ANDROID Phones are for girls!!!!

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

You may consider it a great strength, I consider it break-even at best. So far as I can tell, it means that commercial android phone vendors don't spend a lot of time working on refining these tools to make them as robust and user-friendly as they could, because they figure someone else will spend those resources and do it for them. So then you have a bunch of small 3rd party and open source solutions, many of which are 80% really great but suffer from some flaw that makes them aggravating, with the occasional gem which actually works well but is often difficult to find amidst all the cruft.

As a user I want my keyboard to "just work" right out of the box. I don't want to spend hours or even minutes sifting through and trying out new keyboard applications (some of which I might even have to pay for as a bonus) just to find the one I like best. That is not my idea of fun. I want it to work right when I turn on the phone the first time. I don't mind hunting down an application to add functionality to my phone, but a keyboard is pretty basic functionality for a smartphone and it should work pretty darn well without user intervention.

The first paragraph is entirely flawed. While in a convoluted way you can come up with that theory. Android devices are made by different manufacturers who want to come up with their own stamp. Samsung wants you to go back and get Samsung, Motorola wants you go back and get Motorola, Google just wants you to stick to Android. The stock keyboard in Android works great, I've also really enjoyed Swype, and a few other keyboards. The thing with Android is there is always an option. if you don't like the iOS keyboard, or messaging system, that's it, you have to hate the phone. With android you can just go use something else. Stock Android does everything as well or better than iOS. I have the Galaxy Nexus on android 4.1 and I can do any task as easily and as quickly as on iOS. And it doesn't even have the latest version of Android*


As far as the second paragraph, I opened the box to all my phones and found their keyboards functional. Some less than others (I switched my Droid X to swype) but I've been using the Stock Android Keyboard on my Galaxy Nexus for the most part, I have Swype on it as well, but I'd ditched it lately as I find the stock works better 90% of the time. And 4.2 stock is supposedly so much better (I've yet to get my hands on it, see asterisk below)


*Didn't want to derail my response but screw you Verizon, I'm somewhat seriously considering going back to a basic phone on Verizon and switching to T-Mobile for my smartphone to get actual Nexus functionality, seriously Verizon is the worst, they can go to hell)

 

[Zuljin]

If you havin app problems, I feel bad for you, son.
I got 99 problems but, surfinghbtwithsomeappthatpeopleseemtohavealotofproblemswithwhenIcouldjustsurfthewholeweblikearegulardamnpersonandnothaveanyisuesatall aint one.

 

[Zuljin]

If you havin app problems, I feel bad for you, son.
I got 99 problems but, surfinghbtwithsomeappthatpeopleseemtohavealotofproblemswithwhenIcouldjustsurfthewholeweblikearegulardamnpersonandnothaveanyisuesatall aint one.

And da funk is that? Some kind of magic that puts spaces every so many letters? Damn voodoo.

 

[1GR8DA]

+1 on SwiftKey. Went from a DROID X to the S3. SwiftKey made a huge difference. For me, even with the "issues" HBT would not exist without the android app. Use this thing for everything.

 

[weirdboy]

Anyone on Android not willing to use SwiftKey or not willing to pay the 2-3$ for it should not have the right to complain about the word predictions and should have their phone taken away from them and donated to someone who actually have a clue.

Oh, the keyboard doesn't work very well on android? NO PROBLEM there's another app you can purchase which is fantastic! How about text messaging? NO PROBLEM, $5 please. Camera? Another $1 purchase will set you straight!

Yes, Android is so much better because I get to choose which apps I want to buy to replace all the crappy ones that come installed on the phone I just paid $300 for. I have only had this phone for 4 months and I am already thinking about buying out the contract just to avoid having to use it anymore. Speaking of which, my galaxy s3 is also the worst navigator on the planet. Google Maps is GREAT! Except it doesn't work at all on my phone for navigation because it can never figure out exactly where I am. Turn-by-turn directions don't work AT ALL. Makes business travel so much fun. I have to print out physical maps just like I did back in 1998.


