General Android, just wow.

[hyteckit]

How can iOS win in apps? Just go and compare mainstream apps that are available on both platforms. You will see that most likely the Android version has more functionality than iOS version. There are so many automation/productivity/system/UI apps that are available for Android that can never be found in iOS due to the fact that the limited/restrictive capability of iOS cannot support these kind of apps..

If only the Android app/game actually works on your Android device. Just because it's on the Google Play store, doesn't mean it'll run. I made the assumption about the Android platform. Big mistake. Many apps/games don't run on my Android tablet running ICS.


Compare Android with iOS. Same games.

ANDROID

I have an android tablet and android phone. Tablet running ICS and phone running gingerbread. What works and what doesn't.

Just some game examples.


NBA Jam
tablet - YES
phone - NO

MADDEN NFL 12
tablet - NO
phone - YES

FIFA 12
tablet - YES
phone - NO

Plants vs. Zombies
tablet - NO
phone - YES


TETRIS
tablet - NO
phone - NO


Worms
tablet - NO
phone - YES

Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit
tablet - NO
phone - NO

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12
tablet - YES
phone - NO

Asphalt 6: Adrenaline
tablet - NO
phone - NO

N.O.V.A. 2
tablet - NO
phone - NO


iOS

Same games. What works.

NBA Jam, iOS 3.2 and up
iPad 1 - YES
iPad Mini - YES
iPhone 4S - YES

MADDEN NFL 12, iOS 3.2 and up
iPad 1 - YES
iPad Mini - YES
iPhone 4S - YES

FIFA 12, iOS 3.2 and up
iPad 1 - YES
iPad Mini - YES
iPhone 4S - YES

Plants vs. Zombies, iOS 4.3 and up
iPad 1 - YES
iPad Mini - YES
iPhone 4S - YES

TETRIS, iOS 3.1 and up
iPad 1 - YES
iPad Mini - YES
iPhone 4S - YES


Worms, iOS 3.1.3 and up
iPad 1 - YES
iPad Mini - YES
iPhone 4S - YES

Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit, iOS 3.1 and up
iPad 1 - YES
iPad Mini - YES
iPhone 4S - YES


Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12, iOS 4.3 and up
iPad 1 - YES
iPad Mini - YES
iPhone 4S - YES


Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, iOS 3.1.3 and up
iPad 1 - YES
iPad Mini - YES
iPhone 4S - YES

N.O.V.A. 2, iOS 3.1.3 and up
iPad 1 - YES
iPad Mini - YES
iPhone 4S - YES

 

[throAU]

Dont care on android feature set. Their security model is broken.

 

[mib1800]

If only the Android app/game actually works on your Android device. Just because it's on the Google Play store, doesn't mean it'll run. I made the assumption about the Android platform. Big mistake. Many apps/games don't run on my Android tablet running ICS.


Compare Android with iOS. Same games.

ANDROID

I have an android tablet and android phone. Tablet running ICS and phone running gingerbread. What works and what doesn't.

Just some game examples.


NBA Jam
tablet - YES
phone - NO

MADDEN NFL 12
tablet - NO
phone - YES

FIFA 12
tablet - YES
phone - NO

Plants vs. Zombies
tablet - NO
phone - YES


TETRIS
tablet - NO
phone - NO


Worms
tablet - NO
phone - YES

Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit
tablet - NO
phone - NO

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12
tablet - YES
phone - NO

Asphalt 6: Adrenaline
tablet - NO
phone - NO

N.O.V.A. 2
tablet - NO
phone - NO

Your list just show games. I am talking about APPS.

btw: during the the google 25 billion download sale - i bought alphalt 7 and fifa 12 and these games are working for both phone and tablet. NFS HD just came out and it works for both phone and tablet.

So I am not sure where you got your Android info from. You just need to get yourself up to date. . Don't take yesterday fact and assume it still the same today.

 

[Oletros]

Their security model is broken.

Why is broken?

 

[hyteckit]

Your list just show games. I am talking about APPS.

btw: during the the google 25 billion download sale - i bought alphalt 7 and fifa 12 and these games are working for both phone and tablet. NFS HD just came out and it works for both phone and tablet.

So I am not sure where you got your Android info from. You just need to get yourself up to date. . Don't take yesterday fact and assume it still the same today.

Where I got my Android info from?

From play.google.com showing my Android devices and what's not compatible.

From my android device that shows "Your device isn't compatible with this version" when trying to install an app/game using google play.

Apps? Here are 2 apps I use for VOIP that doesn't work on my tablet.

Viber
RingCentral

Was hoping to use my android tablet as a business VOIP device running RingCentral. Doesn't work.

