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I've used the G1,the mytouch,the samsung moment,motorola droid and i used my DAD's nexus one. The android experience feels like a unfinished piece of software. I mean if someone loves android that's fine. But the thing is you need to respect that people like the iphone.

Anti Apple and anti-iphone people come on this board to make it their lifes mission to try to force people to like their products.

Your not going to change anyones mind. So if you want to throw embers around and start a fire go right ahead.

Whhhhoaaaah there!

Who said im trying to change anyone's mind?!

People are free to make their own mind up... and thats what im trying to point out.... too many people making their mind up of alternatives to Apple's products by simply looking at poor slanted reviews and Youtube videos.

I wasnt talking about the G1, MyTouch, Samsung or Motorola, I was talking about the Nexus One I personally own and use, i cant (and wouldnt) comment on those as I haven't used them.

Those who used my Nexus One either had a tech background or were normal average joes who wouldnt understand what a 1ghz processor was or what OS was running on the phone. A few of them owned iPhones and they remarked on how much smoother/snappier it worked, had a much better and comfortable screen to view and loved the browsing experience.

I didn't go into the conversation with them saying look at this its better than the iPhone, they just were interested upon seeing the phone and took a look and made their own minds up.

Ive been a user of Apple products for approx 15 years, I use a Macbook Pro Unibody daily, and a WinXP machine too most days for general tasks.

My point is that the person posted about 'winning wars'.... who said there was one?

Competition is healthy.

Every review of the Nexus One had the angle of 'is this the iPhone killer?!', who cares?! I want a phone that does everything I want it to do well and give me an enjoyable experience.... i don't want the review to compare it towards one phone.
 
If that is the case then I think many people really would LIKE Android.

Android is good on paper, but its implementation is not all that good. As a iPhone to Nexus One convert, I really can't stand the phone. I would love to go back to my iPhone, but nobody wants to buy my Nexus One from me (which also says something, because I had no problem selling my iPhone about 10 minutes after I posted it on craigslist).

