What would you miss from iDevice moving to Samsung Androud

alexlyons

Folks, just wondering those of you with experience with both types of devices, what would you miss if you went from an iPhone (or any idevice) to a galaxay s2 (or s3)

thinking of making the move to the s3 but just want to know usability niggles or changes that are very intuitive on iPhone but not on android, rather than "the iPhones screen is better" etc...

drunkmonkey

Nothing. The question should be what you gain.

alexlyons

I knew someone would have that response!

It is true, hence the thought to move, but for example, adding a bookmark to the home screen is a bit more awkward on android, and that's the sort of stuff I'm looking for.

Basically my mind is made up that I want one, but I really don't want any nasty shocks that some feature im so used to and use really frequently, isn't as simple on android, which is bound to be the case. Its just a mater of finding out if those changes and less intuitive areas of android are ones i really use

drunkmonkey

Have you an example of what you mean?

The iphone is designed for dummies which makes it extremely restriced but easy enough for your granny to use. Android has more functionality but may require a moderate level of brain power. It's more suited to ages 12+

I can't think of one reason to pick an iphone over any of the latest androids running ice cream sandwich.

alexlyons

alexlyons wrote: »

but for example, adding a bookmark to the home screen is a bit more awkward on android, and that's the sort of stuff I'm looking for.

That'd be an example of what I mean...
Its very simple to do on an iPhone and doesn't need any more functionality than that, where as on an android its a case of creating a bookmark and then separately adding it to the home screen, not a simple tap of a button. Unnecessarily awkward

drunkmonkey

Think you need to borrow a friends Android, open the browser and hit the bookmarks tab, if you still find it awkward stick with the iphone.

TBi

Why a S3? Why not try out a WP7 phone. If you want big you can get a Titan or a Lumia 900 (out soon).

Android is very powerful, but powerful isn't always better. I've used Android (pre-ICS), WP7 and iOS. For me iOS is the best, WP7 a very close second (although better from a usability standpoint) and Android a distant third.

Everytime i hear someone ask about android there are a load of posts about how great android is, how fast the new phones are, how great they are but if you actually go into the forums they are filled with nothing but issues with those phones. Everyone is lost in the fact that "OMG this is the fastest phone evar", but like an extreme sports car which is great at going fast usability suffers. You wouldn't want to go to the shops in a lamborgini.

Maybe you should try out Android, maybe you'll be so enamored by the power that you'll forgive all those niggly issues you never had on iPhone.

I for one can't but it's a personal thing.

alexlyons

Having 2 macs, an ipad and an iphone, and a windows 7 pc in work, I'll never buy myself something running windows. I hate it, and that' me.

Some say im mad to move away from iOS as I'll loose syncing etc. That can be solved, and stuff like the ability to turn on and off bluetooth wifi, gps and adjust your brightness by barely movng, are major pluses in my book and are what is really drawing me to android.

ED E

alexlyons wrote: »

Having 2 macs, an ipad and an iphone, and a windows 7 pc in work, I'll never buy myself something running windows. I hate it, and that' me.

I'll loose syncing etc.

Chances are that your 7 machine in work is crap because your employer cheaped out, not because of windows.


And with android, first boot, enter username and pass, voilà, contacts immediately restored, updates downloaded, and more if you use google backup. Sync your music with gMusic and your collection will be at your fingertips too. And you wont have to use the bloated whore that is iTunes.

alexlyons

windows machine is i5 with 8GB ram and two monitors 6 weeks old. Its a very nice machine and makes using windows just bearable!

Hang on there, enter what user name and password to get contacts? iCloud?!

Kensington

Something wrong the the install of W7 then. Did you take it straight out of the box and boot up, crapware and all?

As for what you'll miss, a slick, secure, clean OS, streamlined simultaneous updates for the next 2-3 years and all the people harping on about how Apple is so bad, Android is so good.

alexlyons

oh its not slow, i just hate windows, I'm a mac head, no changing it.

are you saying ill miss them if i go with android? or ios?

TBi

alexlyons wrote: »

oh its not slow, i just hate windows, I'm a mac head, no changing it.

I'm both. I like windows and OSX. OSX for me is better suited to laptops, windows to desktops. Personal preference though.

alexlyons wrote: »

are you saying ill miss them if i go with android? or ios?

You'll miss the updates on Android. If there are any updates they'll be late and you'll only get updates for a year or so unless you root the phone. All the horror stories with Android updates i'd only touch a nexus phone, but they aren't as good hardware wise as the HTC One's.

