[Merged] General Discussion - Android OS vs. iPhone OS

[dgree03]

However, that's just your opinion based on what you want your phone to do. I've used the droid, and I do like some of the services that the android platform offers. However, I am willing to sacrifice those things for the fit and finish of the iphone along with ease of use. I think ease of use gets lost in the conversation. For something I'm using on the move and using constantly it's an important criterion for me.

I dont get the ease of use agruement??

I can make my EVO look exactly like the iphone.. no widgets, grid applications spread across 5-7 screens. when i turn my phone on I can click on a app and it opens just the same as iphone??

Android is easier to navigate... using the example above.. while I am in a app on my EVO... I can change app settings IN APP, without having to go to the general settings menu in order to do it.

On android when I am IN a app, I can get notifications and see and view them without ever exiting my current app. and even if I exit my current app, my hardware back button allows me to just press "back" and I am back into my previous app...

When i download apps on android it doesnt bounce me out of the market in order to see where my app is going?? Who cares... on iphone I have to go BACK into the app store in order to continue browsing... that not ease of use

Ease of use... being able to be on IM, while listening to anything whether its slack, pandora or local music, and having google navigation mapping me to my next destination.

Ease of use allows me to be able to download ANY file off the net independant of an app. And then be able to view that downloaded item in a file browser.

Ease of use... for IPHONE? Ha... pretty.. yes.

 

[ChazUK]

Graphics on the games are really bad compared to the iphone. Gameloft games are like 60 MB on iphone, whereas like 4 MB on android. I think this is because there are so many android phones out there, so developers just want to make one version that is compatible with all phones. Also, not to mention that android doesn't allows apps to be stored on SD card (correct me if wrong)

Games and applications on Android have full access to the SD card so games are only limited to the size of the SD card installed in your phone. Want examples?

Asphalt 5 running on Droid
ExZeus running on Android
Raging Thunder 2 running on Android (here is another vid of Raging thunder 2 running on my N1 and my wifes 32GB iPod touch.

All of these games utilise the SD card and on top of that, FroYo adds the ability for the complete app to be installed on the SD card (developer permitting).

As a gaming platform, a high end Android device is very comparable to an iPhone IMO.

 

[Cander]

All of these games utilise the SD card and on top of that, FroYo adds the ability for the complete app to be installed on the SD card (developer permitting).

I got the impression that it isn't developer permitting and that it will do it automatically and a user option button to move it to the SD card if it does isntall to the built in storage. I do recall at the keynote some minor mention 'DRM' at the keynote even if they are on the SD card. Maybe I misunderstood though.

 

[Small White Car]

Care to back up your ridiculous comment, with some umm substance? why is it ridiculous...

It was ridiculous because the OP said the software is more "polished" which, in the software world, means it works better.

You then said he likes things that look better rather than work better, completely misinterpreting the meaning of the word "polished" when it comes to software.

I don't know if I'd call not knowing what a word means "ridiculous." I'd have probably said you were "mistaken" instead of "ridiculous." But that's what people are talking about, anyway.

 

[ChazUK]

I got the impression that it isn't developer permitting and that it will do it automatically and a user option button to move it to the SD card if it does isntall to the built in storage. I do recall at the keynote some minor mention 'DRM' at the keynote even if they are on the SD card. Maybe I misunderstood though.

A few of the apps on my Nexus one have been updated to support SD card installation. Originally the option to copy to SD card was greyed out but with recent Marketplace updates, devs have added "FroYo" support so I believe it is up to the devs if they want to install onto SD.

They are encrypted to only work on your phone as far as I can remember as well.

 

[Small White Car]

Another example is things like the Facebook or Twitter apps. Install either of these and you can upload pictures direct from the gallery app to any services that support it (email, MMS, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr e.t.c) by clicking on the menu:

How is that list generated? When you download a new app that uses photos, does it just add itself there? What happens when the list outgrows the screen? Does it scroll?

Just curious, I have no experience with that phone.

 

[ChazUK]

How is that list generated? When you download a new app that uses photos, does it just add itself there? What happens when the list outgrows the screen? Does it scroll?

Just curious, I have no experience with that phone.

That's a good thought!

They are automatically added to the share menu upon installation. I'm not sure what happens if you install a lot of apps that support sharing.

Time to install a lot of uploader apps and experiment! Will post my findings once its done.

