Sooooo iOS 8 anyone?

[The-Real-Deal82]

I only agree with you on the UI consistency.

I am the more practical person wrt to fluidity. I find the ios UI feels like slow motion compared to my note3 especially scrolling. Scrolling is really bad on iPhone. Add to the horribly slow transition animation on ios is really ridiculous. I turned off animation in my note3 and window shows up much faster.

Ios can do everything for you but for me it is a major CMI. Basic stuff like automatic sound/ring profile (e.g switching to silent based on calendar entry) is non existence. So many other automation scenarios are not possible with ios. Iphone is passive like a donkey. It only does stuff when you give it a kick. My note3 does tasks for me without me lifting a finger like turning on/off sound during appropriate time or log my sms/phone activities into a calendar or warn me when my data/call limits is reached etc etc.

I think we both represent why iOS and Android are popular for different types of user. You sound like a more demanding user than me, therefore you've chosen to buy a product that suits the task. For me the iPhone does all the basic stuff like web, email, messages, social media, etc and that is good enough for me. This is why when someone tells me the iPhone is so far behind but the reality for me is not the case. Its only limited if you have the need to stretch the limits for which I don't. This doesn't really matter in my part of the world though because most people I know are on the same platform as me anyway

 

[sentinelsx]

Except they aren't native.

You mean they aren't first party.

Do you only use first party apps on your devices?

 

[Vegastouch]

ITS A DIFFERENT THING, HOW CAN YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT??!!

Oh and since you don't use a photo editor, no one else cares? Yeah you are great and being a judge.

Lol, OK Kid you tell me what's so different about it. Some do care to know.

Saw your reply above.
Sure looks a lot like the same to me. Just seems that you want it to be different. Its not that hard to understand. I don't get all this animosity towards the two systems. iOS is fine if you like limitations. Maybe because it FEELS new or that it is on iOS now. I don't know but it sure looks the same.

 

[Shuri]

You mean they aren't first party.

Do you only use first party apps on your devices?

You cannot argue the fact, that there are important advantages when a feature is native, rather than being added by a third party program, as much as I wouldn't argue the fact that having an optional feature from a third party is better than not having it at all.

But if you compare two features and one is native and the other is not, than the native one in general would be better in terms of security, integration, consistence in looks, usability and features, performance, cluttering the system and not having multiple instances of programs taking care of things like notifications.

 

[pdqgp]

I'm saying the BANNERS as they come up.

Personally I want both at the same time. I'm okay with my private stuff on the lockscreen.

^^ both can be addressed with a simple app. Android notifications and lock screens are way more customizable than even what Apple is proposing in iOS8.

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However, i like iOS notification more than android and with the interactive option, i find them even better. Google's design guidelines tell developers to stack notifications, which i don't like, as you cannot use the 'actionable' part anymore, and you cannot touch one notification without bothering the rest. With iOS, everything is separate, and can be acted upon individually. While some people might say this makes the notification shade "cluttered", i say this makes it exactly what it is intended for, to show all notifications.

What? You absolutely can act individually on Android notifications. That's been a huge advantage over iOS for a while now. I wish I was in a position to post screen shots.

 

[gotluck]

Except they aren't native.

this comment makes my blood boil as a jailbreaker
the community fights tooth and nail to have more non-native things!

 

[pdqgp]

To be fair, Google Now is not an assistant like Siri is.

It's far better than siri as an assistant. It's predictive and provides the user what they are looking for in advance. Google now tracks my UPS packages and alerts that it finds in my email. It sees my flight itinerary in my email and logs it and tracks it for me ahead of time.

I can't use Google Now to check and read my new messages and reply while driving.

No but there are several good apps that are very configurable that run in the background and enable reading of new emails and text messages to you while driving.

I can't get Google Now to enable/disable device services such as BT, Wifi, Airplane Mode, etc

Samsung's assitant does all that just fine. Personally it's easier to just swipe down from the top of the screen and tap what you need on or off.

The Today screen does provide commute time.

google now absolutely does and it even shows a small map with traffic updates and notifications if there are accidents. it does this for all of my appointments. or if I'm at the store it will do the same for my route home. again, all automatically within the widget. try that with iOS...

iOS users can always install the Google app to use the Google Now features but I can't get an assistant like Siri on my Android devices.

you can install Google now on iOS but it won't function seamlessly in the background like it does on Android. My wife has it on her iPhone and it's helpful but iOS limits it's capability.

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Also, i would be extremely pleased if google implemented lockscreen notifications like iOS, at least in "stock" android. Having paid for 5-6 lockscreen replacement apps and some of them being cream of the crop in playstore, i am still not satisfied.

