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Not that it is by any stretch of the imagination a definitive source of unbiased intelligence on gadgets, despite the title, but Five's Gadget Show did a test on last night's show that included the G1, the Blackberry Storm and the iPhone.
The testing was hardly rigorous or subjective but in three rounds of tests (functionality, speed to send an email and battery life) the HD trounced them all in pretty much every department.
The final two in the battery test were the iPhone and the HD. I didn't fancy its chances but it lasted a full 30 minutes longer than the poseur's wet dream.
Both HD and iPhone were rated 4/5 - something of a travesty since it outperformed the iPhone all the way down the line, but sadly the Gadget Show presenters seem to have succumbed to iPhone Syndrome (style counts for more than substance) and are prepared to mark it up even though it's quite poor functionally.
I was happy with my HD before, but rather pathetically, I'm even happier following a set of non-scientific and fairly meaningless tests. Maybe I am coming down with Variant iPhone Syndrome?
You can watch it here if you're interested. Whats the chances of Microsoft watching it and realising that its their "clunky" OS thats losing them points agains Apple?
iain.fraser said:
Not that it is by any stretch of the imagination a definitive source of unbiased intelligence on gadgets, despite the title, but Five's Gadget Show did a test on last night's show that included the G1, the Blackberry Storm and the iPhone.
The testing was hardly rigorous or subjective but in three rounds of tests (functionality, speed to send an email and battery life) the HD trounced them all in pretty much every department.
The final two in the battery test were the iPhone and the HD. I didn't fancy its chances but it lasted a full 30 minutes longer than the poseur's wet dream.
Both HD and iPhone were rated 4/5 - something of a travesty since it outperformed the iPhone all the way down the line, but sadly the Gadget Show presenters seem to have succumbed to iPhone Syndrome (style counts for more than substance) and are prepared to mark it up even though it's quite poor functionally.
I was happy with my HD before, but rather pathetically, I'm even happier following a set of non-scientific and fairly meaningless tests. Maybe I am coming down with Variant iPhone Syndrome?
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They and many other TV/WEB shows are just designed to entertain, their ratings mean absolutly nothing. You can get better knowledge in this forum and many other in the web.
I agree with original post (and disagree with the Gadget Shows biased final opinion), Microsoft have been left "napping" and Apple/Android has spotted this, dont forget Microsoft were releasing mobile OS's 9 years ago, just unfortunate MS havent bolted on pretty front end to its now matured and stable mobile kernel (Apple has bolted a pretty front end onto a "open source linux" based OSX (well I say open source, of course apple forget what is in their kernel).
I think MS have been listening as from what I have seen on google about Windows Mobile 7 due for release next year (and will be checking ROM section daily on this forum when it is), it looks far more user friendly with no more Windows 95-esque graphics.
I recently moved from iPhone 3G to HTC Touch HD (only reason I switched was the iPhone wasnt compatible with the bluetooth in my new car), in my opinion WinMo is not as pretty as iPhone OS but is far more stable (my iPhone ended on version 2.2 and was still buggy, I was constantly experiencing freezes, no sound and other problems).
The only thing i miss is the iPhone hardware, the transducive touch screen is a million times better that the resistive screen on the touch, I am still getting used to using stylus again)
Those twits on Gadget Show have no clucking idea! Especially the bold bloke.
Yes, the tests were crap and the show is about as tech savvy as my mum. The idiots came up with some bs negative points, it seemed that they were just interested in making sure that the iSheep didn't lose, especially the self confessed Apple fanboy baldy speccy git. In the end they said it was a draw on points but the iSheep edged it overall - absolute garbage.
If a negative is that underneath the good touchflo interface was clunky winmo and they didn't explain why that was an issue for them, then you could see the pathetic bias by the tools who present the show.
They didn't list the iSheep set of negatives did they.
•Its tied to the Apple App Store for downloadable content - music, video and apps etc.
•The OS is locked down and has to be ‘jail-broken’ (hacked) to enable functionality, phone has to be ‘re-jail-broken’ every time you upgrade the software.
•You can’t copy and paste.
•It has no GPS software with maps and voice navigation i.e. TomTom.
•It doesn't multi-task, you have to close your app to go to another and then re-open it if you go back.
•No FM radio.
•Safari doesn’t work with all web pages and technologies such as streaming video, flash and Java.
•It doesn’t support MMS.
•It doesn’t support Video recording.
•It doesn’t support Video calls.
•It doesn’t support memory cards.
•You can’t change the battery, it has to go back to Apple for an expensive 'service'.
•It supports less video and audio codecs that the HD.
•Reported poor battery life.
•The Bluetooth is mono.
•You can’t skin the interface or customise it like the HD.
•It has no Voice dialling or Voice control.
•It only a 2mps camera compared to the Touch HD’s 5mps.
•You have to use your finger, forget gloves on a cold day or a stylus.
•The Touch HD’s screen resolution is 2.5x the iPhone, is slightly bigger and definitely sharper.
•The Touch HD screen is 800 pixels wide and can display many web pages without reformatting.
•Every loser has an iPhone so they can look ‘cool’.
This list was compiled of the iSheep vs THD thread on here for a friend, if any of it is inaccurate (yes I know you can download stuff to overcome the out-of-box limitations) then its unlucky, certainly no worse than C5's Git Show.
crankshaft said:
Those twits on Gadget Show have no clucking idea! Especially the bold bloke.
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I find them all so patronising that I rarely ever watch it. Saw this though, and as usual the tests were laughable.
crankshaft said:
Those twits on Gadget Show have no clucking idea! Especially the bold bloke.
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Is that the 'old' bloke or the 'bald' bloke or both or does it not matter as they are both clueless spanners.
The latest edition of PC Pro has a slighly more subjective review of the latest smartphones where the HTC Touch HD scores better than the Iphone. Would tell you more but I was only browsing in WH Smith.
[Q] Why did the G1 go out in the first round?
[A] Becase it has a HW keyboard and then both HTC devices would have beat the iPhone.
P.S. Keep the swearing to a minimum, we arn't in the navy now
Ta
Dave
To reinforce their flippyness they went on to compare a Archos to a notenook and did a facebook event test that obviously the device with the sodding keyboard would win. Did they balance it by doing a 'fit in pocket' test - did they flip!
One's a computer the other a media player, you bunch of flips, its like comparing a car to a motorbike because they both transport you and complaining that the motorbike was colder and had less room for passengers.
Did I mention that they are flips?
DaveShaw said:
[Q] Why did the G1 go out in the first round?
[A] Becase it has a HW keyboard and then both HTC devices would have beat the iPhone.
P.S. Keep the swearing to a minimum, we arn't in the navy now
Ta
Dave
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Sorry, will tone it down.
Some of you really do need to get over yourselves
Here we have a show that:
- introduces the HD to the masses
- gave a (very) subjective comparison of the features that will concern most mobile phone users
- provided viewers with 3 alternatives to the iPhone
And yet all you can do is slag it off! This is a TV programme for the masses (not iPhone/WinMo fanboys) and doesn't try to pass itself off as some kind of Noughties version of Tommorrow's World - it's just a bit of fun and not meant to be a definative review of latest tech.
tommyturnip said:
Yes, the tests were crap and the show is about as tech savvy as my mum.
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Hehe..i could probably be your mum and you can find me here almost daily....
just to say not all mums are alike...
Agree, test was BS
Did this guy not have the smarts to notice the other keyboards built in? Why was he bent on using the baby keyboard and the stylus? He seemed to make it a point that it still needed a stylus which is bull! I use the stylus once a week if that (GSFinder file manager)! He also didn't make it clear that the TouchFlo system makes nice large menus for the fingers.
They really didn't want to step on the iPhone masses toes, huh?! Oh, poor babies!
Also, he could have been nice and quickly popped in another battery and really made the iPhone look foolish.
so, am i the only one that watches the gadget show for the eye candy ? i also thouight it was common knowledge that journalists know nothing...
iPhone v HD
A few thoughts:
I think that the iPhone "wins" because Apple has been able to focus and apply its considerable marketing skill in promoting this product and congratulations to them for that.
However, being the best marketed product does not mean that you have the "best" product and I would add that for some people the iPhone meets their functional needs.
The Touch HD has great flexibility for someone with the inclination to invest the time in the product to customise it for their own use. However, MS need to realise that having the best product sometimes is not always enough to win the race.
