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roxxette

macrumors 68000
Aug 9, 2011
1,507
0
Widgets and live wallpapers...... People need to understand Android is not about those 2 :(
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,370
8,952
a better place
Widgets and live wallpapers...... People need to understand Android is not about those 2 :(

No but for many it's one of the key differentiators. Most casual consumers don't give a hoot about Open Source, Roms etc... They care about the things they 'see'. And widgets and live wallpapers are those very things.
 

ChrisTX

macrumors 68030
Dec 30, 2009
2,686
54
Texas
I believe the bottom line is price. Android phones are cheap. Its also the misconception that you have to pay for everything with Apple.

Honestly this couldn't be further from the truth. As a long time iOS user heavily invested in the iOS ecosystem that recently switched to the S III. I couldn't begin to tell you how annoyed I am that a majority of the free Apps in the Google Play Store are loaded with ads. Some of these free apps are ones I gladly payed for on the iPhone because I wanted full functionality of the app, and didn't want adds. A lot of Android phones have cheaper build quality but many of them are the same price on contract as the iPhone.
 

zone23

macrumors 68000
May 10, 2012
1,986
793
Honestly this couldn't be further from the truth. As a long time iOS user heavily invested in the iOS ecosystem that recently switched to the S III. I couldn't begin to tell you how annoyed I am that a majority of the free Apps in the Google Play Store are loaded with ads. Some of these free apps are ones I gladly payed for on the iPhone because I wanted full functionality of the app, and didn't want adds. A lot of Android phones have cheaper build quality but many of them are the same price on contract as the iPhone.

Android phones are cheap. HTC Rezound LTE on sale all the time $79 bucks. HTC Rhyme on sale free all the time. Cheap.. Latest iPhone $199 min.. hardly farthest from the truth.
 

dba415

macrumors 6502a
Jun 18, 2011
902
1,083
Live wallpapers are stupid. Wastes battery life, causes worse performance, no use at all.
 

ChrisTX

macrumors 68030
Dec 30, 2009
2,686
54
Texas
Android phones are cheap. HTC Rezound LTE on sale all the time $79 bucks. HTC Rhyme on sale free all the time. Cheap.. Latest iPhone $199 min.. hardly farthest from the truth.

What about the iPhone 4 that's free on contract, or the $99 4S? It really goes both ways. And I'm not sure if you mean cheap as in quality, or cost effective.
 

Dave.UK

macrumors 65816
Sep 24, 2012
1,290
482
Kent, UK
Live wallpapers are stupid. Wastes battery life, causes worse performance, no use at all.



Any proof of that? I currently use the Ocean HD live wallpapper with several widgets and battery life has only become 5% worse. Considering I get 2 days of medium use out of my S3, im willing to sacrifice the 5% for a nice live wallpaper.
 

kdarling

macrumors P6
Live wallpapers are stupid. Wastes battery life, causes worse performance, no use at all.

Live wallpapers use just a few seconds or minutes of CPU time each day.

Most live wallpapers only use battery while you're looking at them. Which is rarely, unless you're just sitting there staring at it, then it's legit entertainment :)

Widgets and live wallpapers...... People need to understand Android is not about those 2 :(

Two other Android items I like a lot are the Back button, and the ability to set/choose which app will open for a particular intent.
 

TFMTASAD

macrumors regular
Jun 5, 2008
119
0
Android isn't about widgets and live wallpapers as stated by many above.

Customization is obviously a big deal for the geeky type of user but it can also be made very simple to use for the average Joe. You get a lot more control over your phone but all this customization doesn't get in the way.

Another big point is variety.

Don't like the iPhone but like iOS? Well that's just too bad.
Don't like the SIII? Here is a dozen of great alternatives. You want a slide-out keyboard? A small phone? A big ass screen? A removable battery? Extended battery? Stylish? MicroSD slot?
You don't care and just want to make calls and text? Here is another hundred shovelware phones that will still work for you with or without contract.

iPhones are fantastic devices but like everything, they aren't for everyone.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm a longtime Mac user but somehow, can't "connect" with iOS. It just doesn't click for me. I've been using my Galaxy Nexus for awhile now and couldn't be happier.