Sorry for the thread derail, I'm done.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Fine with me I'll go back to iphone where the keyboard actually works without paying extra for it.

And you'd be sacrificing other things. Like multi-tasking, widgets, and many other great functions.

 

[weirdboy]

And you'd be sacrificing other things. Like multi-tasking, widgets, and many other great functions.

Not sure what you mean here. I had multi-tasking on my iphone 4. So far I haven't found a widget that I actually like on this phone. I installed a weather widget, because unlike iphone it doesn't have a useful one by default, but even though I tried 5 or 6 of them they all sucked. Same goes for stock tickers, another thing iphone has by default which works fantastic. Tried several on android, they are all clunky and somewhat useless. One of them was close, but I could only put 5 symbols into it before it said I couldn't enter any more.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Not sure what you mean here. I had multi-tasking on my iphone 4. So far I haven't found a widget that I actually like on this phone. I installed a weather widget, because unlike iphone it doesn't have a useful one by default, but even though I tried 5 or 6 of them they all sucked. Same goes for stock tickers, another thing iphone has by default which works fantastic. Tried several on android, they are all clunky and somewhat useless. One of them was close, but I could only put 5 symbols into it before it said I couldn't enter any more.

You did not have multitasking. You may have thought that you did, but you didn't.

As far as widgets you mentioned 2 widgets and your own personal preferences. I've ran several different weather and clock widgets I enjoy. Don't use stocks because I'm not active in the market no reason for that. I actively use my power management widget (wifi on/off, bluetooth on/off, gps on/off, sync on/off and backlight adjuster) my flashlight widget, my google now widget, my pandora widget, Google Sound Search (like Shazaam but totally free) and many more

I also enjoy having a homescreen, not an all the time applist. I like that much more than iOS and it's far and away my favorite Android Feature. Since I can prioritize with apps I often use (such as face book, instagram, flashlight widget, my google apps folder, gallery, settings) and have my app drawer where I leave can access the stuff I use less often (like Games) Not to mention that I have the bar at the bottom where I have my 4 most used apps that work there (Browser, camera, contacts and phone) I can access from any part of my phone. part of my home screen.

 

[weirdboy]

OK well I guess we'll just have to disagree. Not sure what you mean by "not really multitasking". If you mean multi-threading, then maybe that's true but I don't care at all. I can context-switch between multiple tasks which is all I care about.

Perhaps you've never actually used an iphone, but I do all the same stuff you describe on one. They aren't called exactly the same thing, but they are functionally the same. Anyway I don't mean for this to be iOS vs android, so much as I cannot stand that my S3 lacks a lot of usability compared to my previous phone. Before things would "just work" now it seems like I have to do a little extra work to get the same result. Another example: for whatever reason what used to take me a maximum of 2-3 clicks to call my wife on my old phone, now takes a MINIMUM of 3 clicks on my s3. I have added her to my favorites, but for some reason android likes to shuffle my favorites list around, and when I click on my wife's entry it doesn't just call her, but instead asks me which phone number I want to use. Which sucks because I have 6 different phone numbers in there under her entry. How about automatically calling the one I set as the default?!?! Nope, got to click on that one specifically, EVERY TIME. Why? NO IDEA.


EDIT: also, don't think the multi-threading thing is true anyway. I specifically recall using multiple apps at the same time. e.g. using a game while listening to music and tracking my running in a different app.

 

[John53189]

I have an ipad ( I know not an iPhone) and an s3. I wish I would have got the galaxy tab instead of the ipad. Some things just don't work on my ipad and it pisses me off. My ipad was expensive, and now is glitchy with my contacts, email and calendars ( which I use daily).

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

OK well I guess we'll just have to disagree. Not sure what you mean by "not really multitasking". If you mean multi-threading, then maybe that's true but I don't care at all. I can context-switch between multiple tasks which is all I care about.

