3 weeks with Android are enough..I miss my iPhone so much...

[cynics]

Why would you ignore the Google+ way of doing it though? not being a smart arse just wondering on your reasoning.

I meant that as "you'd have too". Point I was making is comparing Dropbox to photostream is comparing two different types of services.

I'm not familiar enough with Google+ to know how well it works. Even when I was using Android I didn't care for and avoided Google+. At the time it was FB from Google and not much else.

 

[petvas]

I have made up my mind. I will keep the M8 and try to make things work as I want them to.

My setup works like this at the moment:

• For Mail and calendar I use hosted Exchange (Office 365). I use Nine for Mail, and DigiCal for calendar. I don't use Exchange tasks because the Tasks app on the Mac is bad, so I would like to have more functionality..
• For tasks I switched to Wunderlist. It works well for the moment. I would prefer to use sth like Omnifocus or Things (that are available on the Mac and iOS), but currently there are not available on Android..
• For lock screen notifications I use Nils floating panel. I just need to play with its settings to make it work better for me
• I sync my iTunes music library with the Google Play Music Manager and it works very well
• For pictures, I exported albums from Aperture and then copied them to my M8. New pictures taken with the M8 will get uploaded to Dropbox. I import them then manually to Aperture. This is not ideal, but I can live with it
• Video Calls: This is a problem for me and I would like your ideas..I would like to use Skype but it really sucks on Android. I can easily call people, but receiving calls doesn't work all the times...Hangouts is ok, and I use it with people that have it..
• Chat: I use Facebook Messenger, Whats Up (less though), Hangouts (also not a lot). I miss Messages and iChat, but I use my Macs more for chatting..My M8 is used less for chatting..
• Internet browsing: I am using Chrome, but I miss Safari. I believe it's better and I hope Chrome improves in the future
• Podcasts: I use Pocket Casts and I love it. No issues here
• Books: Kindle...
• Password Manager: 1Password on my Macs and on Android too. There is a beta available with read/write, much better than the version found on the Google Play store
• Notes: OneNote on my Macs and on Android: Works great for me.

 

[taedouni]

The nice thing about Android is that you can do things that you couldn't with iOS unless you had a jailbreak. I love my M8 and may keep it and sell my iPhone 5s. No matter what, when a jailbreak is released for iOS 8 I will be purchasing an iPhone 6.

 

[Vegastouch]

Don't they go together? Sync into iphotos show up in Aperture

----------



It takes me months to learn about a new gadget, it doesn't happen over night

It takes you months to learn to surf the web, check email, and sms? That was what i was responding to in him saying if thats all you do, why have to learn a new system.? Those are basic functions of any smartphone.

I agree it takes some time to learn a system. Took me three weeks to feel really good about Android when i switched.

----------

I have made up my mind. I will keep the M8 and try to make things work as I want them to.

My setup works like this at the moment:

• For Mail and calendar I use hosted Exchange (Office 365). I use Nine for Mail, and DigiCal for calendar. I don't use Exchange tasks because the Tasks app on the Mac is bad, so I would like to have more functionality..
• For tasks I switched to Wunderlist. It works well for the moment. I would prefer to use sth like Omnifocus or Things (that are available on the Mac and iOS), but currently there are not available on Android..
• For lock screen notifications I use Nils floating panel. I just need to play with its settings to make it work better for me
• I sync my iTunes music library with the Google Play Music Manager and it works very well
• For pictures, I exported albums from Aperture and then copied them to my M8. New pictures taken with the M8 will get uploaded to Dropbox. I import them then manually to Aperture. This is not ideal, but I can live with it
• Video Calls: This is a problem for me and I would like your ideas..I would like to use Skype but it really sucks on Android. I can easily call people, but receiving calls doesn't work all the times...Hangouts is ok, and I use it with people that have it..
• Chat: I use Facebook Messenger, Whats Up (less though), Hangouts (also not a lot). I miss Messages and iChat, but I use my Macs more for chatting..My M8 is used less for chatting..
• Internet browsing: I am using Chrome, but I miss Safari. I believe it's better and I hope Chrome improves in the future
• Podcasts: I use Pocket Casts and I love it. No issues here
• Books: Kindle...
• Password Manager: 1Password on my Macs and on Android too. There is a beta available with read/write, much better than the version found on the Google Play store
• Notes: OneNote on my Macs and on Android: Works great for me.

Try Firefox.

 

[m3coolpix]

It takes you months to learn to surf the web, check email, and sms? That was what i was responding to in him saying if thats all you do, why have to learn a new system.? Those are basic functions of any smartphone.