Problems with Android?
  • The backgrounding implementation sucks. Applications are allowed to do anything in the background, and when I accidentally opened the uStream app and immediately went back to my homescreen the app continued to have my camera activated and drained my battery down to nothing in just 2 hours
    Oh well, that singular event must mean the paltform as a whole is a load of crap.
  • Every app feels it deserves a place in the notification bar causing it to become a flustercuck quickly
    Are you complaining about the well renowned Android notification system? I'd much rather that then the crappy "DEAL WITH ME NOW!" popup windows on the iPhone?
  • The default email app doesn't allow signatures, period
    The other email app doesn't seem to but the Google Mail one does. Google Mail> Menu >Settings > Signature
  • There is no set function for the back button. Sometimes pressing back takes me from a SMS thread back to my SMS thread listings, but sometimes it takes me from my SMS thread to the home screen, then I need to go BACK to the SMS app and press back AGAIN to go back to the thread listing. Same goes for use in apps such as K-9, sometimes Back goes back to the message list, or the account list, or the previous message. There is absolutely no set function for the physical button!
    The back button will always take you back to the last screen you were on. How that is a problem I have no idea.
  • The camera constantly tries to autofocus. My barcode reader can never read a barcode because it re-autofocuses every 2 seconds!
    Perhaps your handset is faulty? Google Googles scans plenty of barcodes for me.
  • The applications are terrible. Simply terrible. I have PAID for games that give me 5fps. There are absolutely 0 games in the Market Place that match the quality of an iPhone game. Same with applications. Everything feels like you are running a Java application on OS X; it works but it just doesn't feel right
    Which games are these? ExZeus? Raging thunder 2?. How about the last.fm app that can scrobble tracks to last.fm in realtime (Vs the iPhone version that can't)? How about AndFTP which allows you to connect to FTP servers to upload/download in the background with full SD filesystem access? What about Marvin the ZX Spectrum emulator that has access to every legal ZX Spectrum ROM via worldofspectrum.org Vs the shoddy Commodore64 emulator on iPhone? Name these shoddy apps so I can stay away from them, please do.
  • I needed to VOID MY WARRANTY to make my Android phone "open". I had to unlock the bootloader on my Nexus One to allow me to do whatever I want with my "open" Android phone, and in doing so I void my warranty. There is no un-do like there is when jailbreaking. Every boot shows the picture of an unlocked padlock. HTC will know, without a doubt, that my phone is unlocked if I ever try to get it serviced. How is Android open if I need to void my warranty to get open functionality?
    what if you managed to overclock your CPU with a modded rom killing your device, should HTC pay for your own incompetence? People here go mental at people who activate their iPhone water sensors and ask how to scam a repair from Apple. The phone functions fine as is with no need for modification.
  • Oh, and I can't figure out how to get flash to work on my Nexus One. All these people saying "Z0mG Andr0id pwns because of flash" seem to be nuts. I went to adobe's site and it said flash wasn't available on my device. Wow, so what is the selling point of Android again?
    Flash is coming. iPad owners wait for multitasking, you wait for Flash.
  • My G1 didn't get any updates past 1.6. Lovely. At least Apple still rolls out updates for the 2G iPhone.
    What 2.0 features were you you missing on the G1 that you really needed? Google have ported plenty to Android 1.6 (Navigation, Google Goggles e.t.c) and the G1 is hardware limited to what it can upgrade to. Apple refuses the iPhone 2g a 4.0 update despite the huge similaraties to the 3G yet that is fine.
  • Software updates are at the mercy of the carrier/manufacturer. They decide if I am allowed to get the latest software, and when I can get it. That is hardly fair. But OMG android is open... right?
    you own a Nexus One. Google will update your device WITHOUT the networks interfering. If it is an issue join the MoDaCo forums or the XDA Developers and install modded roms. You already compalined about you killing your warranty right? WTF are you whining about updates for then? You can install any rom you like....
  • Android has the worst copy-paste implementation in the world. Why the heck didn't they take a page out of Apples book?
    Install a HTC Sense based rom and have this lovely HTC implementation of copy/paste.. your warranty is already kaput right?
  • Terrible onscreen keyboard too. I love texting, I have spent weeks TRYING to be a good texter on this keyboard, and it still is hard for me.
    Install an alternative. Not that big of a deal.

Android is over-hyped BS for techno-nerds who want the illusion of an open device that makes them feel like a power-user. As someone who values the integration of software and hardware Android simply doesn't cut it. The beauty, simplicity, and performance of iPhone applications clearly spoiled me because a quick browse through the Android marketplace makes me feel like I am looking through a collection of Playstation 1 games when I already have a Playstation 3.
Comments added in red.
 
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Apple do lovely front ends, but they really need to bring themselves up to sped on the hardware specs.

That is a smart way to fight.

After all, its the user experience that sells the product in big units - not the bald specs that only really appeal to a small unit of balding men in spectacles.

It has tangible benefits too:

1. saves money on components
2. less power = smaller battery drain
3. makes developers work harder on efficiency instead of relying on raw power

If you can win a fight with one hand behind your back - why not?
You always have something in reserve when a proper challenge appears.

After all - if the iPad offers benchmark usability with 256mb of ram, why bust a gut when you know every competitor is going to try and copy you?

Better to see what their best shot is - then when you need a boost you can double the ram and make it look like an xmas present.

I have wished for a better battery life more often than a faster processor.
 
Comments added in red.

So you say flash is coming. Alright. But what is with people constantly bashing the iPhone and iPad for not having multitasking and flash when in reality the Android phones do NOT have flash. Coming or not, they do NOT have it yet.

And about modding, I am not trying to OC my CPU. I am trying to use the LED as a damn flashlight, and due to API restrictions I need to unlock my phone to do that. I need to VOID my warranty to use it as a flashlight... wow. But right, Google and Android is all about being open.

I love how all of your solutions for problems are "install a new rom" or "install a new keyboard". That is not a solution. If the device was good enough to begin with you wouldn't need to do these things. And with the possibility of a perma-brick phone, I am not fond of hanging around the XDA forums.