Perhaps you've never actually used an iphone, but I do all the same stuff you describe on one. They aren't called exactly the same thing, but they are functionally the same. Anyway I don't mean for this to be iOS vs android, so much as I cannot stand that my S3 lacks a lot of usability compared to my previous phone. Before things would "just work" now it seems like I have to do a little extra work to get the same result. Another example: for whatever reason what used to take me a maximum of 2-3 clicks to call my wife on my old phone, now takes a MINIMUM of 3 clicks on my s3. I have added her to my favorites, but for some reason android likes to shuffle my favorites list around, and when I click on my wife's entry it doesn't just call her, but instead asks me which phone number I want to use. Which sucks because I have 6 different phone numbers in there under her entry. How about automatically calling the one I set as the default?!?! Nope, got to click on that one specifically, EVERY TIME. Why? NO IDEA.


EDIT: also, don't think the multi-threading thing is true anyway. I specifically recall using multiple apps at the same time. e.g. using a game while listening to music and tracking my running in a different app.

Want to call your wife easy? Save her name as wife, or something obviously like that, and click the google voice search button and say "call wife" and either press call or wait. That's 2 clicks maximum. Also there's a widget called direct dial, you can select your wife and then which number, then just call her just by pressing a single button. Or in my stock android, when I'm in phone there's 3 taps at the top, the dial pad, the recent calls and the contacts. The contacts has my frequent calls and my girlfriend, parents, and siblings are all right at the top.

Apple Multitasking isn't true multitasking.Don't get me wrong, even Android isn't true multitasking, WebOS does it much better. But anyway with iOS they let you run specific processes in the background. Android does not discriminate in the same way.

 

[thadius856]

I have used the iphone keyboard, HOW IS IT DIFFERENT?????????

Clearly you've never tried to type a password contains a keyboard pattern.

Look at the top row here, especially the order of the symbols. Notice they don't follow the same order as a normal keyboard on your computer? Unless you use only weak passwords or have every shifted symbol memorized, sometimes on an iPhone you have to walk over to a keyboard and look, "what the hell is Shift-7 again? Oh, &. Gotcha," before you can log in. I used a 3GS for over 4 years and it also frustrated the hell out of me.

 

[atreid]

Oh, the keyboard doesn't work very well on android? NO PROBLEM there's another app you can purchase which is fantastic! How about text messaging? NO PROBLEM, $5 please. Camera? Another $1 purchase will set you straight!

Yes, Android is so much better because I get to choose which apps I want to buy to replace all the crappy ones that come installed on the phone I just paid $300 for. I have only had this phone for 4 months and I am already thinking about buying out the contract just to avoid having to use it anymore. Speaking of which, my galaxy s3 is also the worst navigator on the planet. Google Maps is GREAT! Except it doesn't work at all on my phone for navigation because it can never figure out exactly where I am. Turn-by-turn directions don't work AT ALL. Makes business travel so much fun. I have to print out physical maps just like I did back in 1998.

Sorry for the thread derail, I'm done.

God the infinite bs you say is endless.... boohoo I paid 300$ and I'm too cheap to add another 12$ to custom it and make it mine... lame...!

You can't even use GoogleMaps! I ditched my Garmin GPS since I got my Note... must be magic...!

When I read you were arguing that your IPhone did real multitasking I already knew you didn't know what you were talking about anyway...

See, I don't even need 4 pages of text and everyone already know my opinion...

boom

 

[thadius856]

The thing with Android is there is always an option. if you don't like the iOS keyboard, or messaging system, that's it, you have to hate the phone.

Not true.

I work in UNIX Server Administration. Lots of droids in the office. But also lots of iPhones. Guess what? Most of the iPhones are rooted. You don't have to hate the phone. You just have to learn how to tear down the walls that Apple erected to keep ignorant people from doing ignorant things.

Most of us at work are forced to bang away on terminal windows all day in dimly lit rooms. It's only natural that some of us want to go home and not fiddle with a phone, just the way somebody who digs ditches for a living probably doesn't want to go home and dig a trench. To that end, I've not modified my S3 in any appreciable way.

