He might not mean pirated apps, he might mean apps that aren't available on the play store anymore, like I side loaded adobe flash. A 'hacked' version of Facebook messenger because the genuine version didn't support SMS on certain custom ROMs.
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Why do you use Android?
- Thread starter ozaz
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He might not mean pirated apps, he might mean apps that aren't available on the play store anymore, like I side loaded adobe flash. A 'hacked' version of Facebook messenger because the genuine version didn't support SMS on certain custom ROMs.
I have used just about every platform available. BlackBerry, Windows Mobile/Windows Phone, WebOS, iOS, and now Android.
I like the customization of Android, at least on my Galaxy SIII. I had to jailbreak my 4 and 4S to accomplish basic standard things on my SIII like icon placement and dock icon quantity. I simply downloaded a launcher, and changed almost everything that I wanted to. First, it was free. Then I went Pro because I appreciate the hard work and updates made to it. iOS lets you change the wallpaper, and a few ringtones maybe, some minor tweaks to notifications, and that is it. You can pretty much put the phone down, your customization is over.
Between the icon set that I downloaded, the widgets, the endless possibilities with UCCW and Zooper Widget...the phone is never fully set up. I change things as needed, not because I need to always, but because I can. I wanted a small agenda style calendar on my homescreen with the next 5 upcoming events. I created this in Zooper Widget easily, saved it, and now I have it right in plain sight. No app to open, no screen to slide, it is right there where I can see it at first glance. Decided to make another with various info like when the alarm was set for, device uptime, battery status, etc. You can't do that on iOS. Some of my co workers want things like this, and they don't understand why their iPhone won't do this. Some of them are weather enthusiasts like myself. Set up a nice weather widget using BeWeather Pro on my phone (long time fan of this app on BlackBerry), again, they want this, but they cannot have it.
The options are endless, and more and more stuff keeps coming out. Apps ported over, stability issues addressed, and Google just keeps making it better and better.....hard to not pay attention to this platform.
I like the customization of Android, at least on my Galaxy SIII. I had to jailbreak my 4 and 4S to accomplish basic standard things on my SIII like icon placement and dock icon quantity. I simply downloaded a launcher, and changed almost everything that I wanted to. First, it was free. Then I went Pro because I appreciate the hard work and updates made to it. iOS lets you change the wallpaper, and a few ringtones maybe, some minor tweaks to notifications, and that is it. You can pretty much put the phone down, your customization is over.
Between the icon set that I downloaded, the widgets, the endless possibilities with UCCW and Zooper Widget...the phone is never fully set up. I change things as needed, not because I need to always, but because I can. I wanted a small agenda style calendar on my homescreen with the next 5 upcoming events. I created this in Zooper Widget easily, saved it, and now I have it right in plain sight. No app to open, no screen to slide, it is right there where I can see it at first glance. Decided to make another with various info like when the alarm was set for, device uptime, battery status, etc. You can't do that on iOS. Some of my co workers want things like this, and they don't understand why their iPhone won't do this. Some of them are weather enthusiasts like myself. Set up a nice weather widget using BeWeather Pro on my phone (long time fan of this app on BlackBerry), again, they want this, but they cannot have it.
The options are endless, and more and more stuff keeps coming out. Apps ported over, stability issues addressed, and Google just keeps making it better and better.....hard to not pay attention to this platform.
When I had iPhones I used to jailbreak all of them for tweaks like BiteSMS and LockInfo and never experienced a loss of stability or speed. I actually think that most Android apps have just now caught up in terms of stability and design to most iOS apps, including those from a jailbreak.
I also use Android because to me it is more visually appealing natively.
Thanks, but I just laughed at his comment. I owe this self-righteous person no explanation.
As I was using my phone this morning I thought of a few more things that I use all the time and like about Android in addition to what I mentioned earlier...
1. Swype (I was part of beta and am extremely glad that Google adopted it as the default keyboard, but being able to swap out many OS component you want because it suits you better - without jailbreaks/rooting/hacking - is nice)
2. On keyboard voice recognition in multiple languages
3. The ability to create widgets that look like shortcuts to various in-app features, for example I have one to a specific Google Doc; you can have navigation links, I've mentioned dialer links before and so on
4. App-settings are app-based versus having to go to a "central" place to modify settings. It seems more intuitive and cleaner, but it's really not contextual and annoying with too many steps involved.