You'll miss the smooth OS, lack of slowdowns, not having to worry about viruses and the fact that leaving the GPS, BT and WiFi on don't drain the battery. My android loving friends constantly turn these off to make their phone last the day. You can save battery life turning these off on iPhone but you'll get about the same time with them on as android down with these off (comparing 3GS to Desire, Desire HD and Motorola Defy).

WP7 is similar to iOS in that way too. It's a great alternative to iOS..

alexlyons

ye gps bluetooth and wifi are always on on my 4 and it barely lasts the day. having said that its a pain to turn them on and off but on an s2 or s3 its extremely simple...

my 4 is dreadfully slow and the same happened to my 3g when it was about this old as well. Its a joke of a phone at the minute.

TBi

alexlyons wrote: »

ye gps bluetooth and wifi are always on on my 4 and it barely lasts the day. having said that its a pain to turn them on and off but on an s2 or s3 its extremely simple...

my 4 is dreadfully slow and the same happened to my 3g when it was about this old as well. Its a joke of a phone at the minute.

My 3GS is slow too, but it is old. My friends have 4's and have no issue with speed. My defy (android) started to get slow after about 2 weeks. It would randomly slow down for a few minutes at a go. Never really solved that issue, other things annoyed me and i just sold it.

I have a WP7 HTC Trophy. It's a year old and as fast as when i bought it. WP7 is optimised for user interface, beautifully fast and slick with no slowdowns. Not as fast as android in games but... i don't play games.

fenris

You probably won't miss iTunes, being able to manage your phone as if it were a wifi enables USB key when it comes to moving files about is a serious upside.

If you don't like the browser just load up a different one, the same goes for any other application that up to now was "just part of the phone"

Being able to plug into different computers without all of your music getting scrubbed by iTunes is also a good thing.

Ease of changing firmware if that floats your boat.

After the simplicity of the apple app store it can take a bit of getting used to the google app store or any of the other app stores out there.

You can change the battery on most android phones, on you own, without having to pay someone, you may even want to get a second battery if you want to, you can even get a bigger battery if you want.

It is the difference between driving and taking the train, you can go where you like when you like but you need a bit of a clue, not much of a clue just a bit. The rail equivalent is that you go where you are told can only eat food bought on the premises at an inflated rate and will get where you are going when apple are good and ready.

Don't know why there are window mobile posts in a "move from apple to android" thread, but my experience of win phones has been dire in terms of usability and function, a phone should first be a phone and after getting that right then give the fancy stuff a go.

TBi

fenris wrote: »

You probably won't miss iTunes, being able to manage your phone as if it were a wifi enables USB key when it comes to moving files about is a serious upside.

If you don't like the browser just load up a different one, the same goes for any other application that up to now was "just part of the phone"

Being able to plug into different computers without all of your music getting scrubbed by iTunes is also a good thing.

There are pro's and con's of iTunes. Personally it makes my life a lot easier for managing music. I can manage it on the computer, and when i sync the phone automatically matches what i set up. Great when you are listening to music and decide you want that song. I just move it to a playlist and i'll know when the iphone eventually syncs it will copy. Much easier than connecting up the phone there and then.

fenris wrote: »

Ease of changing firmware if that floats your boat.

Only if you root/hack your phone. (Unless it's a nexus)

fenris wrote: »

Don't know why there are window mobile posts in a "move from apple to android" thread, but my experience of win phones has been dire in terms of usability and function, a phone should first be a phone and after getting that right then give the fancy stuff a go.

WP7 != Windows mobile. They are VERY different. I've used both. Windows mobile is crap, WP7 is good. Don't put WP7 down if you have never used it.

alexlyons

that analogy about a car and a train is absolutely incredible! Sums it up brilliantly!

TBH WP7 is not in the picture, and neither is anything other than an s2 or s3. I've looked at a lot and they're the only options for me.

I like iTunes and will continue to use it, but feel i can work well without direct syncing if needs be, its by no means a deal breaker or maker in my book.

bd250110

Im using a Nexus and I would definately recommend, the screen is fantastic and the extra real estate is actually noticible when I go back to the 4s. There are a few tings though:

I've not found an e-mail client for the Nexus that I like. None are as polished and user friendly as iOS mail. It's got to the point where I dont even bother to use the Nexus for e-mail, the experience sucks. (speaking of K9 and stock gMail) There may be better alternatives I am unaware of.
Android does not Sync - full stop. Yes you can drag and drop, but that is not a sync everything has to be managed manually and if you are a mac user I would avoid an Android without a removable SD as it does not play with OSX due to differences in the way Windoze and OSX manage files. Doubletwist with AirSync is a good alternative to iTunes. The Android file manager for OSX sucks, far worse than iTunes ever was.
Neither stock keyboard nor Swype are as good as the iOS keyboard, but still pretty good and quite functional.
Battery life is fine really, similar to the 4s which is notably worse than the 4.

