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Anyone else impressed with Honeycomb?

radiogoober said:
Can all of these second-rate OSs please stop with the stupid names? Really? Ice cream sandwich? When does Cheerios come out? Cream pie?
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We seem to be getting an influx of summer posters.

Anyone who discusses / likes / hates Android knows that its major versions are codenamed as deserts, in alphabetical order: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich. They put up a giant plastic version outside Google HQ each time.

Microsoft often uses place names, probably culled from developer vacations.

Apple codenames their desktop OS using big cat names like Snow Leopard. But Apple's projects can have strange names as well.

Ever heard of the Purple 2 project? Hint: it was the iPhone.

Other odd Apple codenames have included Bride of Buster, Fat Mac, Fridge, Tim, Weed Whacker, and Yikes!
 
radiogoober said:
Can all of these second-rate OSs please stop with the stupid names? Really? Ice cream sandwich? When does Cheerios come out? Cream pie?
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who care? apple uses cat names. I like sweets more than cats to be honest. if you want to know what a cream pie is do a google image search with the filter off.😱
 
Samsung, motorola, or other android employees stop trying to cause a rift!!! Just make better products or have Google fix the os or whatever.
 
I am. I think it beats iOS hands down. I have an iPad right now, but I think the next tab will be an Android.
 
gdeputy said:
I like it, but one thing I just cant get over is when switching screens it lags.

It looks BAD. I don't know how.. someone posted it before, but apple had an algorithm so that when your moving your screens it's VERY smooth (i.e. 60FPS) vs. what looks like 25-30 on android.
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Nobody outside of Macrumors and very anally retentive people would actually notice or care about this. Remember Windows vs Mac? Mac had the better UI experience, but who won the market share war and who became a staple of everyday computing? iOS needs more than smooth animation to win market share.
 
AZREOSpecialist said:
Nobody outside of Macrumors and very anally retentive people would actually notice or care about this. Remember Windows vs Mac? Mac had the better UI experience, but who won the market share war and who became a staple of everyday computing? iOS needs more than smooth animation to win market share.
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So are you saying that Android & Windows users have no taste? I agree. Enjoy your McDonald's Happy Meal. I'm eating a tournedo of beef.
 
i played on my mates xoom a few weeks ago and was really impressed, it definitely has a lot of potential, more than ios 5 from what i saw.

i loved the screen real-estate, the way you can display so much information on one page via widgets, notifications are also located in a nice little area as well.

customisation is as great as ever, the web app was fantastic, and loved the whole ui.

it definitely needs more work done on it, give it a more polished finish, get rid of the few bugs it has, and improve the performance slightly.

all in all i will probably ditch the IOS platform all together if apple don't do a complete redesign of the UI or at least give us the ability to customise.

Ipad is top dog though, not because of it's UI, IMO the UI is toooo simple and stale, simply a wall of apps and nothing more.

it's developer support that makes it KING at the moment.
 
kdarling said:
We seem to be getting an influx of summer posters.

Anyone who discusses / likes / hates Android knows that its major versions are codenamed as deserts, in alphabetical order: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich. They put up a giant plastic version outside Google HQ each time.

Microsoft often uses place names, probably culled from developer vacations.

Apple codenames their desktop OS using big cat names like Snow Leopard. But Apple's projects can have strange names as well.

Ever heard of the Purple 2 project? Hint: it was the iPhone.

Other odd Apple codenames have included Bride of Buster, Fat Mac, Fridge, Tim, Weed Whacker, and Yikes!
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i actually get a kick out of code names

i don't see why anyone would bother to try to bash them
 
ZBoater said:
You know, Google actually makes Honeycomb, right? Them making their own apps work better on their own OS is not exactly rocket science. And a Google search works WONDERS! 😀

Offline Maps - http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/07/go...download-maps-for-offline-viewing-hallelujah/

Turn by turn navigation - http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Exclusive-Apps-Google-Android-Apple-iOS,review-1654-10.html
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Indeed, I had a iPhone 4, I now have a Inspire 4G. I had a iPad, I now have a Xoom. It's amazing once you break free from the shackles of IOS what fun it is to make what you want of your mobile/portable experience.

I think IOS has a place, some aren't to tech savvy, IOS is great for them since it doesn't take a lot of tech knowledge to get to use and optimize it. However for a power user Android just can't be beat.
 
I have my likes and dislikes for both, Android and iOS devices! Hence, I use both! An EVO as my phone and iPad as the tablet 😀

I would be all for WebOS, but that TouchPad needs to hit the gym!!
 