I started out using PDAs 8yrs ago with a Palm IIIc which was brilliant and was an ardent Palm fan until OS development stopped and fell behind.....
WM has the product lead but even this can be lost to Apple if they don't step up their game.
Having said all of that I understand that there is a Windows7 in the pipeline for mainstream windows and it would appear (to me) that WM7 may be being held back to align to Windows OS. However, MS realise they are behind in the game and therefore will be offering the 6.5 upgrade in H1 2009.
These are amateur thoughts guys as I don't work in the IT industry.
Seasons greetings to all and happy customising for 2009
The PC Pro review was what brought me to my new HD. The summary of features is very useful but it does miss tethering - yet another feature that the iPhone does not have - unless you jail-break it.
I agree with the Gadget show comments - for and against. The G1 was out for me as it won't work with Outlook and it feels cheap. The Blackberry Storm has no wifi (and the the Gadget Show was very critical of the the on-screen keyboard). The vote for the iPhone was a bit of a fix.
Cookie999 said:
Some of you really do need to get over yourselves
Here we have a show that:
- introduces the HD to the masses
- gave a (very) subjective comparison of the features that will concern most mobile phone users
- provided viewers with 3 alternatives to the iPhone
And yet all you can do is slag it off! This is a TV programme for the masses (not iPhone/WinMo fanboys) and doesn't try to pass itself off as some kind of Noughties version of Tommorrow's World - it's just a bit of fun and not meant to be a definative review of latest tech.
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Click to collapse
We are only having a bit of fun slagging them off, no need for anyone to 'get over themselves'.
Nirak said:
Hehe..i could probably be your mum and you can find me here almost daily....
just to say not all mums are alike...
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Click to collapse
???
Mum, is your real name Nirak?
Oh yeah! What's your mum like
I can't believe how wrong and uninformed this Australian review of the HTC HD.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/digit...ew-htc-touch-hd/2009/02/07/1233423551702.html
It is just weird, I can only explain it as just ignorant, but just astonishing seeming that it comes from a 'professional reviewer'.
Maybe the easiest way to describe it is just total BS:
TheAge - Newspaper Melbourne said:
Review: HTC Touch HD smart phone
Nick Ross
February 9, 2009
The HTC Touch HD
HTC TOUCH HD
Price $1499 or $62 per month
Rating 2.5/5
www.telstra.com.au
HTC specialises in smartphones based on the Windows Mobile system. This is designed around stylus-based navigation but HTC developed TouchFlo 3D - a finger-friendly way of prodding the main features. It was sluggish on HTC's Touch Diamond but speedy on the Touch 3G. HD rivals the latter but occasionally lags.
Straight away it hits problems. TouchFlo is helpful on small phones but HTC has simply added a larger screen and that's it. For instance, when you add a calendar entry, the top right 1cm of the screen has six different buttons while the rest of the screen is virtually empty. This occurrence is all too common.
HTC points out that the large (9.7cm) high-res screen is great for pictures, video and music. But zooming and flicking through pictures and albums isn't nearly as smooth as the iPhone. Videos look good but you're constantly expected to get them by following numerous links to BigPond-Foxtel downloads, which demand yet more money. GPS is included but you'll again have to pay to use it when WhereIs Navigator becomes available next month.
The onscreen keyboard rivals the iPhone's but the HD's Opera web browser doesn't zoom or pan nearly as well. Where it does pull away is with its superior 5-megapixel camera and superb battery life, which manages seven hours talk time. It only requires charging after three days compared with the iPhone's one-and-a-bit. We liked the inclusion of a standard headphone jack too.
So who should buy it? It's hugely expensive, locked to Telstra and costs even more to get the best from it. Typing is much faster with keyboard-equipped phones such as BlackBerrys and Palm's Treo Pro.
Pictures and web browsing are more fun on the iPhone.
If you're a rich executive who doesn't do much work with their phone but needs the potential of Windows Mobile, it's ideal.
If not, look elsewhere.
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Dumbasses, almost sounds like they never even tried the phone, just looked at the spec sheet. The one area they praise (the camera) is clearly the worst part, but because it's 5 megapixel they assume it's better.
This guy's opinion should simply be ignored. He does'nt even know what to look for. He probably just used his phone only to listen to music and play game, and does not use as GPS software; does not open/create/edit office documents, and does not use the device much during the day (hence never experience the need to change battery in the middle of the day).
And yes, I think he probably did'nt really try out the phone. Else he would have discovered that the camera does not perform well indoor in poor light or the fact that it does not have flash.
And, he probably did not bring it outdoor and noticed how incredibly easy it is to read the screen under strong sunlight. If he had, he was probably unaware how strikingly good the display is, or may be he is too iPhone biased to want to mention it.
No mention of the fact that this has FM radio, something iPhone owners would love to have, give the choice.
To sum it up, this is an extremely shallow and biased "review" (if you even call that a review).
The Age is full of idiots. You know he doesn't know anything as soon as he called the camera "superior"
Yes, he can't possible have tried the camera, it completely sucks.
I think he's not that wrong with his points after all, if you are a "normal" phone user, you will find the touchflow 3D laggish sometimes, you will find the phone hard to use and so on.. it's because it's simply not a suitable device for those who want's what the iphone delivers. He doesn't mention all the things that are possible to do with the device that iphone lacks, just the things that arn't as easy and smooth. He's just a user that should buy an iphone instead. The ones who make these reviews has to look from all users perspective, not just hes own. That's what sucks with the review, just compare it with gsmarena, that's an objective reveiw in my opinion.
One thing that he mentions that actualla annoys me a great deal is the fact that in many menu-screens, all the information, buttons and inputs are crowded on the upper left part of the screen. (like when you choose ringtones for instance). Is there a workaround for this?
Look the world is full of idiots, and the iPhone was made for that crowd of idiots and morons.
The MS platform will always be superior in the business sense and more suited to the other type of crowd.
I showed this to one of my class mates and they didn't know how to use the phone, to only bring out his iPhone out, i realized then who i was speaking to.
Calm down, there isn't any objective test on this planet. See various games magazines, or other stuff test mags. The resumeé depends aways from the tester who tested the device if he is an iphine fan you have bad luck if he likes windows mobile more you may have better luck.
You can only collect as much tests of the same product as possible and then calculate the average mark from all tests. Then you might get a most objective remark as possible.
I read many tests before I bought the HD, because at the bottom line the average mark is quite good.
To a certain extent i think its true. The picture and video flickering is no where as smooth and as fast as the iphone. But it gets the job done just not as speedy as the iphone.
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/01/09/google-android-personal-thoughts/
Simply pathetic.
i like how he said the fact that iPhone's OS is more human and less analytical than that of the android. What a ****ing joke.
Multitasking? Ok, we’ll have that with iPhone 4.0. What else? App Store limitations? Come on. Plus there’s a chance iPhone 4.0 will be announced in literally weeks away (Apple will up their screen resolution on the iPhone to probably double, and have a new resolution for their “slate”) — you can be sure Apple is going to come out swinging.
LOL! Apple fanboys are really getting scared! I love my iPhone but come on man up and admit Android is coming up pretty fast and could even show Apple how **** should be done!
Gonna love got the comments!
Given that iphone os been around for about 3 years now and andriod maybe 1.5? Iphone didnt even have mms until 3.0 so some one should tell them that. Also did anyone read a pathetic post on engadget about flash on android? Sounds like the guy is piss that his iphone prob wont get flash anytime soon.
I don't know if all these sites writers use iPhones and their world is crumbling around them or what but it's pretty damn crazy out there right now.
"you still will almost always lose that charm and that amazing feeling of connecting to something. People would die for their iPhones, people would die for their BlackBerrys – and they feel like their lives are in there. People feel connected to their BlackBerrys. Some sleep with them next to their pillow. No one gives a crap about their Android phone, there’s zero emotional attachment."
lol not so true! i slept part of the night with mine next to my pillow hahahaha! but yeah he is seriously hating right now like this quote makes no ****ing sense. In the past 2 years i have had
a blackberry Pearl to blackberry Curse 8320 to G1 back Pearl to Curve to MT3G to BOLD 9700 to Nexus one and so far BY FAR my favorit is the N1 it does have plenty of "emotions" and lil cool quirks
ONE THING i did notice though is that every review out there by a non Android website as been less then exciting, i feel like Gizmodo gave the MT3G a way better review to the MT3G then Nexus One in comparaison.