I think the major difference is that with iOS the OS gets out of the way and lets you get on with tasks, right out of the box, Android needs a lof of tweaks or "customisation" to function to a similar level. Much like a Mac will do a lot of stuff after initial log-on, with a PC you may need a lot of extra software. Both have upsides and downsides, both are great platforms.

_Kaiser_

WP7 is more like IOS in it's "you'll take what you're given" approach so in that regard it's probably a closer match than Android.

Personally, and I've used all 3, I'd rate Android highest for its sheer openness and ability to customise and change almost everything to your own liking (especially if you root it), WP7 next as a "not quite there yet" alternative that MS are determined will succeed (maybe WP8 will make up the shortfall) and IOS a distant third for it's closed, expensive sales model (24 month contracts wtf??) and stagnated development (I don't rate things like Siri as most people won't use it anyway beyond the initial few days - assuming it'll recognize their accent at all... and I'd include the Android equivalents in this too, and there is only ONE iPhone model, unlike the dozens of alternatives you get with Android/WP7 versions)

Kensington

To expand the train analogy:
iOS is like a well run train service. You get on your train, you may only be able to follow the rail line but you know exactly where your journey will take you, it's reliable, the rail line is well built, secure and tested and the service is punctual. You can almost plot out your journey in advance with precision and faith.

Android is like the driving yourself. There are numerous roads you can take to reach your ultimate destination (the user experience) but you may encounter traffic jams (lags), road closures (bugs), diversions (workarounds) and crashes (err, well, crashes) along the way. So your journey could be really, really great but could just as easily be an absolute nightmare. You can't say for sure.

Unfortunately, a quality, reliable experience like iOS is in direct contrast to openness and flexibility like Android. What you give to one you compromise on the other.

In short, what iOS can do it does very well.
Android can in theory do much more than iOS but is much more variable as a result.

fenris

I have been using Moxier Mail for syncing with my work Exchange mail, it does the job including task and calendar sync and even supports the full paranoia modes of operation mandated by my beloved IT dept!

As to syncing there are options depending on the type of syncing you want to do. Syncing in the itunes sense was something I was only to glad to leave behind as I prefer to have a bit more control, I like to be able to wake up, decide what I want to watch/listen to/read on the bus, transfer it from my home NAS drive/dropbox/cloud, stagger off to the shower and know that when I get back it will be done, without having to ask anybody for permission, turn on a PC, wait for ages because yet another update or backup that has feck all to do with me getting out the door in time has kicked off and if I don't wait for it to finish my music folders will be corrupt/empty. - don't miss that at all - not!

Sometimes people try to customise to match what they had before rather than their current need, for me I like to have options, mess about a bit with stuff, if it works better for me then I keep, if not I don't. My iphone was the mutts nuts when it came out as far as I was concerned, it did its job well for a good while, the little annoyances began to build up, that was when I found the lack of options constraining compared with what I saw around me, the world and my needs moved on but apple didn't and kept polishing the same turd while telling me that an artificially stagnant tech was better that the droid I was looking for.

My first android phone took a bit of getting used to, different is just different it takes time to get a fluent but you get there and you move beyond where you were and progress onward. Simple things like the "back" and "menu" button make life easier and you wonder how you ever did without them, not to mention the built in real FM radio.
I had several hundreds of euros worth of apps on my iphone, that was a bit of a wrench and an OMG/WTF moment to realise what they all added up to. I spent a few days looking for the equivalant apps on android, found most of what I wanted and then found others that did what I actually needed.

From iphone to android there is a definite feeling of progressing in terms of function and capability, a bit like moving from school to uni or to the real world of work. The win phone side of things feels like too little too late, if it came out in its current form three years ago then it could have been a contender, now there is much more awareness of the possibilities of mobile platforms, people are much more aware of when they are being farmed for a revenue stream by a closed ecosystem like apple, blackberry and aspirationally by microsoft, so many people do not dive in headlong any more, this is what will probably finish off blackberry and stop win mobile getting a critical mass.