In the end, having good competition is good for everyone. It prevents companies from siting on their asses with their products, it prevents fanboys from getting bored by keeping them busy with these "VS" threads and it gives more options to consumers. Everybody wins.
 

Stuntman06

macrumors 6502a
Sep 19, 2011
961
5
Metro Vancouver, B.C, Canada
No but for many it's one of the key differentiators. Most casual consumers don't give a hoot about Open Source, Roms etc... They care about the things they 'see'. And widgets and live wallpapers are those very things.

There is also a variety of devices to choose from. They have different sized screens. Some even have keyboards. With iOS, you have one device.

Honestly this couldn't be further from the truth. As a long time iOS user heavily invested in the iOS ecosystem that recently switched to the S III. I couldn't begin to tell you how annoyed I am that a majority of the free Apps in the Google Play Store are loaded with ads. Some of these free apps are ones I gladly payed for on the iPhone because I wanted full functionality of the app, and didn't want adds. A lot of Android phones have cheaper build quality but many of them are the same price on contract as the iPhone.

Many apps on Android also have a paid version that offers full functionality without any ads.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
Widgets and live wallpaper are nice but they're just eye candy and after a short period I didn't use live wallpaper and kept the widget usage to a minimum
 

vastoholic

macrumors 68000
Jan 28, 2009
1,957
1
Tulsa, OK
Android phones are cheap. HTC Rezound LTE on sale all the time $79 bucks. HTC Rhyme on sale free all the time. Cheap.. Latest iPhone $199 min.. hardly farthest from the truth.

Both of those phones are a year old at this point and the Rhyme is not exactly a flagship phone with those specs, so it's going to be cheaper. Face it, flagship devices for each major manufacturer are priced the same upon release and only vary slightly after a newer version comes out.

The rezound isn't even listed on HTC's website anymore.
http://www.htc.com/www/smartphones/#all
 

zone23

macrumors 68000
May 10, 2012
1,986
793
Both of those phones are a year old at this point and the Rhyme is not exactly a flagship phone with those specs, so it's going to be cheaper. Face it, flagship devices for each major manufacturer are priced the same upon release and only vary slightly after a newer version comes out.

The rezound isn't even listed on HTC's website anymore.
http://www.htc.com/www/smartphones/#all

Thats funning the Rezound isn't but the Rhyme is and the Rezound WAS one of Verizons flagship LTE phones. Glad I'm not in that phone race anymore.
 

Markyboy81

macrumors 6502a
Oct 30, 2011
514
0
Both of those phones are a year old at this point and the Rhyme is not exactly a flagship phone with those specs, so it's going to be cheaper. Face it, flagship devices for each major manufacturer are priced the same upon release and only vary slightly after a newer version comes out.

The rezound isn't even listed on HTC's website anymore.
http://www.htc.com/www/smartphones/#all

The iPhone may start out the same price as competitor's phones in the beginning but the difference is that other phones will more than likely come down in price in the months following release, whereas the iPhone will stay the same price until a new version is released
 

vastoholic

macrumors 68000
Jan 28, 2009
1,957
1
Tulsa, OK
The iPhone may start out the same price as competitor's phones in the beginning but the difference is that other phones will more than likely come down in price in the months following release, whereas the iPhone will stay the same price until a new version is released

That is true. Prices drops happen sooner. But I feel it's more because there are so many models to choose from. I'd like to see when the GS3 drops. That is a pretty incredible device.
 

tech4all

macrumors 68040
Jun 13, 2004
3,399
489
NorCal
Android isn't about widgets and live wallpapers as stated by many above.

It is for me. I don't really car about rooting, but I do like the ability to customize beyond what iOS could do. Being forced to have all your app icons on the screen is limiting and boring. Plus it's nice to have widget options as well.
 

pgiguere1

macrumors 68020
May 28, 2009
2,171
1,247
Montreal, Canada
iOS:
braun-rcs-9.jpg


Android:
jvc-boombox.jpg
 

viskon

macrumors 6502
Oct 20, 2012
464
10
And to the OP, widgets are what make Android appeal to me. I have two home screens. The second one is my functional screen. I have one widget here that gives me a glanceable , scrollable view of my texts, email, news and Facebook. I also have shortcuts to the websites that I often visit.

uramuraq.jpg
 

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