Response to Hack-A-Day - Post Screenshots here

Response to Hack-A-Day - Post Screenshots here - Nexus One General

This is a thread to show hack-a-day what a unprofessional and outright dumb move they made by posting that article. I think it would be a great idea if everyone dropped a comment on the hackaday site for the 10 missing things for Android / 10 things for Gingerbread article and post the screenshot here. I have attached mine below along with the link to the article.
And yes I am really angered by their dumb approach. How do you not know that Android has folders, I mean co'mmon.
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http://hackaday.com/2010/07/10/top-10-features-wed-like-to-see-in-android-3-0/
Per cxdist, just to show I am not trying to drive hits, Article Below
Top 10 features we’d like to see in Android 3.0
posted Jul 10th 2010 8:00am by Jacob Nahin
filed under: android hacks, rants
Poor Google. Despite its numerous capabilities with smartphones spread across a variety of carriers, Android still struggles to garner the prestige and positive perceptions of iOS 4. Sales continue to rise, but at the end of the day, the average person is still left lusting for an iPhone. Well, here are 10 features that should be added to Android 3.0 that could change the tide.
1. A no-brainer task manager.
Google says Android doesn’t need a task manager, that it closes programs efficiently without any user-intervention, substandard apps often suck memory dry. Because of this, Android users are forced to download complicated task-managers, each with its own odd UI, and weigh which one works the best. Google, please fess up to the problem and put something in there a computer novice could use. Something with big buttons would be nice.
2. Stable Multitasking
Speaking of crashes, multitasking on Android is a mess. A little optimization here wouldn’t hurt. Better yet, while this may run counter-productive to us power-users, why not release a lite version of Android 3.0 that doesn’t support multitasking? Not every user needs it and lower-end phones would appreciate it
3. Swype
Google, your Android keyboard sucks. That’s why the fine folks at Swype Inc developed their product. Sure, some of the newer Android phones like the Droid X are releasing with it built in, but it would be a boon for the OS to come packaged with this software.
4. IR- sender support
On the hardware side of things, an IR-sender support is a “duh.” Imagine a next generation of remotes running on Android. Better yet, how would you like to control your lights and home-entertainment center with your phone without the sometimes-complicated mess of configuring through a network?
5. Universal pinch-to-zoom
Some apps have it. Some apps don’t. C’mon, this should be standard by now.
6. Folders
Google, you copied iOS’s homescreen UI, why not do it again? Many of users have outgrown their limited pages and would like a way to add some organization to their mobile lives.
7. SD-Card support for app-storage
If users are going to download a ton of apps from the Android Market, they need somewhere to put them. Users with rooted phones can already do this, but expandable storage should be standard in app-filled world with insatiable memory lust.
8. Built-in syncing
If the Android is going to succeed as a user-friendly platform, it needs to make it easy for people to add their music, photos, and video to their phones. It’s simple Google. Develop some web-based software and launch it as a beta. You do it for everything else…
9. Standardized UI for all apps
I’m all for artistic interpretation, but the reason so many functional apps get low scores is because they work differently than the rest of the OS. Once again, do what Apple did and come up with better UI guidelines.
10. Better market
Why can’t I queue downloads from the web? That would be awesome. How about a better way to navigate the store from my laptop? Despite the thousands of apps the Android Market hosts, it is stuck with the same problems as Apple’s iOS4. More importantly than any of the above, Google needs to innovate here. Change the way mobile markets work Google and you could win this war.
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They got you driving up site hits. Sounds like a great move to me.

cxdist said:
They got you driving up site hits. Sounds like a great move to me.
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Oh no dude, I cant stand hackaday, there just punks because they deleted the comment i left on the site. I mean an alternative would be just to post the article here and comment here. F&#K their hits.

I can't agree more that the article was written by a bumbling idiot, but how is this remotely related to development. Don't be a fool too, post in the right section.

isolated_epidemic said:
I can't agree more that the article was written by a bumbling idiot, but how is this remotely related to development. Don't be a fool too, post in the right section.
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Dude your right. Mod please post in the General Nexus One section. Thanks, Its 4:00am here so my bad.

flak0 said:
Dude your right. Mod please post in the General Nexus One section. Thanks, Its 4:00am here so my bad.
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Great find though, I always enjoy a solid chuckle before bed. Just like Fox News that guy apparently did zero research on his subject matter.

isolated_epidemic said:
Great find though, I always enjoy a solid chuckle before bed. Just like Fox News that guy apparently did zero research on his subject matter.
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lol true. i hate fanboys that don't know shiznit!

1. A no-brainer task manager.
Just because Google hasn't integrated it itself doesn't mean it doesn't exist. The article is right that Google hasn't released their own, but a task manager like ATK works perfectly fine. There are plenty of missing things in iOS4 that customers have relied on third party developers to fill the void.
2. Stable Multitasking
I lol'ed. Multitasking on my N1 works wonders compared to the "multitasking" on my iOS4 iPod Touch.
3. Swype
The default keyboard doesn't suck (I personally prefer it over Swype). But it is retarded to not acknowledge that Swype's closed-beta situation right now and limited manufacturer partners is probably the reason. Not Google.
4. IR- sender support
I couldn't care less about IR at this point. Haven't had it on a phone in years and don't miss it one bit. I'd rather have the ability to control devices over WiFi. Devices still relying on IR need to catch up as opposed to Google going backwards.
5. Universal pinch-to-zoom
Has anyone been able to pinch-to-zoom yet on their iOS4 homescreens? 'nuff said.
6. Folders
I didn't realize that the organized folders I have on my stock Android homescreens are figments of my imagination or have been magically created in my sleep by anally organized unicorns.
7. SD-Card support for app-storage
Really? Hi Froyo. Oh and I wish I could move apps to SD on my iPod Touch... (as most know, "storage capacity on an iDevice does not equal the amount of app RAM).
8. Built-in syncing
For media, I will say I do agree. A 1st party sync tool for media would be nice. But for PIM functionality, I much prefer the OTA syncing as opposed to having to remember to tether to my MacBook when I need to move info (except for those on Exchange which doesn't really count in this case because it goes without saying).
9. Standardized UI for all apps
God forbid developers have the right to design their apps the way they see fit instead of being told they all have to look a certain way!! I'm a unique and creative guy. I like my apps the same way.
10. Better market
iOS4's walled garden approach makes sense in many ways and doesn't make sense in many others. Android's approach leaves more of a possibility for trouble. But crap apps fill most of Apple's app store (not saying there isn't tons of crap in Android's market though) and clearly the walled garden approach isn't in place to give users only apps worth needing/buying. My one Android suggestion in this category? Buy AppBrain.

The One feature needed on Iphone 5...
The ability to hold a telephone conversation. Seriously Apple, fix that $***

How hard is it to get a non-biased article? Or at least one that respects the pros and cons of both operating systems. Anyhow I wrote the following, can't see it getting posted though
Seriously? This is the most impressive piece of fan boy horse **** I’ve read in a long time. Both operating systems have their pros and cons but to put zero research into an article is simply embarassing.
1 is nonsense as you can end each application through the settings – applications menu.
2 and 3 are purely subjective and as android is *OPEN* you can replace/hack the default keyboard in mere seconds.
4 While I would like this feature, I can’t see how it’s a DUH! feature. It’s obvious this will be integrated with the release of Google TV and similar.
5 makes zero sense as not all applications need pinch to zoom. Would p2z really be necessary in the calendar application or the music application? No. Also where is iOS’s p2z on the home screen? Oh its missing….
6 Now this is my favorite part, android has had folders since 1.5. That’s right, before iOS 3.
7 Froyo supports this perfectly, nuff said.
8 I agree with this point, a better *MEDIA* syncing experience is necessary. However application and data syncing even after a factory reset is perfect at the moment, I simply sign into my google account and everything is restored.
9 Please don’t restrict Android like iOS, we like originality and uniqueness. Demanding system wide standardization pretty much gives up on any significant advancements in the future.
10 This day in age no-one needs to queue downloads. If you’re using a connection which needs to queue sub 1mb downloads then Android vs iOS is the least of your worries. Admittedly I would like a way to access the marketplace on my laptop.
All in all, there was zero subjectivity in this article. Even on the areas that any Android user would agree to, the attitude used is that of an iOS fan boy. Poor show hackaday.
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adambenjamin said:
The One feature needed on Iphone 5...
The ability to hold a telephone conversation. Seriously Apple, fix that $***
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hold down the mute button for a couple of second and it'll change to hold.

mtl171 said:
hold down the mute button for a couple of second and it'll change to hold.
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I'm pretty sure they were referring to the high rate of call dropping and call failures that many people use as a target of insult towards the iPhone crowd. Not the ability to put the call on hold.

obstacles can kill said:
I'm pretty sure they were referring to the high rate of call dropping and call failures that many people use as a target of insult towards the iPhone crowd. Not the ability to put the call on hold.
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supposedly the new iphone fixes it. though you lose bars when you hold it(messed up reception algorithm)

We seriously need a new blog site to respond to all of those biased, ignorant, uneducated, and lack of research articles posted in many blog sites (even sometimes the big sites make mistakes too). I think a site like this would be fun to read

ohh, I mean hold, as in not drop the call actually. My iphone could not hold on to a call.