It's not a lockscreen app that you should be looking at, it's notification apps. I have several different notifications styles and windows customizable on my lock screen.

 

[Shuri]

this comment makes my blood boil as a jailbreaker
the community fights tooth and nail to have more non-native things!

Nobody said non native solutions are bad. Just that they are often not as good as their native counterparts. But still, a lot better than missing out on the option of a feature.

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It's far better than siri as an assistant. It's predictive and provides the user what they are looking for in advance. Google now tracks my UPS packages and alerts that it finds in my email. It sees my flight itinerary in my email and logs it and tracks it for me ahead of time.

If you're trying to use your phone without touching or looking at it, Siri is better.
At least in germany it often leads to googling a query instead of calling somebody for example. That is a no go if you want to keep your phone in the pocket, for example when I'm driving or on my longboard.

Both services seem to be rivals, but they address different problem, thus being different in implementation.

 

[spinedoc77]

Slidelock is also from the same Dev

I paid for both lockerpro and slidelock and I prefer locker pro after latest update which added music controls, because it also features actionable notifications on lock screen.

However, due to the uproar concerning the update, the Dev reverted it and has now made lockerpro 2 for those of us who liked the update. He is one cool Dev.

Why does this guy have so many iterations of the same program? Lol. They are nice, I'm trying out the different ones. Lockerpro I don't like so far, it takes 1-2 seconds for my screen to turn on, then I can see my old lockscreen for another second before lockerpro comes up, way too slow. Also hangouts only says "new notification", it doesn't put the text message on the screen. So far I far prefer notifierpro, which is yet another app from same dev.

 

[pdqgp]

If you're trying to use your phone without touching or looking at it, Siri is better.
At least in germany it often leads to googling a query instead of calling somebody for example. That is a no go if you want to keep your phone in the pocket, for example when I'm driving or on my longboard.

I don't have that problem. 1. my vehicles all have integrated bluetooth. Just tap a button and say call "whoever the heck I want" I rarely if ever need to but I can bring up Samsung's assistant to call someone too. I do use it to set appointments and reminders.

 

[spinedoc77]

I don't have that problem. 1. my vehicles all have integrated bluetooth. Just tap a button and say call "whoever the heck I want" I rarely if ever need to but I can bring up Samsung's assistant to call someone too. I do use it to set appointments and reminders.

Android is definitely weak in this area compared to Siri IMO. Sometimes it's stupid silly stuff that makes you wonder how the engineees are letting it get through. Cortana looks like it is strong in this category as well, although I haven't tried it out yet. Android is by far the weakest personal assistant.

 

[gotluck]

Nobody said non native solutions are bad. Just that they are often not as good as their native counterparts. But still, a lot better than missing out on the option of a feature.

I dont really care who writes the code, whatever performs better
1st party code isn't automatically better for me especially if we are talking about software like touchwiz

one of the biggest advantages in android for me is the decreased reliance on 1st party code. You are not left waiting for the manufacturer to implement features, the community (or yourself) can just do it.

 

[jamezr]

Android is definitely weak in this area compared to Siri IMO. Sometimes it's stupid silly stuff that makes you wonder how the engineees are letting it get through. Cortana looks like it is strong in this category as well, although I haven't tried it out yet. Android is by far the weakest personal assistant.

I think Siri is better than Google Now at most things,....but Cortana is better than both.....I have used Cortana and it is very nice. It will only get better as well because it is this good right out of the gate. As it matures a little it will really shine.

http://www.cnet.com/news/cortana-vs-siri-vs-google-now/

http://mashable.com/2014/04/18/cortana-vs-siri/

 

[SpoonCody]

Oh wow. NotifierPro is quite classy and nice. Does exactly what iOS banners do, but with even more customization and control. Very nice recommendation, whoever it was... Thanks.

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Well, it can be optional, so I don't see the hesitation.

Currently you can block an app from posting notifications flat out by going to settings -> app and then app info. I can only imagine the next step for google is to allow even more control over how to display notifications from each app.

And on iOS, you could always turn off banners btw. The fine grain notification center controls let you choose whether to show alert, or banner, or nothing at all.

The notifier app I linked for android can also be configured to show only certain banners, or one can just choose to not use it. Options are cool.

The issue with turning the banner off is then you don't get no notification.

NotifierPro seems to be an awesome solution for Android. It looks clean and sleek too. And the customizations are really nice, like how long they stay on, etc.

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Woah. SlideLock is nice too. Though I don't think I need it for my Moto X.

