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View Full Version : Going from Apple to Android. Advice?



BarristerCat
12-09-2012, 07:36 PM
I'm switching from an iPhone over to an Android phone at some point this week. Any advice from those of you who use Android devices? I'm pretty excited about the switch and I'm trying to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible.

Incidentally, I'm switching from AT&T to Verizon as well.

Catonahottinroof
12-10-2012, 05:52 AM
Incidentally, I'm switching from AT&T to Verizon as well.

That will be your best switch of all :)

chroix
12-10-2012, 06:33 AM
embrace google's apps and cloud system and the transition is quite easy.

BarristerCat
12-10-2012, 10:07 AM
That will be your best switch of all :)

I'm beyond ready for the carrier switch. AT&T's network is just terrible in my part of the world.

PedroDaGr8
12-10-2012, 08:23 PM
Yes, first off get Swype (http://beta.swype.com/)and try it out. It has a learning curve but within a few weeks you will wonder how you ever got around with out it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ-RAefCG_c

This video shows you how swype works, it really is VERY VERY fast. I now can type almost as fast on the phone as I can on a regular desktop keyboard.

Next topic is the home screen: unlike Apple, in android your app list is in a separate area called the app drawer. This means your home screen can contain whatever you want it to. This may include shortcuts to apps, folders, widgets, etc. I tend to highly customize mine, others choose not to. Also, something of note is the software that runs your homescreen is called the launcher. You are not limited to the stock android launcher. There are a variety of launchers available via the Play Store. Some are more geared towards speed and stability, others are geared towards added features or effects. At this time I am using ADW Launcher EX. See my image below for how my homescreen looks. The time/weather is a widget from the Beautiful Widgets package with some custom themes applied. EVERY part of that screen can be customized if you want. The icons are the ones I picked to be there (even the ones below the bar, heck even that bar can be customized).

Having touched on the App Store called Play Store in Android. You are NOT limited to only the Google Play Store. You can install other App Stores as well (the most common alternate is the Amazon App Store). You may often find by running mroe than one that an app you want is cheaper (or offered as the daily free app on amazon). So keep your mind an options open.

Don't be afraid to unlock/root your phone. Unlike apple which is obsessive in trying to stop people from running aftermarket software (ROMs), most android makers either support it or at least accept that it does happen. This is actually very nice because phones that are 4-5 years old are still being updated by select developers. There are several very very old phones (one that didn't even come with android to begin with that have had working versions of EVERY version of android out at this point).

You likely are now familiar with the notification bar which apple stole from android (which android stole from WebOS IIRC). So I don't think I need to go much into that. Otherwise, give it some time. You WILL get some massive headaches in the beginning because switching an OS is kinda like learning a new language. There are ways that each OS will choose to do things and they are both logical just different. If you have been used to doing something oen way for a while it will feel VERY unnatural to do it another. At this stage in the game, both OSes are REALLY damn nice and feature packed.

BigBlueBrock
12-10-2012, 08:35 PM
Find your phone here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/index.php

Have fun!

CitizenBBN
12-10-2012, 08:39 PM
Thinking seriously about switching, but will have to drag half a dozen people with me.

Darrell KSR
12-10-2012, 11:27 PM
Yes, first off get Swype (http://beta.swype.com/)and try it out. It has a learning curve but within a few weeks you will wonder how you ever got around with out it.

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ-RAefCG_c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ-RAefCG_c)

This video shows you how swype works, it really is VERY VERY fast. I now can type almost as fast on the phone as I can on a regular desktop keyboard.

Next topic is the home screen: unlike Apple, in android your app list is in a separate area called the app drawer. This means your home screen can contain whatever you want it to. This may include shortcuts to apps, folders, widgets, etc. I tend to highly customize mine, others choose not to. Also, something of note is the software that runs your homescreen is called the launcher. You are not limited to the stock android launcher. There are a variety of launchers available via the Play Store. Some are more geared towards speed and stability, others are geared towards added features or effects. At this time I am using ADW Launcher EX. See my image below for how my homescreen looks. The time/weather is a widget from the Beautiful Widgets package with some custom themes applied. EVERY part of that screen can be customized if you want. The icons are the ones I picked to be there (even the ones below the bar, heck even that bar can be customized).

