before iphone or Android were introduced.

As for the number of android devices out there... phone makers will soon realize that there is a point where the market reaches saturation. This is part of the reason that they are making tablets and venturing out into other areas.

 

[sotorious]

lol. Android caught up with iOS a long time ago. Android has offered more features than iOS for a while now.

Where have you been?

Android has always been about the cloud. Google was doing cloud services waaaaaaaay before iphone or Android were introduced.

As for the number of android devices out there... phone makers will soon realize that there is a point where the market reaches saturation. This is part of the reason that they are making tablets and venturing out into other areas.

This right here i +1 I am trying out ios as of now, plan to go back to android when ice cream comes out, giving them a break since i been using them since release.

 

[The Californian]

People often mistake quantity for quality. I would much rather get my features a little later than everyone else and have them work right with a good user experience.

That said, I do believe Android and WP7 are finally putting some solid pressure on Apple to innovate within iOS - this makes me more excited for WWDC.

 

[nefan65]

It's a +1 for competition. Having other Phones, and Mobile OS options forces Apple to be more innovative, or at least try to match features. Beyond that, I still have yet to find a solid replacement for my iPhone 4, even after trying. I had an upgrade going from my 3G - 4. Before jumping, and knowing I had 14 days to return it, I tried the Inspire. I realized I didn't have the 4G speeds, and didn't care. I just wanted to try an Android device...

My impressions? Meh. Nothing to write home about at all. I found it laggy, and buggy. Frequent app crashes. The App store was nothing great. Fandroids poke fun at "Fart Apps" on the App Store. Yet, the Android Market Place has 8,000 Porn Apps; what's the difference? Crap is Crap. The ONLY useful thing was the widgets. I know I didn't ROOT the phone, because I didn't want to screw up the phone in case I wanted to return it, but after a bit I found them useless. The stock one was meh; Ok...I get it, it's 4:01PM, and it's cloudy. I can look outside and see that. I did add one for appointments, and it was okay. Again, nothing great though.

In the end, at around day 10, I gave up. Went back to the AT&T store, and swapped for my 16GB iPhone 4. Granted it doesn't have the widgets, or windshield wiper to tell me it's raining, but it works. No crashes, no lags, very good battery life, and dependable. If/When Android gets to that point, I'll reconsider...

 

[Cod3rror]

lol. Android caught up with iOS a long time ago. Android has offered more features than iOS for a while now.

Where have you been?

Android has always been about the cloud. Google was doing cloud services waaaaaaaay before iphone or Android were introduced.

As for the number of android devices out there... phone makers will soon realize that there is a point where the market reaches saturation. This is part of the reason that they are making tablets and venturing out into other areas.

It does have more functions, but the OS is all over the place, it lacks polish, unity and consistency, it's basically a LEGO OS right now.

Hopefully Ice Cream Sandwich will change that.

 

[kicko]

To me they have to get better development of apps before i can look elsewhere. I started on an iphone, switched to android and then switched back. While the andriod for example could do more the performance was not there. The iphone had better battery life, took better video/pics and more polished apps. Until the apps are equal and the devices perform on the same level Apple has nothing to worry about.

 

[Tarzanman]

It does have more functions, but the OS is all over the place, it lacks polish, unity and consistency, it's basically a LEGO OS right now.

Hopefully Ice Cream Sandwich will change that.

LEGO OS or not, it still has more features and better scalability than iOS. I'll take an messy workshop that lets me do whatever I want in it to over a clean playroom with toys in it and rules limiting my choice.

Put another way:

iOS is like a hot chick that will only let you hug her or kiss her after dates.
Android is the girl next door who is up for just about anything (within reason).

To each their own.

-EDIT-

I think that I just said that iOS is Veronica Lodge and that Android is Betty Cooper. LOL.