AZREOSpecialist said:
Nobody outside of Macrumors and very anally retentive people would actually notice or care about this. Remember Windows vs Mac? Mac had the better UI experience, but who won the market share war and who became a staple of everyday computing? iOS needs more than smooth animation to win market share.
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"became" being the operative word.

i don't know what the statistics are, but anecdotally i would say people spend as much or more time with apple products now than they do with windows. most of the people i know have iphones, ipads, ipods, or macs regardless of what they might use in the office. if you count these as "everyday" computing (i do) then i think apple's approach to the ui has managed to win out after all. it matters to the large number of people who pick up an ipad or iphone and use it without needing to even glance at the instructions. they may not be mac fans, per se, but they are fans of enjoying the gadgets they buy.

if you combine apple's numbers with android's, then windows is looking especially irrelevant in today's world. mobile platforms are almost non-existent in the wild and windows 8 is still a long way off. the vista debacle did nothing to help (i have vista and i am not just griping--it really sucks in my opinion, and it is quite annoying).

i don't need a new ui. i need it to be more functional and customizable. apple needs to quit locking down the stuff that doesn't matter to their business model (disabling the ability to use a bluetooth mouse, limiting the number of apps in a folder, forcing me to keep something like the apple calendar on my screen, etc.). looking forward to ios5 and the long-awaited fix for notifications. no need to re-invent the wheel every time with a new ui--just keep looking for ways to improve it.
 
palpatine said:
"became" being the operative word.

i don't know what the statistics are, but anecdotally i would say people spend as much or more time with apple products now than they do with windows. most of the people i know have iphones, ipads, ipods, or macs regardless of what they might use in the office. if you count these as "everyday" computing (i do) then i think apple's approach to the ui has managed to win out after all. it matters to the large number of people who pick up an ipad or iphone and use it without needing to even glance at the instructions. they may not be mac fans, per se, but they are fans of enjoying the gadgets they buy.

if you combine apple's numbers with android's, then windows is looking especially irrelevant in today's world. mobile platforms are almost non-existent in the wild and windows 8 is still a long way off. the vista debacle did nothing to help (i have vista and i am not just griping--it really sucks in my opinion, and it is quite annoying).

i don't need a new ui. i need it to be more functional and customizable. apple needs to quit locking down the stuff that doesn't matter to their business model (disabling the ability to use a bluetooth mouse, limiting the number of apps in a folder, forcing me to keep something like the apple calendar on my screen, etc.). looking forward to ios5 and the long-awaited fix for notifications. no need to re-invent the wheel every time with a new ui--just keep looking for ways to improve it.
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I think that's what people are saying. iOS needs to be updated to better use the screen real estate. This "wall of apps" metaphor is old, stale, and really uninspired. I was expecting iOS 5 to bring more customizability and stop forcing us to look at an app grid, but the only huge feature we got was revamped notifications. And it took how many years to get this?

Look, all Google has to do is put more effort into the UI polish and improve its performance - those are the two big advantages people say iOS has over Android. Personally I hate iTunes and wouldn't mind never having to use that slow piece of crap ever again. I suppose the reason I haven't purchased an iPad yet is because I don't want something that uses what is basically a phone OS. The iPad home screen looks like a blown up iPhone with so much wasted space that could be used for other things.

I think a second generation of Android tablets will be solid contenders and it will be at that point that we start to see Apple's market share slip.
 
AZREOSpecialist said:
I think that's what people are saying. iOS needs to be updated to better use the screen real estate. This "wall of apps" metaphor is old, stale, and really uninspired..
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istockphoto_2901768-clock-face-clipping-path-isolated-on-white-background.jpg



I'm soooo bored with the way clockmakers force you to tell time. The whole "one comes before two, the hands progress in a circular motion" metaphor is old, stale, and really uninspired.

Sometimes a metaphor "just works." And the "grid of icons on a background" model has worked for thirty years or more. Stacks of cards etc. might be new, but I don't really find them particularly compelling or efficient.

A generation ago people ditched analog watches for the fancy new blinking digital ones. It didn't take long, however, for the analog watchface to come back into fashion. Not just because it looks better (which it does) - but because it works better - ie. you don't need to be able to read tiny characters, and you don't even need to read at all.

The interfaces possible with Android, WebOS, QNS, etc. might be different, but you'd have to do a lot to convince me they were in any way better.
 
vrDrew said:
A generation ago people ditched analog watches for the fancy new blinking digital ones. It didn't take long, however, for the analog watchface to come back into fashion. Not just because it looks better (which it does) - but because it works better - ie. you don't need to be able to read tiny characters, and you don't even need to read at all.
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I just had to comment that I know quite a few younger people who never learned to read an analog watch face. They're totally dependent on digital clocks.

Come to think of it, I would propose that:

The other UIs you mentioned that have widgets and other active screen info are more like an analog clock: they show much more info at a glance (analog = can easily visualize fifteen minutes from now, or the total amount of time, etc.)...

Whereas the static icon grid UI is more like the digital clock: easy for casual users or those who don't want to put extra time into learning, but it conveys no other info at a glance..
 
I love my iPad but everyone here has to realize that Apple has built it for the consumer. I work in a large corporation and the iPad is not ready for business beyond basic email and browsing. It is getting better but still has a long way to go. Microsoft, HP, and Google could easily make moves into this market and put Apple on its heels. I hope Apple wakes up and finds a way to make the iPad more functional for business while still keeping it simple to use.