"you still will almost always lose that charm and that amazing feeling of connecting to something. People would die for their iPhones, people would die for their BlackBerrys – and they feel like their lives are in there. People feel connected to their BlackBerrys. Some sleep with them next to their pillow. No one gives a crap about their Android phone, there’s zero emotional attachment."
WTF? Ok first of all, if you are that much emotional attach to your iphone or bb, you need help, get out and meet some ppl and maybe sleep with ppl and not phones. And what is he talking about ppl would die for their bb? More like the bb die on their ppl more often then not. I love all my phones, I got too many of them but none I have emotional attachment to it, if I'm bored with it and if it can still fetch me a nice price, bye bye phone, doesnt matter if it iphone, android, winmo or bb.
he makes some intriguing points but most of what he wrote is rubbish...
"People would die for their iPhones"
Uhmm.... I wonder if someone said your iPhone or your life, what would that reviewer choose.
duncan888 said:
"People would die for their iPhones"
Uhmm.... I wonder if someone said your iPhone or your life, what would that reviewer choose.
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Prob their life? Fanboys are true extremist
I'm not sure I've met anyone who ever loved their BlackBerry..
kozm0naut said:
I'm not sure I've met anyone who ever loved their BlackBerry..
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Haha, I was thinking the same thing. Everyone I know that has Blackberries got them because they were free, either upgrade or corporate users and they all hate them.
JoshHart said:
I don't know if all these sites writers use iPhones and their world is crumbling around them or what but it's pretty damn crazy out there right now.
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Its baffling.
Every reviews filled with anger and massively biased opinion.
What kills me is that they arent upset about the price , or plan restrictions , or lack of a specific feature. They all seem to randomly pick things ((most of which arent even accurate)) and rant on about it while mentioning Iphone every other sentence.
Its pretty pathetic.
First of all, I do sleep with my phone but mostly because I like to read my email when I wake up. I've had three Android devices (G1, myTouch and now the N1) and would rather have a broken G1 than an iPhone. Okay, maybe not quite to that extreme but the writer's review is tremendously flawed. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but to say the N1 is a bad phone is just plain hating. If I was an iPhone lover I'd at least admit that the N1 is nice. I mean seriously, it's such a beautiful phone and worth every penny I paid. And PS, people aren't going to run out and get an Apple tablet thingy like they did the iPhone. Remember, the iPhone is subsidized. Tablet devices will not be. So even if the Apple tablet is the greatest device ever, Apple will have a hard time selling a non-essential device with such a high price tag.
Good article in my opinion.
The iPhone's shortfalls are commonly known. It's nice to see someone list Android's for a change rather than pretending that all is fine and dandy. A lack of polish. That is pretty much what it boils down to. It's something that I've noticed from watching videos of Android devices, there isn't much consistency in the UI. When I first saw pictures of 2.1 and heard about the "Google Phone" I was hoping this would be solved. Sadly it hasn't been, but you can tell Google are working on it. The home screen, program tray and gallery all tie in together now and they just need to tie the rest together.
Personally I'm happy to see someone speaking their mind about Android and putting it in quite a good way. I'm in the process of choosing a new handset and it's opinions like these that I like reading, better than getting a nasty surprise when I try out the handset.
I have issues with the iPhone and Apple’s approach to it. I think it’s an amazing concept — people holding hands, skipping down sugar-encrusted roads with pink ponies and colorful rainbows — but the execution falls flat in many ways if you’re a hardcore phone user, and Apple has constantly missed the mark in almost every area.
Part of my main issue with the iPhone, and this applies slightly less to iPod Touch, is that there’s practically no logical sense with Apple when it comes to technology. Everything is touchy-feely and emotional . While you could argue that being this way is way superior to “statistical” and “analytical”– it might be 95% of the time — you still will almost always lose that logic and that amazing feeling of connecting to your network. People would be crazy to die for their android phones, but people would die for their BlackBerrys – and they feel like their lives are in there. People feel connected to their BlackBerrys. Some sleep with them next to their pillow. No one gives a crap what people think about their Android phone, there’s zero zombified worship like you see with Apple fanboys. The closest example would be Palm’s webOS. A great concept, besides Google’s android OS, it’s the fairly polished, the most friendly, and the most useful. Do you see that?
Hello. ****ing. Humans. If you’re going to use that line, at least have the sense to actually make it make sense. Plus, isn’t the point of all this technology to make everything feel more natural and more useful? I mean, that’s why we have robotic dogs that learn (shout out to Just Blaze and I for having Sony AIBOs), that’s why our car remembers our personal settings when we enter the cockpit, that’s why our TiVos know exactly what program we want to watch. And yet, with everything moving forward in the technology space, iPhone's continues to feel pretty but useless.
Andy Rubin is brilliant. To this day, I still compare things to the Sidekick OS because it was so ahead of its time in every way, and it made sense. But the iPhone still feels half baked even after three years. And you can’t prance around smiling without raising the bar. You can take your non-multi-app running device and shove it — it’s inexcusable.
There are so many fundamental issues with iPhone’s OS that still haven’t been addressed and it really makes my head spin. Functionality is not a word you’ll find in the iPhone’s dictionary. How about the fact that all the application icons are the same size. Uh, why? Since there’s transparent padding around the icons — you know, something that takes up space — I have no where to put widgits if Apple even saw fit to ever include them. It’s a small, but very important point that really reflects how poorly the iPhone is designed in some areas.
Other issues that I can’t live with day to day? Why can't I just click on text such as addresses and phone numbers from like an email, webpage, or SMS, or even a 3rd party application and have it take me to Google maps or call that person? Oh, I can’t. The iPhone didn't even have copy and paste for two years — a joke!
iPhone vs iPod even doesn’t make sense as a whole. It’s fragmented, poorly executed, the Apple's Market for apps is a mess, and developers still have their apps pending approval for weeks. There’s not one single good IM program that I could rely on day to day (I don’t use Google Talk), the browser is decent at best. It’s faster now, sure, there’s a undisclosed 3gs CPU under its ass, but it’s not intuitive, and there’s always erroneous touch events; when I want to hit something I hit another link, button or app by accident.
For a company that’s so smart, and makes so much sense, it’s unbelievable how little sense iPhone OS makes in most places. I just can’t see why you’d want to run iPhone over the Android? Multitouch? Ok, we’ll enable that in a matter of days! What else? App Store limitations? Come on. Plus there’s a chance Android 2.5 will be announced in literally weeks away (Google will up their screen resolution on the Nexus Two to probably double, and have a new resolution for their “slate”) — you can be sure Google is going to come out swinging. iPhone isn’t a game changer. It’s a decent OS, dreamed up by an incredibly smart man, with unlimited resources and unlimited access. That’s why even in iPhone OS 3.0, it’s so disheartening to see an operating system that I can’t use daily.
I apologize for comparing this to the Android OS so much, I really didn’t set out to. But I’ve used an android phone every day of my life since it first came out in addition to every BlackBerry ever available simultaneously, and I actually had an open mind about the Nexus One possibly replacing everyone's iPhone. I felt like maybe they will want more “freedom” and “flexibility” and not have to deal with Apple’s ridiculous train of thought sometimes. Some people are too plugged into the Apple ecosystem. Willing to paid out the ass to upgrade an entire library to non-DRM status, they can even use Exchange and Gmail, both are supported on the Nexus One — nothing is holding anyone back.
In the end, I found that the lack of any meaningful applications for the iPhone really made it a no go from the beginning. I’m talking about quality — re-read the word quality — applications, here. The best VNC and RDP applications on the iPhone are a joke. There’s not a single enjoyable Twitter application, and any application that’s on iPhone that is available on the Android pales in comparison. If you can find an application on the iPhone platform that’s better than the Android counterpart, I’ll send you a BGR Ninja hat.