 

[snowtires]

I had an iphone 3g i have an iphone 4 the new ipad 4 and a galaxy s3.
The galaxy 3 has a bad ass screen, i cant even look at an iphone 5. I still love iphones tho and droids. For different reasons. Btw galaxy s4 is being released march 14th. It will be the phone to have. I played with a bb z10. Was awsome. I guess i just love technology.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Not true.

I work in UNIX Server Administration. Lots of droids in the office. But also lots of iPhones. Guess what? Most of the iPhones are rooted. You don't have to hate the phone. You just have to learn how to tear down the walls that Apple erected to keep ignorant people from doing ignorant things.

Most of us at work are forced to bang away on terminal windows all day in dimly lit rooms. It's only natural that some of us want to go home and not fiddle with a phone, just the way somebody who digs ditches for a living probably doesn't want to go home and dig a trench. To that end, I've not modified my S3 in any appreciable way.

Problem is that jailbreaking an iPhone is a different monster from Android. Now I could be wrong because I stopped seriously caring about the iphone for a few years because I was out of the Cell industry, but IIRC, when you jailbroke an iPhone you violated iOS TOS and couldn't use the app store. Obviously you have 3rd party app stores that rectify that, but it's a bit more work and (again I could be wrong) it's harder to get back to factory if you need a warranty claim done.

Also if you're set on not tinkering with your device, hackign it is a silly way of showing that. I've custom ROMd my devices and so on so forth, and I just found if you have a good Android device, you don't need to do all that. I love stock Android. I wish every phone had the option to use stock android so everyone could experience it's glory. I've used Samsung and Motorola and they're just not as good as stock. Only negative to stock is stupid carriers. Some don't carry them (looking at you Verizon) but luckily most Motorola's aren't too far from Stock so they're better options (JMO) than Samsung, LG, etc.

 

[thadius856]

Problem is that jailbreaking an iPhone is a different monster from Android. Now I could be wrong because I stopped seriously caring about the iphone for a few years because I was out of the Cell industry, but IIRC, when you jailbroke an iPhone you violated iOS TOS and couldn't use the app store. Obviously you have 3rd party app stores that rectify that, but it's a bit more work and (again I could be wrong) it's harder to get back to factory if you need a warranty claim done.

Flashing back to factory is easy on any iDevice that doesn't have brand spanking new firmware version that hasn't been rooted yet before. 3rd party apps actually work better because you can install anything you want for free and many versions are available. There's a whole huge subset of not-so-legit apps for free that shouldn't be free...

Also if you're set on not tinkering with your device, hackign it is a silly way of showing that.

The iPhone set the trend because it was the had great hardware at a hugely subsidized price point when nobody else offered that. When I got my first iPhone, my choices were that or a Palm Treo 700W for $650. Hard decision, eh? The trend has greatly reversed in recent years.

I personally am not really into modifying my phone. I get my tinkering fix at work. As it turns out, most of the guys at work that enjoy the tinkering with their phones at home tend to dead weight in the workcenter. Go figure.

 

[weirdboy]

Apparently I have raised the ire of android fanbois everywhere by suggesting that I don't like my S3 as much as my previous phone. Not only am I stupid and technically incompetent, but the very idea that I don't want to pay to fix basic usability problems in my phone makes me a cheapskate to boot. It's good enough for THEM so I must just be stupid to have a different opinion.

Also, I am a loser for not appreciating all the wonderful freedom provided to me by android. Thanks, HBT! I'm sure your cogent arguments and name-calling are sure to sway my opinion.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

The iPhone set the trend because it was the had great hardware at a hugely subsidized price point when nobody else offered that. When I got my first iPhone, my choices were that or a Palm Treo 700W for $650. Hard decision, eh? The trend has greatly reversed in recent years.

I personally am not really into modifying my phone. I get my tinkering fix at work. As it turns out, most of the guys at work that enjoy the tinkering with their phones at home tend to dead weight in the workcenter. Go figure.