Some think Apple's lead is insurmountable. Let me share with you some history. The Mac came out in 1984 with the first GUI OS and had large market share for years. But Microsoft kept plugging away and started putting in features that corporations wanted like built-in networking, multi-user security, and business applications. Within a few years, the Mac's leadership was completely gone and it never got more than 10% market share until Jobs came back.

Business people want to be able to send emails with multiple attachments, they want to run their productivity apps like PowerPoint and Excel, and be able to access the file system to work on a variety of files.

I think Jobs remembers that time and he won't repeat the same mistakes. Right now, the consumer is in charge and they are voting with their pocketbooks. But when IT departments decide how to spend billions on tech and as their employees move from laptops to tablets, Apple may not be their first choice.

Check out the Cisco Cius as one example of this trend.
 
Consumer needs and business needs are very different. You can hardly focus on both.

However Apple could target a specific business area, like small businesses and creative businesses with OS X based computers.

Regarding Android, I am not impressed at all by Honeycomb. But the aim of Android Ice Cream Sandwich is really well chosen. If Google can manage to simplify the entire ecosystem with one basic, simple UI, then Android will fly.
 
Danoc said:
Consumer needs and business needs are very different. You can hardly focus on both.

However Apple could target a specific business area, like small businesses and creative businesses with OS X based computers.

Regarding Android, I am not impressed at all by Honeycomb. But the aim of Android Ice Cream Sandwich is really well chosen. If Google can manage to simplify the entire ecosystem with one basic, simple UI, then Android will fly.
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disagree with the first part, but agree with the second.

apple desperately needs to address its lack of support for getting things done IF it hopes to see adoption by businesses. maybe it doesn't care about businesses. but, if it does (recent marketing suggests this), then they have problems (in my opinion).

businesses have lots of money to spend, and IT departments carry a lot of clout. they are unlikely to swing their weight in favor of a device like the ipad that will cause nothing but headaches. i haven't met an it person yet that wants to see the ipad on their network. they do it because they are pushed into it by higher ups who have no clue what is going on. google android has caused its share of problems (my university has struggled to deal with their ip address issues), but they seem a little more responsive.

as a first step, apple could address the inability to get things done with an ipad. give me bluetooth mouse capability, at least the option of having true multitasking, and a usb port (for example). yeah, this is old ground, and not a very interesting debate if we are talking about consumers. but, for businesses i think apple needs to be a bit more flexible.

my guess is that google will get there first, unfortunately. as you said about ice-cream sandwich, they are headed in the right direction.
 
kdarling said:
I just had to comment that I know quite a few younger people who never learned to read an analog watch face. They're totally dependent on digital clocks..
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I don't believe that.

In short, I'm pretty sure that the number of non-developmentally disabled (or legally blind) American teenagers who are incapable of reading an analog clockface is about as close to zero as statistics will allow.

If you want to make a counter-argument, I'd really suggest using evidence or examples that doesn't stretch the bounds of reasonable credulity.
 
bocomo said:
i actually get a kick out of code names

i don't see why anyone would bother to try to bash them
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Me too, and not just for product projects. We also use a ton of codewords in the military, although they tend to be more macho 🙂

Reminds me of naming computers. Years ago it was not uncommon to run across a cluster of servers called Gandolf, Frodo, Bilbo or with any kind of theme.

Nowadays IT seems to have less imagination: they often name servers by location. While that is intended to help them do maintenance easier, it's both boring and bad security (since it gives location away).

vrDrew said:
I don't believe that.

In short, I'm pretty sure that the number of non-developmentally disabled (or legally blind) American teenagers who are incapable of reading an analog clockface is about as close to zero as statistics will allow.
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Not surprisingly, those who cannot read analog tend to try to hide that fact.

I'm speaking of my own experience. A couple of years ago a friend mentioned to me that his 30 year old son had never learned to read an analog clock.

Curious, I started asking people why they didn't wear a watch. Some said they use their phone instead because it's one less thing to carry, but others admitted that they could only read digital clocks. I was surprised at how many said so.

Perhaps it's the same group that never learned the difference between "their", "they're" and "there", which seems to be the majority around here.

YMMV
 
nateDEEZY said:
Been an iPad owner since day 1. The main reason I didn't upgrade to the 2 is because of the lack of a new display.

Anyways after looking at reviews of the Asus EEE Transformer in action I'm impressed with the OS. At the same time I'm losing a bit of hope for iPad and the iPad 2 even with iOS 5.

Anyways, here's to hoping the Andriod tablet market pushes Apple to faster product update cycles and a better tablet OS.

I'm sure iPad 2 owners would be upset... but Apple's gotta do something if they want to keep the tablet market for the next 18 months.
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Apple has set the tone for the market with the iPad and now iPad 2, everyone is rushing to compete, but no one is close. How can you say Apple needs to change, I think what is going to happen is all MFG's will race to compete with Apple, they are driving the market is most aspects for personal media and handheld devices.
 
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