 

[stockscalper]

Android passed IOS a long time ago. I spent some time with a friend's new Droid phone this past weekend and I'm still envious. My contract is up next month and I'm going to seriously consider dumping the iPhone. Even jailbroken, it's nowhere near as versatile as the Android phones. The only thing Apple has left over the Droids is build quality and that advantage is rapidly disappearing with phones like the Incredible 2.

 

[Cod3rror]

You guys saying that Android is so much more advanced than iOS,

A girl next door up to anything...

Can you tell me please, specifically what do you require from iOS that Android does? What Android's functionality specifically do you prefer over iOS'?

I'm not trying to argue, I'm just interested.

 

[El3ctronics]

You guys saying that Android is so much more advanced than iOS,

A girl next door up to anything...

Can you tell me please, specifically what do you require from iOS that Android does? What Android's functionality specifically do you prefer over iOS'?

I'm not trying to argue, I'm just interested.

- Notifications
- Widgets
- Customizations
- Google Voice integration
- Much better lock screen
- True multitasking (ex: able to use instant messengers and communication apps without having to load the message after opening the app)

Just to name a few. I'm sure others can post more.

 

[Tarzanman]

All this is going to do is cause an argument but here are a few off the top of my head
• Voice Navigation and text-to-speech
• Removable SD cards (for expandable storage)
• Widgets
• Customizable home screens and app launcher
• No conversion software necessary to transfer songs/movies/pics onto the phone (itunes)
• Wifi calling (though skype might offer this soon with iPhone if Microsoft lets them)
• Flash (not so useful on phones, but definitely useful on tablets)
• First party Gmail, Google Maps, Google Contacts, Google Voice and Google calendar integration (all of this syncs over the air without the need for a computer)

 

[nefan65]

- Notifications
- Widgets
- Customizations
- Google Voice integration
- Much better lock screen
- True multitasking (ex: able to use instant messengers and communication apps without having to load the message after opening the app)

Just to name a few. I'm sure others can post more.

Of all those, I can see notifications, and some customization. Google integration is subjective. I could care less, as I don't use Google. Lock Screen? How? Multi-Tasking is again subjective. I've used an Android device, and what you're describing isn't MT, it's a notification, and being able to go right to it. It's different on each device, but similar in some respects. It's more a personal preference.

 

[El3ctronics]

Of all those, I can see notifications, and some customization. Google integration is subjective. I could care less, as I don't use Google. Lock Screen? How? Multi-Tasking is again subjective. I've used an Android device, and what you're describing isn't MT, it's a notification, and being able to go right to it. It's different on each device, but similar in some respects. It's more a personal preference.

Nope...nothing I said is "personal preference" those are all factual benefits of Android OS over iOS. The reason I stick with iOS is b/c 1. I'm financially committed to the apps & don't want to have the repurchase all over again and 2. I think iOS is much smoother and more intuitive than Android. Plus the fact that the hardware and OS are welded together makes them work very well together.

Notifications (or lack thereof) is probably the biggest drawback of iOS 4. There is no "preference" or question about it....it sucks. The iOS lockscreen is also garbage. It doesnt provide ANY information aside from the current time and the last popup notification you received. Again, awful.

In terms of multitasking, the iPhone's implementation is severely lacking. Apps can only stay opened for 10 minutes at a time. Some drawbacks of this include 1. using communication apps means that after I get the push notification, the app has to load the message after opened and 2. my apps can't download my RSS feeds or Instapaper feeds in the background (I have to open the app before going into the subway every morning). Android devices can do both in the background which is a HUGE benefit.

And no, the notification systems on the two platforms aren't similar at all. Once again, it's not just a preference, Androids is very good. iOS's is terrible and I don't know how it can be defended.

 

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

It's been a good show and I'm pleased to hear about the 18 month update agreement but after getting stung with the HTC Hero and it's staggered update schedule, I'll never use customised Android again.

Nexus or nothing for me with Android smartphones.