I agree it takes some time to learn a system. Took me three weeks to feel really good about Android when i switched.

----------



Try Firefox.

Ditto on the Firefox suggestion. I have it sync'ing from my Mac(s), an IBM Laptop (for a couple business reasons I have Windows 7 also), and on my M8. It works.

If you are using 1Password on Mac(s) and iDevice(s), there is a beta out (has to be side loaded) from Agilebits that anyone at this point can try. Loaded it up yesterday and sync'd it (has to be dropbox for now). The 'expiration' on the 1Passwork Android Beta is July 1...and email from their email list a few days ago announced that while they aren't announcing anything for Android there will be an announcement soon.

 

[El3ctronics]

I don't know what your issue is with Hangouts but I find it FAR superior to iMessage and it doesn't hold your number hostage when you switch devices. You can also video chat directly from Hangouts with other people that have it installed. I find the integration (after the last update) to be fantastic.

 

[soulreaver99]

I don't know what your issue is with Hangouts but I find it FAR superior to iMessage and it doesn't hold your number hostage when you switch devices. You can also video chat directly from Hangouts with other people that have it installed. I find the integration (after the last update) to be fantastic.

^^ This ^^

It took me a long time to figure out that there was an iCloud account that had my number and I have been missing quite a bit of text messages. Exclusive apps and ecosystems are completely over-rated and I am glad Google has opened up their apps on multiple platforms.

I have stopped using iMessage altogether even on my iOS devices and rely on either Hangouts or Facebook Messenger which work great.

 

[m3coolpix]

^^ This ^^

It took me a long time to figure out that there was an iCloud account that had my number and I have been missing quite a bit of text messages. Exclusive apps and ecosystems are completely over-rated and I am glad Google has opened up their apps on multiple platforms.

I have stopped using iMessage altogether even on my iOS devices and rely on either Hangouts or Facebook Messenger which work great.

Mostly the same here.

I haven't used Hangouts enough to really comment on all it's pros and cons. As of now, I'm only using it between a couple of iPad devices that exist in our household so those can communicate with me like iMessages could.

For all my other texts, direct to my cell phone number, I'm using Textra. Works very well for both the iMessage users who are on a cell phone (and can send as SMS in iMessage), and everyone else, usually my business associates/customers who don't have iOS devices. The first 2-3 days of converting some of my most texted circle on iOS was a PITA though as I had to walk them though changing my iMessage account to 'send as SMS'.

Not a big video caller....so haven't really needed that functionality.

 

[Ddyracer]

I have made up my mind. I will keep the M8 and try to make things work as I want them to.
[*]For lock screen notifications I use Nils floating panel. I just need to play with its settings to make it work better for me

Awesome! welcome to the dark side

NILS is great, turning off the lockscreen widget while having the floating panel will get rid of that double popup.

Btw, if you want a good backup titanium backup is good. it's quite ugly but very reliable unlike the other backup solutions out there like datasync and helium, which never ran well or backed every app correctly.

it does require root though.

There also is easy backup (requires busybox and root) which probably is nicer to use.

 

[petvas]

Ditto on the Firefox suggestion. I have it sync'ing from my Mac(s), an IBM Laptop (for a couple business reasons I have Windows 7 also), and on my M8. It works.

If you are using 1Password on Mac(s) and iDevice(s), there is a beta out (has to be side loaded) from Agilebits that anyone at this point can try. Loaded it up yesterday and sync'd it (has to be dropbox for now). The 'expiration' on the 1Passwork Android Beta is July 1...and email from their email list a few days ago announced that while they aren't announcing anything for Android there will be an announcement soon.

Thanks, I know about the 1Password beta and it works great.

I installed Firefox and the first impressions are very good. I even installed it on my Macs and like it very much so far.

 

[BlueGoldAce]

How old are you?

What is the problem with the thread? I am sure there must be a lot of people that never tried Android before and would be interested to know why some guy decided that iOS is better for him..
I tried to like Android, invested a lot of money in apps, but the love was not there..When I touch an iPhone I feel things...

That last sentence.... Sounds like you need a girl, maybe get out more haha...