 

[d0vr]

Let me ask you a few questions about your post, if you do not mind:

1) Fragmentation - If you buy a new Nexus 4, 7 or 10 sold directly from and supported directly by Google where you get the latest OS updates directly from Google, how does fragmentation effect you?

2) If you customize any OS to the point of it not being useful, how is that the OS's fault? Isn't that the users fault for not knowing exactly what they want? Why would anyone customize to the point that its useless? Wouldn't you stop once you reached the point of satisfaction?

3) So, its more productive to say, open the cal app to see your appointments next week, open your reminders app to see your to do list, then open your mail app to see your recent emails, then open your Podcast app to listen to a pod cast, then open your music app to listen to music, of then open Pages to look at a document...of and you want to know the weather, then go to notification center, and press the date to OPEN THE WEATHER APP...

Isn't it nicer to have all that information, assuming that is important to you, on a screen or two, nicely summarized and then, if needed open the related app to work with the data, instead of opening apps only to decide if you need to do something?

The above are just examples; but you get the idea; I could go on and on how widgets make the OS far more productive over opening apps over and over again.

Oh dear. Point 2 has stopped me from reading this thread as I imagine it's a downward spiral from here. Call me synical, but 'users' don't know what they want. Too many options is always a bad thing - and it's the manufacturers/OS creators fault for not knowing that.

 

[Oletros]

Oh dear. Point 2 has stopped me from reading this thread as I imagine it's a downward spiral from here. Call me synical, but 'users' don't know what they want. Too many options is always a bad thing - and it's the manufacturers/OS creators fault for not knowing that.

Who decides what is too many?

 

[paulsalter]

Is this a sign of this awful term 'Post PC'

I assume people who find Android has too many options have never used a computer before (OS X or Windows) as they have way more options than any tablet

 

[Drunken Master]

Does the stock UI still look like a piece of ****?

Let me know when they fix that.

 

[Lindsford]

Be prepared to be amazed. Be prepared for the controversy. Be prepared for the Apple fanboys to start crying and defending their precious to the end.

But Android is better. This little bit of research sealed the deal for me on why I just became an ex-Apple iOS device user.

Even if you love Apple and iOS, watch the videos. Learn what you could have. Learn what you are missing. Open your eyes to what you lack.

Take a moment to watch these 5 videos for proof on just how far behind Apple is and how much better Android is. I highly recommend parts 2, 3, and 4.

Part 1: http://youtu.be/NMiY1kSTHZw
Part 2: http://youtu.be/Ayx4XsBaJBI
Part 3: http://youtu.be/fsGQ_xts_Gw
Part 4: http://youtu.be/jlPKVWv1WxU
Part 5: http://youtu.be/Ayx4XsBaJBI

Those videos are heavily biased. I see why people prefer Android over iOS but some of his points are irrelevant and just incorrect. I'm not watching that much video over again to point out each one but he certainly went out of his way to make Android look more appealing, which it doesn't need.

People will buy what fits them best. Nothing more nothing less. Android vs iOS is a silly debate. Android does many things, decent. iOS does fewer things great. (With the exception or their stupid, awful, terrible map service that got me lost today) Tough, Google maps fudged them up just as bad. Had to rely on Tom Tom

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Acer iconia tablet and Samsung admire android phone.


You don't think it's a major issue when my ICS tablet can't running many games/apps?


iPhone 3GS still runs iOS 6, so I'm assuming all those games I've listed would work fine.

iPhone 3GS came out in June 2009.
Gingerbread came out in Dec 2010.

What specific model of the Acer iconia?

Also, is the Play store not letting you download cause it says not compatible or can you download and it doesn't work? If it's the Play store not letting you download, just use another app store. I myself came across a couple of apps that the Play store didn't let me download, so I just installed the 1mobile market app store and it let me download and install those same apps. They worked perfectly.

Then include the iP4 in your list. I can't count how many default features are missing from iOS6, so I'm sure many games don't work.

 

[theluggage]

Why is broken?

Not sure what GP was referring to, but the idea seems to be that, when Joe User installs an app, it lists all the permissions the App requires, and Joe somehow decides whether or not he wants to grant those permissions.

So, for instance, Polaris Office (which Samsung has licensed for free to Galaxy users) asks for permissions to:

"Initiate phone calls and send SMS messages".

Since it's a well-known piece of software (rather than a fart app written by a teenager), one has to assume that this is so that you can dial numbers direct from an office doc, and isn't a euphemism for "Make bogus calls to premium-rate numbers and text spam all your contacts." The user is in no position to make such a judgement and is really faced with a choice between keeping their fingers crossed or being so paranoid that large numbers of apps are ruled out.