In short it is all about options to meet your needs and not pushing your comfort zone too far in one go. The Samsung phones work well, thay are not iphones, there is a bit of time needed to find your feet but after a couple of days you will be away in a hack!

alexlyons

fenris wrote: »

My iphone was the mutts nuts when it came out as far as I was concerned, it did its job well for a good while, the little annoyances began to build up, that was when I found the lack of options constraining compared with what I saw around me, the world and my needs moved on but apple didn't and kept polishing the same turd while telling me that an artificially stagnant tech was better that the droid I was looking for.

In short it is all about options to meet your needs and not pushing your comfort zone too far in one go. The Samsung phones work well, thay are not iphones, there is a bit of time needed to find your feet but after a couple of days you will be away in a hack!

Ye I loved my iPhone when I got it, and it was a lot of effort to get it as well, then upgraded it and loved it. They're still very sleek devices but over time the annoyances build up. Back then there were no real competitors and it was by far the best. You lived with any minor issues as nothing came close to it. Now there are extremely good alternatives and you can fix these annoyances.

I'm pretty technically minded so the change shouldn't be an issue. The main reason for this is to make sure there is nothing majorly handy on an iPhone that isn't on the galaxy

TBi

fenris wrote: »

<SNIP>
In short it is all about options to meet your needs and not pushing your comfort zone too far in one go. The Samsung phones work well, thay are not iphones, there is a bit of time needed to find your feet but after a couple of days you will be away in a hack!

Fantastic post on the benefits of Android! Much better than the usual "OMG i has quad cores n 1Gigz ram n iPhone sux" posts I read.

I'm considering a new phone with the new emobile offer. Had iOS, have WP7 but haven't tried ICS yet. I like the One S to hold but hate sense (or touchwiz). I want a 4S but they don't have the one i want. Maybe a lumia 800... Anyway that's off topic...

Again great post! Well thought arguments like that make me consider android again. Wouldn't buy a samsung though

_Kaiser_

TBi wrote: »

Well thought arguments like that make me consider android again. Wouldn't buy a samsung though

Then you're really limiting yourself to be honest - not because of the "ZOMG my Samsung has a billion cores and a trillion MB of RAM " but because the Galaxy S2 is still one of the best Android phones available - despite the arrival of the One X and the Galaxy S3 (which is more an evolution than a revolution)

As for touchwiz, I hate it too but the SGS2 is a doddle to root (jailbreak I suppose being the equivalent term?) and then you can put in any number of ROMs or launchers to replace it. I run one called Slim ICS which strips away all the bloat and lets you add what you want - not what they think you do!

TBi

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Then you're really limiting yourself to be honest - not because of the "ZOMG my Samsung has a billion cores and a trillion MB of RAM " but because the Galaxy S2 is still one of the best Android phones available - despite the arrival of the One X and the Galaxy S3 (which is more an evolution than a revolution)

As for touchwiz, I hate it too but the SGS2 is a doddle to root (jailbreak I suppose being the equivalent term?) and then you can put in any number of ROMs or launchers to replace it. I run one called Slim ICS which strips away all the bloat and lets you add what you want - not what they think you do!

I don't like the S2. Don't like the feel of it, don't like the size of it, i don't like the interface, i don't like how it reacts to input, i just don't want it.

I also don't want to root a phone, i don't want to hack it and i don't want to fiddle with roms. I did enough of that before with my PC. I much prefer a solution that just works and works well. iOS and WP7 work and work well for me. I enjoy both and am not bothered by their perceived limitations.

I want a stable useable phone. Rooting and installing hacks could lead to instability and troubleshooting, neither of which i want to do on a phone.

Although i'm unsure of what limitations i'm placing on myself other than not buying samsung.

drunkmonkey

TBi wrote: »

I don't like the S2. Don't like the feel of it, don't like the size of it, i don't like the interface, i don't like how it reacts to input, i just don't want it.

It was European phone of the year 2011. You sir are in a iMinority.

TBi

drunkmonkey wrote: »

It was European phone of the year 2011. You sir are in a iMinority.

Lots of things win 'of the year' awards, doesn't mean you would buy one. Doesn't mean they suit the needs of the majority of people either.

Also i have a Windows Phone so technically i'm a Winority.

EDIT: Jasus can't get better than this... Xperia X10 Mini won european phone of the year in 2010. You expect me to take those guys seriously after that?

EDIT2: Phone of the year my <bleep>.

If that's what people consider phone of the year i don't know what's wrong with the world.

krudler

drunkmonkey wrote: »

It was European phone of the year 2011. You sir are in a iMinority.

the Multipla was the car of the year once, its still ugly as fcuk.