Don't get me wrong, I hate people who try to scam their water sensors. But the need to void the warranty to mod a so-called open phone makes no sense to me. If it were really open I could use the LED as a flashlight.

And those games you mentioned bring me back to the PC gaming days of my life. Oh damn, my hardware isn't good enough to run this game, or that game. Androids are like PCs, your device may not be good enough to run a game. But unlike a PC, you can't just upgrade the video-card in your phone.

To me, the variety of handsets Android runs on kills it. There is a lack of focus, and all these mods prove it. You need to pick and pull features of various devices to make yours work the best way, and thats not how it should be.

If you like Android (and I see you do), thats fine. Totally fine. But short of the "wow, you got a Nexus One" factor, people who use my Nexus One are underwhelmed. The part of the phone they like best is the live wallpaper. Short of that, it is nice hardware but not such a nice OS for many people who do a iPhone to Android comparison.
 
So you say flash is coming. Alright. But what is with people constantly bashing the iPhone and iPad for not having multitasking and flash when in reality the Android phones do NOT have flash. Coming or not, they do NOT have it yet.
I don't understand why either party worry about what a device doesn't have. I personally buy what suits me and I'm happy with that.

And about modding, I am not trying to OC my CPU. I am trying to use the LED as a damn flashlight, and due to API restrictions I need to unlock my phone to do that. I need to VOID my warranty to use it as a flashlight... wow. But right, Google and Android is all about being open.
PLEASE don't tell me you voided a warranty on a $529 phone, just to use its single LED as a torch? You could have bought yourself an LED keyfob torch if you really needed such a thing. A poor decision IMO.

I love how all of your solutions for problems are "install a new rom" or "install a new keyboard". That is not a solution. If the device was good enough to begin with you wouldn't need to do these things. And with the possibility of a perma-brick phone, I am not fond of hanging around the XDA forums.
The device is functional enough for me to use with the defaults but being a tinkerer, I like to try different things. YMMV but having the choice to change what you don't like isn't a bad concept at all and has been done for years on computers and smartphones prior to the iPhone. BTW, for your education, the only way you can brick an Android phone is if you are flashing the RADIO or SPL and interrupt it. As long as you can get into the bootloader menu on startup, you are safe.

Don't get me wrong, I hate people who try to scam their water sensors. But the need to void the warranty to mod a so-called open phone makes no sense to me. If it were really open I could use the LED as a flashlight.
Again, complaining about the Nexus One because of this is stretching it a bit IMO. You could have got a keyfob LED torch for FAR less risk or downloaded one of the iPhone style screen whitening apps to brighten your screen.

And those games you mentioned bring me back to the PC gaming days of my life. Oh damn, my hardware isn't good enough to run this game, or that game. Androids are like PCs, your device may not be good enough to run a game. But unlike a PC, you can't just upgrade the video-card in your phone.
Okay... Where does this fit in with "I have PAID for games that give me 5fps." - your words? You own one of the most powerful Android devices). What game gave you 5fps?

To me, the variety of handsets Android runs on kills it. There is a lack of focus, and all these mods prove it. You need to pick and pull features of various devices to make yours work the best way, and thats not how it should be.
Unless Google sent you a brick in a box, what is wrong with the stock Nexus One? I fully accept that the worst part of purchasing one is not being able to hold one in your hands or to try it. It's possibly one of the stupidest sales models I've known and possibly why some people grow to hate the N1 so.

If you like Android (and I see you do), thats fine. Totally fine. But short of the "wow, you got a Nexus One" factor, people who use my Nexus One are underwhelmed. The part of the phone they like best is the live wallpaper. Short of that, it is nice hardware but not such a nice OS for many people who do a iPhone to Android comparison.
Comments added in red (again). :p

Now, I fully agree that Android and the Nexus One IS NOT for everyone. I absolutely love it but my wife would get on far easier with the iPhone. iPhone and the iPhone OS has turned my wife into something I would never of thought pre 2007, she has turned into someone who wants a smartphone. That in itself shows the genius of the iPhone platform. :cool:
 
So you say flash is coming. Alright. But what is with people constantly bashing the iPhone and iPad for not having multitasking and flash when in reality the Android phones do NOT have flash. Coming or not, they do NOT have it yet.