It is poor design that such a privilege should be available on a non-rooted phone or that a (respectable) app should need it. If an app wants to send an SMS there should be an OS-level API that ensures that user interaction is required for each message or that it is routed through the notification system.

If you want to bypass the safeties and side-load an application that replaces the basic phone functionality then fine - Android, unlike iOS, gives you this choice. It shouldn't be a choice you have to make when installing from official App stores, though.

 

[SprSynJn]

Already saw those videos. The guy is horribly biased. I've used Android and still prefer iOS over it.

There comes a point when customization is just for the sake of it. This guy likes to repeat how "customizable" Android is, but I think he misses the point of what an OS should be: a platform for apps. Honestly, if I was given too many options to customize, I would go crazy over how I would want the phone to look. I'm perfectly happy with iOS's appearance.

This guy single handily destroyed the original poster's thread, and it's only the first post! I would reiterate what he said, but I couldn't do it any better. My mistake, I would have worded it like this:

I use to use a Samsung gs2. 90% of the time I don't even bother using any of the features listed in the videos. What I do use now on my iPhone 5 with ios6 I use 100% of the time.

Do you know why I got rid of my android device? It isn't because it can't do anything ios can, it's because the things it can do not many care for and the things people do care for android does it in a hack style way. It's definitely jack of all trades and master of nothing. Ios looks and feels solid but you can argue it's getting so efficiently boring.

I dont care how good android is or how bad ios is. I care about how I can use my apps and how long the battery lasts and how infrequent my phone crashes. Everything else is just extra fluff no one really cares for except to look good on a spec sheet.

I spend 99.9% of my time in an app. Period. I don't care for live tiles, clocks, nor widgets because I use my apps 100% of the time.

Well said, both of you.

 

[cynics]

I really like my 4S a lot. What kind of bothers me is games have been formatted to show more info (you can see further in side scrollers and have better peripheral vision in 3D shooters) on the iPhone 5. So someone with an iPhone 5 has an obvious advantage vs someone with a 4S or less. If I were a hardcore iPhone gamer I'd consider the 4S obsolete. I'm not however, I don't play any games but sudoku.

Here is a visual example of what I mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qjTel0puoQ&sns=em

Btw watch till the end to see how organized the App Store is. You type in the exact name of the game and although nothing else is called that its pages from the top.

With Android everything is the same across the board. In higher end games there is generally a high, medium and low graphic setting in case you are on an older device.

Personally I only ever bought higher end devices so I rarely have a compatibility issue. But like I mentioned I never really play games on my mobile devices.

 

[kdarling]

It is poor design that such a privilege should be available on a non-rooted phone or that a (respectable) app should need it. If an app wants to send an SMS there should be an OS-level API that ensures that user interaction is required for each message or that it is routed through the notification system.

There are many times that an app sending a background SMS makes total sense. E.g. automatic notifications to your family that you're on your way home, or about to pick someone up from school.

I think a major piece that's missing from all the current mobile OSes, is a clean, easy to read system log of data transmissions, with programmable alarms.

Knowing that a certain app is sending information (especially when you're not doing anything with the app), would raise flags with the user and thus require explanation by the developer. For example, with previous versions of iOS it was easy (and not uncommon) for an app to grab the contact list and send it to a server. A log that noted a contact access, followed by a transmission, would have been very helpful.

 

[Oletros]

Not sure what GP was referring to, but the idea seems to be that, when Joe User installs an app, it lists all the permissions the App requires, and Joe somehow decides whether or not he wants to grant those permissions.

So, for instance, Polaris Office (which Samsung has licensed for free to Galaxy users) asks for permissions to:

"Initiate phone calls and send SMS messages".

Since it's a well-known piece of software (rather than a fart app written by a teenager), one has to assume that this is so that you can dial numbers direct from an office doc, and isn't a euphemism for "Make bogus calls to premium-rate numbers and text spam all your contacts." The user is in no position to make such a judgement and is really faced with a choice between keeping their fingers crossed or being so paranoid that large numbers of apps are ruled out.

It is poor design that such a privilege should be available on a non-rooted phone or that a (respectable) app should need it. If an app wants to send an SMS there should be an OS-level API that ensures that user interaction is required for each message or that it is routed through the notification system.

If you want to bypass the safeties and side-load an application that replaces the basic phone functionality then fine - Android, unlike iOS, gives you this choice. It shouldn't be a choice you have to make when installing from official App stores, though.

Ah, so it is not broken, it is only that you don't like the permission process

 

[cynics]

Not sure what GP was referring to, but the idea seems to be that, when Joe User installs an app, it lists all the permissions the App requires, and Joe somehow decides whether or not he wants to grant those permissions.