 

[harvey2502]

I'm currently using an iPad Air and HTC One M8. Before this, the only other iOS devices I owned were an iPod Touch and iPad 3. Never had an iPhone before, have been using exclusively Android phones(Nexus 5, Note 2, Nexus 4). I have a BlackBerry Z10 as well, but the less said about that, the better.
Have had Android tablets before(Sony Xperia Tablet Z, Nexus 7 2012, Nexus 7 2013) but honestly, Android Tablets are horrible. There isn't even a Facebook app for Android tablets. What they have is just a stretched out smartphone app.
I also own a MacBook Pro Retina. I really enjoy the seamless integration between my iPad and my MacBook.
Books, magazines, web browsing and just everyday general use are also much more enjoyable on the iPad because of the 4:3 aspect ratio. Android tablets are better for watching video though.

I totally agree with TS. Although I have used less iOS devices than Android devices, I have invested much much more into the iOS ecosystem than I have with Android. Why? Because I just find that the user experience that iOS offers to be much more polished and COHESIVE than Android. I agree with the points that TS brought up. iOS just has a much better ecosystem than Android. It just has much more to offer. Not just on the services(iTunes, Appstore etc) side, but also there are just much more accessories available for iOS devices.

The only reason I haven't had an iPhone before is because I just find 3.5 and 4" to be too small. If Apple does release a 4.7" iPhone this year, I will definitely abandon my One M8 for the iPhone. The sweet spot for screen size for me would be 4.7 to 5.2". I like to be able to operate my phone one-handed. I can do that with my One M8, but any bigger and I would run into issues. That's not to say that the One M8 isn't a great phone, it is. I just want to enjoy the seamless integration between iPhone, iPad and Mac. I also find the display on iPhones to be much better calibrated than the display on the One M8. I value colour accuracy and the iPhone's display just looks better to my eyes, even with a lower DPI. I think 1080p on a 5" display is just overkill.

And not forgetting that iOS devices get updates much faster than Android devices and they are supported much longer. The Galaxy Nexus can't be updated to Android KitKat but the 4S, released in the same year, is on the latest version of iOS.

Having switched to a MacBook from a Windows laptop and having my iPad 3 as the first tablet which I really enjoyed using, I really feel that the user experience that Apple offers to be UNPARALLELED. That, and I'm too entrenched into the Apple ecosystem

Some things I enjoy on Android:

Being able to play HiRes FLAC files out of the box
More flexible storage options
Larger screen (For now)

 

[petvas]

I'm currently using an iPad Air and HTC One M8. Before this, the only other iOS devices I owned were an iPod Touch and iPad 3. Never had an iPhone before, have been using exclusively Android phones(Nexus 5, Note 2, Nexus 4). I have a BlackBerry Z10 as well, but the less said about that, the better.
Have had Android tablets before(Sony Xperia Tablet Z, Nexus 7 2012, Nexus 7 2013) but honestly, Android Tablets are horrible. There isn't even a Facebook app for Android tablets. What they have is just a stretched out smartphone app.
I also own a MacBook Pro Retina. I really enjoy the seamless integration between my iPad and my MacBook.
Books, magazines, web browsing and just everyday general use are also much more enjoyable on the iPad because of the 4:3 aspect ratio. Android tablets are better for watching video though.

I totally agree with TS. Although I have used less iOS devices than Android devices, I have invested much much more into the iOS ecosystem than I have with Android. Why? Because I just find that the user experience that iOS offers to be much more polished and COHESIVE than Android. I agree with the points that TS brought up. iOS just has a much better ecosystem than Android. It just has much more to offer. Not just on the services(iTunes, Appstore etc) side, but also there are just much more accessories available for iOS devices.

The only reason I haven't had an iPhone before is because I just find 3.5 and 4" to be too small. If Apple does release a 4.7" iPhone this year, I will definitely abandon my One M8 for the iPhone. The sweet spot for screen size for me would be 4.7 to 5.2". I like to be able to operate my phone one-handed. I can do that with my One M8, but any bigger and I would run into issues. That's not to say that the One M8 isn't a great phone, it is. I just want to enjoy the seamless integration between iPhone, iPad and Mac. I also find the display on iPhones to be much better calibrated than the display on the One M8. I value colour accuracy and the iPhone's display just looks better to my eyes, even with a lower DPI. I think 1080p on a 5" display is just overkill.

And not forgetting that iOS devices get updates much faster than Android devices and they are supported much longer. The Galaxy Nexus can't be updated to Android KitKat but the 4S, released in the same year, is on the latest version of iOS.