NexusDro said:
We seriously need a new blog site to respond to all of those biased, ignorant, uneducated, and lack of research articles posted in many blog sites (even sometimes the big sites make mistakes too). I think a site like this would be fun to read
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Well I turned my rebuttal to it into a blog post on my site. If anyone supports my response to the article, you are more than welcome to share it.
Oh and if linking to my site for this reason is against policy (I don't think it is because I've seen external linking previously), I fully apologize and will remove the link or will understand if a mod does it.
And here is the pic I used for the article:
http://www.erictate.com/2010/07/11/hack-a-day-loses-their-cred-outside-of-ifanboys/

Thanks Everyone for your Input & responses. I agree with building the blog site against this article. Hackaday will not only lose credibility but they will also lose readers. Thats like Engadget saying that Android needs Adobe Flash in 3.0. I mean really, okay I will go back to work now.

The posting: http://hackaday.com/2010/07/10/top-10-features-wed-like-to-see-in-android-3-0/
They have since admitted that the article is not very accurate.
Hello HaD readers,
Sorry for the delay in updating this. I was on probation while the editors worked with Jason to figure out some things.
Clearly, for my recent debut article, I didn’t research Android OS well enough. After reading each of your comments, I realize that the article fell short of HaD’s and its readers standards for high-quality writing and reporting. Every point I made in the article were problems I noticed in my experience with Android, but I should have done more research on others’ experiences and the capabilities of each version of the OS. To each reader, I am sorry and will do better by you in future posts.
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1. A no-brainer task manager.
Google says Android doesn’t need a task manager, that it closes programs efficiently without any user-intervention, substandard apps often suck memory dry. Because of this, Android users are forced to download complicated task-managers, each with its own odd UI, and weigh which one works the best. Google, please fess up to the problem and put something in there a computer novice could use. Something with big buttons would be nice.
Included in a OS thats designed to take care of this?
2. Stable Multitasking
Speaking of crashes, multitasking on Android is a mess. A little optimization here wouldn’t hurt. Better yet, while this may run counter-productive to us power-users, why not release a lite version of Android 3.0 that doesn’t support multitasking? Not every user needs it and lower-end phones would appreciate it
Is there anything more stable than the linux kernel? brainwashed by apple?
3. Swype
Google, your Android keyboard sucks. That’s why the fine folks at Swype Inc developed their product. Sure, some of the newer Android phones like the Droid X are releasing with it built in, but it would be a boon for the OS to come packaged with this software.
It does not suck. Again the door is open to install any number of keyboards and choose!
4. IR- sender support
On the hardware side of things, an IR-sender support is a “duh.” Imagine a next generation of remotes running on Android. Better yet, how would you like to control your lights and home-entertainment center with your phone without the sometimes-complicated mess of configuring through a network?
heard of Google TV? You can control it using the network/wifi. An IR sender would be nice and geeky, but not required in a phone.
5. Universal pinch-to-zoom
Some apps have it. Some apps don’t. C’mon, this should be standard by now.
(and again) The OS supports it. Apps that need it can incorporate it.
6. Folders
Google, you copied iOS’s homescreen UI, why not do it again? Many of users have outgrown their limited pages and would like a way to add some organization to their mobile lives.
thats a nice big rock you got there
7. SD-Card support for app-storage
If users are going to download a ton of apps from the Android Market, they need somewhere to put them. Users with rooted phones can already do this, but expandable storage should be standard in app-filled world with insatiable memory lust.
thats a nice big rock you got there
8. Built-in syncing
If the Android is going to succeed as a user-friendly platform, it needs to make it easy for people to add their music, photos, and video to their phones. It’s simple Google. Develop some web-based software and launch it as a beta. You do it for everything else…
best sync in the industry. No need to isntall iToons bloatware. More anti-google statements. Their betas are excellent!
9. Standardized UI for all apps
I’m all for artistic interpretation, but the reason so many functional apps get low scores is because they work differently than the rest of the OS. Once again, do what Apple did and come up with better UI guidelines.
The default UI is standardized, the SDK provides so much scope for customizing . If you want a shiny UI wait for gingerbread.
10. Better market
Why can’t I queue downloads from the web? That would be awesome. How about a better way to navigate the store from my laptop? Despite the thousands of apps the Android Market hosts, it is stuck with the same problems as Apple’s iOS4. More importantly than any of the above, Google needs to innovate here. Change the way mobile markets work Google and you could win this war.
Desktop market browsing is about to be released. (get out from that rock and watch GoogleIO 2010). Downloads DO get queued

Related

IPhone 0 - HTC 1!

Just had to post this somewhere (sorry!)
In all comparison reviews & tests between the Iphone and HTC - they always bring up that Apple has thousands of apps available in their store and WM doesnt. Someone should tell them that there are thousands of applications for Windows Mobile out there - and for free!!
And they are actually usefull stuff, compared to Apples costy gimmicks (which according to
studies people only use once or twice then ditch them).
Spread the word!

Then it's Apple 1 Microsoft 0 for Microsoft's failure to get all these apps into the marketplace where they can be easily accessed and impress the reviewers.
Absolutely no relevance to HTC.

Let's leave it 1-1 then and not start an Apple vs HTC/MS discussion/flamewar again.
Don't think this thread was necessary - but jannen is right when he says "spread the word". Bashing Windows Mobile for no good reason is a recent trend among bloggers that's really sad.

I've just got to say, if most of the WM apps are placed into WM MarketPlace then a large proportion of them won't be free.
Apple makes it easier for consumers by having them all in one place else no one would find anything for the iPhone. Most WM users are quite adept at hunting down useful applications so it doesn't really bother most of the users.

Can people please post links to these so called good apps? As I have searched and found little that I think is nice to look at as what free ones I have seen look like the old BBC game "Elite"
I'm not an XDa Dev boff, have no idea where to look.
Tried to search WM 6.5 apps/widgets/games, HD2 apps, games... all come up with poo apps
Links please? (if allowed, cant see why they wouldnt) and obviously not warez.

cobnut said:
Can people please post links to these so called good apps? As I have searched and found little that I think is nice to look at as what free ones I have seen look like the old BBC game "Elite"
I'm not an XDa Dev boff, have no idea where to look.
Tried to search WM 6.5 apps/widgets/games, HD2 apps, games... all come up with poo apps
Links please? (if allowed, cant see why they wouldnt) and obviously not warez.
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I used to have a BBC and played a lot of Elite. I'd LOVE it if you could get a version for windows mobile!
Edit:
DAMNIT!!! I found it on Handango, but it's no longer available
Edit:
YES!!!! http://www.eliteppc.com/

jannen said:
Just had to post this somewhere (sorry!)
In all comparison reviews & tests between the Yellow pages and my Outlook- they always bring up that yellow pages has thousands of numbers available in their book and my Outlook doesnt. Someone should tell them that there are thousands of phone numbers for people out there - and for free!!
And they are actually usefull people, compared to Outlooks boring people (which according to
studies people only call once or twice then ditch them).
Spread the word!
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Edited for accuracy. Worst pro WM argument ever!

LOL, me too.
BTW, I just spotted the themes and applications section tit

Sorry
Didnt want to start a war here. Iphone has its merits as does Nokia as does many other phones. We all have a phone we love, mine is WM.
Just dont think its fair Windows Mobile gets bad rep for not having apps available, which is not true. There are many out there and most are free. If they were put to a marketplace... well, obviosly they wouldnt be free...
Sorry if I upset any... (think you guys are still cool! this is still the best forum)

jannen said:
Didnt want to start a war here. Iphone has its merits as does Nokia as does many other phones. We all have a phone we love, mine is WM.
Just dont think its fair Windows Mobile gets bad rep for not having apps available, which is not true. There are many out there and most are free. If they were put to a marketplace... well, obviosly they wouldnt be free...
Sorry if I upset any... (think you guys are still cool! this is still the best forum)
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If that was because of my post, I apologise. It's not always easy to tell when someone is just pulling someones leg on forums I agree M$ must improve its marketplace and correlate all worthy apps in one place, or it will not stand a chance in the coming months.