I truly hope Motorola expands ActiveDisplay in the Moto X+1!

The flexibility of Android is really starting to win me over. It just seems more adaptable than iOS. In other words, I can more or less add anything missing on Android easier than I can add anything missing on iOS, it seems. If so inclined, I can make my Android more like iOS whereas I can't necessarily make iOS more like Android. My 5C is really going to start taking a back seat, I think...

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One important question, though, for those who have been using SlideLock and NotifierPro:

How does it impact battery life?

 

[AustinIllini]

I think Siri is better than Google Now at most things,....but Cortana is better than both.....I have used Cortana and it is very nice. It will only get better as well because it is this good right out of the gate. As it matures a little it will really shine.

http://www.cnet.com/news/cortana-vs-siri-vs-google-now/

http://mashable.com/2014/04/18/cortana-vs-siri/

I dunno. Siri doesn't automatically remind me when to leave for appointments like Google now. I like being able to swipe and suddenly all my interests are listed the way they are.

 

[sentinelsx]

You cannot argue the fact, that there are important advantages when a feature is native, rather than being added by a third party program, as much as I wouldn't argue the fact that having an optional feature from a third party is better than not having it at all.

But if you compare two features and one is native and the other is not, than the native one in general would be better in terms of security, integration, consistence in looks, usability and features, performance, cluttering the system and not having multiple instances of programs taking care of things like notifications.

But both are native.

You guys are using the wrong terms. They are not first party, but they are native android apps and can leverage the entire optimization stack provided by the OS. They are just not offered as bundled.

 

[SpoonCody]

The more I use SlideLock, the less I find lock screen notifications to be that big of a deal. It's all a bit redundant.

If you miss it, then it's a bit moot too. You have to turn on your device to see it anyway. And by that point, if you are checking your device, you might as well go ahead and unlock and go to the notification anyway, which you usually will if you want to act on it or read the full thing, etc. I get that it's nice to see a small preview, but I find it just clutters up my lock screen. Getting a little preview just doesn't do that much for me. And like I said, if you're going to act on it, it's all a bit redundant.

The battery drain (lighting up the whole screen) just doesn't seem worth it for so little bit of information, either, in my opinion. Especially if you are missing it. Feels like a bit of a waste.

I still think the Moto X does it the best. When you pick up your device, it lights up just a little bit to give you a small preview of what's waiting for you. And it looks clean and nice. I do hope Motorola expands on the idea.


However... as for Notifier Pro, I'm really appreciating banner drop downs on a larger screen. Maybe part of the reason I hate it on my 5C is because the screen is so tiny and it truly feels like the banner intrudes on what I'm looking at or playing or doing. It works really nice on a larger screen. I think this will be true with the larger iPhone, too down the line.

Anyway, like I said before, it's nice that Android has the flexibility for you to choose what's important to add or not.

 

[spinedoc77]

I think Siri is better than Google Now at most things,....but Cortana is better than both.....I have used Cortana and it is very nice. It will only get better as well because it is this good right out of the gate. As it matures a little it will really shine.

http://www.cnet.com/news/cortana-vs-siri-vs-google-now/

http://mashable.com/2014/04/18/cortana-vs-siri/

Yeah I would really love to get a WP phone, but I haven't seen one that I like yet. All the Nokia's are chunky and the Icon isn't offered on AT&T, and that's chunky also. Samsung Ativ SE is also only on Verizon (WTF?), I would consider that phone if it was on AT&T. I have a feeling that the ip6 is going to have some insanely nice hardware and I'm definitely a hardware-Ho. Super thin aluminum clad phablet with tiny bezels, oh yea...

 

[Shuri]

But both are native.

You guys are using the wrong terms. They are not first party, but they are native android apps and can leverage the entire optimization stack provided by the OS. They are just not offered as bundled.

Native meant as not being there out of the box, which for some is a first hassle for starters. Additionally a feature being build on top of an OS has big chances to be worse than being built into an OS. (See my first post on this subject)

I want to make sure that I think it's great that there is an Mobile OS delivering such an openness to both, developers and users. But using it, instead of mostly relying on the base OS has its downsides, you have to be aware of.

 

[sumsingwong]

Sooooo iOS 8 anyone?

It's far better than siri as an assistant. It's predictive and provides the user what they are looking for in advance. Google now tracks my UPS packages and alerts that it finds in my email. It sees my flight itinerary in my email and logs it and tracks it for me ahead of time.







No but there are several good apps that are very configurable that run in the background and enable reading of new emails and text messages to you while driving.