Having touched on the App Store called Play Store in Android. You are NOT limited to only the Google Play Store. You can install other App Stores as well (the most common alternate is the Amazon App Store). You may often find by running mroe than one that an app you want is cheaper (or offered as the daily free app on amazon). So keep your mind an options open.

Don't be afraid to unlock/root your phone. Unlike apple which is obsessive in trying to stop people from running aftermarket software (ROMs), most android makers either support it or at least accept that it does happen. This is actually very nice because phones that are 4-5 years old are still being updated by select developers. There are several very very old phones (one that didn't even come with android to begin with that have had working versions of EVERY version of android out at this point).

You likely are now familiar with the notification bar which apple stole from android (which android stole from WebOS IIRC). So I don't think I need to go much into that. Otherwise, give it some time. You WILL get some massive headaches in the beginning because switching an OS is kinda like learning a new language. There are ways that each OS will choose to do things and they are both logical just different. If you have been used to doing something oen way for a while it will feel VERY unnatural to do it another. At this stage in the game, both OSes are REALLY damn nice and feature packed.

I swype constantly on my phone if I do not use the physical keyboard. It is the only reason I will eventually abandon a physical keyboard.

Sent using Forum Runner. All typos excused.

BarristerCat
12-10-2012, 11:33 PM
Thanks a lot, Pedro and Brock. Some great info there. I'm picking up most of the lingo from Android, but I'm still not really sure what a launcher does, exactly. It's one of those things that a week from now I'll wonder why I didn't understand it.

CBBN, I've been wanting to switch for years and like you I have a lot of people to drag with me. I am shocked at how painless the whole process has been so far, though. The Verizon guy has everything ready to go. We just have to go in, make it official, have our numbers ported and pick up the phones tomorrow. This new share plan Verizon is offering is a serious enticement for accounts with 4+ users. We'll be adding an extra device and still saving more than $30 per month over our plan at AT&T.

PedroDaGr8
12-11-2012, 12:06 AM
Thanks a lot, Pedro and Brock. Some great info there. I'm picking up most of the lingo from Android, but I'm still not really sure what a launcher does, exactly. It's one of those things that a week from now I'll wonder why I didn't understand it.

CBBN, I've been wanting to switch for years and like you I have a lot of people to drag with me. I am shocked at how painless the whole process has been so far, though. The Verizon guy has everything ready to go. We just have to go in, make it official, have our numbers ported and pick up the phones tomorrow. This new share plan Verizon is offering is a serious enticement for accounts with 4+ users. We'll be adding an extra device and still saving more than $30 per month over our plan at AT&T.

Haha don't feel bad about being confused about how to describe a launcher. It has an equivalanet in linux (for those that know lnux think KDE, Gnome etc.) but not really in any other OS so its a very foreign concept. Basically, its the graphical user interface. Maybe its better explained in pictures:

Sense Launcher on left, standard android launcher on the right
http://www.pocketables.com/images/old/6a00d83451c9ec69e201348213e9e9970c-800wi.jpg
Touchwiz Launcher

Go Launcher (this is using a custom launcher theme):
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KVGJZISp-RM/Tn8TQcm-GqI/AAAAAAAAAUU/AXEGhVoRdpc/s1600/GO+Launcher+EX+2.57+apk.jpeg

etc.

You will see small subtle differences in the way they react and behave. Truthfully, its a subtle concept.

BarristerCat
12-11-2012, 09:18 AM
I think I'm getting it a little more now that I've seen those pictures. So, the launcher is something of a command center. Is that it?

BigBlueBrock
12-11-2012, 05:15 PM
The Android launcher is basically the program that runs your interface. There are a variety of launchers, all of which are customizable with scrolling effects, icons, unique widgets (GO Launcher EX (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gau.go.launcherex&hl=en) has its own widgets), icon spacing, etc. I use Nova Launcher Prime (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher.prime&hl=en) (got it on sale months ago), which is fairly close to the stock launcher in basic look/feel but offers more customization options (scrolling launcher bar at the bottom, add/delete home screens, change desktop grid size, custom icons, etc). Typically the more powerful the launcher, the more expensive it gets (which is why the newest GO's "Next Launcher" (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gtp.nextlauncher&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5nd HAubmV4dGxhdW5jaGVyIl0.) is so expensive). They offer more granular customization options and, in the case of GO, very nice looking appearance options.