OP has a point, this is my first windows phone and the marketplace is (currently) crap!
Any links like this one:
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/
where I can get some decent win mo software would be nice

what bugs me is that most of the apps (especially games) i found are for qvga devices, so look TERRIBLE on my lovely HD2 screen
thats the advantge of the iphone, like consoles, developers know Exactly what hardware they have to work with.

docchris1980 said:
thats the advantge of the iphone, like consoles, developers know Exactly what hardware they have to work with.
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The iPhone still has a ****ty HVGA screen. That needs to change soon, otherwise competitors will extend the lead even more in terms of hardware. The screen of the HD2, for example, already is a huge advantage, it makes everything from web browsing to reading mail, books etc. a lot more pleasant.
What happens then? Games developed for the 2G/3G/3GS iPhone may not work anymore, developers will have to develop for different hardware just like they have to do on Windows Mobile.
And by the way, there are lots of games for WVGA available. Really lots of them, and good ones.

The debate around AppStore v Marketplace is entirely spurious and makes about as much sense as saying my six month old child can't walk or talk as well as my neighbour's three year old.
There are a host of excellent, mature applications available for the PPC platform that are entirely independent of Marketplace (and I hope they remain so). A significant percentage of the best PPC apps were also around long before the iPhone was even a bulge in Steve Job's trousers.
In those terms the iPhone is still miles behind, although I admit that if you are looking for a fluffy little puffball of pointless visual nonsense with which to amuse the hard of thinking, the iPhone has to be the platform of choice.
While I admire the OP's intentions in trying to balance out the pointlessly negative threads posted by those with a suspiciously pro-iPhone agenda, I suspect we are all just going over the same old ground and should simply agree to disagree before it all decends into another flame war.
I'd therefore propose that we close this thread and get on with some of the business that concerns the device that brought us all here in the first place, rather than fretting about how it stacks up against other devices.

Gustopher said:
if you are looking for a fluffy little puffball of pointless visual nonsense with which to amuse the hard of thinking, the iPhone has to be the platform of choice.
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sorry but I cant help my response to that...
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maati said:
The iPhone still has a ****ty HVGA screen. That needs to change soon, otherwise competitors will extend the lead even more in terms of hardware. The screen of the HD2, for example, already is a huge advantage, it makes everything from web browsing to reading mail, books etc. a lot more pleasant.
What happens then? Games developed for the 2G/3G/3GS iPhone may not work anymore, developers will have to develop for different hardware just like they have to do on Windows Mobile.
And by the way, there are lots of games for WVGA available. Really lots of them, and good ones.
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Forget the screen just plug the fluffy puffball into the telly

custardo01 said:
Forget the screen just plug the fluffy puffball into the telly
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Sorry, but buying an iPhone for playing games on the TV is stupid. There are PCs and consoles for that which are much more fun.
For gaming on the go, the HD2 is at least as good, if not better. I really enjoy playing all my SNES games on the HD2, those alone are already more than the total amount of games you find in the iPhone AppStore
Soon there's a new version of FPSCE and we can play our PSX games on the HD2, all of them being better than anything you can find in the AppStore.
Just look at that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5JoNUFHbJY
There's absolutely NOTHING in the AppStore that can compete with that.
And there are also lots of good standalone games for the HD2, like NFS undercover, Asphalt 4, POP, ..............

maati said:
Sorry, but buying an iPhone for playing games on the TV is stupid. There are PCs and consoles for that which are much more fun.
For gaming on the go, the HD2 is at least as good, if not better. I really enjoy playing all my SNES games on the HD2, those alone are already more than the total amount of games you find in the iPhone AppStore
Soon there's a new version of FPSCE and we can play our PSX games on the HD2, all of them being better than anything you can find in the AppStore.
Just look at that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5JoNUFHbJY
There's absolutely NOTHING in the AppStore that can compete with that.
And there are also lots of good standalone games for the HD2, like NFS undercover, Asphalt 4, POP, ..............
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I know what you mean and I am far too old for playing these sort of games but it is nice to have a working option. Spent thousands of pounds on HTC devices and they all have the registry entry but no function - very frustrating. You could always do some serious browsing or emailing or anything. Just an option.

TP2 has TV out if you want that. I don't get why someone would want to connect the phone to a TV for browsing or playing games... TV out for presentations: Yes, but for games?! Doesn't make sense, there's much better devices than phones for this.
Anyway, the HD2 is really the best phone for gaming.

Gustopher said:
The debate around AppStore v Marketplace is entirely...
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Hear...hear!
The truth is that all this hype abot the iPhone having more apps than windows mobile is as specious as it is purely PROPAGANDA! I know at least 4 people who get paid specifically to start a "blogging" campaign for or against whatever you want. This WinMo bashing campaign does look suspicious!
Just because the iPhone has a centeralized "marketplace" for alllll their fart apps doesn't mean that their measely 25,000 apps collection meets or exceeds what's available for CE. I personally have 2.8 Gigabytes of apps just for winmo 5+ (after cleaning and deleting old versions etc...).
In reality, it is just impossible to account for the windows mobile application base; software developers have been enriching windows mobile for more than 10 years, and they market their software independantly.
Personally, I bought, used, and gifted away my iPhone in a month! Yes, smooth animation, slick UI, a thin base of useful apps ( the rest are over-polished iFarts really), but no utility beyond that of an iPod whatsoever. The damn thing couldn't even handle basic "Cut-n-Paste" until it was later introduced as an "advanced update", let alone lack of multitasking, customizability, and its uselessness as a business phone -author & edit documents, spreadsheets, presentation, fax, OCR, exchange mail, etc... forget it! You want advanced functionality, enterprise mobility, a business solution? There really is only one way ----> The WinMo way.
For all its hype, the iPhone is a "chick-flick"; a fluffy darling you take to the manicure parlor! Its made for simplicity not multitasking, streamlined experience, not customizability; BASIC simple-minded FUNCTIONALITY!
And if you're here to start a flame-war, so be it; this is, and has been, an HTC/WinMo forum from day 1... You've brought your iPhone to the wrong shop honey!

Boy Genius Reports goes off the deep end.

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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One internets for you sir.

[Slate] What's Wrong With Android: If Google fixes one simple thing, its OS will surp