5. System settings are easy to get to and offer the commonly used features with the push of a single button versus too much navigation
6. Support for more and better swipe gestures (1-finger down for notifications, 2-fingers down for system settings, in-app edge swipes for app settings/additional features - for example, in Chrome that switches your tabs, in camera that switches to your galery and so on)
7. Consistent navigation controls - faster to use on the go
8. App switching - I hate the double clicking of the home button in iOS, even though graphically, iOS 7 has made it nicer... it's easier to just press an onscreen button when multi-tasking (this is a huge deal on the iPad as it uses the Otterbox Defender case so my son can't damage it)
9. The ability to multi-task
As a general rule, I like iOS devices for kids and older people who aren't too tech savvy and would benefit from the simplicity of iOS. I feel it's extremely limiting out of the box, but that's perfect when you don't want someone to get in trouble. It's rare my 2.5-year old son has problems navigating his mini. Maybe in a year I'll get him an Android tablet and give the iPad to my 1-year old daughter (she already uses it too, but can't navigate the apps, exit out of apps and launch new ones, etc).
Lastly, to the OP: if you're planning on trying Android and you want a proper iOS-esque experience, skip the various customized vendor devices and go straight to Nexus products or Google Play Experience (GPE) products. You'll feel more at home with things working properly, timely updates, snappier experience, no bloatware and so on.
1. Swype (I was part of beta and am extremely glad that Google adopted it as the default keyboard, but being able to swap out many OS component you want because it suits you better - without jailbreaks/rooting/hacking - is nice)
2. On keyboard voice recognition in multiple languages
3. The ability to create widgets that look like shortcuts to various in-app features, for example I have one to a specific Google Doc; you can have navigation links, I've mentioned dialer links before and so on
4. App-settings are app-based versus having to go to a "central" place to modify settings. It seems more intuitive and cleaner, but it's really not contextual and annoying with too many steps involved.
5. System settings are easy to get to and offer the commonly used features with the push of a single button versus too much navigation
6. Support for more and better swipe gestures (1-finger down for notifications, 2-fingers down for system settings, in-app edge swipes for app settings/additional features - for example, in Chrome that switches your tabs, in camera that switches to your galery and so on)
7. Consistent navigation controls - faster to use on the go
8. App switching - I hate the double clicking of the home button in iOS, even though graphically, iOS 7 has made it nicer... it's easier to just press an onscreen button when multi-tasking (this is a huge deal on the iPad as it uses the Otterbox Defender case so my son can't damage it)
9. The ability to multi-task
As a general rule, I like iOS devices for kids and older people who aren't too tech savvy and would benefit from the simplicity of iOS. I feel it's extremely limiting out of the box, but that's perfect when you don't want someone to get in trouble. It's rare my 2.5-year old son has problems navigating his mini. Maybe in a year I'll get him an Android tablet and give the iPad to my 1-year old daughter (she already uses it too, but can't navigate the apps, exit out of apps and launch new ones, etc).
Lastly, to the OP: if you're planning on trying Android and you want a proper iOS-esque experience, skip the various customized vendor devices and go straight to Nexus products or Google Play Experience (GPE) products. You'll feel more at home with things working properly, timely updates, snappier experience, no bloatware and so on.
Well, I am sure there are valid why nots. But I couldn't give an objective answer to that as I have not used android (well not since 1.x anyway). I could give my perceptions that have contributed to me favouring iOS up to now, but I prefer not to disrupt the positive tone of this thread. Maybe I'll start a separate why not android thread when this one comes to a halt.
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Thanks for the tip. That is what I would do.
It's a phone, you're thinking to hard or putting to much into the decision. iPhones are fine Android phones are fine you touch what you want to do and do it.
Root access on day one after every update. Waiting for jailbreaks and the inability to downgrade iOS is lame.
I left my iPhone 5 for the S4 to try a larger screen. 5" is a touch too large for my needs and 4" is too small. I think my perfect screen size would be 4.7" or 4.8".
One thing that has become a true revelation is the use of a notification light. I find it invaluable and dread the idea of returning to a future iPhone without one. I also prefer to disable my lock screen and would dread returning to the days of constant swipes to unlock.
However I am still very open to using an iPhone in the future if they increase the screen size to 4.7" or 4.8" next fall. Mainly because I think the iPhone still tends to be the best overall camera plus the apps tend to be superior to their Android counterpart. Copy and paste is also much better on iOS. The official Google Music app on iOS is also very important to me. My days of using iTunes to manage and consume music are over.