Here are a couple of screen shots, one of my main home screen, another of a screen with a Twitter widget (from Android Pro Widgets (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rdr.widgets.core)).

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d130/Brock2222/Screenshot_2012-12-11-18-07-41.pnghttp://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d130/Brock2222/Screenshot_2012-12-11-18-05-35.png

I also have a screen with a messaging widget, but it looks a lot like the Twitter widget, so I didn't include it. The weather/clock widget on the main screen is from Beautiful Widgets (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.levelup.beautifulwidgets&hl=en). The icons are from the Tersus (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kov.theme.tersus&hl=en) icon pack, which is compatible with every launcher.

Android's customization possibilities are why I love it so much. iPhone and iOS are great for people who like for things to "just work," but if you're competent and like to tinker, you can get so much more functionality from Android. The possibilities are practically endless, especially if you can unlock the bootloader and root the phone. For the record, I use a rooted Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Verizon, which I got back in March. Prior to this phone, I had an HTC Evo 4G with Sprint, which I had also rooted and customized heavily.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or email me at thebrock25@gmail.com.

-----------------------------------------

Google Play Store app links:

GO Launcher EX (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gau.go.launcherex&hl=en)
Nova Launcher Prime (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher.prime&hl=en)
GO's "Next Launcher" (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gtp.nextlauncher&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5nd HAubmV4dGxhdW5jaGVyIl0.)
Android Pro Widgets (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rdr.widgets.core)
Beautiful Widgets (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.levelup.beautifulwidgets&hl=en)
Tersus (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kov.theme.tersus&hl=en)

Darrell KSR
12-11-2012, 05:49 PM
Widgets are the bomb. Just wait.

Sent using Forum Runner. All typos excused.

BarristerCat
12-12-2012, 12:27 AM
Much appreciated Brock. I'm now officially a part of the Android world. I have spent most of the evening doing very basic setup tasks. Mostly I've been trying to migrate my contacts over from my old iPhone. I've tried the solutions suggested by Google to no avail. I think I've decided that there is a bug in both my iPhone (the contacts will not sync OTA like they are supposed to) and iTunes (there is no option to sync my contacts to my gmail account). Other than that I have downloaded some apps and changed some settings.

First on the agenda for tomorrow: learn the difference between widgets and apps. I think I get it, but I've seen the terms used differently at times.

CitizenBBN
12-12-2012, 12:53 AM
My mother has a nice Samsung Galaxy she doesn't like (she wants her 15 year old flip phone that finally died). My iphone wont' connect to wifi for some reason now and I'm tired of dealing with it. Think I'll take hers and get her something uber-simple. stay with AT&T for now but change phones.

Anyone got a suggestion for a fairly simple phone I can get my mom? She's far more technically savvy than this question implies. She's good on computers, she just doesn't like all the bells and whistles that most of us now see as phone essentials. I've tried but I'm tired of the complaints.

CitizenBBN
12-12-2012, 12:54 AM
Question - Anyone using android to sync with exchange server? Doing that well is a must.

bubbleup
12-12-2012, 05:19 AM
Citizen-
We had the Wi-Fi issue with my daughter's iPhone 4...restored it, got a new sim card from AT & T and were finally told that it was an Apple hardware problem that would cost $150 to fix. Upgrade to iPhone 5 was $199 so that was easier than sending the phone for repair. My mother-in-law is about ready to get a 4 with the Wi-Fi turned off. We'll see if my 17 year-old daughter can teach her to text with the big screen turned sideways.

Darrell KSR
12-12-2012, 08:33 AM
Anyone got a suggestion for a fairly simple phone I can get my mom?


This is what I use.

1341

BigBlueBrock
12-12-2012, 09:06 AM
Question - Anyone using android to sync with exchange server? Doing that well is a must.

Yeah, I've got my UK email on my phone. The included Email app can sync with an Exchange server.

CitizenBBN
12-12-2012, 09:45 AM
Brock, do you know if it syncs tasks? iPhone syncs my email, calendar, contacts but not tasks. Hoping it will do that out of the box. Not essential but nice.