http://www.slate.com/id/2244165/
What's Wrong With Android
If Google fixes one simple thing, its operating system will surpass the iPhone's.
By Farhad Manjoo
Posted Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010, at 5:48 PM ET
Nexus One. Click image to expand.Nexus One When Google launched the Nexus One in January, the company hit on an odd bit of marketing to distinguish the new phone from its rivals. This was a "superphone," Google said—every other cellular device on the market was merely "smart." The designation didn't make much sense—despite what Google would have you believe, the Nexus One doesn't have any major features that set it apart from other top-of-the-line phones. It makes calls, does e-mail, and browses the Web; so do the iPhone, the Palm Pre, various BlackBerrys, and every other Android phone. All top-end smartphones have Wi-Fi, 3G, and GPS. They've all got app stores that can give you access to a wide variety of third-party programs. And though smartphones come in two distinct hardware flavors—either with or without a physical keyboard—they are all very pretty to look at.
If you're looking to buy a new smartphone, then, the most important thing to ask isn't "What does it do?" Instead, it's "How does it do it?" Phones that seem identical on paper turn out to be wildly different once you turn them on. The most important feature on any phone is one rarely mentioned in a spec list: the operating system. If the OS is clunky and overstuffed, like what you'll find on the BlackBerry, you'll have a devil of a time doing everything on your device. If it's stylish and intuitive, like the iPhone's, you'll find your phone a pleasure.
So where does the Nexus One fall in that range? Right near the top. I've been using Google's new phone for a month, more or less as a replacement for my own phone, the iPhone 3GS. Google has described the Nexus One as a kind of concept car for its open-source Android platform—the company designed the phone from top-to-bottom in order to show off how awesome an Android phone can really be. To that end, the Nexus One succeeds. If I were forced to give up my iPhone, I'd replace it with a Nexus One.
But I hope that doesn't come to pass. I like the Nexus One, I really do—but it has a long way to go to catch up with Apple's device.
The essential problem is that Android's interface is much less intuitive than the iPhone's. Much of the OS's functionality is hidden—Android can do a lot, but unlike the iPhone it keeps many of its options stuffed in menu bars. As a result, the Nexus One asks new users to climb a steeper learning curve. You've got to poke around every program to find out how to do its most basic tasks. Even once you've learned the easy stuff, the OS is still a struggle—it takes several steps to do something on Android that you can do in one step on the iPhone.
To illustrate my point, look at both phones' calendar programs. Here are shots of each phone's "month view"—the Nexus One is on the left, and the iPhone on the right:*
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As you can see, the Nexus One's screen offers a bit more detail than the iPhone's. It gives you a little indicator bar next to each day of the month to show how much of the day has been booked up, while the iPhone adds only a small bold dot on any day with an appointment—which doesn't tell you much in a quick glance.
But say you want to change your calendar—if you need to add an appointment or switch to a daily view, for instance. Even if you've never used one before, it's obvious how you'd do so on the iPhone—every button is right on the screen. To add an appointment, just click the plus sign in the top right corner. To switch to a daily view, hit "Day." To look at another calendar, tap the "Calendars" button.
Doing those same things on the Nexus One isn't as obvious, because many of its functions are hidden in a list of options that require you to hit an additional button first—the phone's universal Menu button, which is not on the screen but under it, one of four built-in buttons below the screen. To add an appointment, you've got to hit Menu first, then click the Plus icon. To switch to the weekly view, do the same thing—first hit Menu, then choose the weekly option. But that's not all: There's another menu button hidden under this menu. When you hit this menu-within-menu, you'll get another list of options, including one to adjust which of your calendars is displayed—an option that, on the iPhone, is presented on the calendar's main screen.
This problem is not confined to the calendar app—it's everywhere on Android, in Google's built-in apps as well as third-party programs you download from the app store. To search for an address in the iPhone's map program, you click the search bar at the top of your screen; to do the same thing in Android's map program, you hit Menu first, then Search. To load a bookmarked Web page in the iPhone's browser, you hit the bookmark icon. To do so in Android, you've got to—you guessed it—hit Menu first, then Bookmark.
Android partisans might counter that you need to learn only one thing to use the phone: When in doubt, hit Menu and everything will be revealed. That's true; after using the Nexus One for some time, I eventually learned to click this universal button when an option wasn't immediately visible. But the constant menu hunting isn't ideal. First, it's a hurdle to new users—it's not obvious that you've got to keep clicking this button to look for features that ought to be highlighted on a single screen. What's more, the hidden menus slow you down. The whole point of loading up the maps program is to look up an address; why would you hide that option under a menu bar?
I think the answer comes down to a philosophical difference between the Apple and Google user interface teams. With the iPhone, Apple is clearly trying to make a complete break with desktop operating systems. The iPhone's Human Interface Guidelines—Apple's instructions for developers creating iPhone apps—are clear on this point, stressing that every iPhone app should highlight its main functions on its main screen, using icons that are easy to understand. "Make it obvious," the guidelines chide developers: "You can't assume that users have the time (or can spare the attention) to figure out how your application works. Therefore, you should strive to make your application instantly understandable to users."
The Android platform is much looser in this regard. Its interface guidelines don't discourage hidden menus: "All but the simplest applications have menus," the interface guide tells developers. In other words, under Android's design philosophy, menus are a natural consequence of complexity—and the more powerful a program, the more likely it is to be stuffed with hidden menus. That's a familiar view of computing, one deeply tied to the interface on the standard PC—after all, every program on your laptop or desktop hides much of its functionality under menus, too.
But that philosophy feels outmoded. We're increasingly abandoning desktop programs for most of our computing needs, and we're replacing them with Web apps or mobile apps that are much more straightforward to use. I rarely reach for menu bars anymore; the programs I use most often these days—Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps, Microsoft Office 2007, and nearly everything on my iPhone—present most of their functions on the main screen.
So come on, Android team— join the menu-free bandwagon! You've got a great OS—with a little work, it could be the best mobile operating system on the market. Wouldn't that be more obvious if you didn't keep everything hidden?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you guys think?
I'll hold my comments/rage in order to start this off objectively...

Basically, he's saying that Android needs to be dumbed down so that, just like the iPhone, it too can be useable by five-year-olds.
No thanks. Having intellectually developed beyond the age of five, I for one am capable of telling four soft buttons apart. A feat one can only expect of mental giants, I know, which I'm sure is asking too much of Apple fansheep.
"You can't assume that users have the time (or can spare the attention) to figure out how your application works. Therefore, you should strive to make your application instantly understandable to users."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Translation: assume everyone is a retard and develop accordingly. Sweet. Seriously, a more intuitive interface is good, but I feel that Android's plenty intuitive as it is. It just happens to offer more options to the end user (and presumably to developers too), which can't just all be vomited onto the app's main screen. I'll go with a greater range of options and customization over a one-button, idiot-proof UI, please.

grainysand said:
Basically, he's saying that Android needs to be dumbed down so that, just like the iPhone, it too can be useable by five-year-olds.
No thanks. Having intellectually developed beyond the age of five, I for one am capable of telling four soft buttons apart. A feat one can only expect of mental giants, I know, which I'm sure is asking too much of Apple fansheep.
Translation: assume everyone is a retard and develop accordingly. Sweet. Seriously, a more intuitive interface is good, but I feel that Android's plenty intuitive as it is. It just happens to offer more options to the end user (and presumably to developers too), which can't just all be vomited onto the app's main screen. I'll go with a greater range of options and customization over a one-button, idiot-proof UI, please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotta agree! I read this article last night, and was biting my tongue the whole time. I can't believe the guy had the balls to claim it takes too many key presses to do things on Android compared to the iPhone... Hmmm, lets check that:
He is wrong about making an appointment, in Android you can long press the day and it pops up a short list of options for that day, new event being one of them. I don't see how hard that is, or how it takes too many key presses, and actually it is the same # as the iPhone.
Lets make a phone call... on an iPhone you gotta find the dialer, then search the contact, yada yada yada.... on Android, just tap the contact short cut, or start typing a name in the search bar, or really hard here folks, hold down the search key until voice command turns on, then say "Call John Doe"...
And it goes on and on... Sure, Android has menus giving the user more options, but what is wrong with that? The only thing I agree with is that Android could be a bit prettier, well the 3rd party apps, and it will blow the iPhone out of the water given a little more refinement, especially considering as is it already is better.

pjcforpres said:
He is wrong about making an appointment, in Android you can long press the day and it pops up a short list of options for that day, new event being one of them. I don't see how hard that is, or how it takes too many key presses, and actually it is the same # as the iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
****, since I use a grid calendar widget, I don't even have to load up the calendar app to add new events. I swipe to the homescreen with said widget, press the desire date and voila: a dialog box pops up for me to enter the event name, more or less like the quick add in the full google calendar.
on Android, just tap the contact short cut, or start typing a name in the search bar, or really hard here folks, hold down the search key until voice command turns on, then say "Call John Doe"...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iPhone users might finally get contact shortcuts on their homescreen in the next iPhone--after three whole years! Revolutionary really, just like copy-and-paste and sending MMS were.

The essential problem is that Android's interface is much less intuitive than the iPhone's. Much of the OS's functionality is hidden—Android can do a lot, but unlike the iPhone it keeps many of its options stuffed in menu bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a load of crap. Seriously. Android is much quicker to use than apple's toy, probably the worst thing about the iPhone is that you have to open an app for EVERYTHING, even to read a tiny little SMS that was just sent to you. Opening apps = time, and is not at all as intuitive as having a custom living screen with the information you want displayed on it.
You're 100% right, pjcforpres. Dumbing devices down does not make them better. There are plenty ways to have an intuitive interface without cutting off options. I'd say the only thing really missing in android at the moment is not a dumb-phone-like drilling of limited options on the main screen, but a dumb-phone-like music player, or at least one with a simple five-band eq... I hope google don't take notice of idiots like the one who wrote that article and work on ADDING functionality to our devices, rather than taking it away.

First he was wrong on two points forgot what they were ((read this yesterday)).
Its amazing how only iphone people want there UI to be simpler. Hitting a Fn menu key is destroying the experience for you ?
Secondly
because many of its functions are hidden in a list of options that require you to hit an additional button first—the phone's universal Menu button,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How the hell is "MENU" something hidden.
His knock is a major plus in UI developing. When you can have a single dedicated button to sub menu options it makes UI creation ALOT easier. Your app will have more real estate to display relevant info and your interface will be less cluttered because of it.
From an OS standpoint the Menu button provides uniformity the Apple OS lacks. Every apps sub menus can be reached by the same button. Iphone the menus and options are often all over the place on apps.
N1 interface took a major leap forward IMO. The news genie app is a prototype to how simple and extremly functional an App can be.
What Android needs is better visual designers. They suck. Almost by default Iapps will have better visual appeal because many of the best graphic designers are already in the Apple ecosystem. They have a better talent pool.
Most apps on Android have the visuals seem almost like an afterthought. Heck even on XDA all the tons of useful apps that people have come up with few if any are actually visually well done. ((PURE apps being one of them)) and frankly even those are barely cracking "good" looking.
The fact they went to cooliris for the gallery , and rumored to be working with coreplayer guys for media player. At least makes me think Google acknowledge there visual appeal shortcomings.
Bottom line Iphone is Mcdonalds , Android is a nice restaurant.
Crying out for in your face menus and narrowed options makes me think you should just get up and go to the fastfood joint down the street.