Seriously Apple, you take no responsibility for the actual “experience” of this phone, yet you tout it as your tag line. Applications in Apple Market don’t work for all devices. They have to be updated, they might not work with a new resolution, or all touch screen display — try using one of those NES/SNES emulators on the iPhone since Apple baned them! — the comments and “reviews” on apps are worse than Sidekick user’s AIM screen names, there’s Apple is GOD like authority and accountability in Market, and outside of people that know what they’re doing, you’re basically leading the rest into a forest with wolves in the dark, while they’re bleeding and blindfolded. Why does the VNC application I bought and paid for crash on the iPhone with a Java.IO error? Because your entire OS is rarely gets updated, poorly driven, overly policed, and because in typical Apple fashion, you’re sitting on to the 2 year old devices while everyone else comes out with new technowlogy. What happened to ferociously making sure the absolute core applications in your package were 100% perfect before shipping? BlackBerry’s email application is flawless. Google's web browser is flawless. But there’s not a single application on iPhone that doesn’t have a fart or soundboard copy of its self.
Here’s another issue on why for the foreseeable future iPhone OS won’t be anything like what Google or another company can offer: coders are free to be designers. It’s really as simple as that and anyone in the business will know exactly what I’m talking about. That’s why Google's entire developer ecosystem is different, because believe it or not, Apple’s developers are amazing designers that make beautiful things, and they happen to know how to code.. but boy oh boy do they take their sweet time about it. That’s entirely different from someone who’s the best coder in the world and doesn't even have the choice to create something that looks, works, and feels great. And so, this is my issue with iPhone OS and why you won’t see applications of Android-quality on iPhone aside from any SDK and programming hurdles.
If an app like twidroid existed on iPhone, I think the Apple Market would literally crash, die, burn, and hang itself by how natural, beautiful, and thoughtful that application is. Now, multiply something like that 5,000 times and you’ll have an idea of why all this Apple iPhone hype amounts to very little. We have the best Android device ever made in the history of the world, finally! Oh wait, Apple’s event is in 2 weeks, maybe they'll finally allow multiple apps to run at the same time. Until Android 2.2 launches adding multitouch for the US as a simple software update. Then I’ll write another review.
...Holy shipwreck that was hard, I want to puch that guy in the face now...
BTW, I've always thought the iPhone was a good solid phone, I've just liked android better due to the high level of integration and sync-ability with my gmail and cal, etc, etc. I dunno why the iphone boys gotta have so much hate.
satchef1 said:
Good article in my opinion.
The iPhone's shortfalls are commonly known. It's nice to see someone list Android's for a change rather than pretending that all is fine and dandy. A lack of polish. That is pretty much what it boils down to. It's something that I've noticed from watching videos of Android devices, there isn't much consistency in the UI. When I first saw pictures of 2.1 and heard about the "Google Phone" I was hoping this would be solved. Sadly it hasn't been, but you can tell Google are working on it. The home screen, program tray and gallery all tie in together now and they just need to tie the rest together.
Personally I'm happy to see someone speaking their mind about Android and putting it in quite a good way. I'm in the process of choosing a new handset and it's opinions like these that I like reading, better than getting a nasty surprise when I try out the handset.
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LOL, putting it in quite a good way? Half the things in there aren't even true and then he compares the N1 to future devices that aren't even out yet haha. See this is exactly the worst part of this slanderish garbage, people believe it as fact.
satchef1 said:
Good article in my opinion.
The iPhone's shortfalls are commonly known. It's nice to see someone list Android's for a change rather than pretending that all is fine and dandy. A lack of polish. That is pretty much what it boils down to. It's something that I've noticed from watching videos of Android devices, there isn't much consistency in the UI. When I first saw pictures of 2.1 and heard about the "Google Phone" I was hoping this would be solved. Sadly it hasn't been, but you can tell Google are working on it. The home screen, program tray and gallery all tie in together now and they just need to tie the rest together.
Personally I'm happy to see someone speaking their mind about Android and putting it in quite a good way. I'm in the process of choosing a new handset and it's opinions like these that I like reading, better than getting a nasty surprise when I try out the handset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree.
And he doesn't even touch on some of the biggest issues with Android IMO.
I would add Google's "Big Brother is watching you approach" to the OS/phone and the lacking/poorly executed exchange support as additional problems with Android as a platform.
As far as the app market is concerned he really hits the nail on the head. Although the large majority of iphone apps is also crap, the small minority of useful apps really stands out. there is nothing that comes even close on WM or android and the developer support on these platforms is ... non-existent.
Good article and some good points. I wish Google would address them.
bofslime said:
I have issues with the iPhone and Apple’s approach to it. I think it’s an amazing concept — people holding hands, skipping down sugar-encrusted roads with pink ponies and colorful rainbows — but the execution falls flat in many ways if you’re a hardcore phone user, and Apple has constantly missed the mark in almost every area.
<snip>
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One internets for you sir.
I'm really itching to get some real live information from someone who has used a new Nexus One phone. I am going to my T-Mobile store in a day or two, and there are several specific things I want to see:
(1) yes, of course the screen. but i'd like some real data on battery performance, and I doubt anyone's got some good comparison data yet compared to Hero?
(2) Without SenseUI, what is its look & feel? I would like to see the live Wallpapers, but truly that is eye candy, and as visually oriented as I am, I want to use my phone and mini-computer, not stare at it.
(3) (this is out of sequence but does the HTC Nexus One (vs Google Nexus One) have Sense UI on it? if so, how do they differ?)
(4) MAIN THING FOR ME: I love my HTC Hero (Europe GSM version, yes, with the chin)... But, after just the very first day when I started using it, I recognized the annoyance of the hard keys being really hard to push, relatively, compared to hard keys on my last HTC device, which is almost 3 years old -- T-Mobile Wing. Those hard keys are contoured and flush. The Hero's keys LOOK sharp, but they also feel sharp. and not easy to depress.
COMPARED TO: what looks like soft touch keys on the Nexus One. They look great. And could be reason alone for me to sell my Hero and get the Nexus One. I don't care at all for the loss of CALL and END dedicated keys. I almost always use the onscreen touch controls for these functions. It seems like Google really did some serious usability improvements if in fact those 4 standard Android function keys are all flush touch keys: Back, Menu/Options, Home, Search.
(5) SECOND MAIN THING: The trackball. I just have to say, this has been the biggest disappointment of all for me with the Hero. I have seen zero advantage to it, and many disadvantages compared to the ease of use of the quad-directional pad on my T-Mobile Wing. Obviously Motorola agreed the trackball left a lot to be desired since they nixed it from both the DROID and the Cliq.
I had expected much greater sensitivity control from the trackball -- but it is so unwieldy, and 9 times out of 10 when I have my selection, it slips to an adjacent selection when I then want to "long-press" to get options, or even short press to activate selection. I have not yet rooted my Hero, so i have no idea yet what XDA devs have done the past few months to perhaps add advanced controls for the trackball. My expectation is to have sensitivity and speed control adjustments that are context sensitive for each and every app I use, but especially the keyboard. How often I am trying to reposition the cursor and, there it goes, to top or bottom, or anywhere except where I want it to go. Also, Ihave been really really surprised at how lacking the controls of the trackball are for selecting letters of a word.
SO, I want to feel in my hands how the Nexus One feels in this regard. Is it better, is it the same?
Anyone know?
---
I'm secretly hoping people will say, for real, "yes, the Nexus One has the much faster processor, the higher-rez screen, the noise cancellation, the turn-by-turn application" and so on, "but it falls short compared to the Hero in these ways:.................................. "
But somehow I do not think that is going to be the case.
(Oddball final question: Has the hero gotten its ANdroid and SenseUI updates yet?)
.
Nexus one vs. HTC Hero
quicksite said:
(1) yes, of course the screen.
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Click to collapse
The Nexus One screen is awesome, but not touted as oleophobic. It does retain fingerprints if your fingers aren't dry, but it's easy to clean. Hero's screen is supposed to be oleophobic, but it also gets fingerprints.
quicksite said:
but i'd like some real data on battery performance, and I doubt anyone's got some good comparison data yet compared to Hero?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus One seemed to fare a little better than Hero with regards to batter life, but I haven't done proper comparisons.
quicksite said:
(2) Without SenseUI, what is its look & feel?