Darrell, I'm ready to club her with that phone if she doesn't stop complaining about this one. She's usually not this way but she just won't try to learn how to use it effectively. Doesn't help that this area is having reception issues which she blames on the phone.

Jazy -- this is a 3G and it's worked just fine for years, now won't work at all. Won't find any networks. I have an extra 3G I could try but I think I may just get her android and try it for a while.

BigBlueBrock
12-12-2012, 12:13 PM
It does not sync tasks, just email, contacts, and calendar.

PedroDaGr8
12-12-2012, 06:38 PM
Much appreciated Brock. I'm now officially a part of the Android world. I have spent most of the evening doing very basic setup tasks. Mostly I've been trying to migrate my contacts over from my old iPhone. I've tried the solutions suggested by Google to no avail. I think I've decided that there is a bug in both my iPhone (the contacts will not sync OTA like they are supposed to) and iTunes (there is no option to sync my contacts to my gmail account). Other than that I have downloaded some apps and changed some settings.

First on the agenda for tomorrow: learn the difference between widgets and apps. I think I get it, but I've seen the terms used differently at times.

Apps = applications. They take up the full screen. Widgets = small applications that run on your home screen and take up a small section of it. If you look at Brock's images. The twitter, clock and weather are widgets. You can move them around, organize them how you want etc. They don't take up the whole screen but instead share home screen space. Widgets are mainly used for quick access to simple functions or quick sources for information.


Question - Anyone using android to sync with exchange server? Doing that well is a must.

It does it extremely well, unlike Apple which drug their feet on Exchange integration, Android has been fully supporting exchange/activesync for a long time now.


Brock, do you know if it syncs tasks? iPhone syncs my email, calendar, contacts but not tasks. Hoping it will do that out of the box. Not essential but nice.

Darrell, I'm ready to club her with that phone if she doesn't stop complaining about this one. She's usually not this way but she just won't try to learn how to use it effectively. Doesn't help that this area is having reception issues which she blames on the phone.

Jazy -- this is a 3G and it's worked just fine for years, now won't work at all. Won't find any networks. I have an extra 3G I could try but I think I may just get her android and try it for a while.

As for tasks, it does not do it natively but from what I gather this seems to be a limitation of ActiveSync/Exchange. There are secondary apps that you can but which will allow syncing of tasks but they require that the exchange server have certain things available. See the following links for a few pay apps that accomplish task syncing.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.basiliapps.tasks&hl=en
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.cranktheory.android.tasks&hl=en

As for what phone to get. Truthfully, there are two ways you can go with this. The first is to get one using the Sense interface from HTC. The sense interface tends to be a bit bloated at times so its not always highly thought of but what it does provide is a nice quick easy to use interface. The other option is to get any phone root it and install a stripped down rom like CyanogenMod or MIUI (emulates the iPhone interface some). These stripped down roms, as well as being faster, have VERY consistant feels to them which often makes the rom much easier to manage. Additionally, which is what I was discussing before with long term support, as long as there are developers for your phone then there are people pushing out ROMs for it. Plus, unlike iOS which runs like dog **** on older versions most recent versions make older hardware run BETTER! Like I said there is one phone in particular (the old HTC Touch) that came with Windows Mobile CE 6.1 initially, has run EVERY single version of Android released with ALL features fully enabled. This was a phone that came out the same year as the original iPhone. Imagine trying to run iOS6 on an iPhone, yet you can do it with Android.

BarristerCat
12-12-2012, 10:21 PM
Thanks, Pedro. That's what I thought widgets were, but I had seen a couple of apparently imprecise uses of the term that made it seem confusing.

Darrell KSR
12-12-2012, 10:25 PM
Widgets also are "always on," too. For example, if your widget is a weather channel one, you just glance at your phone and you know the temperature, weather forecast, etc., because it is active.

Sent using Forum Runner. All typos excused.

BarristerCat
12-12-2012, 11:42 PM
You are reading my first post using Swype. I feel reborn...like a Phoenix rising from Arizona.


Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

blue2ksr
12-13-2012, 08:19 AM
Pedro or anyone else, I just bought two new iphone 5's, as my children were eligible for upgrades.

Do you think it is beneficial to the brand new battery to charge it completely before the first time it is used, or does it make any difference at all?