Samsung's assitant does all that just fine. Personally it's easier to just swipe down from the top of the screen and tap what you need on or off.







google now absolutely does and it even shows a small map with traffic updates and notifications if there are accidents. it does this for all of my appointments. or if I'm at the store it will do the same for my route home. again, all automatically within the widget. try that with iOS...







you can install Google now on iOS but it won't function seamlessly in the background like it does on Android. My wife has it on her iPhone and it's helpful but iOS limits it's capability.

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It's not a lockscreen app that you should be looking at, it's notification apps. I have several different notifications styles and windows customizable on my lock screen.

Google Now requires you to have the UPS email sent to your Gmail account to know the status. I already have a UPS account that provides me with delivery status. It would be redundant for me. Same thing with Flights. The user would have to be using Gmail for everything because that's what Google does. It scans all of your email and all your personal info from other Google services to collect and use to provide you with the info. There are people who don't like providing all their personal info like that.

You say there are 3rd party apps than can read SMS and email. Right. We are talking about Google Now and Siri. Besides, what 3rd party apps allow you to ask your phone to read or reply to SMS and email without touching the device?

You speak of S-voice. Not every Android device user has a Samsung device. Yes, the toggles can be accessed when you unlock your device and swipe down but we are discussing Google Now and Siri. You still have to touch your device.

Google Now provides you maps with traffic conditions. That's great if you don't mind Google collecting that info about you and knowing you are going to the doctors to get rid of that rash that keeps coming back. Be prepared to get ads for ointments to get rid of it. That's TMI for a lot of people.

There used to be an app called Grokr which provided info like Google Now. I used it and it functioned well. Unfortunately, it was taken down without any explanation. Rumor has it Apple purchased it.

http://youtu.be/MOL1O9oAu9c

Are Android users with KitKat able to get notifications on the lock screen with a Pattern, PIN, password enabled because I can't on my S4.

 

[sumsingwong]

I dunno. Siri doesn't automatically remind me when to leave for appointments like Google now. I like being able to swipe and suddenly all my interests are listed the way they are.

Isn't that what events in calendar is for. You can set alerts and reminders for events.

 

[AustinIllini]

Isn't that what events in calendar is for. You can set alerts and reminders for events.

If I open an email with a flight in it, Google now tells me when to leave. I don't need to configure anything. Google now reminds me without the useless iOS interface from reminders.

 

[jamezr]

If I open an email with a flight in it, Google now tells me when to leave. I don't need to configure anything. Google now reminds me without the useless iOS interface from reminders.

Plus if you used Google to search for direction to something......
It shows up on Google Now! Very helpful..............

 

[Lloydbm41]

You say there are 3rd party apps than can read SMS and email. Right. We are talking about Google Now and Siri. Besides, what 3rd party apps allow you to ask your phone to read or reply to SMS and email without touching the device?.

This is why I love my Moto X. It senses when you are driving and can auto read texts, emails and announce callers without any need to touch the phone. Nokia Lumia devices do this too.

I have a feeling Google will be baking in these features from the Moto X into all Android phones.

 

[jrswizzle]

If I open an email with a flight in it, Google now tells me when to leave. I don't need to configure anything. Google now reminds me without the useless iOS interface from reminders.

Based on what criteria? Is there a preset amount of time before your flight Google thinks you should arrive? I'm sure Google Now would take into account traffic conditions, but does it take into account travel season? What about time of day? Some times are busier than others - some weeks are busier than others. It doesn't know how long the lines are at the airport.

I would have a VERY hard time relying on something to tell me when to leave - especially for a flight.

I've missed one flight in my life and it sucked....I don't intend to do so again, meaning I likely leave for the airport earlier than most. Likely earlier than Google Now would tell me to leave.

Push notifications in iOS work just fine for me. I don't need another service reading my emails to tell me something the AA app will push to my device anyhow. Same with packages - I get email alerts. So what good is Google Now if all it does it read my email to keep my updated when the email it's reading has been pushed to my lock screen 10 seconds earlier?

Google Now is a neat concept, and I enjoyed playing around with it on my Android devices. But it isn't a personal assistant and it isn't Siri. Over the last few iOS updates, Siri has become far more robust than Google Now.

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This is why I love my Moto X. It senses when you are driving and can auto read texts, emails and announce callers without any need to touch the phone. Nokia Lumia devices do this too.

I have a feeling Google will be baking in these features from the Moto X into all Android phones.

So...does it just read the text without any prompt? Or do you have to say something like "read that last text".

I don't know if I'd be up for my phone just spouting out text messages. Could make for a funny parody video