Yes, but android will have it sometime in the near future. what about your precious iPhone?

And about modding, I am not trying to OC my CPU. I am trying to use the LED as a damn flashlight, and due to API restrictions I need to unlock my phone to do that. I need to VOID my warranty to use it as a flashlight... wow. But right, Google and Android is all about being open.

The LED flashlight on the custom roms, do significantly raise the CPU temperatures on the phone. I see their reason as making sure you don't fry the hardware. And it is an open phone, hell google even provides you the utilities to unlock it. They don't care if you unlock it, they just want to warn you that it will void you warranty. Because when you start tinkering with everything, they cant support that.. it's not even close to feasible.

And those games you mentioned bring me back to the PC gaming days of my life. Oh damn, my hardware isn't good enough to run this game, or that game. Androids are like PCs, your device may not be good enough to run a game. But unlike a PC, you can't just upgrade the video-card in your phone.

There are some amazing games on the market, and just wait and watch the future app store. you will start seeing descriptions like "Does not support iPhone 1, and 3G", at least the Market place does not deny applications for stupid reasons like "has the name 'pad' in it."

The App store is all about pissing off as many developers as they can.

If you like Android (and I see you do), thats fine. Totally fine. But short of the "wow, you got a Nexus One" factor, people who use my Nexus One are underwhelmed. The part of the phone they like best is the live wallpaper. Short of that, it is nice hardware but not such a nice OS for many people who do a iPhone to Android comparison.

Most people i've shown the phone to love it, and it's features. But most people i know look past the eye candy and want to see what the device can actually do, which you cannot get any real power out of the iPhone unless you jailbreak it, which judging by your comments about having to unlock a bootloader is out of the question for you.

I owned an iPhone for a few years and it was a decent phone, but has it's issues with hardware, software and apple politics wise.

But for me I want a phone that can:

- Send and receive phone calls.. - The iPhone failed badly on this one.. Calls would always go straight to voicemail before the phone would recognize it. And it was not AT&T because i also tried it for a while using my girlfriends T-Mobile SIM having full bars.
- Text messaging. - Iphone did this well, i cannot deny that. but having to wait a year for MMS, and not even to support it on first generation while it was capable is sad.
- Email - Iphone did a OK job with this, but having to pay extra for exchange support is full of fail. My current organization will not support the iPhone because of encryption. even the 3GS models the encryption is laughed at with the security scene. It's the most piss poor implementation of encryption there is.
- GPS navigation software - iPhone does not include turn by turn GPS.
 
Comments in green

So you say flash is coming. Alright. But what is with people constantly bashing the iPhone and iPad for not having multitasking and flash when in reality the Android phones do NOT have flash. Coming or not, they do NOT have it yet.

I wasnt bashing the iPhone for not having multitasking... this bashing comes from iPhone users too... its not an argument from Android owners. Im chuffed that i can multitask... im not standing over here going ner ner ner ner ner!

Apple were quick make it a big deal for its new OS though. ;)


And about modding, I am not trying to OC my CPU. I am trying to use the LED as a damn flashlight, and due to API restrictions I need to unlock my phone to do that. I need to VOID my warranty to use it as a flashlight... wow. But right, Google and Android is all about being open.

My Nexus One screen is so bright it comes in handy as a flashlight as it is.
Why do you need to pay hundreds of dollars/pounds for a phone and say...'look its a flash light'? Or is it the novelty of the Nexus One having a light on it?


I love how all of your solutions for problems are "install a new rom" or "install a new keyboard". That is not a solution. If the device was good enough to begin with you wouldn't need to do these things. And with the possibility of a perma-brick phone, I am not fond of hanging around the XDA forums.