I've never done that. Some say do it, others say it doesn't affect the battery one way or the other.

I'm going to do whatever you guys recommend.

Thanks.

Darrell KSR
12-13-2012, 09:03 AM
You are reading my first post using Swype. I feel reborn...like a Phoenix rising from Arizona.


Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

Next thing I'm interested in is that Tapatalk...want to compare it to Forum Runner. Like Forum Runner.

PedroDaGr8
12-13-2012, 11:59 AM
Pedro or anyone else, I just bought two new iphone 5's, as my children were eligible for upgrades.

Do you think it is beneficial to the brand new battery to charge it completely before the first time it is used, or does it make any difference at all?

I've never done that. Some say do it, others say it doesn't affect the battery one way or the other.

I'm going to do whatever you guys recommend.

Thanks.

Truthfully, I have heard about the same as you and I don"t have any real world data to back it up.

I can tell you what I do know; the rule originated with NiCad batteries which suffer from a memory effect. Meaning if you don't fully charge the battery it will overtime dramatically reduce the max capacity of the battery. Also I do know Li-ion batteries, which include LiH, Li-Polymer, Li-Po (Lithium Iron Phosphate), etc., do not suffer from this so-called memory effect. This logically says that you don't need to fully charge the battery but considering it only takes a few hours. Better safe than sorry.

PedroDaGr8
12-13-2012, 01:04 PM
You are reading my first post using Swype. I feel reborn...like a Phoenix rising from Arizona.


Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

Congrats man! Hopefully you keep enjoying your phone. Have fun playing with it and customizing it to your hearts content.

BarristerCat
12-13-2012, 08:18 PM
Pedro or anyone else, I just bought two new iphone 5's, as my children were eligible for upgrades.

Do you think it is beneficial to the brand new battery to charge it completely before the first time it is used, or does it make any difference at all?

I've never done that. Some say do it, others say it doesn't affect the battery one way or the other.

I'm going to do whatever you guys recommend.

Thanks.

For my part, I don't think it matters whether you charge fully or not. If you're only worried about the first charge, that definitely won't affect anything. I've been through two iPhones at this point, and while most of the time I did charge them to 100%, I never made it a point to do so. It was a fairly regular thing for me to grab a little charge here and there when I didn't have time for a full charge. I never noticed any change in the battery life for either phone and I had the first one for well over two years.

IMO, it does help, however, to fully discharge the battery every 1-2 months and then fully recharge it to 100%. It seems to reset the calibration of the phone's battery meter (though it doesn't really change the battery life either way).



Next thing I'm interested in is that Tapatalk...want to compare it to Forum Runner. Like Forum Runner.

I still haven't tried Forum Runner primarily because I like Tapatalk. I'll probably give it a shot soon, though.



Congrats man! Hopefully you keep enjoying your phone. Have fun playing with it and customizing it to your hearts content.

Thanks! I've figured out widgets. My first selection was a toggle that kills all sound on the phone. Handy for playing a game or two after the wife has already nodded off to sleep. I love the circles widget Motorola has on its stock UI, so I will probably leave that as is. This is going to be a lot of fun over the holidays.

BigBlueBrock
12-18-2012, 06:45 AM
I flashed an Android 4.2 ROM to my Galaxy Nexus last night and changed up the theme while I was at it.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d130/Brock2222/Screenshot_2012-12-18-07-36-26-1_zps8d72c710.jpghttp://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d130/Brock2222/Screenshot_2012-12-18-07-36-19-1_zpse35bcfd0.jpg

Grabbed the wallpaper from Zedge. The icon pack is called White Icons. Fiddled with the Beautiful Widgets until I got it to match. Customization/theming is one of the best things about Android IMO.

BarristerCat
12-30-2012, 12:47 AM
I installed a program called Light Flow on my phone today. I have to say it is pretty sweet. It allows you to control all of the notifications on your phone from one place with the main draw being that you can assign different LED notification light colors to each different type of notification. You're only limited by how many different colors the LED on your phone can produce.

Want your phone's LED to blink green when you get a text? Light Flow.

Want the LED to blink pink when you get a text from your wife? Light Flow.

Want the LED to blink blue when somebody posts on KSR? Light Flow.