To be fair this guy is just like me, a clearly longer term iPhone user who when faced with the differences is struggling. In the calendar app for example, yes you have to press an extra button, but in return you get more on the screen, a decent trade off in my opinion (as basically an iPhone fanboy).
It comes down to preference, and to be fair to the guy, he does say that if he had to get rid of the iPhone the N1 would be his pick.
I am trying to hold back on comments while I try to get to grips with Android after a good year plus on the iPhone, and today I used the N1 exclusively, left the 3GS at home.
What I found is that voice dialing is not as good as 3GS version, unless I am doing something wrong which is quite possible, and don't underestimate how useful Universal Search is on iPhone. From the First Home screen, (never more that 2 keypresses away), a single press always give a search function, which allows you to type anything and the list narrows down with each letter. It can be set to search in as many or as few catagories as you want, and in most cases you find what you need within a few letters.
When I saw the tittle of this post, I assumed this was the one thing he was talking about.
grainysand is right about one thing, Apple do take their sweet time to add stuff, but when they do, i.e Cut and Paste and Universal Search, it is class leading.
Kev
Kev

jay_zhead said:
even to read a tiny little SMS that was just sent to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now come on, if you are gonna pick on something, surely not this?
I have both phones here, so, I sent an SMS from my 3GS to my Nexus One, and made sure the screen was off. OK, so I get the noise and the flashing trackball. The screen does not come on. To read the message I have to Slide the lock over, and then I have to sweep the notifications bar down, and then I can see what the message is.
So I sent an SMS back to my 3GS from the N1, again, I made sure the iPhone screen was off.
I got my alert, it automatically turns my screen on, and the SMS is right there, on the screen, I do not have to OPEN anything at all. If I was away from my 3GS at the time, the message would still be right there when I next turn it on.
So, completely the opposite to what you are claiming. Wanna try again?
Kev

kevwright said:
To be fair this guy is just like me, a clearly longer term iPhone user who when faced with the differences is struggling. In the calendar app for example, yes you have to press an extra button, but in return you get more on the screen, a decent trade off in my opinion (as basically an iPhone fanboy).
It comes down to preference, and to be fair to the guy, he does say that if he had to get rid of the iPhone the N1 would be his pick.
I am trying to hold back on comments while I try to get to grips with Android after a good year plus on the iPhone, and today I used the N1 exclusively, left the 3GS at home.
What I found is that voice dialing is not as good as 3GS version, unless I am doing something wrong which is quite possible, and don't underestimate how useful Universal Search is on iPhone. From the First Home screen, (never more that 2 keypresses away), a single press always give a search function, which allows you to type anything and the list narrows down with each letter. It can be set to search in as many or as few catagories as you want, and in most cases you find what you need within a few letters.
When I saw the tittle of this post, I assumed this was the one thing he was talking about.
grainysand is right about one thing, Apple do take their sweet time to add stuff, but when they do, i.e Cut and Paste and Universal Search, it is class leading.
Kev
Kev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My problem is that there seems to be know comprehension of what a learning curve is.
Going form a nintendo wii to an xbox 360 is going to be daunting the first few days/weeks...why ? because you can do more. The less you can do the easier you can make things.
You seem to have a grasp of this curve..the writer and many others dont.
My issue is that these guys write blogs posts etc that may get Googles attention. Thus Google starts paying attention to things it doesnt need to change and takes attention from what DOES need changing.
As for you specifically Im glad youre giving it a shot and hope you enjoy it..
The universal search can be customized in the settings menu contacts/apps/songs/web even specific to certain apps.....
It can also be activated with one touch ((magnifying glass button on lower right))
Tap once for quick search , long press for voice search.

I think his whole reasoning just points out how GOOD the menu button is.
When he talks about having ALL of the buttons you need on the screen it just points out that you can have much MORE options with a menu button, the opposite to what he says. Also, when you put ALL of the buttons you need on the screen, you immediately lose a third of the screen.
To search for an address in the iPhone's map program, you click the search bar at the top of your screen; to do the same thing in Android's map program, you hit Menu first, then Search. To load a bookmarked Web page in the iPhone's browser, you hit the bookmark icon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
erm, no thanks. When I open my maps application I don't want to see a thousand options and a huge search bar, I want to see the MAP.
To do so in Android, you've got to—you guessed it—hit Menu first, then Bookmark.
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Click to collapse
Wrong again... just press the search button. I know 4 buttons gets complicated for the long time iPhone users but even my 4 year old niece can use my sister's G1. (she plays coloroid; opens it herself too).
Edit: I read a post somewhere from an iPhone user using the nexus one saying he couldn't figure out which button to use to complete a task, he found it confusing... What has Jobs done ¬¬

kevwright said:
I got my alert, it automatically turns my screen on, and the SMS is right there, on the screen, I do not have to OPEN anything at all. If I was away from my 3GS at the time, the message would still be right there when I next turn it on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Handcent sms allows you to customize this. You can make your screen turn on and pop up appear , or just in the notification bar.

kevwright said:
grainysand is right about one thing, Apple do take their sweet time to add stuff, but when they do, i.e Cut and Paste and Universal Search, it is class leading.
Kev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing, though, is that such things should have been there from the start. Apple's the king of limiting functions, so that when they finally release basic crap that should never have been left out in later versions, people will cough up money for it and dance for joy--whereas anyone sane would have been fed up with that lack in the first place and ditched Apple a long time ago. Everyone is trying to maximize profits, obviously, but none does it so brazenly and shamelessly as Apple. Their products aren't tools that function. They are status symbols, mostly informing the world that you have more money than sense (or have no understanding of finance management--I've seen tech-illiterate people who aren't exactly loaded go for a Mac because they buy into the advertising campaigns and that "it just works" bull, even though buying a Windows PC with equivalent/better hardware will cost them half the money).
Heck, the iPhone 3GS is still more expensive than an N1 even though it's running on horrifyingly outdated hardware.

I think everyone -who chose a phone with android OS- has enough IQ to hit the menu button for executing off-screen functions. Android offers more than it can show, you can't force-fit everything on the screen.

grainysand said:
Basically, he's saying that Android needs to be dumbed down so that, just like the iPhone, it too can be useable by five-year-olds.
No thanks. Having intellectually developed beyond the age of five, I for one am capable of telling four soft buttons apart. A feat one can only expect of mental giants, I know, which I'm sure is asking too much of Apple fansheep.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't disagree that the menu button is an easy, and intuitive way to use the OS. I also feel it's a benefit because it reduces clutter on the screen. I am able to have the full view of Google Maps at once, as opposed to it being partially covered with a search menu always on the screen.
That being said, your reaction to his comments are indicative of one issue with Android. You're calling people who use iPhones retarded 5 year olds, and you, as a brilliant geek savant, are too elite and exclusive to appeal to the lowly iPhone users. Unfortunately for you, in order for Android to become a successful operating system, it needs to appeal to all walks of life, and make the experience as easy as possible.
The reason most people are afraid of computers is because they are difficult to use, and they don't understand it. More and more people are using Macs, because they feel Macs are easier to use than PC's. The entire reason Linux hasn't taken off as a main stream OS, aside from a lack of push from any one source, is because it's one of the most confusing programs ever created.
Google should do everything it can to make Android as easy and intuitive to use for consumers of all walks of life. If they don't, Android will never succeed, and it will just become a niche OS for geeks just like Linux is.
Unfortunately, just taking this step isn't everything that's needed to make Android successful.
Side note: The author should point out you can long press almost anything in Android to get a menu of options without hitting the menu soft button. That's very intuitive.