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Click to collapse
Looks great. I didn't miss the lack of SenseUI, except in the alarm application, where you can't swipe the hour/minute up down, but have to press two plus/minus buttons.
quicksite said:
(3) (this is out of sequence but does the HTC Nexus One (vs Google Nexus One) have Sense UI on it? if so, how do they differ?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus One doesn't have Sense UI.
quicksite said:
(4) MAIN THING FOR ME: I love my HTC Hero (Europe GSM version, yes, with the chin)... But, after just the very first day when I started using it, I recognized the annoyance of the hard keys being really hard to push, relatively
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The soft keys on Nexus One are famous for being a bit misplaced - you have to touch slightly above them, in order to register the tap. They offer haptic feedback. The back key (the most commonly used one) is smartly placed where your thumb falls- an improvement over the Hero, which places it such that you have to contort your thumb to reach for it.
quicksite said:
(5) SECOND MAIN THING: The trackball. I just have to say, this has been the biggest disappointment of all for me with the Hero. I have seen zero advantage to it, and many disadvantages compared to the ease of use of the quad-directional pad on my T-Mobile Wing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The trackball is a bad idea compared to a directional pad. I haven't used it much really, but from what I have, it did an OK job.
quicksite said:
SO, I want to feel in my hands how the Nexus One feels in this regard. Is it better, is it the same?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The chin on the Hero is useful in that it protects the screen if you drop the phone on a flat surface. If you drop the Nexus, the screen will take the shock. The Nexus one is slimmer and slightly larger.
quicksite said:
I'm secretly hoping people will say, for real, "yes, the Nexus One has the much faster processor, the higher-rez screen, camera flash, the noise cancellation, the turn-by-turn application, easier to remove back cover" and so on, "but it falls short compared to the Hero in these ways:.................................. "
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does have all those, and it's frikkin' fast indeed. It falls short in that it has a lame speaker, and its slab/slate shape will make it somewhat more likely to have the screen damaged in the event of a drop. I for one miss the call/end call keys, but overall prefer the soft keys on the Nexus One.
What a fantastic review, thank you, dandv!
I think it is fair to assume that you must work for Google, because who else would have had this much experience already using the Nexus One -- especially this line:
The soft keys on Nexus One are famous for being a bit misplaced - you have to touch slightly above them, in order to register the tap.
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Click to collapse
By the way, is it okay for me to compliment Romania on having one of the most beautiful and charming women in the whole world? (Maria Popistasu)... I would trade 10,000 Nexus Ones, okay, 1 million Nexus Ones for a Maria. (Now I will get slammed by one of the two members within the 2 million registered XDA-developers who are women )
Nexus One seemed to fare a little better than Hero with regards to batter life, but I haven't done proper comparisons.
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Click to collapse
Really? wow, this was a major complaint by the Engadget people, that battery life was poor on the Nexus One, due to the power drawn for that screen and various connectivity to web issues, and live wallpaper etc. It's funny: I was comparing the reviews by Engadget and TechCrunch -- total opposites. But commenters at TechCrunch claimed "Engadget loves all things Apple and hates Android" while "TechCrunch hates Apple for withholding Google Voice on iPhone, and loves all things Android".. with users calling for a neutral review to split the tie. ( I also loved how one of the commenters at TechCrunch just decimated Walt Mossberg: "Ryan Sinn - January 6th, 2010 at 4:04 pm PST:
Walt Mossberg writes his tech reviews on a MacBook Pro while listening to his iTunes playlist via an iPod with his AppleTV recording the MacNeil Lehrer Newshour." ... This was in reply to another user comment who was paraphrasing uncle Walt:
I read Walt Mossberg’s review of the Nexus One and he provides a review of the Nexus One’s media features (handling photo, video, syncing music, etc.) as virtually non-existent or downright shoddy as compared to the iPhone. While I agree with you that the iPhone can learn a thing or two from webOS and Android in terms of multitasking, notifications, and so on, the Android still seems an inferior platform (as Mossberg again states) when it comes to overall functionality of going beyond the productivity apps like email, browser, and GVoice that Android 2.1 boasts of here.
I was tempted to switch to the Nexus One from my iPhone, but after reading Mossberg’s review, especially when it comes to syncing media – not to mention the sheer number of apps available – the iPhone still seems the front runner. Multitouch also seems to be a BIG advantage that no Android device supports.
I do think that iPhone OS 4.0 and the next gen-hardware of the iPhone will go beyond the Nexus One. So far, Android is still playing catch-up from where I see, although it does seem to come pretty close to the 3GS, a phone released 6 months back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
--- anyway, back to YOUR review, dandv:
Looks great. I didn't miss the lack of SenseUI, except in the alarm application, where you can't swipe the hour/minute up down, but have to press two plus/minus buttons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That IS pretty nifty on the Hero, but since this is my first Android phone, I don't really know what's SenseUI and what is raw Android. But let me ask this question: Surely some XDA-dev has extracted SenseUI and could create a ROM for Nexus One that installs it?
Nexus One doesn't have Sense UI.
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Click to collapse
But I was asking if the HTC European release of the phone added SenseUI... since I read that it does include multi-touch gestures on the native Android apps and UI, but I have no idea if that is true or not. I read elsewhere that the USA model and the HTC Europe model is identical. Do you know? And more specifically, do you know if the European model includes T-Mobile USA 3G bands?
The soft keys on Nexus One are famous for being a bit misplaced - you have to touch slightly above them, in order to register the tap. They offer haptic feedback. The back key (the most commonly used one) is smartly placed where your thumb falls- an improvement over the Hero, which places it such that you have to contort your thumb to reach for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Re: "misplaced"... More and more I am just recognizing that on the resistive screens I have been used to on WindowsMobile phones, we are all used to being able to line up the top of the fingernail with the keys in order to get natural placement, but that on capacitive screens, the impact point of the finger to the screen is the bottom of the fingertip, which in itself is (using USA scale) 1/8" to 1/4" downward from the fingernail tip. So I have been advised by "experienced" Android users that the secret to typing on the soft keyboard is to tap slightly above the letters on-screen. But in fact that really is just a visual adjustment and the actual impact point of the finger is precisely on the soft target... ?
If I am correct, then it would be great if Android OS offered a user preference offset adjustment -- in the same way that Windows Mobile (yes, can you believe it, an actual compliment to Windows Mobile!) did a great job with its angle offset adjustment since people who are right handed are really naturally positioned with their hands to be "attacking" the soft keyboard at a slight diagonal angle from lower right and moving to the left.
But what do I know. YOU've used the Nexus One, I haven't. In fact I was really disappointed. Today I went to my T-Mobile store thinking they might have a demo Nexus One that customers could try out before purchasing from Google online... Nope. they said there is no way to try the phone first. You have to just buy it.
The trackball is a bad idea compared to a directional pad. I haven't used it much really, but from what I have, it did an OK job.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, so at your next Google team meeting, would you please tell the Android product dev team to take a cue from Motorola and provide the D-pad?
The chin on the Hero is useful in that it protects the screen if you drop the phone on a flat surface. If you drop the Nexus, the screen will take the shock. The Nexus one is slimmer and slightly larger.
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Click to collapse
Wow, I never thought of that before, and I've never read that anywhere... I wish Google hadn't dumped the "chin" for their Nexus One, but given both USA carriers of the Hero, Verizon and Sprint, both dumped the chin, I have to believe that some of that influence came from Google itself -- and these weren't simply decisions made unilaterally by Sprint or Verizon.
It does have all those, and it's frikkin' fast indeed. It falls short in that it has a lame speaker, and its slab/slate shape will make it somewhat more likely to have the screen damaged in the event of a drop. I for one miss the call/end call keys, but overall prefer the soft keys on the Nexus One.
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Click to collapse
Lame speaker as in "not what it SHOULD be" or "not as good as the Hero speakers (which I have been very impressed by). Do you have any idea what kind of usability studies Google Mountain View did to justify removing those keys? Why couldn't they have also been soft keys?
fyi, not sure how many people know about the company "SquareTrade" -- who provide alternative handset insurance, which includes accidental droppin g and I believe water damage. Way more reasonable in price than the plans that carriers offer. They "flatrate" iphones because of huge customer base, but it's a bit higher for other touchscreen phones. There's no way I would get a phone today without accidental dropping coverage, especially when it's reasonable.
I have to say, based on your review re battery life and the soft keys, I am very tempted to buy the Nexus One and commit to 2 years with T-Mobile. I've already been with them for 5 years and am reasonably happy. But I have questions, just for the heck of it:
(1) Since you're out there in Silicon Valley, and as I said, maybe even a Google employee by day, XDA-devs member by night, my guess is that a Nexus Two is already way into development? Just curious if anyone has any sixth sense about when Google's followup phone will be released?