 

[dgree03]

How is that list generated? When you download a new app that uses photos, does it just add itself there? What happens when the list outgrows the screen? Does it scroll?

Just curious, I have no experience with that phone.

It does it when you install

Flickr
Qik(Video)
Facebook
Picasa
myspace
youtube
twitter(any twitter app)

 

[maflynn]

The Android OS provides a better set of tools for applications interacting with the owner and other apps.

I'm finding a deeper level of customization and interaction, then the iPhone could ever provide.

The iPhone OS is more locked down and restrictive, where as the Android OS provides developers to "Think Different" They can produce anything they want without fear of big brother, err umm apple rejecting their application because its not worthy.

 

[Cander]

A few of the apps on my Nexus one have been updated to support SD card installation. Originally the option to copy to SD card was greyed out but with recent Marketplace updates, devs have added "FroYo" support so I believe it is up to the devs if they want to install onto SD.

They are encrypted to only work on your phone as far as I can remember as well.

Ahh ok.
Thanks for the info.

 

[dgree03]

The Android OS provides a better set of tools for applications interacting with the owner and other apps.

I'm finding a deeper level of customization and interaction, then the iPhone could ever provide.

The iPhone OS is more locked down and restrictive, where as the Android OS provides developers to "Think Different" They can produce anything they want without fear of big brother, err umm apple rejecting their application because its not worthy.

Good explaination... app interaction is a huge deal on android.

Iphone is very restrictive in that aspect...

 

[ChazUK]

How is that list generated? When you download a new app that uses photos, does it just add itself there? What happens when the list outgrows the screen? Does it scroll?

Just curious, I have no experience with that phone.

Here you go Small White Car. I've installed loads of twitter and flickr uploaders and this happens:

It keeps adding them to your "Share" menu but (here is the killer) you can't scroll above the top options. Pretty flawed IMO.

The likelihood that you'd install that many uploader apps is quite unlikely but a flaw is a flaw!

 

[Small White Car]

It does it when you install

Flickr
Qik(Video)
Facebook
Picasa
myspace
youtube
twitter(any twitter app)

Well, yeah, but is that all? Or can other apps do it?

 

[Consultant]

Oh I am here because I used to be blinded by shiny pretty, cool iphone... I have had one of each iteration of it... but I saw the light.. the android light. I just want to let other people know that there is better out there, there is choice... and its not with iphone.

Not only that but I am a Mac lover in general... I have a 17in mbp, my wife 13in, time capsule, ipad(not for long), and 3 ipods...

Liar Liar pants on fire.

His first post: "some apple supporters are delusional"

Then he said why Dell laptops with VISTA is cheaper than Apple laptops
Then he said why iPad are not useful: "massive win for netbooks..."

 

[Cander]

It sure is getting harder. As a consumer I want the next iPhone. As a developer, I want to write software for Froyo. Even with that said unless Apple really wows me with stuff they didn't show at the OS4 preview, then the EVO clearly becomes a front runner as a consumer. Sprint is still the possible fly in the ointment for me on that though.

 

[bier-meister]

The OP is right in that alot of apps are better on the iphone than android, not all. My first gen iphone packed it in a few months back and I moved to an android device. Missed my apps functionality and didn't want to get an iphone with the imminent release of the 4g, so I went out and purchased a touch for my apps.

Someone asked which apps, these are the ones I use frequently but other people use other apps where the android may be the better alternative.

Skype - I use this daily and no version on the android
Beejive - I found nothing close to it, IM+ was the best I could find but didn't like it
MyNZB - much better than sabcontrol
Facebook - much better version on the iphone
EPL Live - nearest was FotMob, still a poor alternative
Marketplace vs App Store - drives me nuts that you have to hit ok and confirm about 3 times for each app you want to install, whereas the iphone is one click, enter password and ok and it installs all updates.
I prefer iTunes music player to the android alternatives, cubed was the best I could find.

I do prefer Maps and Gmail over the iphone equivalents and maybe I have not found the adequate replacements I was looking for, marketplace is not as easy to search as the app store.

 

[Small White Car]

It keeps adding them to your "Share" menu but (here is the killer) you can't scroll above the top options. Pretty flawed IMO.

The likelihood that you'd install that many uploader apps is quite unlikely but a flaw is a flaw!

Yeah, well it's a flaw the Android team can eventually fix.