The original iPhone was a great thing for smartphones. Because it changed pricing points and expected functionality. It went from a business only device to a consumer and business device.

Personally I tinker less with my phones now than ever before, that's why I love stock Android, it's the best smartphone OS for my money. My singular complaint with my phone has to do with the hardware not the software (battery life and the radio, both known issues with the Galaxy Nexus)

If Verizon doesn't get another stock Android device (and I'm sure they won't) I'm going to get one of the Razr Maxx devices most likely, just so I can get insane battery usage even on 4G. No other phone offers close to that level of battery life.

 

[atreid]

Apparently I have raised the ire of android fanbois everywhere by suggesting that I don't like my S3 as much as my previous phone. Not only am I stupid and technically incompetent, but the very idea that I don't want to pay to fix basic usability problems in my phone makes me a cheapskate to boot. It's good enough for THEM so I must just be stupid to have a different opinion.

Also, I am a loser for not appreciating all the wonderful freedom provided to me by android. Thanks, HBT! I'm sure your cogent arguments and name-calling are sure to sway my opinion.

Pfff cry us a river... You were belligerent and whining from the start. I don't give a damn someone don't like S3 or whatever else I like. Android has quirks too... and Samsung's Android flavor tastes like an expired extract brew. I even recommended an IPhone for my no-good-with-IT dad. If you don't want to cash out a little 5-10$ to easily fix a device you use everyday, fine. Don't. Have fun with that.

For me Android will always be better. For me. What I can't stand is the totalitarianism that's sweating from your POV...

There I go with the last word... lol... Feel free to blabla even more....

 

[weirdboy]

Pfff cry us a river... You were belligerent and whining from the start. I don't give a damn someone don't like S3 or whatever else I like. Android has quirks too... and Samsung's Android flavor tastes like an expired extract brew. I even recommended an IPhone for my no-good-with-IT dad. If you don't want to cash out a little 5-10$ to easily fix a device you use everyday, fine. Don't. Have fun with that.

For me Android will always be better. For me. What I can't stand is the totalitarianism that's sweating from your POV...

There I go with the last word... lol... Feel free to blabla even more....

I have no idea WTF you are talking about with totalitarianism. I am just complaining about my phone but everyone on here, including you, seems to think I don't have any right to complain because I can just spend money to (hopefully) fix all these little problems with this crappy phone. What happens when I spend $10 and it doesn't fix all my problems? Then I keep trying other little $1-$5 apps until I find the right one? Screw that. If samsung wanted my continued business, they would have made the phone better to begin with.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

I have no idea WTF you are talking about with totalitarianism. I am just complaining about my phone but everyone on here, including you, seems to think I don't have any right to complain because I can just spend money to (hopefully) fix all these little problems with this crappy phone. What happens when I spend $10 and it doesn't fix all my problems? Then I keep trying other little $1-$5 apps until I find the right one? Screw that. If samsung wanted my continued business, they would have made the phone better to begin with.

You shouldn't have to pay to fix your issues. Except if you hate the Keyboard to some point. Though I'm pretty sure the S3 has 2 or 3 different keyboards you can choose. If you want post your issues and I'll see if I can resolve them. Yeah it may take a little work, but same is true of any phone. If you don't customize a phone at least a little, you're not gonna be happy with it.

 

[weirdboy]

So far as I know, I have tried all of the installed keyboard options on the S3. I have also downloaded a couple of free keyboard replacements, but they have sucked as well. It is really about the predictive text, I think. I may try just turning it off and see if things go better.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Well, this thread got weird.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Can't have a thread involving smartphones without someone derailing it into an argument. All the while Google and Apple laugh there rich asses all the way to the bank. The Android vs iPhone has not made for an easy ecosystem to break into. Companies on the outside have issues making a foothold into the Android dominated market share and Apple's marketshare has remained solid for years.

 

[PistolsAtDawn]

That's just the thing. The problem with FOSS in many cases is that developers, as a rule, like adding lots of features. What they DON'T generally like is taking one feature and polishing the hell out of it so that it works flawlessly.