So, for instance, Polaris Office (which Samsung has licensed for free to Galaxy users) asks for permissions to:

"Initiate phone calls and send SMS messages".

Since it's a well-known piece of software (rather than a fart app written by a teenager), one has to assume that this is so that you can dial numbers direct from an office doc, and isn't a euphemism for "Make bogus calls to premium-rate numbers and text spam all your contacts." The user is in no position to make such a judgement and is really faced with a choice between keeping their fingers crossed or being so paranoid that large numbers of apps are ruled out.

It is poor design that such a privilege should be available on a non-rooted phone or that a (respectable) app should need it. If an app wants to send an SMS there should be an OS-level API that ensures that user interaction is required for each message or that it is routed through the notification system.

If you want to bypass the safeties and side-load an application that replaces the basic phone functionality then fine - Android, unlike iOS, gives you this choice. It shouldn't be a choice you have to make when installing from official App stores, though.

When you download new iOS apps the first time you run it it will ask for permissions too.

I think we've all see this a million times asking for different permissions. I don't know the extent but I just don't think Apple allows an app to be very powerful in iOS. Hence the lack of automation apps and toggles.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Not sure what GP was referring to, but the idea seems to be that, when Joe User installs an app, it lists all the permissions the App requires, and Joe somehow decides whether or not he wants to grant those permissions.

So, for instance, Polaris Office (which Samsung has licensed for free to Galaxy users) asks for permissions to:

"Initiate phone calls and send SMS messages".

Since it's a well-known piece of software (rather than a fart app written by a teenager), one has to assume that this is so that you can dial numbers direct from an office doc, and isn't a euphemism for "Make bogus calls to premium-rate numbers and text spam all your contacts." The user is in no position to make such a judgement and is really faced with a choice between keeping their fingers crossed or being so paranoid that large numbers of apps are ruled out.

It is poor design that such a privilege should be available on a non-rooted phone or that a (respectable) app should need it. If an app wants to send an SMS there should be an OS-level API that ensures that user interaction is required for each message or that it is routed through the notification system.

If you want to bypass the safeties and side-load an application that replaces the basic phone functionality then fine - Android, unlike iOS, gives you this choice. It shouldn't be a choice you have to make when installing from official App stores, though.

Show me an instance or cluster of instances where this actually happens. Those who download only from the Playstore have little to worry about. The average user has a much higher chance of seeing unsolicited subscription services on their carrier bill vs having some malware make calls.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Android has a plethora of features, many more than iOS, but iOS does what it does really well.

Not sure if I necessarily agree. In some cases, yes. But for me and my use, I find these few things better on Android:

Gmail > Mail

Swiftkey (or even stock Android keyboard) > iOS keyboard. Swiftkey/Android also have better auto correcting and more control over dictionary.

Chrome > Safari. In Chrome, swiping between tabs is heavenly. The little bubble that pops up to help you clarify what links you're picking, very handy. (Widgets help me launch directly to the sites I want too).

Notification bar > Notification Center and badges

Dedicated back button > a "back" button within the app that takes up screen real-estate of an already small screen

Dedicated menu button > sometimes finding the settings in iOS Settings, sometimes finding the settings in the app itself. (Access to Phone settings, in general, is easier on Android).

People > Address Book. I love swiping between screens to get between my call logs, to my favorites, to the dialer. Just feels more intuitive. (And again, direct-dial and direct-text widgets help gain access to people much faster).


These are probably the "main features" of smartphones, and for me, Android beats out the iOS experience on nearly all fronts. I will give iOS iMessage though. That's better than the stock SMS app on Android.

 

[theluggage]

When you download new iOS apps the first time you run it it will ask for permissions too.

Yes - the 'xx wants to use your location' is fair enough, also AFAIK you can deny it and still run the app.

Android apps, however, typically ask for a laundry list of permissions before you install them - take it or leave it. For example, Bad Piggies - a big name game - asks for:

1. Your Location (approximate network-based location)
2. Network communication (full network access)
3. Storage (modify or delete the contents of your USB storage)
4. Phone Calls (read phone status and identity)
5. System Tools (prevent phone from sleeping)
6. Network communication (Google Play billing service, view network connections, view WiFi connections)
7. Development Tools (test access to protected storage)

There is no way that a non-technical user can make an informed judgement about that lot, especially 3 (why does a game need those? Surely it gets its own sandboxed storage area?) and 7 (nothing that requires this should make it into an App store, at least outside the 'developer' category). As for 6, with a decent security design, all it should need access to is the in-App-purchase API which should have it's own safeguards (such as always requiring user confirmation or asking for a PIN).