The bigger flaw would have been if some of them didn't appear...that's the kind of thing that probably would have required fixes from dozens of companies which may or may not happen.

So as far as 'flaws' go, that's the better one to have.

 

[Jack Dangers]

I've used all 3 iPhones and now am using a Nexus one and I will say as of Today, I prefer Android over iPhone OS. Android is much more functional when it comes interacting between apps. I will agree that iPhone's apps are a lot more polished, but there are some good ones on Android. And seem to be getting better everyday.

I will admit that I'm eagerly awaiting the new iPhone announcement but from what I've seen with 4.0, I'm truly not impressed.

For me the biggest draws to android are widgets and also the ability to quickly toggle basic functions like bluetooth and wifi from your homescreen. I hated navigating through several layers of menus just to turn on bluetooth or wifi. Even the Pre's WebOS is much more user friendly in some aspects than the iPhone.

And the neat little feature that ChazUK showed has definitely come in handy plenty of times.

 

[dgree03]

Liar Liar pants on fire.

His first post: "some apple supporters are delusional"

Then he said why Dell laptops with VISTA is cheaper than Apple laptops
Then he said why iPad are not useful: "massive win for netbooks..."

So I am able to point out a flaw in products!??! Doesnt mean that the whole product is flawed does it? I also bought a Ipad and made a thread explain why and what I thought... why dont you post that too lol..

Everything I said is true.. so because I am not a blind fanboi you try to call it out? nice try lol

 

[Consultant]

So I am able to point out a flaw in products!??! Doesnt mean that the whole product is flawed does it? I also bought a Ipad and made a thread explain why and what I thought... why dont you post that too lol..

Everything I said is true.. so because I am not a blind fanboi you try to call it out? nice try lol

Let's see, this is soooo true. Guess what, Nokia N95 released in 2007:

Dude are you 12? My 2006 Nokia N95 could multitask and had a 5mp camera, send FULL SIZE mms, cut and paste etc.... lol and you standing the iphone up on some pedistal?? It didnt get that stuff until what some it still doesnt have and the other MAY come this year...

 

[supercaliber]

Then apparently you like shiny pretty things... that have no substance.

Me on the other hand, will take function over form 9 times out of 10.. Android just has more function and will ALWAYS have more function that Iphone hardware and OS..

Get real, i have had swiss army knife phones in the past and you don't use all of the features. When I mean "use" that means at least once after the first day of geeking around.

iPhone does a pretty good job of giving you the features that you will actually use regularly, with the exception of tethering which is AT&T not apple.

That said, i am still probably going to try the EVO coming up

 

[ajohnson253]

Android and Apple. iPhone have nothing in common. Two different target customers. Apple & androids shouldn't be alike. They both have there differences and that's what seperates the two.
I hope android keeps heading in the dirction it is, and I hope Apple keeps doing the same.

 

[dgree03]

Let's see, this is soooo true. Guess what, Nokia N95 released in 2007:

Oh I am sorry got the revil day confused with the release date... but even still my point in that thread was still valid.. it the point was before the iphone.. Nokia was doing more with phones...

Keep trying kid...

 

[MassiveAttack]

Dont get me wrong, I love the android platform and love the Droid from Verizon. The network has been much more solid than AT&T and quite a bit faster in my area.

That being said, the new iPhone "should" trump the Droid. Not because of the network, but because of the polished apps. You can say what you want about the amount of apps to choose from, but its all diluted. I found every app on the droid that I used on the iPhone (save beejive). The difference is, the iPhone apps are about 10 times more polished. They just look brilliant, open instantly, etc. Coupled with the new hardware, its really going to put it over the top. Higher resolution = far better user experience for me.

The above results in a far better user experience, and will be why I will switch to the iPhone 4 whenever it comes out regardless of carrier. Android just needs apps that are more polished and less cumbersome.

Not to mention push services are far superior to background services.

The Android market is still in its infancy while the iPhone app store has matured to almost three years. Quite frankly push services on the iPhone are sub par to say the least. It's your prerogative to judge a platform by app quality, I'll take over all functionality first.

 

[MassiveAttack]

BTW Apple is the one playing catch up and if OS 4.0 is any indication of what were going to see in June then they have a long uphill battle in order to even begin to catch up with Android. Android is away but in front with Apple lagging behind.

This video explains why android is ahead of any platform.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY3U2GXhz44