xManMythLegend said:
Handcent sms allows you to customize this. You can make your screen turn on and pop up appear , or just in the notification bar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure thing, I totally appreciate your can change it for Android, just pointing out a frustration of people slagging the iPhone for not having something which is so clearly does have.
I have both an iPhone and the Nexus One, and I feel that a huge number of iPhone haters on here have never ever used one.
Kev

xSiraris said:
You're calling people who use iPhones retarded 5 year olds, and you, as a brilliant geek savant, are too elite and exclusive to appeal to the lowly iPhone users.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the contrary; the brilliant geek savants are the people who develop and mess with the code. I'm a peon much like anyone else, but you don't need to be a brilliant savant to understand, utilize, and distinguish four buttons. The iPhone OS is useable by toddlers--literally--which is fantastic for toddlers, but it also means you can't do jack-squat with it. Why should everyone be forced to the same level of non-customizable, closed, boring UI? Android's appeal is its options.
Unfortunately for you, in order for Android to become a successful operating system, it needs to appeal to all walks of life, and make the experience as easy as possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At which point do you stop? Does Android need to cater to the lowest common denominator, or does it merely need to gain enough market-share or mindshare to have staying power? Beyond a certain point, you get dumbed-down garbage with no options for anyone: hence non-JB iPhone homescreens all looking identical (and even with themes/backgrounds, they still look essentially the same). If Android's dumbed down to the level where it'll no longer "scare" away people with attention span so short and intellect so limited they can't do anything but interact with a one-button device, where does that leave people who are fine with being able to customize their homescreens how they like, install whatever app they like, and enjoy the extra screen real estate thanks to the presence of buttons?
FYI, my mother's computer-illiterate. She tried my N1 and found it incredibly intuitive. So which breed of utterly, absolutely hopeless morons exactly find Android too complicated to use? Apart from the tool that wrote this article, I mean.
The reason most people are afraid of computers is because they are difficult to use, and they don't understand it. More and more people are using Macs, because they feel Macs are easier to use than PC's.
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Fantastic. They deserve to pay Apple's stupidity tax.
kevwright said:
I have both an iPhone and the Nexus One, and I feel that a huge number of iPhone haters on here have never ever used one.
Kev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a coincidence, because most Apple fanboys have never used anything but Macs and iPhones, but that doesn't stop them from showing up to troll Windows/Android users: anything from "Windows blue-screens five times a day and you need to format a Windows PC every week" or "I used to use Windows but, being retarded beyond belief, got it infected with fifty varieties of malware within five minutes of Internet use. MICROSOFT SUCKS." Not speaking of you specifically (although, haha), but just take a look at any popular tech blog. For every sensible Apple user, you will get twelve more singing panegyrics to the might of Steve Jobs and how Apple devices are the best ever and will never, ever lose their dominance. Uh, apart from the fact that they still don't have a majority market share in the PC sector, but you know. Facts and logic don't feature in fanboy-vision.

xSiraris said:
I don't disagree that the menu button is an easy, and intuitive way to use the OS. I also feel it's a benefit because it reduces clutter on the screen. I am able to have the full view of Google Maps at once, as opposed to it being partially covered with a search menu always on the screen.
That being said, your reaction to his comments are indicative of one issue with Android. You're calling people who use iPhones retarded 5 year olds, and you, as a brilliant geek savant, are too elite and exclusive to appeal to the lowly iPhone users. Unfortunately for you, in order for Android to become a successful operating system, it needs to appeal to all walks of life, and make the experience as easy as possible.
The reason most people are afraid of computers is because they are difficult to use, and they don't understand it. More and more people are using Macs, because they feel Macs are easier to use than PC's. The entire reason Linux hasn't taken off as a main stream OS, aside from a lack of push from any one source, is because it's one of the most confusing programs ever created.
Google should do everything it can to make Android as easy and intuitive to use for consumers of all walks of life. If they don't, Android will never succeed, and it will just become a niche OS for geeks just like Linux is.
Unfortunately, just taking this step isn't everything that's needed to make Android successful.
Side note: The author should point out you can long press almost anything in Android to get a menu of options without hitting the menu soft button. That's very intuitive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im sorry but if a person cant spend a few minutes to learn a phone , or the Android OS is too complicated perhaps a smartphone isnt the right purchase.
Its a basic philosophical difference. Android can be retard simple. It just wont be able to do anything. It cant read ones mind. (yet). So long as there is choice there will be options and a learning curve.
The reason most people are afraid of computers is because they are difficult to use, and they don't understand it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its 2010. If people are afraid of computers theyre in for a complicated frustrating existence.((OR a really easy one ))
The reason Macs are gaining popularity ((as if a 1-2% growth in a 20 year old market is anything to brag about)) is because of PERCEIVED ease.
I cant fathom what kind of human being wouldnt be able to turn on a PC and check there email , play there music , or look at photos.
I have 6 yr old nephews , 43 yr old super computer boob parents , and elderly family members readily and easily using PCs.
The dumbing down of technology to the lowest common denominator is not a good thing.
Fact of the matter is at the end of the day its all about $$$$$
We can argue till the cows come home but at the end of the day theres simply no way for people to know what to do or what they can do on there new phone without someone showing them or them having seen a million commercials showing them what can be done.
THATS why iPhone is so successful $$$$ advertising , plugging your device into peoples heads via tv and print ads.
The Android OS needs to pretty itself up a bit more. But face it VZ proved what a few ads can do for a phone reputation and sales.

grainysand said:
The thing, though, is that such things should have been there from the start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure they should, I had the original iPhone and hated it, sold it right away.
Then I got the 3G and it was OK, but still not really great.
The 3GS however is just a different tool, it really is. The speed of changing apps, and the ease with which devs seem to have mastered the resume functions really do mitigate the lack of Multitasking in an stock 3GS.
But how about this. Have we all forgotten what phones were about in 2007 when the original iPhone launched? Apart from the Nokia N95 8GB, there were some real stinkers back then.
Also, what do you think about the updates that Apple do deliver? There are not many companies that deliver updates that completely change the experience, and you do not have to upgrade hardware to benefit. Look at Android, only lately have we seen a real effort to update the OS, I think the Hero in the UK still comes with 1.5
grainysand said:
Heck, the iPhone 3GS is still more expensive than an N1 even though it's running on horrifyingly outdated hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the UK they are around that same price. a 16GB 3GS is now £449 without a contract, and £10 more to unlock it. If you are prepared to run it on our O2 network for the first year, the buying price of £449 includes unlimited (real not capped) data on both 3G and wi-fi for the 12 months. O2 is an OK network, I would say much better than AT&T from what I read.
The N1 I just bought was £430 with VAT, and a 16GB memory card is about £30, so a very similar price. I don't think there is anyway you can say 3GS is outdated, after all, how many decent 3D games and FPS do you see on Android?
Please note I do not play games, so don't care about it, just pointing out that the 3GS hardware is not that far behind the N1
Kev

This pisses me off every time I hear "not as intuitive as the iphone."
Intuitive? It's a screen with a bunch of ICONS. It's like having your desktop screen on your computer covered with icons.
And it can't multi-task so how is it easier to do stuff?
The only reason I liked my 3gs was because I had backgrounder + proswitcher (or kirikae) and widgets on my lockscreen and homescreen.
But it was a ***** to set-up the widgets with all the iblanks I had to do.
The Iphone is NOT intuitive, it's just simple. Freaking apple fanboys. *ROAR!*

I'm not going to argue with people who refuse to see another perspective, in particular because they believe anyone who doesn't agree with their perspective is some sort of lesser human being.
I guess the only thing I'd point out is that Apple has sold over 40 million iPhones to date. Android has sold maybe 3-4 million.

Android Gripes blog is seriously pissing me off

EVERYONE has a few gripes with Android...Everyone...however this blog is so biased and uninformative it seriously annoys me.
The first post was about how SOME iOS apps look better than their Android counterparts...a fault entirely with the devs of those apps, not Androids fault...which is obvious but not on that blog...
Then they start posting half truths and lies and it's absurd.
Such As:
one post is entirely opinion based (Android looks like crap)
Another uses the recent Skype scandal as if it is somehow Androids fault that the devs were incompetent.
Another actually disses the notification panel...seriously...
And the most recent one disses flash...as if A) it has to be always on and B) is worse than it is...
the blog is seriously frustrating...
check it out....
android-gripes.tumblr.com

there are iOS haters, so there are Android haters too
don't worry we love our Android.

I agree with houzuoguo. The thing about this blog that will infuriate many is the lack of comments section, each post should open to discussion. It's closed (ahem iOS) and would cater to Apple fanboys.