If a these are all legitimately needed for a game (even with in-game purchasing) then there is something wrong with the security model. If not, the game shouldn't make it into the store.

As I said - this model might make sense when you're a consenting sideloader, but it should be redundant on an App store.

 

[jsw]

There is no way that a non-technical user can make an informed judgement about that lot, especially 3 (why does a game need those? Surely it gets its own sandboxed storage area?) and 7 (nothing that requires this should make it into an App store, at least outside the 'developer' category). As for 6, with a decent security design, all it should need access to is the in-App-purchase API which should have it's own safeguards (such as always requiring user confirmation or asking for a PIN).

If a these are all legitimately needed for a game (even with in-game purchasing) then there is something wrong with the security model. If not, the game shouldn't make it into the store.

As I said - this model might make sense when you're a consenting sideloader, but it should be redundant on an App store.

Agreed, 100%.

 

[kdarling]

As I said - this model might make sense when you're a consenting sideloader, but it should be redundant on an App store.

It should be, but unfortunately it is still very helpful because no one has the time or ability to totally vet every app's binary code. Not even Apple.

For example, remember that incredibly simple flashlight app that got into the Apple App Store, yet it turned out to have a secret WiFi hotspot built in as well? Requiring WiFi permissions to even load, would've immediately flagged that app as being more than it said it was.

The more fine-grained the permissions are, the better. Yet you're right, it's also not possible to guess everything that an app could do with even legitimate permissions. Or apps that wait for a while, or create code on the fly, so they won't be caught during submission monitoring.

That's why I say, a log after the fact is far more useful. And/or groups of volunteers (or companies) that monitor suspicious apps, such as who often find current malware.

 

[matttye]

Not sure if I necessarily agree. In some cases, yes. But for me and my use, I find these few things better on Android:

Gmail > Mail

Swiftkey (or even stock Android keyboard) > iOS keyboard. Swiftkey/Android also have better auto correcting and more control over dictionary.

Chrome > Safari. In Chrome, swiping between tabs is heavenly. The little bubble that pops up to help you clarify what links you're picking, very handy. (Widgets help me launch directly to the sites I want too).

Notification bar > Notification Center and badges

Dedicated back button > a "back" button within the app that takes up screen real-estate of an already small screen

Dedicated menu button > sometimes finding the settings in iOS Settings, sometimes finding the settings in the app itself. (Access to Phone settings, in general, is easier on Android).

People > Address Book. I love swiping between screens to get between my call logs, to my favorites, to the dialer. Just feels more intuitive. (And again, direct-dial and direct-text widgets help gain access to people much faster).


These are probably the "main features" of smartphones, and for me, Android beats out the iOS experience on nearly all fronts. I will give iOS iMessage though. That's better than the stock SMS app on Android.

I do prefer Androids keyboard and swiftkey. Having to "train" the iPhone keyboard is a real ballache.

Have no strong feelings for safari vs. chrome, like both.

Back button is pretty cool, but again, no strong feelings. On screen back button isn't a big issue.

The fact that a lot of apps use the iOS settings app is a good thing as it provides a consistent UI.

Direct dial and text widgets are faster but not by much. Tap phone > tap favourites > tap contact. If you closed the phone app before on the favourites tab, then you'd skip the second step. Or you can ask Siri to call a contact.

Either way, no big difference.

We're really comparing some tit for tat things here that don't make a big difference to the user experience.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I do prefer Androids keyboard and swiftkey. Having to "train" the iPhone keyboard is a real ballache.

Have no strong feelings for safari vs. chrome, like both.

Back button is pretty cool, but again, no strong feelings. On screen back button isn't a big issue.

The fact that a lot of apps use the iOS settings app is a good thing as it provides a consistent UI.

Direct dial and text widgets are faster but not by much. Tap phone > tap favourites > tap contact. If you closed the phone app before on the favourites tab, then you'd skip the second step. Or you can ask Siri to call a contact.

Either way, no big difference.

We're really comparing some tit for tat things here that don't make a big difference to the user experience.

Agree for the most part, except for the typing experience. I email and text a lot. iOS' keyboard is in desperate need of updating. Otherwise, yeah, we're at a great point in smartphone tech.

 

[matttye]

Agree for the most part, except for the typing experience. I email and text a lot. iOS' keyboard is in desperate need of updating. Otherwise, yeah, we're at a great point in smartphone tech.

The keyboard on iOS is fine IMO and quite accurate, but it's annoying when it takes weeks to learn slang words or acronyms.

Swiftkey learns in one tap; much better.