(2) What is the market rate these days when selling a used Hero that's still under full warranty ( i think mine is 3 years, or at least 2 years for sure)? I purchased the european GSM version for $525, so what would be a price someone would be willing to pay for a used Hero? $400, $350 ?
Thanks so much for your review and full answers. I expected there would have been topics already here at XDA on this phone, but I didn't see any.
Get a job?
Oi quicksite, a buddy of mine who's seen your post above agrees that you have too much time on your hands
I don't work for Google - quite on the contrary. I'm just experienced with evaluating stuff. One will realize the slight misplacement of the soft keys as soon as they first experience the Nexus One; and I've seen the issue reported in a few places, to conclude that it's famous (Engadget probably).
Rumor has it that Nexus Two will be out in a year. As for the speaker, it's worse than Hero's, and worse than the one in iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. But do you really play music on the phone's speaker? You'll probably use earphones, or Bluetooth. As for ringtones, you won't really care that the speaker is poor. If you watch videos, you might suffer. The soundtrack of videos I watch is mostly dialogue (TED talks, George Carlin-type comedy).
As for "market rates" for stuff, there's no such thing. Head to eBay and craigslist and see what they sell for. Market yours well (see my eBay ad for my Samsung Galaxy) and you'll get a good price.
As for insurance, the only time my phone was dropped was when I let a curious doofus handle it. Look back in time - do you really have a tendency to drop your phone? I would not buy any sort of insurance.
Nope, there is no option in Android to offset your point of contact. Just get used to where the fingertip really is. Windows Mobile interfaces may have that option (I haven't seen it on my HTC Angel) because they're badly built for finger use - they're built more like office applications to be used with a stylus. The Android UI is touch-optimized. Most of the time you can operate your phone fine with only one hand, which makes it way more usable for GPS navigation (of course, don't text and drive - but hey, Nexus One introduced dictation as an input method, so you may be tempted).
I expected there would have been topics already here at XDA on this phone, but I didn't see any.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Head over to http://androidforums.com/htc-hero/
My advice - you seem to be trapped in analysis paralysis, or the paradox of choice. Just buy the phone, and you'll be able to sell it a year later for at least $300. With the time you'll save by not dwelling too much on it, you'll be able to work a gig to make up for the difference
Oh, and put some hot Romanian girl wallpaper on it.
Oh my god, i'm given links to analysis paralysis! Then I am analyzed... hah hah. Geez man i've only had my Hero for 4 weeks. I'm not used to that turnaround rate.
No, I just type at an inefficient word rate of 100-to-1 compared to most.
Note to self: Set up a poll here to ask if anyone at XDA learned something valuable from my questions!
You can't possibly be Romanian if you do not know the subject in question. But seriously thank you. And after deliberations under 36 hours, yeah, maybe i'll get the nexus. But analysis paralysis? This coming from...
Welcome to my collection of meta-reviews. Before making significant purchases, I do a fair amount of market research, aggregating user reviews from Amazon, Epinions, or specialized sites for electronic or computer equipment. For software, as for anything I decide buying, I write my own reviews on this wiki.
Displays
a massive analysis of over 50 LCD monitors
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hmph. Okay! now I see how it's done! all in under 36 hours I am sure... ha hah
Moving on
quicksite said:
You can't possibly be Romanian if you do not know the subject in question.
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Which subject? Anyway, this got way off-topic already.
quicksite said:
But seriously thank you. And after deliberations under 36 hours, yeah, maybe i'll get the nexus. But analysis paralysis? This coming from...
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Click to collapse
Exactly - with regards to the analysis paralysis. Been there, done that, trying to help others avoid it.
dandv said:
Which subject? Anyway, this got way off-topic already.
Exactly - with regards to the analysis paralysis. Been there, done that, trying to help others avoid it.
Click to expand...
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what about help in...
Post Purchase research????
I am spending to much time online.
Looking up new things / issues / upgrades/ all about my new HERO!!!
Dan330 said:
what about help in...
Post Purchase research????
I am spending to much time online.
Looking up new things / issues / upgrades/ all about my new HERO!!!
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Click to collapse
well i guess this is a mocking comment but i cannot tell.
In 3 years on this site, I've actually never run into this much dissing of somebody asking reasonable questions about actual usability issues. For some i guess $500 is a drop in the bucket; just buy the damn thing. a day of posting here is way too much time on your hands.
So here i was ready to take the advice of "just do it", and then I followed another of dandv's links to androidforums.com -- where i discovered that in 13 pages of threads on the Nexus One, at least 50 threads were expressing major problems in all kinds of areas, from the displaced touch alignment, which for many was recurring in every session, and would be fixed by battery removed, replaced, to lots of erratic connectivity problems with people who had two phones and could swap sim cards out and see their other phone connecting immediately, to major complaints re data plans there were not made clear to existing customers of T-Mobile, to some instant-pushback on google for its refusal to provide telephone support for their branded phone, instead their usual "fill out an email; you may not get a personal reply" (which means all the template stuff where you are forced down a path of their search results based on your question, read read reda, eventualy at the end of that line there is no existing faq for your question, and then waiting yet again for another non-specific email reply.
I'm actually glad this topic immediately deteriorated. If my questions were analysis paralysis about what for me is a major new expense, then its equally irresponsible to give the phone a rave (the hardware and software) without even a hint of the legions of problems some people are experiencing not just with the phone, but also with sorting out WHO ANSWERS THE CONSUMER FOR WHAT? T-mobile, HTC, Google.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8451473.stm
Just one of many such news reports.
So la dee dah, just frikkin buy it and then buy a new one if that's a problem.
quicksite said:
well i guess this is a mocking comment but i cannot tell.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes
it was a joke...
what i was trying to say
I am like you
do a lot of research before purchase
and a lot more after...
so chill
it's all good....
I learned a lot from your questions, comments, and research...
later
Nexus One has the fastest GPS fix I've ever seen
Just wanted to add, after a month with the N1, that it gets a GPS fix faster than any other phone (Samsung Galaxy, HTC Hero) or device (GlobalSat SiRFstarIII) that I've used. It gets a GPS fix, apparently from a cold start, in less than 20 seconds, every time, even from a moving car.
After I could compare the Ipad2, 10.1 and Transformer for days now, I decided to go and buy an Ipad2. Yes, I turned my back on Android and here's why:
10.1:
Very nice lookings, high quality and hardware but there is a big problem: the colors. On some pictures the saturation is so high that it kills lots of details every time 2 similar colors are nearby. Here you can see what I mean, check the right circle where orange and red meets - if the orange circle would be more reddish, you could hardly tell there are 2 rings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bkovoLXw4&feature=player_detailpage#t=208s
If you compare it to a perfect calibrated monitor, it looks like crap. Flashy, colorful and nice but details are gone. That's the one and only weaknes from what it offers. It's 16:9 display is a winner when it comes to videos but video playback is poor. Ipad2 is much better, even for flash, later more to come about it.
Another MAJOR problem is Samsung support. Android is a fresh system and needs tons of support. Samsung provides NONE. For EU, they still have no release dates or closer info about their device - just lol. For me, the 10.1 is just a step in the process to upgrade to Tegra3. They built the shell now and can use it for the next device to compete with Apple. Same like they did to the 10.1v - no support, they just forgot about it.
Transformer:
Diplay is pretty good but the build quality is crap. After I saw the Archos tablets with the bronze frame, I knew where Asus bought their stuff. Both have those sharp metal frames which are wrapped around the screen. TF and Archos have gaps between the frame and glas, with some kind of rubber to fill it. Asus tried to even out the sharp edges but you can see how cheap it is. Archos tablets can cut in your finger if you swipe around the edges ! For me: complete garbage quality, should cost 250$ max to satisfy the minimalist who just want's to read or something.
Ipad2:
This device is pretty awesome. First I thought the 4:3 diplay sucks for reading but after I measured books and calculated ratios, they were ALL closer to Ipad2 standards. That menas you will have less wasted space on Ipad. When surfing internet you will learn to love 4:3, everything fits perfectly while you feel how broken sites are on 16:9. The drawback are 16:9 movies without a border and the good about it, you have FULLSCREEN ! in emulators without scaling. There are also a lot of older movies/series with 4:3, which I prefer on travel anyway.