As the other guy said, its pretty difficult to brick.
You dont have to root the phone, it works fine with the stock ROM.
Its lovely being able to make the choice if you are bit tech savvy, there is a fantastic dedicated scene for pushing the software and hardware.


Don't get me wrong, I hate people who try to scam their water sensors. But the need to void the warranty to mod a so-called open phone makes no sense to me. If it were really open I could use the LED as a flashlight.

May I ask if you only buy cameras that flash work as a flashlight? If so you must have a hard time finding one.

And those games you mentioned bring me back to the PC gaming days of my life. Oh damn, my hardware isn't good enough to run this game, or that game. Androids are like PCs, your device may not be good enough to run a game. But unlike a PC, you can't just upgrade the video-card in your phone.

Im not a gamer to be honest, the ones i have on my phone are good enough to keep me occupied at moments where im bored or waiting for something.

To me, the variety of handsets Android runs on kills it. There is a lack of focus, and all these mods prove it. You need to pick and pull features of various devices to make yours work the best way, and thats not how it should be.

Im not a fan of how some manufacturers are using Android by slapping unnecessary UI's on them (Sony X1 and some of the elements of HTC Sense), but just because some may have a poor UI, thats not to say another wont be able to develop another great one... and this is the nice thing, improved interfaces can be shared with other devices (being able to add different keyboards etc)

If you like Android (and I see you do), thats fine. Totally fine. But short of the "wow, you got a Nexus One" factor, people who use my Nexus One are underwhelmed. The part of the phone they like best is the live wallpaper. Short of that, it is nice hardware but not such a nice OS for many people who do a iPhone to Android comparison.

The live wallpaper? Didnt you give them a demo of some other stuff?
Whats about the fantastic screen and call quality, the quickness and snappiness of apps like Google Earth on the phone?
 
Following the standard, my comments in blue... ;)

So you say flash is coming. Alright. But what is with people constantly bashing the iPhone and iPad for not having multitasking and flash when in reality the Android phones do NOT have flash. Coming or not, they do NOT have it yet.

The iPhone/iPad will never have Flash or any other 3rd party product that competes with an Apple product such as Quicktime.

And about modding, I am not trying to OC my CPU. I am trying to use the LED as a damn flashlight, and due to API restrictions I need to unlock my phone to do that. I need to VOID my warranty to use it as a flashlight... wow. But right, Google and Android is all about being open.

Do you really understand what Open Source really means? Feel free to download all the battery wasting apps on iTunes you want. My own myTouch is significantly brighter than any iPod/iPhone I've seen.

I love how all of your solutions for problems are "install a new rom" or "install a new keyboard". That is not a solution. If the device was good enough to begin with you wouldn't need to do these things. And with the possibility of a perma-brick phone, I am not fond of hanging around the XDA forums.

Android is open source in that they publish their source code for others to implement (and make their own ROMS). However there is little reason to flash the ROM since Google is implementing their updates as plugin apps like Navigation. Installing a new keyboard can be done within the app store. I presume navigating the app store wasn't too much trouble?

Don't get me wrong, I hate people who try to scam their water sensors. But the need to void the warranty to mod a so-called open phone makes no sense to me. If it were really open I could use the LED as a flashlight.

Seriously what are you ranting on about here? Let me remind you of all the applications that Apple rejected that you cannot install on any device. On Android, you can either go through the App store or directly to a website (look in Application Settings for Unknown Sources/Development settings). Remind me again which is more open?

And those games you mentioned bring me back to the PC gaming days of my life. Oh damn, my hardware isn't good enough to run this game, or that game. Androids are like PCs, your device may not be good enough to run a game. But unlike a PC, you can't just upgrade the video-card in your phone.

Thats really dependent on the hardware you get. I've not seen a problem with performance, so we can only call it subjective. If you load up your phone with a hundred worthless apps, it will get slower. Thats because when a phone can multitask, you only have a finite amount of bandwidth.