 

[nefan65]

Nope...nothing I said is "personal preference" those are all factual benefits of Android OS over iOS. The reason I stick with iOS is b/c 1. I'm financially committed to the apps & don't want to have the repurchase all over again and 2. I think iOS is much smoother and more intuitive than Android. Plus the fact that the hardware and OS are welded together makes them work very well together.

Notifications (or lack thereof) is probably the biggest drawback of iOS 4. There is no "preference" or question about it....it sucks. The iOS lockscreen is also garbage. It doesnt provide ANY information aside from the current time and the last popup notification you received. Again, awful.

In terms of multitasking, the iPhone's implementation is severely lacking. Apps can only stay opened for 10 minutes at a time. Some drawbacks of this include 1. using communication apps means that after I get the push notification, the app has to load the message after opened and 2. my apps can't download my RSS feeds or Instapaper feeds in the background (I have to open the app before going into the subway every morning). Android devices can do both in the background which is a HUGE benefit.

And no, the notification systems on the two platforms aren't similar at all. Once again, it's not just a preference, Androids is very good. iOS's is terrible and I don't know how it can be defended.

Everything you said is your opinion, therefore subjective. Again, I could care less if my "lockscreen" has nothing more than the time. I don't want, or need more. Therefore, that's my opinion, and therefore subjective. Just like yours.

10 Minutes at a time? Where do you get that? I have apps open all day, and receive notifications all day, without issue. If you have an APP that does that, then it's a limitation of the APP, not the phone. It's a matter of PUSH vs. PULL. In fact, in many cases I get emails on my phone before I get them on my PC [Exchange Environment].

If you did read my first post, I did say the iOS could use a notification improvement. However, after using an Android device for a bit, I can't say it's "Awesome", and "OMG...this blows away iOS". Again, subjective, and opinion. It's like saying, BMW's suck because I don't like how they look; but WOW AUDI's rock, and are much better..."

 

[mltaylor]

Everything you said is your opinion, therefore subjective. Again, I could care less if my "lockscreen" has nothing more than the time. I don't want, or need more. Therefore, that's my opinion, and therefore subjective. Just like yours.

10 Minutes at a time? Where do you get that? I have apps open all day, and receive notifications all day, without issue. If you have an APP that does that, then it's a limitation of the APP, not the phone. It's a matter of PUSH vs. PULL. In fact, in many cases I get emails on my phone before I get them on my PC [Exchange Environment].

If you did read my first post, I did say the iOS could use a notification improvement. However, after using an Android device for a bit, I can't say it's "Awesome", and "OMG...this blows away iOS". Again, subjective, and opinion. It's like saying, BMW's suck because I don't like how they look; but WOW AUDI's rock, and are much better..."

I get my Exchange (work) emails scary fast.

Also, I don't have any problem at all with Android. I can see the appeal of a few things it does but for me (see opinion) the iPhone is where it's at.

 

[kicko]

- Notifications
- Widgets
- Customizations
- Google Voice integration
- Much better lock screen
- True multitasking (ex: able to use instant messengers and communication apps without having to load the message after opening the app)

Just to name a few. I'm sure others can post more.

you forgot to mention
- horrible battery life on most devices
- sub par 720 HD video (with choppy frame rate)
- only very apps actually use push, causing apps to poll for new data using more power depending on how often.
- sub par apps vs. iOS versions
- remote wipe/lock phone is only through 3rd party apps
- can only update or install apps over the air

 

[nefan65]

you forgot to mention
- horrible battery life on most devices
- sub par 720 HD video (with choppy frame rate)
- only very apps actually use push, causing apps to poll for new data using more power depending on how often.
- sub par apps vs. iOS versions
- remote wipe/lock phone is only through 3rd party apps
- can only update or install apps over the air

The last one varies...depending on your phone and carrier. Meaning; 2.2.x is out, but the carrier hasn't tested it yet, so you can't have it. But you can get the Vanilla version if you root it, and futz with it...no thanks.