Want the LED to glow solid red when you have a voicemail? Light Flow.

This thing is great.

Darrell KSR
12-30-2012, 11:01 AM
That sounds sweet.

I downloaded an app yesterday called runpee. it takes every movie and tells you the best time in the movie to take a break.. it tells you how long do you have and what takes place during that time

Sent using Forum Runner. All typos excused.

BarristerCat
12-30-2012, 12:35 PM
Darrell, it also allows you to assign whatever sound you want to every notification. You can also assign different sounds for individual contacts if you like. I'm really enjoying it.

I'll have to get runpee for the wife. I didn't think she was going to make it through the Hobbit.

Darrell KSR
12-30-2012, 02:42 PM
I have reached the point in my life where I like to be comfortable. Going to see Les Mis yesterday, I had heard about the app, so decided it was a good time to try it out. Worked great, although I didn't need it, was nice to have the luxury of an expert opinion if needed.

Will definitely download the other app, sounds cool and usewful.

Sent using Forum Runner. All typos excused.

CitizenBBN
12-30-2012, 03:02 PM
When a phone is so smart it's telling you when to urinate, is it too smart?

Darrell KSR
12-30-2012, 03:23 PM
Not for my bladder. ;)

Sent using Forum Runner. All typos excused.

PedroDaGr8
01-06-2013, 10:45 PM
Just came across this website this evening. It's dedicated to making customized homescreens in android. You basically see the final product and most of the posts tell you how to make it. It's not the easiest to make some of them because they expect you to know a lot but it seems like a lot use UCCW (Ultimate Custom Control Widget).

http://mycolorscreen.com/?os=android

Mind you ALL of these are ANDROID home screens. It's amazing the variation you can get.

CitizenBBN
01-09-2013, 01:34 AM
About had it w my iPhone trying to sync and update through iTunes on a pc. Has to be he worst piece of software ever written by a major company.

Will android be easier I assume? All I really want is backups updates and to be able to dump my mp3s on it. I shop for apps through the phone.

Going to have to stick w AT&T but can at least look at phone options My 3G iPhone can't handle the new os versions speed wise so something has to give.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

BigBlueBrock
01-09-2013, 07:58 AM
About had it w my iPhone trying to sync and update through iTunes on a pc. Has to be he worst piece of software ever written by a major company.

Will android be easier I assume? All I really want is backups updates and to be able to dump my mp3s on it. I shop for apps through the phone.

Going to have to stick w AT&T but can at least look at phone options My 3G iPhone can't handle the new os versions speed wise so something has to give.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

If you're at all competent with technology (and I assume you are), then Android can do just about anything you want. There are several really fantastic backup apps for Android and music is as easy as drag and drop and there are several good apps (PowerAmp is my favorite for playing music from the device) for music playback. I personally have all my music on Google Play Music and stream it all, so I have no music locally (though it caches a set amount of songs on the device).

If I were looking to get a phone on AT&T, I'd grab an out of contract Nexus 4: https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_4_8gb - Stock Android is the bee's knees. But the only problem is that it's constantly sold out. If you can't be bothered to wait for the 4's to become available, I'd look at the Note II or the S3 (depending on just how BIG you want to go).

CitizenBBN
01-09-2013, 10:47 AM
Thanks. Figured as a more open platform I'd have multiple options. The tech is no problem, it's just that Apple are complete nazis about platform control. That's good in some ways, it makes their stuff reliable b/c they don't have people tossing on crap then wondering why the computer or now phone doesn't work, but it also means if you aren't in lock step with their vision tough luck.

My next challenge is getting up to speed on how to best set it up for Ford's Syncmyride. I'm confident it'll all work, but I can't live without sync.

PedroDaGr8
01-09-2013, 12:26 PM
Thanks. Figured as a more open platform I'd have multiple options. The tech is no problem, it's just that Apple are complete nazis about platform control. That's good in some ways, it makes their stuff reliable b/c they don't have people tossing on crap then wondering why the computer or now phone doesn't work, but it also means if you aren't in lock step with their vision tough luck.

My next challenge is getting up to speed on how to best set it up for Ford's Syncmyride. I'm confident it'll all work, but I can't live without sync.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1692077


Thread of people with GSIII's saying it works with Sync. From what I gather looking around on the web, you need to be on one of the most recent updates to the software. Apparently, some of the older ones didn't play very well with Android.