I blog about my gripes with Android sometimes, but the majority of which are geared at the carriers and manufacturers actions, not Android itself. Android is so customizable, I'd have a hard time believing that Android looks ugly. I also keep my comments section open for discussion which I enjoy. This blog just seems like a shill for Apple.

tkgod said:
I blog about my gripes with Android sometimes, but the majority of which are geared at the carriers and manufacturers actions, not Android itself. Android is so customizable, I'd have a hard time believing that Android looks ugly. I also keep my comments section open for discussion which I enjoy. This blog just seems like a shill for Apple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's what pissing me off the most...the first post I read about devs making android apps look like crap compared to iOS apps...I was like yea, good, bring this to the forefront...but soon after it seemed to be overwhelmed with half truths and lies and just all around BS.
Seriously...the dude who dissed the Android notification panel even went as far as to say that iOS's notifications are better....even the most diehard Apple blog has never said something so retarded before right then.

That blog is full of crap...not even close to being creditable. Android is in 1st place for OS's and continues to rock!

omg he quoted you! (out of context, naturally, him being an iTard)
He does have a right to spew his crap on his blog,twitter and fb. Create a new androidRocks id and challenge every single of his lines, with rock hard evidence.
His biased opinion is clear here (quote), I wont even try to correct him as every single statement is false.
Why do I write this blog?
I have been an user of iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac for years. I like Apple’s products for some reasons and I like Apple’s culture.
I admire what Google has done for the Internet, but I do have some negative opinions on Android. I’m fine with new products coming into the market and competing with Apple’s. What bothers me is that Android gets into the market in an “evil” way - it proposed “openness” and claimed Apple products are “close” so Android is better. This is absolutely nonsense marketing buzz. So sad that a lot of medias also blindly jumped into it. “Openness” is such a vague concept and whatever it tries to say means almost nothing or even something negative to consumers. Smartphones do not need the so called “openness”.
I have constantly heard many gripes about Android. Recently I happened to have access to some Android phones and use them in a daily base. The more I use Android, the more I feel that Android is indeed a half-baked OS, its UX/UI is horrible and various hardwares are poorly designed. It’s true that those phones are working like smartphones, better than feature phones from old school, but they ignore a lot of the details. Just for Google’s own benefit, they helped handset manufactures brutally dumped a huge amount of unpolished devices to the market. They made people think this is how smartphones should work. This is so unfair to consumers. IMHO, it is no different from committing a crime. That’s why I made the cartoon of “Android Gripes” as a Monopoly “Go Directly To Jail” card showing an Android on it.
As much as I believe in Apple, I think everybody deserves great user experience, especially when it comes to phones. I think it is my mission to let more people know that Android does not provide you that. Android only provides inferior user experience. You either admit it and bear with it, or go for better alternatives. That’s why I started writing this blog.
This blog, and related Twitter account and Facebook Page, are all run by myself. I’m not affiliated with Apple Inc. in any way, neither with Google Inc., apparently. I only have very limited time, so I often cite others’ articles and occasionally write down my own experiences and opinions. You may sometimes find my writing sound unusual, that’s because I’m not a native English speaker. I started writing articles in English since not very long ago.
Happy reading and I appreciate your support.
Lastly, competition should always be encouraged. Wish the best to Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Lol, the way he gets his point across may may appear as bashing, but he isn't entirely lying. Stock Android is hideous, and people only prefer it to anything else because of it's speed. It isn't polished and it simply isn't too lovely. However I do like how Google focuses on "Dark", iOS seems somewhat too bright and colorful. Yes colorful is usually good, but iOS also makes everything shiny, somewhat childish or something... it's hard to explain why I don't entirely like it, but something about iOS in general seems eh to me.
I was going to actually give this guy the benefit of the doubt and assume that he actually wanted to better Android. Then I noticed that he only post news related to Android when it makes Android look bad. Only when it makes Android look bad. What does random news articles have to do with your problems with Android? It also seems to me he hates Android and wants everyone to hate Android as well. Then again, the title of the blog is "Android Gripes", so I guess focusing on the negatives on the OS is the point. Posting how Skype had a vulnerability does seem extremely odd though... it again makes me assume he just wants to create a site to make Android seem pathetic. The "Is Samsung’s New Galaxy Tab Fibbing About Its Figure? And About Those Galaxy Tab Fans…" post is completely irrelevant to the blog. And video of the new, thinner 10.1 tab has been out for a few days: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdu5PVjCGo0, sadly not before that post.
I agree with him entirely from a design standpoint, several Android apps and Android without being properly modified in general is ugly. There is no denying that (well it is an opinion, so you could deny it) but it is also highly customizable -- and it also seems that developers do not try as hard on their Android apps at all. However, I do not like his hate toward Android. He is trying to use every minuscule flaw, or even things that that aren't really even "flaws" of the operating system to make it seem inferior to iOS. I honestly hope such a blog inspires Google to focus a little harder on Android's user interface. Google sucks at this. And they always have.

You will not find a bigger Android guy than me, but I admit, that the design of many of our apps is crap. This is actually why I got into application design. I love Android and want to make it better, and before Honeycomb it didnt look like Google was really making big strides in the design arena. But then again, I dont think they are a very design heavy company as a whole, and there have been numerous stories throughout the years of how their designers get fed up and leave because the engineering heavy company just doesnt seem to understand design as a whole. Fortunately with Mathias Duarte now on board I believe things are going to change quite a bit, and imho already have with some great new ui stuff on Honeycomb.
I dont think the Android phone ui is hideous or anything, but when you have such great functionality as Android has, it really brings you down to see such poopy design sometimes. For instance do a search on "calendar widget." There is only one I would consider being well designed, Pure grid, while the other 200 cal widgets may have great function, but look just awful.
All that being said, if anyone is interested in getting an application designed professionally by my company, feel free to dm me. We have some great stuff coming out for iOS, and since I'm one of two guys at my company that uses Android I would love to get some more Android apps to work on. Plus it would be nice to throw in my bosses face when he bad mouths Android designs

I admit there are more polished looking apps on iPhone over android. But I happen to find stock gingerbread just pure elegant and beautiful. With launcher pro of course, but I find it beautiful. I mean how could stock android be "ugly" and not have iOS ugly as well? Stock android looks way better to me.

AbsoluteDesignz said:
EVERYONE has a few gripes with Android...Everyone...however this blog is so biased and uninformative it seriously annoys me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess the best way to get back at him is to make a blog of your own called iOS-gripes.tumblr.com
As far as the look of the operating system I would have to say that stock Android is nicer than iOS.
Main reasons I ended up switching to the iPhone 4 was due to:
1. HID bluetooth keyboard support built into the OS.
2. Netflix app that streams video.
3. Navigon GPS app for iOS that I actually prefer over Google Maps Navigation (doesn't need data, lane assist, turns down music instead of just pausing it). I tried out the Android version of the app and it seemed really half-assed like how it would talk over the music playing instead of trying to pause it or turn it down so you couldn't hear what it was telling you.
4. Better resale value when selling it on Craigslist. Usually the top android phone gets replaced by something better within 3 - 6 months and the resale value goes down accordingly. With the iPhone there are always tons of sheep wanting to buy yours and its guaranteed to stay at the top of the food chain for an entire year.
I agree though AD the guy is just being a troll and should either be less biased or needs to keep his mouth shut

I in no way deny the fact that iOS apps as a whole are better designed than Android apps...that's a fact...an unfortunate fact, but a fact.
I also think Stock Android is about 2 or 3 steps away from being much better (and from what I've seen and "felt" of Honeycomb it'll be closer once that hits phones).
I just do not like a select few posts which show an obvious bias...
The Samsung post...like that has anything to do with Android.
The Skype post, like that is Androids fault in the least.
The notification panel post which is just ridiculous.
And the snide comments in the article itself.
I respected the blog when I first said it as I felt it was bringing to light a big issue about app quality...then he kept updating it and yea...BS.

Well I have a Nexus One and an iPad2.
Let me just say that I fight with the iPad 2's iOS constantly. And while it may look pleasant, the design and functionality are lacking.
2 Examples that blow my mind:
AppStore: Browsing through tons of pages until I find an app I want to try. Click. Download. Exit. Homescreen... Ok I see it installing. Flip back. Re-Launch AppStore.... oh wait... I'm back to page 1 out of 254,325. Great...
SketchLive HD: Sweet doodle app. Click Send. Pop's up asking to set up an email account. No back button. No exit button. Back to the homescreen. Relaunch SketchLive HD.
This is like this for almost every app. You only have 1 option, the home button. I'm new so I'm exploring lots of apps. Almost every one of them has something that wouldn't allow me to go back... forcing me to close out and relaunch.
My thinking: Android is created by geeky logical coders where functionality > style. Apple is just the opposite where style > functionality.
I'll take functionality any day. I'm glad I never bought an iPhone as my daily communication device as it would be shattered on a road somewhere. Nothing is more aggravating then knowing what you are trying to do, but the software is too stupid to do it.
Here's more: The App Store shouldn't ping me to enter in my password every 15 minutes. It's freaking annoying. iTunes required me to setup a password that has Numbers and Capital and lowercase letters. It's a pain in the butt trying to go through Caps and Numbers on the iPad.
Also: The keyboard is atrocious. Why are the letters Capped when I'm using lowercase? Why can't you press and hold for numbers? Why does it FORCE a capital letter as the first letter of an input box? Very annoying and it makes me want to simply break it.
Apple found the magical formula to polishing a turd, and selling it for butt loads of money. Well played.