It is fluent everywhere and feels like my Galaxy S after getting the lagfix. Stock 3.1 is bull**** compared to it. The only point where it is superior, are widgets.
Root/Jailbreak/Flash:
Jailbreaking an Ipad is a piece of cake, visit a website, click on a button, your done. No bull**** to flash around or to risk your device. After that you have Cydia which is an alternative market. You can also add repos to it, so you gain access to apps of all kind, also the not so legal ones.
You can play Flash Videos on Ipad using Iswifter or other apps. Inconvinient sometimes but to my surprise, they are fluent on the Ipad - Androids are sluggish. The Ipad even played a movie fluent with 10 other flash animations around it !
The crappy part about the Ipad is itunes and the structure how app files are arranged. Every app has it's own folder, so if you use FTP or something to transfer via network, you have to put those files IN the app folder, so they can find it. Not a big deal, if the app folder wouln't be named like 429403290239203023948393. Android is way better, copy somewhere on SD and browse it. Sure you can use itunes to put everything together but Itunes won't work with Jailbroken apps from Cydia. This breaks the use of my NAS server at home, leaving me with ****ty USB-to-PC solutions if I want it the easy way. Music and Videos which are supported by NAS can be played over UPNP but I found more nice apps for that on Android as I could on Ipad.
Conclusion:
10.1 is a nice device but it's like to own a ferrari and only have crappy roads to drive on. Android kills the Tab, sadly. It's good for smartphones but not for tabs - it's worse as an alpha build of windows. Every manufactuerer does what he wants, there are no standards. Compatibility between Android versions are a joke - imagine you upgrade from win7 to win8 and everything stops working - arrrrrrrgh.
This may be fixed with 4.0 but it will take another 1-2 years for the software. Until then, there will be Win8, which could break Androids neck (if it's compatible to Win7 programms!). Also I can sell the Ipad2 for 200-300 bucks, even if Ipad3 is released, so screw it, will lose ~150-200€ to it. But it will buy me at least 6 months of fun.
The best is, I don't have to care about the future. There is no "will it work after OS upgrade" problem with Apple.
Wow there are so many problems with this post I don't even know where to begin. I think I will just address your last line:
The best is, I don't have to care about the future. There is no "will it work after OS upgrade" problem with Apple.
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Click to collapse
Try telling that to the iPhone 3G users who upgraded to ios4 and had a device that was next to worthless. Apple pushed that update out to ose iPhones knowing it would turn it into a piece of **** 100% of the time.
dcc22 said:
Root/Jailbreak/Flash:
Jailbreaking an Ipad is a piece of cake, visit a website, click on a button, your done. No bull**** to flash around or to risk your device. After that you have Cydia which is an alternative market. You can also add repos to it, so you gain access to apps of all kind, also the not so legal ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having met way more people with iPodTouch4/IP4/IPad1&2 that do this than those who DO NOT do this, it makes me wonder if the ideology of app devs to take preference to iOS for financial considerations is not completely flawed.
....what is the point of this post?
your inability to play with android OS and tweak it is not an excuse for you to say that android is flawed..with that said, i agree some stuff need to be fix, but its minor stuff such as typing on the browser...and...well thats it for me.
if you want something that work out of the box, agreed pick ipad 2, but if your geeky or you like linux pick android, more custimization then IOS can ever dream of.
THE firmwares with ripped features for different devices, as they become incompatible with every next release the iphone 3g and now 3gs with ios5. Don't tell me jailbreak is easy, it took the developers 3 months to make a jailbreak for ipad 2 which is still raw with compatibility issues! If buying the idevice is an excuse for free apps...probably games in your case with a new handheld gaming device than off board ye pirate! People jailbreak the device for customisation which is the soul of android os (which is not fresh but time tested and evolving i need not wait a whole year for new features to sprout, mostly inspired and already popular in other os!).
Ever heard of DFU mode, recovery mode? Similar terms and combos are used here! Atleast in android thanks to diversity if one model ain't suitable there is a myriad to choose from! Compare two devices of same platform when making a point.
I agree with G1 and the person above but since you decided to share...let me take a turn.
Why you felt the need to justify your iPad 2 choice in an Android related forum is beyond me.
You either realize or fail to see that Apple purposefully limits their tech. Minimal upgrades between generations. Even the newest iPhone won't support 4G from what I have heard yet they want to use LTE patents against Google?
Your train of thought that the iPad 2 is perfect is already starting to form.
The iPad's dimensions do not in any way make it better for video, reading, and web surfing. I was just having a debate with a friend who started complaining about where the dock port was on my Galaxy Tab 10.1. He was quickly shut up when I pointed out that cell phones have the port at the bottom so our hands can grip the sides. However a tablet is meant to be held in LANDSCAPE...that's why sticking the port in a different place was a smart decision.
Point being...he turned into another person claiming everything is horrible with Android. Guess what? He never owned an Android device. He actually has a Touch Pro 2 right now. IGNORANCE!
Look I've had an iPad. I know that jailbreaking it is POINTLESS. Your battery dies out super fast, the app selection is fairly weak, and all of that jailbreaking does nothing but try to replicate an Android experience. But it fails.
Unlike you, I do care about the future. I don't want to live in a world where everybody has the same glossy tablet with a slippery back so you can drop the darn thing. I don't want to be told what I can and cannot do on my tablet. I do not want to support any company intent on holding back technological progress for the sake of money or who buys patents just to sue other companies out performing them.
You have EVERY right to buy an iPad 2 but just know that your choices and who you choose to support speaks volumes. I have friends just like you. One day they're talking about freedom and openness. The next day they're justifying EVERYTHING Apple does. Cool. As long as I have a choice too.
As for your claims about Windows 8, it only serves to buttress how you allowed us yourself to come to your decision.
"Ignorance is bliss." That should be Apple's new tagline.
I love the OP and how he compares the worst of Android tablets to the best of iPad2 lol
4:3 is perfect for reading books with less wasted screen space. Yay! Now try reading comics and watching WS movies You prefer 4:3 movies? Good for you
Jailbreaking is easy for the iPad2 NOW! But do you know how long it took for the jailbreak to come out? That's right, they've been working on it since the iPad2 was released in March. Four months for a jailbreak to give you the 3rd party features equivalent of... Android. Who knows how long it will be the next time a new iPad/iDevice comes out. Compares that to the usual quick turn-around of rooting an Android device.
I'm happy that you're happy with your iPad 2. It's a nice device. But it sounds like you're just an iOS fan who tried Android and didn't like it.
I'm so glad you guys posted such thorough responses, so now I don't have to. I particularly like the point about why an Apple Fanboy felt the need to post his decision in an Android forum was beyond sensible.
goalweiser said:
I agree with G1 and the person above but since you decided to share...let me take a turn.
Why you felt the need to justify your iPad 2 choice in an Android related forum is beyond me.
You either realize or fail to see that Apple purposefully limits their tech. Minimal upgrades between generations. Even the newest iPhone won't support 4G from what I have heard yet they want to use LTE patents against Google?
Your train of thought that the iPad 2 is perfect is already starting to form.
The iPad's dimensions do not in any way make it better for video, reading, and web surfing. I was just having a debate with a friend who started complaining about where the dock port was on my Galaxy Tab 10.1. He was quickly shut up when I pointed out that cell phones have the port at the bottom so our hands can grip the sides. However a tablet is meant to be held in LANDSCAPE...that's why sticking the port in a different place was a smart decision.
Point being...he turned into another person claiming everything is horrible with Android. Guess what? He never owned an Android device. He actually has a Touch Pro 2 right now. IGNORANCE!
Look I've had an iPad. I know that jailbreaking it is POINTLESS. Your battery dies out super fast, the app selection is fairly weak, and all of that jailbreaking does nothing but try to replicate an Android experience. But it fails.
Unlike you, I do care about the future. I don't want to live in a world where everybody has the same glossy tablet with a slippery back so you can drop the darn thing. I don't want to be told what I can and cannot do on my tablet. I do not want to support any company intent on holding back technological progress for the sake of money or who buys patents just to sue other companies out performing them.
You have EVERY right to buy an iPad 2 but just know that your choices and who you choose to support speaks volumes. I have friends just like you. One day they're talking about freedom and openness. The next day they're justifying EVERYTHING Apple does. Cool. As long as I have a choice too.