To me, the variety of handsets Android runs on kills it. There is a lack of focus, and all these mods prove it. You need to pick and pull features of various devices to make yours work the best way, and thats not how it should be.

To me the fact that only one company makes iPads/iPod touch/iPhone that are locked into the iTunes store and AT&T (iPhone) is what kills it for me and many others apparently. It guarantees expectations, but prevents the ability to think out of the box.

If you like Android (and I see you do), thats fine. Totally fine. But short of the "wow, you got a Nexus One" factor, people who use my Nexus One are underwhelmed. The part of the phone they like best is the live wallpaper. Short of that, it is nice hardware but not such a nice OS for many people who do a iPhone to Android comparison.

Funny because I see the opposite, especially when compared to Blackberries, Palm etc. If Android wasn't such a viable opponent to the iPhone, Jobs wouldn't have sued HTC.

As someone who owns 6 Macs, 5 iPods, and zero iPhones/iPads you could say I have some bias. But I refuse to associate with AT&T ever again, and I refuse to deal with someone telling me whats good for me (ref: iTunes control over approved applications). If you don't like the Nexus, we'll promise not to tell when you go back to your iPhone. Just don't ask us for directions...

And remember, Google didn't make the hardware, it was either OEM'ed or made by a different company. The software/firmware is open source, the hardware isn't.
 
I have a source that does the text drawing and web browser GUI for the android devices, and is working on the tablet for them. He says the devices, like the iPad, will be just a bigger version of the phone. But, says he, it is no where near as pretty as the iPad and, (having similar gripes about their phone) refuses to use a unifying theme for their interface
 
I am an owner of following Apple gadgets:
- iMac 20",
- Macbook Air with SSD,
- Apple TV,
- Airport Extreme base station.

And I am also an ex owner of Apple iPhone and current owner of Google Nexus One. When comparing iPhone to latest Android devices, for me Android wins. It wins as it is much more open software wise and geeky. And if you are a developer, you can download Android's source code to the last bit of it. Android SDK is a winner, too.

There is a fundamental misunderstanding that Google wants to beat Apple hardware wise. It is not. What Google is all about are the revenues from its applications, basically from its cloud computing infrastructure. Google search engine being the top revenue, but others, like Google Apps adding up, too.

To popularise its services based on cloud computing, Google needs geeky devices. That's why it has partnered and devised completely open Android platform, while Apple stands on proprietary closed and controlled environment. You can call it quality control, but it can also be called censorship.

So, what Google basically cares is getting as many Android devices on the market as possible through partnership with device makers. Device makers get happy by not spending too much time and money on OS development and royalties/licensing, while they can still customize and contribute to the platform, while Google gets happy as it attracts greater number of users for its services around the world. Win-win situation for Google and Android device makers.

So for me Google for now does not look as some evil Microsoft. But Apple does. Adobe guys can tell a lot about this these last days.
 
Android for Geeks ; iX's for Geeks+Others

I think the Android platform is great to have as a competitor to Apple's products. But it seems that, in the end, Apple's iPad and iPhone platforms are going to win the day, because the iX devices appeal not only to the geeks and techies (like most of us here on MR), but also to the greater number of everyday users (like many of our wives or parents, for example).

So I hope any upcoming Android pad or phones survive and live many happy years alongside iPhone and iPad and whatever Apple's going to come up with. Diversity is necessary in any good ecosystem.
 
Google needs to put some restrictions on app developers. Yes, it allows great freedom in what types of apps are produced, but then you see what happened with Windows, a million viruses and malware. I would never trust going to my bank website from a PC anymore, rather use my Ipad which I know does'nt have a virus. Android is the same headache as my PC, but it's portable :mad:

But, if Dell really get's behind Android, and they make really cheap devices and have a bunch of features, we could see repeat of history where Windows 3.1/95 killed the Mac. Hopefully, Jobs has learned his lesson, he'll keep ahead of the competition, and keep prices near. So far iPad has a head start, MS is no where to be found, they are still struggling to make a decent iPhone clone.
 
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