I am told that battery life is comparable if you: Turn off WiFi, Turn off 3G, Turn off Notifications, and backlighting. But then it wouldn't be a phone, it would door stop

 

[kicko]

The last one varies...depending on your phone and carrier. Meaning; 2.2.x is out, but the carrier hasn't tested it yet, so you can't have it. But you can get the Vanilla version if you root it, and futz with it...no thanks.

I am told that batter life is comparable if you: Turn off WiFi, Turn off 3G, Turn off Notifications, and backlighting. But then it wouldn't be a phone, it would door stop

i was talking about non-root use, yes i do not know of any android device that has as good of a battery as the iphone 4. Most ANdroid users i know (myself included) had to buy an extended battery, thus making the phone thinker and mo'brick!!

 

[scott craft]

I think whatever platform you use first heavily influences what you value in a smartphone. My wife's iphone is much smoother and consistent than my motorola droid and has better battery life, but the notifications and lack of a back button really bother me. I don't know what I'll get next though, each platform has so many positives.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[El3ctronics]

Everything you said is your opinion, therefore subjective. Again, I could care less if my "lockscreen" has nothing more than the time. I don't want, or need more. Therefore, that's my opinion, and therefore subjective. Just like yours.

10 Minutes at a time? Where do you get that? I have apps open all day, and receive notifications all day, without issue. If you have an APP that does that, then it's a limitation of the APP, not the phone. It's a matter of PUSH vs. PULL. In fact, in many cases I get emails on my phone before I get them on my PC [Exchange Environment].

If you did read my first post, I did say the iOS could use a notification improvement. However, after using an Android device for a bit, I can't say it's "Awesome", and "OMG...this blows away iOS". Again, subjective, and opinion. It's like saying, BMW's suck because I don't like how they look; but WOW AUDI's rock, and are much better..."

Push notifications have nothing to do with the app being open. Apps (aside from Apple's native apps like mail & calendar) can only stay open in the background for a MAXIMUM of 10 minutes. This isn't my opinion, nor a limitation of the app...this is a fact in iOS.

This is why you will never be able to get newspaper automatically delivered to your device without first having to open the app and wait for it to download the content. This is why RSS reading apps can't have everything ready for you when you wake up in the morning. This is why you can't have an IM program (like Google Talk on Android or BBM on Blackberry) always running in the background. You will get a push notification and then have to open the app and wait for it to connect and download the message. This is 100% a drawback of the OS.

Are you also saying you wouldn't want to look at your lockscreen and see how many missed calls you have, how many new emails you have and how many SMS messages you have without having to unlock the device and close each and every annoying pop up notification? If so, you're one of a VERY small minority.

I don't understand the petulance of wanting to defend Apple under any and all circumstances. It's weird and I don't get it. These are major drawbacks of iOS and the more customers acknowledge these facts, the quicker Apple (and any company) will be forced to address them.

 

[VulchR]

Google's focus on the cloud... I don't get it. Specifically I cannot imagine why anybody would think that cloud computing is the future. Why would you spend money (and waste energy and produce C02) pushing so much information across the networks? Doesn't anybody remember the bad old days of interacting with a mainframe via a remote terminal? I can just see it now - 'Sorry boss, but that vital report I was meant to write is stuck in the cloud because our router/exchange/network card died'...

What am I missing (no doubt alot)?

 

[El3ctronics]

Google's focus on the cloud... I don't get it. Specifically I cannot imagine why anybody would think that cloud computing is the future. Why would you spend money (and waste energy and produce C02) pushing so much information across the networks? Doesn't anybody remember the bad old days of interacting with a mainframe via a remote terminal? I can just see it now - 'Sorry boss, but that vital report I was meant to write is stuck in the cloud because our router died'...

What am I missing (no doubt alot)?

It's not JUST in the cloud. The files also remain on your device but having the same file in the cloud allows you to access it anywhere. Plus it allows you to share it with others, collaborate with people anywhere in the world and also stream or use the files simultaneously from multiple locations and on multiple devices. There is no question that cloud computing is the future. Try using DropBox and you'll understand.