As for your claims about Windows 8, it only serves to buttress how you allowed us yourself to come to your decision.
"Ignorance is bliss." That should be Apple's new tagline.
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Click to collapse
God, I really like this post. Spoke about everything I wanted to say.
I dont want to be told what I can or cannot do. I want to tweak, optimize and control every setting that I can. There are tons of problems with JB and everyone, even a non-apple user like me, knows it. And without JB youre just living in a matrix that Steve Jobs dictates.
I would really like to hear the OP thoughts on flash. My friend tried to buy something on the web and couldnt use her credit card on the iphone. in the end I bought it for her using-yes my samsung 10.1- and she wrote me a check. And Steve Jobs is saying people dont need/shouldnt use/ cannot use flash on their mobile device.
This kinda makes me think of how I am training my 2 year old son to use the potty.
hmmm
I just recently got a galaxy tab 10.1, after spending the last month using an ipad2, I need both tablets for an app i am building.
And I can tell you this much, anyone that has an iphone will love an ipad2. Anyone that uses an ipad2 will be very very very happy with it.
But trust me, use that device for a month, then switch to honeycomb..... and it will blow you away.
One think I can say about apple is so easy to use, than it becomes boring after a while.thats why I have the samsung galaxy tab.
evolishesh said:
One think I can say about apple is so easy to use, than it becomes boring after a while.thats why I have the samsung galaxy tab.
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Click to collapse
Apple's draw over its competitors has been its simplicity for years - well before Android. Back in the day it was Microsoft. The sad truth is that reduced functionality in a shinier package is what most people want. Thankfully for those of us with a bit more intelligence, we have products like Android to keep us entertained.
SolusCado said:
Apple's draw over its competitors has been its simplicity for years - well before Android. Back in the day it was Microsoft. The sad truth is that reduced functionality in a shinier package is what most people want. Thankfully for those of us with a bit more intelligence, we have products like Android to keep us entertained.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right. I love android and its platform
Um, wow. Glad everyone else said already literally everything I could think of responding to the OP with.
And personally, I will never buy a Win8 tablet until I can wipe it and install Android, Ubuntu or MeeGo on it.
Lorddeff07 said:
hmmm
I just recently got a galaxy tab 10.1, after spending the last month using an ipad2, I need both tablets for an app i am building.
And I can tell you this much, anyone that has an iphone will love an ipad2. Anyone that uses an ipad2 will be very very very happy with it.
But trust me, use that device for a month, then switch to honeycomb..... and it will blow you away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the non-ipad users, could you elaborate some points on that? I just want to know some actual comparisons aside from the well advertised facts, ex: flash.
All of these tablets have their quirks and flaws. Mostly with the software. I actually need to return my second 10.1 because it's been randomly turning off like my first. Must be due to heat.
In any case, I will wait for the next batch of tablets instead. Hopefully we start getting some stuff that's really spectacular. Like a processor that can handle the native resolution of HC and has more video codecs.
Colors are pretty drab on ipad and saturated on tab. Both screens need calibration.
Tabs screen is brighter and higher Res. Side by side with same pics regardless of source tab wins everytime. Anyone saying otherwise needs prescription checked.
There's a reason ipadhd is coming. Apple knows full well there display is now second rate.
dcc22 said:
After I could compare the Ipad2, 10.1 and Transformer for days now, I decided to go and buy an Ipad2. Yes, I turned my back on Android and here's why:
10.1:
Very nice lookings, high quality and hardware but there is a big problem: the colors. On some pictures the saturation is so high that it kills lots of details every time 2 similar colors are nearby. Here you can see what I mean, check the right circle where orange and red meets - if the orange circle would be more reddish, you could hardly tell there are 2 rings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bkovoLXw4&feature=player_detailpage#t=208s
If you compare it to a perfect calibrated monitor, it looks like crap. Flashy, colorful and nice but details are gone. That's the one and only weaknes from what it offers. It's 16:9 display is a winner when it comes to videos but video playback is poor. Ipad2 is much better, even for flash, later more to come about it.
Another MAJOR problem is Samsung support. Android is a fresh system and needs tons of support. Samsung provides NONE. For EU, they still have no release dates or closer info about their device - just lol. For me, the 10.1 is just a step in the process to upgrade to Tegra3. They built the shell now and can use it for the next device to compete with Apple. Same like they did to the 10.1v - no support, they just forgot about it.
Transformer:
Diplay is pretty good but the build quality is crap. After I saw the Archos tablets with the bronze frame, I knew where Asus bought their stuff. Both have those sharp metal frames which are wrapped around the screen. TF and Archos have gaps between the frame and glas, with some kind of rubber to fill it. Asus tried to even out the sharp edges but you can see how cheap it is. Archos tablets can cut in your finger if you swipe around the edges ! For me: complete garbage quality, should cost 250$ max to satisfy the minimalist who just want's to read or something.
Ipad2:
This device is pretty awesome. First I thought the 4:3 diplay sucks for reading but after I measured books and calculated ratios, they were ALL closer to Ipad2 standards. That menas you will have less wasted space on Ipad. When surfing internet you will learn to love 4:3, everything fits perfectly while you feel how broken sites are on 16:9. The drawback are 16:9 movies without a border and the good about it, you have FULLSCREEN ! in emulators without scaling. There are also a lot of older movies/series with 4:3, which I prefer on travel anyway.
It is fluent everywhere and feels like my Galaxy S after getting the lagfix. Stock 3.1 is bull**** compared to it. The only point where it is superior, are widgets.
Root/Jailbreak/Flash:
Jailbreaking an Ipad is a piece of cake, visit a website, click on a button, your done. No bull**** to flash around or to risk your device. After that you have Cydia which is an alternative market. You can also add repos to it, so you gain access to apps of all kind, also the not so legal ones.
You can play Flash Videos on Ipad using Iswifter or other apps. Inconvinient sometimes but to my surprise, they are fluent on the Ipad - Androids are sluggish. The Ipad even played a movie fluent with 10 other flash animations around it !
The crappy part about the Ipad is itunes and the structure how app files are arranged. Every app has it's own folder, so if you use FTP or something to transfer via network, you have to put those files IN the app folder, so they can find it. Not a big deal, if the app folder wouln't be named like 429403290239203023948393. Android is way better, copy somewhere on SD and browse it. Sure you can use itunes to put everything together but Itunes won't work with Jailbroken apps from Cydia. This breaks the use of my NAS server at home, leaving me with ****ty USB-to-PC solutions if I want it the easy way. Music and Videos which are supported by NAS can be played over UPNP but I found more nice apps for that on Android as I could on Ipad.
Conclusion:
10.1 is a nice device but it's like to own a ferrari and only have crappy roads to drive on. Android kills the Tab, sadly. It's good for smartphones but not for tabs - it's worse as an alpha build of windows. Every manufactuerer does what he wants, there are no standards. Compatibility between Android versions are a joke - imagine you upgrade from win7 to win8 and everything stops working - arrrrrrrgh.
This may be fixed with 4.0 but it will take another 1-2 years for the software. Until then, there will be Win8, which could break Androids neck (if it's compatible to Win7 programms!). Also I can sell the Ipad2 for 200-300 bucks, even if Ipad3 is released, so screw it, will lose ~150-200€ to it. But it will buy me at least 6 months of fun.
The best is, I don't have to care about the future. There is no "will it work after OS upgrade" problem with Apple.
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Click to collapse
I did the same thing,I had the transformer for week return it and waited for the galaxy tab,I love the galaxy tab but too much force closes and app crashing.I exchange tab for ipad2 and jailbreak it.
I am very happy with the ipad,but I miss honeycomb,hope ice-cream sandwich and all manufactures they stop using nvidia Tegra
The hardware is there, and Google is revving up for Ice Cream Sandwich right now, which will hopefully bring some much needed changes to current Android
Tablets.
Sent from my Fascinate with MIUI Gingerbread
The fact that you're here means you don't mind getting your hands dirty.
So you have one simple choice - have your device running as you want it by managing the device yourself, loading ROMs from XDA - or not and wait until Apple decide to fix something.
XDA is fantastic - here there's talented bunch of guys & gals mixing & matching the best features from roms of different vendors into something unique.
There is no comparison between Apple & Android.