Yeah, I agree on the platform control issue. The big thing with android is that it is so easy to make an app that looks like crap, you get lots of crap looking me too apps. On the flip side, you are seeing nicer and nicer apps in the Play store as the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 have sold like hot cakes. Combine that with the new 1080p display phones and people who purchase apps are pushing more for a quality user interface.


By the way an article you may find particularly relevant:
http://gizmodo.com/5973073/an-iphone-lovers-confession-i-switched-to-the-nexus-4-completely

CitizenBBN
01-09-2013, 03:11 PM
Thanks Pedro. I have to upgrade my sync. It doesn't play well with iphone either. Microsoft, what can you do? It works but has some odd behavior. If you play music over bluetooth audio, the next time you get in the car whether bluetooth is selected or not it tells the phone to play. So it's in your pocket running down the battery like crazy and you don't know it. Sometimes you can disconnect from USB and leave the car and it will start to play over the regular speaker. It's just weird. Typical Msoft. I know the updates will fix a lot of it, I just have to take the time.

Great app control and lack of app control are double edged swords. Mostly for iphone I hate iTunes. It's hard to to the simple things and it's not stable at all on Windows.

Darrell KSR
01-09-2013, 03:46 PM
If you're at all competent with technology (and I assume you are), then Android can do just about anything you want.

And even if you're not at all competent with technology, Android works pretty well. Of course, all I ever do is just do a dumb grab of apps that kinda run themselves, or else I couldn't do it.

BarristerCat
01-10-2013, 12:45 AM
What Brock said on the phones. If I were on AT&T I'd go with the Nexus 4.

I'm on Verizon so I went with the Motorola Razr Maxx HD. I'm really happy with it. I noticed yesterday that it was Consumer Reports highest scored phone on Verizon -- beating out the S3, Note II, and iPhone 5.

BTW, if any of you are on a Verizon Android phone, disabling the Verizon bloatware apps is the best move you can make. That junk hogs up your RAM like you wouldn't believe.

PedroDaGr8
01-10-2013, 04:38 PM
What Brock said on the phones. If I were on AT&T I'd go with the Nexus 4.

I'm on Verizon so I went with the Motorola Razr Maxx HD. I'm really happy with it. I noticed yesterday that it was Consumer Reports highest scored phone on Verizon -- beating out the S3, Note II, and iPhone 5.

BTW, if any of you are on a Verizon Android phone, disabling the Verizon bloatware apps is the best move you can make. That junk hogs up your RAM like you wouldn't believe.

My boss has the LG Nx4 (he switched from the SGIII to the Nx4) and I have to say that is a damn nice phone. It feels nice (which samsung really needs to up their game in that area) the screen is gorgeous, its fast, it runs stock android. Not much more you could want from that.

Yeah, disabling the bloatware is always a good thing. I'm rooted and S-Off but running the stock rom the first thing I did was load a script that removed ALL of the Sprint programs (plus pretty much everything else uncessary) from my phone. Freed up roughly 1/3 of the used RAM. This is why Verizon fights tooth and nail to prevent companies like HTC from allowing S-Off or Root like access on their phones. They want you to be forced to keep that bloatware because it is monetizing your phone for them.

Darrell KSR
10-16-2013, 10:29 AM
Consumer Reports says get the latest Motorola Droids over the latest iPhone, too. They still have the Samsung S4 as their highest rated of the year, but truly, you can't go wrong at the top of the chart on any of the smartphones. It's like choosing your favorite flavor at some point; everybody's opinion will differ, but they're all great.

http://news.yahoo.com/consumer-reports-motorola-latest-droids-better-iphone-5s-141527796.html

PedroDaGr8
10-16-2013, 05:18 PM
consumer reports says get the latest motorola droids over the latest iphone, too. They still have the samsung s4 as their highest rated of the year, but truly, you can't go wrong at the top of the chart on any of the smartphones. It's like choosing your favorite flavor at some point; everybody's opinion will differ, but they're all great.

http://news.yahoo.com/consumer-reports-motorola-latest-droids-better-iphone-5s-141527796.html

qft!