So I think the FOSS community could learn a few lessons on how less can be more. Scale down the feature creep, and take some of that time to improve the features that are already there.

Again, they are not getting paid to code to your personal standards, and they are giving away their work for free. If you do not like it, you are free (as in freedom) to trot your bytes elsewhere.

*Didn't want to derail my response but screw you Verizon, I'm somewhat seriously considering going back to a basic phone on Verizon and switching to T-Mobile for my smartphone to get actual Nexus functionality, seriously Verizon is the worst, they can go to hell)

TELL me about it! My G-Nex is also rooted with a custom ROM (check out DHO's work on Droid Hive, by the way. He's a marvelous programmer AND he's a homebrewer! I highly recommend his Commotio ROM).

If not for that, my experience with this NEXUS phone would be awful. There's been no support from Verizon considering it's supposed to be a Nexus phone. Damn their "we have to test it until it's outdated" model!

 

[weirdboy]

I realize they aren't getting paid but thats why the ui always tends to suck in FOSS applications.

Regarding my completely worthless GPS, I have done some further research and it may be related to my carrier (vzw) and the recent jelly bean update. Nevertheless annoying as hell, but heartwarming to know thousands of other s3 owners also cannot get a gps lock.

 

[DougK]

OK well I guess we'll just have to disagree. Not sure what you mean by "not really multitasking". If you mean multi-threading, then maybe that's true but I don't care at all. I can context-switch between multiple tasks which is all I care about.

Perhaps you've never actually used an iphone, but I do all the same stuff you describe on one. They aren't called exactly the same thing, but they are functionally the same. Anyway I don't mean for this to be iOS vs android, so much as I cannot stand that my S3 lacks a lot of usability compared to my previous phone. Before things would "just work" now it seems like I have to do a little extra work to get the same result. Another example: for whatever reason what used to take me a maximum of 2-3 clicks to call my wife on my old phone, now takes a MINIMUM of 3 clicks on my s3. I have added her to my favorites, but for some reason android likes to shuffle my favorites list around, and when I click on my wife's entry it doesn't just call her, but instead asks me which phone number I want to use. Which sucks because I have 6 different phone numbers in there under her entry. How about automatically calling the one I set as the default?!?! Nope, got to click on that one specifically, EVERY TIME. Why? NO IDEA.

EDIT: also, don't think the multi-threading thing is true anyway. I specifically recall using multiple apps at the same time. e.g. using a game while listening to music and tracking my running in a different app.

The iphone does not have true multi tasking. When you switch from one app to another, the first app pauses and the second one starts or resumes.

In many cases, this doesn't matter as you don't have too many apps that do processing when you aren't using them. One example would be rendering a cad drawing.

On my phone, I can open a complex cad drawing, background the process and do something else on my phone while waiting for it to load, then come back to it later when it is rendered. The iphone would pause this rendering when you switch apps.

Certain services are available in the background, which is why you can listen to music while doing other things.

Multi threading is a whole different animal that I won't go into detail here. Basically it is a way to do multiple things at the same time. Such as waiting for a touch event while animating a bouncing ball.

With jelly bean, the latest version of Android, we even gain the ability to use two apps side by side. ...

 

[cheezydemon3]

Iphones are EEEEEEEEEEEEVIL!!!!

 

[weirdboy]

Jesus H Christ are people really explaining to me what multi threading is? I have a degree in computer engineering FFS I think I'm familiar with the concept.

I dunno about "true" multitasking on iphone. All I know is it works the way I expect it to and I haven't run into any issues. Of course, I don't render CAD on my phone, but I have a real computer for CAD/CAE which is much more suitable for those types of applications. Now I am stuck using the S3 for the foreseeable future and it's been driving me insane for the last few months with all the stupid little UI issues. It's just lots of little minor things where they didn't really work out the details very well, that make every task just a bit more of a pain in the ass than it should be.