Having switched to a MacBook from a Windows laptop and having my iPad 3 as the first tablet which I really enjoyed using, I really feel that the user experience that Apple offers to be UNPARALLELED. That, and I'm too entrenched into the Apple ecosystem

Some things I enjoy on Android:

Being able to play HiRes FLAC files out of the box
More flexible storage options
Larger screen (For now)

I agree that the integration between Apple devices and OSes is much better. I also find the iPhone screen to better reproduce colors than the M8. Apart from that, with a little effort (or a lot of) you can configure Android in a way that is impossible on iOS.
I installed Firefox yesterday on my M8 and I enjoy Ad Blocking for the first time on a mobile device for example..The out of the box experience on Android is much worse than on iOS, but now that I have found the apps I want and the screen layout that suits me best, I enjoy my M8 a lot..
My only big issue is having a good video calling app that I can use with my friends and family..Skype sucks big time on Android unfortunately..

 

[maflynn]

I agree that the integration between Apple devices and OSes is much better. I also find the iPhone screen to better reproduce colors than the M8. Apart from that, with a little effort (or a lot of) you can configure Android in a way that is impossible on iOS.

I agree that apple excels at integration with their OS/services and products. If you're not going whole hog with google services then you'll lose out on some level of integration and ease of use.

This is one aspect that kept me on the iPhone for so long. If I were to return to the iPhone integration of OSX and iOS will be a major reason.

 

[petvas]

I agree that apple excels at integration with their OS/services and products. If you're not going whole hog with google services then you'll lose out on some level of integration and ease of use.

This is one aspect that kept me on the iPhone for so long. If I were to return to the iPhone integration of OSX and iOS will be a major reason.

I am trying to find a balance between being OS agnostic, and using the best things an OS (and ecosystem) has to offer.
That way you can switch easily to other devices, running different operating systems..

 

[pdqgp]

Oh god not another one of these threads...

How old are you?

I think he's just referencing that there are 1,234 of these same threads here. Everyone is different and they all end the same way.

We all have opinions.

* App quality is most of the times worse than on iOS. There are some good apps out there though. An example of a whole app category where iOS is unbeatable: Calendar and Tasks apps..It's like night and day..

can't comment too much. I use the stock calender and love it. More robust than iOS and at least with Android as an OS you have options for just about anything, especially in terms of apps and their integration. Task wise, I've been using ToDoList. Works great.

* The Google Play store cannot be compared to the AppStore...

YMMV. I like it. Appstore is organized a bit better but the reality is I search and narrow down what I'm looking for pretty easily on either.

*If you are not prepared to root your device, then Android OS gets also boring, as iOS...Maybe because both OS work pretty well...

I disagree. My Note 3 isn't rooted and is customized just fine and not at all boring. Not just in terms of looks but also functionality. Android has iOS beat to death in terms of both form and function capability.

Ironically, I liked my iPhone set up and mirrored my Android to match in terms of layout and folders.

*Notifications: The lock screen notifications of iOS are much better than any plugin or widget can accomplish on Android. Android does't natively support lock screen notifications, but there are widgets and apps that imitate iOS behavior...but they do not work as well as the original...

Again, complete disagreement. Android is so easily customizable and notifications blow iOS away. This and your previous comment can be eliminated just by becoming familiar with how to set up your device. I have several different means of notification appearance on my lock screen depending on what I'm being notified of. Some are pop ups in the center, some at the to of the screen, some along the very top in text only, etc....again, all customizable.

*Video playback support is not as good as on the iOS...I know there are many video players, but iOS offers much better compatibility with mp4 files. MKV files on the other hand play very well on Android too (you need an app on iOS for that..)

IIRC .mkv or m4v are Apple centric formats but easily converted to MP4's. I can't comment as I use strictly MP4's.

*The fact that Dropbox runs in the background on Android and saves taken pictures automatically is great, but on iOS we have Photostream that does the exact same thing, and is much better integrated in the OS..

Again, can't really comment as I don't have my pics automatically pushed to the cloud. I prefer to keep my pics on my phone and manually move which pics and vids I want to. I typically use Airdroid for that. However, from what I have used and understand Android has tons of options for cloud storage.

*The lack of Mac integration can be frustrating at times...

I'm a PC guy. can't comment but likely isn't as streamlined as an iOS would be.

* The OS is not as polished as iOS and looks worse too! I don't believe I am saying that, but iOS 7 is beautiful...

Again, disagree as Android is completely customizable. Way more than just about any OS out there. I can show you two completely different set ups on my phone that literally happen via a simple app and both are still 100% customizable. All in knowing the apps to use.

*No FaceTime and no iMessages...Hangouts is a joke of an application. I am sorry Google fans, but you haven't probably seen Messages and FaceTime working...It's like night and day

Your mileage varies here. I don't use facetime at all. iMessage, love the idea and used it on my iPhone but reality is Texts are free on our plan so we don't care. I rarely if ever don't have service. Texting over wifi...meh....