CitizenBBN
10-20-2013, 10:22 PM
My boss has the LG Nx4 (he switched from the SGIII to the Nx4) and I have to say that is a damn nice phone. It feels nice (which samsung really needs to up their game in that area) the screen is gorgeous, its fast, it runs stock android. Not much more you could want from that.

Yeah, disabling the bloatware is always a good thing. I'm rooted and S-Off but running the stock rom the first thing I did was load a script that removed ALL of the Sprint programs (plus pretty much everything else uncessary) from my phone. Freed up roughly 1/3 of the used RAM. This is why Verizon fights tooth and nail to prevent companies like HTC from allowing S-Off or Root like access on their phones. They want you to be forced to keep that bloatware because it is monetizing your phone for them.

Dont' suppose you can recommend one for S4 and ATT to get rid of some of the junk?



Darrell -- they're all good, but Iphone is falling behind fast. S4 and the LG and HTC are all coming out with nicer screens, faster, pretty much everything just a bit better. I have a lot to learn about android still, but apple had better be coming up with something more than a biometric scanner b/c these other companies are really pushing.

BarristerCat
10-27-2013, 10:13 PM
Dont' suppose you can recommend one for S4 and ATT to get rid of some of the junk?



Darrell -- they're all good, but Iphone is falling behind fast. S4 and the LG and HTC are all coming out with nicer screens, faster, pretty much everything just a bit better. I have a lot to learn about android still, but apple had better be coming up with something more than a biometric scanner b/c these other companies are really pushing.

I'm not an Apple basher by any stretch and still own/use several Apple products, but I have a growing sense that they're relying on user comfort with their UI to keep selling phones. Rather than aiming for any innovation or attempting to offer features that Apple users overwhelmingly desire (larger screen size option), Apple seems content to put out essentially the same phone/OS year after year knowing that most people will buy it just because they don't want to have to learn a new OS.

CitizenBBN
10-27-2013, 11:35 PM
I'm not an Apple basher by any stretch and still own/use several Apple products, but I have a growing sense that they're relying on user comfort with their UI to keep selling phones. Rather than aiming for any innovation or attempting to offer features that Apple users overwhelmingly desire (larger screen size option), Apple seems content to put out essentially the same phone/OS year after year knowing that most people will buy it just because they don't want to have to learn a new OS.

The Steve Jobs philosophy (which is still ingrained at Apple) is a blessing and a curse. His obsession with control and sense that he knows the one best way to accomplish any task and the users should just do it his way has a great strength in that the Mac/Iphone world gives you a reliable, consistent product that lacks the crazy 10,000 ways to install a printer situation you see in Windows. The Mac has such tight controls on hardware/software that they get good quality that doesn't require user tweaking.

The downside is that tight control limits user innovation and customization, and it can diverge from the market when Jobs/Apple's view of how things should be diverges from how a lot of users think it should be.

Apple treats developers like bastard stepchildren. I have to go through hoops with them if I want to write an iphone app even if I don't offer it for sale, pay them a developer fee annually to be allowed to offer apps for the iphone plus have their blessing. For Android I can download the SDK (software development kit), plug in my phone and go at it. I have a few apps I want to write for the phone, guess which phone I bought to get my feet wet? If I ever happen to write something that could be commercially successful (I have a few ideas) I'll probably outsource writing the iphone version or at least get it all going on android first.

One other thing. If something does go wrong on a Mac, forget fixing it yourself very easy. The original Macs were built with these crazy deep allen wrench bolt slots so you had to have a special tool just to open the case, this at the same time you could order all the parts for a Windows machine and build it from scratch in your living room. That attitude hasn't changed since those early days.

I had the iphone for a long time, and like them, nothing wrong with them at all, but I see the same thing you see, and ended up switching. My S4 has a bigger screen, more flexibility (I've tried 4 different keyboards for this thing already), and if I do want to try to write apps I can be up and running with just it and the free SDK download from Google.

Oh, forgot about another HUGE feature -- I can take the case off this S4 and swap the SD card or battery, no sending it back to Apple to do something simple like change out a freakin' battery. Yep, Apple still has the "12" allen wrench to open the case" mentality they had in the 80s. It's served well in the consumer market, but there's a lot of users who would like a bit more control over their devices.