One thing that has become a true revelation is the use of a notification light. I find it invaluable and dread the idea of returning to a future iPhone without one. I also prefer to disable my lock screen and would dread returning to the days of constant swipes to unlock.
However I am still very open to using an iPhone in the future if they increase the screen size to 4.7" or 4.8" next fall. Mainly because I think the iPhone still tends to be the best overall camera plus the apps tend to be superior to their Android counterpart. Copy and paste is also much better on iOS. The official Google Music app on iOS is also very important to me. My days of using iTunes to manage and consume music are over.
This little thing is actually one of the biggest temptations of android for me. It was normal for dumb phones to have this. I don't understand why iPhone (and Windows Phone) shuns it.
Is the notification light configurable separately from other types of notification and on a per app/type basis? Specifically, is it possible to set the notification light to flash only when I have a missed call and/or a text message?
My primary phone is an iPhone 5. However, I have a Nexus 7. I think the main reason I choose a Nexus 7 over an iPad mini was I love to tinker with stuff. I love tweaking my devices and finding new ways to use them. For example, a few days ago, I ran Ubuntu in parallel with the Android OS.
Now the reason I use an iPhone, is because on a phone I want something that is simple and reliable. I don't want to miss a few calls because the new ROM is not working properly with my radio. With a tablet I don't have to worry about that. Also, I am a developer and prefer to have one of each around.
Personally, I like both and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. I would have a lot more gadgets but the old lady won't let me.
Now the reason I use an iPhone, is because on a phone I want something that is simple and reliable. I don't want to miss a few calls because the new ROM is not working properly with my radio. With a tablet I don't have to worry about that. Also, I am a developer and prefer to have one of each around.
Personally, I like both and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. I would have a lot more gadgets but the old lady won't let me.
It is rare but some apps let you decide on this in the settings. However, there are apps like LightFlow that will allow you set the color of the light on a per app basis. I had flawless results with this App on my Galaxy Nexus but it did not work well with my GS3.
Rom's like CyanogenMod also let you determine the color on a per app basis from the system level.
I originally got an Android device a few years ago, because I liked the way it handled notifications better than ios. More recently, I had the opportunity to upgrade. I considered getting an iphone, but I really didn't like the appearance of ios 7 on a phone, and I liked the flexibility of Android. Also, I thought the Moto X was the perfect size for a phone, and liked the way it felt in my hand.
I use an iPad mini, because I think the form factor is perfect for such a device, particularly the 7.9 inch screen and it's 4:3 aspect ratio. Otherwise i would have considered the Nexus 7; it came in a high resolution before the mini did after all, was much cheaper, and again I do like the flexibility of Android.
I use an iPad mini, because I think the form factor is perfect for such a device, particularly the 7.9 inch screen and it's 4:3 aspect ratio. Otherwise i would have considered the Nexus 7; it came in a high resolution before the mini did after all, was much cheaper, and again I do like the flexibility of Android.
- file management : direct access to file system, like a usb drive, i can use any computer and share my files with anyone. basically i can plug in my phone to any computer and simply drag and drop files, photos, music and what not. no software needed. i would say this is the biggest reason for me.
- memory expansion : cheap 64gb memory upgrade under $50. some recent Android handsets support 128gb cards.
there are several things i do from my android phone which many people may not do:
auto call answer - comes really handy when driving. i don't have to touch my phone, when calls come it will answer automatically and turn on speakerphone.
start computer from phone - yes. i can. an app called "drivedroid" will let you do just that. computer crashed? forgot password? prank friend? you can start your pc/laptop from your phone.
airdroid/mysms - apps like these two are simply mind blowing. with airdroid i can do almost everything without touching my phone. mysms allows me to send sms from using a web browser. my phone could be anywhere on earth. i simply login and send messages from my own number. handy in office.
auto forward sms
schedule sms
etc.
basically you can do whatever you want. the experience never gets boring. simply install a launcher and have fun.
I believe there are apps like Lightflow linked above that give you complete control of what flashes for what app and what color. I just let it operate by default on the apps that require notifications. I'm content with their color schemes, how often they blink, etc.
Personally I think it's a glaring omission from the iPhone. I was hoping that the home button on the 5S would have a glowing ring a la Optimus G Pro.