 

[joshwithachance]

It's fine that you like iOS more, but some of your points are negligible or just flat-out wrong. The Play Store (outside of a few games) is just as good as the App Store, iMessage isn't a necessity when we're all FORCED into unlimited texting from our U.S. carriers, and the Android DropBox integration is MUCH better than Photostream and that's a fact.

I do agree about the polish (mostly on Samsung devices aka TouchWiz) and lack of integration with Macs though.

The M8 absolutely murders the iPhone, so I'm stunned you're giving it up to go back to the basic as hell, teeny tiny iPhone. To each their own I guess.

 

[mib1800]

Just can't imagine using iphone again. It is like going back to the dark ages where things I take granted can't be done like:

- auto silent on/off based appointments in calendar.
-block calls based time/event/ rules
-auto switch settings like wifi BT daya etc based on time/location/nfc/rules
-auto send Sms/email based on location/birthday/schedule/rules
-auto run apps using nfc/received sms/motion.
-auto change wallpaper
-Internet Speed shown at the notification.
-Web Cam widgets on the home screen.
-One tap shortcuts on homescree to send predefined sms
-phone call recording
-auto save important sms/call log into calendar.
-easily copy files in and out of phone using cable BT or wifi direct.

 

[petvas]

Just can't imagine using iphone again. It is like going back to the dark ages where things I take granted can't be done like:

- auto silent on/off based appointments in calendar.
-block calls based time/event/ rules
-auto switch settings like wifi BT daya etc based on time/location/nfc/rules
-auto send Sms/email based on location/birthday/schedule/rules
-auto run apps using nfc/received sms/motion.

How do you do all of the above?

Update: I found this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cabooze.buzzoff

 

[mib1800]

How do you do all of the above?

There are apps for each of above.

Or you can use Tasker to do all. Tasker allows you to specify actions to perform when events occured.

There are over a hundred events supported like when sms/call comes in or regular timer or calendar events or location changes etc. Hundreds of Actions are supported like turn on/off wifi BT, send sms, take pictures, write file, change wallpaper etc.

 

[petvas]

There are apps for each of above.

Or you can use Tasker to do all. Tasker allows you to specify actions to perform when events occured.

There are over a hundred events supported like when sms/call comes in or regular timer or calendar events or location changes etc. Hundreds of Actions are supported like turn on/off wifi BT, send sms, take pictures, write file, change wallpaper etc.

Thanks. I will have a look at tasker.

I have decided to keep my M8 and stay with Android..I had already posted that, but apparently you hadn't see it.

 

[Dontazemebro]

How do you do all of the above?

Update: I found this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cabooze.buzzoff

You could use Tasker for a lot of automations. Or use of NFC tags. Pretty much anything is possible with Android, you just have to be willing to put in the work.

Although, there is something to say about the iPhones simplicity. Sometimes that's all you need.

Personally I couldn't go without both which is why I carry a Note 3 and iPhone 5s all the time.

 

[gotluck]

Pretty much anything is possible with Android, you just have to be willing to put in the work.

Although, there is something to say about the iPhones simplicity. Sometimes that's all you need.

Now that there is a good quote

 

[Vegastouch]

Awesome! welcome to the dark side

NILS is great, turning off the lockscreen widget while having the floating panel will get rid of that double popup.

Btw, if you want a good backup titanium backup is good. it's quite ugly but very reliable unlike the other backup solutions out there like datasync and helium, which never ran well or backed every app correctly.

it does require root though.

There also is easy backup (requires busybox and root) which probably is nicer to use.

I had that issue. So you do not check the box to activate Nils but have yes on for the floating panel? Thats what i see to do if there is something else, please let me know.


EDIT...hmm, doing that way ,im getting no notifications. Im doing something wrong.

 

[Oohara]

It's fine that you like iOS more, but some of your points are negligible or just flat-out wrong. The Play Store (outside of a few games) is just as good as the App Store, iMessage isn't a necessity when we're all FORCED into unlimited texting from our U.S. carriers, and the Android DropBox integration is MUCH better than Photostream and that's a fact.

I do agree about the polish (mostly on Samsung devices aka TouchWiz) and lack of integration with Macs though.

The M8 absolutely murders the iPhone, so I'm stunned you're giving it up to go back to the basic as hell, teeny tiny iPhone. To each their own I guess.

Come on guys, read the thread before posting...