Just glanced quickly over at that blog and I agree completely with "Too many apps “live” in the notification panel".. If I want to be 100% sure Android won't kill an app I have to have it as an ongoing notification at ALL times? That is so ridiculous

crachel said:
Just glanced quickly over at that blog and I agree completely with "Too many apps “live” in the notification panel".. If I want to be 100% sure Android won't kill an app I have to have it as an ongoing notification at ALL times? That is so ridiculous
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Notification icons are optional and completely up to the developer, however a windows style "hide inactive icons"/manual configuration will be nice.

britoso said:
Notification icons are optional and completely up to the developer, however a windows style "hide inactive icons"/manual configuration will be nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
right, but even if the developer allows for no icon, there is still a blank space.. so if you have 2 or 3 ongoing notifications, you might have 2 icons with 1 blank space in between which looks even dumber..

crachel said:
right, but even if the developer allows for no icon, there is still a blank space.. so if you have 2 or 3 ongoing notifications, you might have 2 icons with 1 blank space in between which looks even dumber..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh? In my experience, Apps that have an option on whether or not to display a notification panel icon (like Trillian or Skype) don't leave "blank space" in the notification area, they just aren't present there.
If an app developer opts for a non-visible phantom icon he is probably doing it wrong.

PartyMango said:
Huh? In my experience, Apps that have an option on whether or not to display a notification panel icon (like Trillian or Skype) don't leave "blank space" in the notification area, they just aren't present there.
If an app developer opts for a non-visible phantom icon he is probably doing it wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want your app to avoid potentially being garbage collected by Android you have to have an ongoing notification (running in the foreground) which means an icon or a blank space on the status bar
If the app is not running in the foreground (ongoing notification), Android could possibly see fit to kill it in the event memory is needed elsewhere.. so in this case, you're correct the app wouldn't be present at all

Nevermindz, lol.

crachel said:
If the app is not running in the foreground (ongoing notification), Android could possibly see fit to kill it in the event memory is needed elsewhere.. so in this case, you're correct the app wouldn't be present at all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information, didn't know about that.
Eclair~ said:
The Speedtest.net app was updated for Android to look exactly like the iOS (which is beautiful) version:
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This is their new design, Speedtest.net redesigned their website as well. It is very unlikely that this is in any way related to the android gripes post.

Windows Phone loosing momentum?

Am I alone when I fell like Windows Phone loosing momentum? I mean Windows Phone is starting to get boring with no major changes to the UI or functionality. I feel like all MS is doing it stringing us along with small updates but never giving us what we want for example we've been asking for the option to use custom tones for notification alerts like for MMS and SMS and still nothing, it's like they don't care what we have to say. Or the notification hub that a lot of people want, ability to create custom theme colors for tiles and I can go on and on.
Another thing is at least to me it seems like they procrastinate on getting things done and then they rush to get it out at the very last minute and we get things like the Lumina 920 and the HTC X8 with their issues with rebooting and freezing and so on. I still have issues on my WP8 that I use to have on my WP7 device, for example when trying to send an email at work with a pic attachment; it seems like it won't send because it doesn't recognize my email password even though it's correct.. I always end up having to delete my email account and recreate it for it to work!!!
Yea I know that WP8 is still young, bla, bla, bla... Well that's my lil rant; I'm sure that there is a lot of you out there that have similar opinions with either the lack of functionality or other problems with the phone and some that are just plain happy with whatever MS dictates that you need or not. If MS says you don't need custom ringtones or MMS or cut and paste some people just agree with them but not me, all I'm asking is for simple / common functions and options that have been around since like Windows Mobile.

I agree with the custom notifications stuff. The built in tones are awful.
I never had any issues with emails and pictures.This is most likely a problem from the email service provider rather than the phone itself.
WP needs more APIs so that developers can actually develop something creative. DirectX and C++ are not enough, and they can only be used for games anyway.

It still has momentum as regards the development of the operating system.
It is just starting from a bad position.
WP7 had a huge number of basic features missing.
WP8 has probably halved this list or better.
With the "blue" update I am expecting WP8 to have all the basic features in place.
If there is compatibility with Windows RT apps that implies big improvements to the Windows Phone APIs.

I don't know how it can be 'loosing momentum'.
WP8 is barely 3 months old...
All this comparison with the Android and iPhone platforms really annoys me. Those particular platforms have been around for years and years, hence the thousands and thousands of apps.
WP is easily the best and most modern mobile OS out there. That includes the 'new' BB OS (which looks like Android to me).
The tweaks to the OS WILL come. Be patient.
I loved my WP7 Omnia 7, and I love my WP8 Lumia 920. Slick and great to use.
If you want customization options galore, then get an Android device...

sinister1 said:
Am I alone when I fell like Windows Phone loosing momentum?
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Click to collapse
I doubt it, be patient. And if it is in the US, it's not elsewhere. Elsewhere it's only starting. iPhone is so outdated and android is beta, apps keep crashing. Windows Phone is quality.

Looking at my Apps Download numbers it doesn't look like it's losing Momentum in the Marketplace. When WP8 arrived, the numbers increased from 1000 - 2000 Downloads/day to 5000-6000 and have been in that range pretty much ever since. To me at least that looks like a pretty steady influx of users. Especially given that I didn't see a slow-down after christmas sales.
On the API front a lot of stuff was added in WP8. I admit that there are still holes that developers who were part of the early access programm (Windows Phone SDK) have communicated to Microsoft. Still lots of things developers were asking for are now there. Native code perhaps was the biggest part of it (and most requested I guess) and they also have the native APIs looking very similar to WinRT. They will have to bring this to the Managed side as well and it will be interesting to see how they fare in that regard.
Native code does not only provide for easier porting of games but also allows better and faster image and audio processing which some Apps require to make sense on a mobile device, although I don't know too many that take advantage of that.
The ability to integrate Tell Me into Third Party Apps is one of the coolest features they built into WP8 but I have to admit that it has rarely been used so far and not in the best implementations. Bluetooth APIs have also been added which as well was a rather glaring omission in WP7. The ability of Apps to start other Apps or to launch documents in other Apps that support the file type was also added but again: there are not that many Apps supporting it right now. Offline mapping functionality is now available to Apps which to my knowledge similar to the system speech engine integration is also something that currently isn't available on competing platforms.
To cut it short: quite a lot changed under the covers. Not everything people would have wished for has happened but the platform has become a lot more capable. But, it hasn't been available for most developers until launch and doing interesting stuff based on the new features takes time. We've currently mostly seen early adoptions of new features into existing Apps. New concepts have not arrived but I'm pretty sure people have Apps in development that will take advantage of what was added.
Where you are correct is that there are some pretty annoying omissions in improving certain built in features. It starts with custom notification sounds (which should not be to hard to do based on how it was implemented in WP7 homebrew software and continues on in new features that didn't go quite far enough. BitLocker is there but can only be enabled using an Exchange-Servers Security Policies. PDFs are now displayed in the Office Hub but can't be stored there from the Internet or when received through an E-Mail. They'll have to work those kinks out because I honestly believe: there are not that many really big functionality gaps in the OS by now but many, many annoyances that add up.

I think that now that BlackBerry is back in the game, EVERYONE is going to have to step up. I was cleaning and came across my old phones, right now I'm looking at a Nokia Lumia 810, an HD7, a TP2, and an HD2....Microsoft needs to stick with something instead of constantly abandoning things...hell, I have 2 years of Zune content that I can't use on my new phone.
Sent from the fetal position using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

StevieBallz said:
Looking at my Apps Download numbers it doesn't look like it's losing Momentum in the Marketplace. When WP8 arrived, the numbers increased from 1000 - 2000 Downloads/day to 5000-6000 and have been in that range pretty much ever since. To me at least that looks like a pretty steady influx of users. Especially given that I didn't see a slow-down after christmas sales.
On the API front a lot of stuff was added in WP8. I admit that there are still holes that developers who were part of the early access programm (Windows Phone SDK) have communicated to Microsoft. Still lots of things developers were asking for are now there. Native code perhaps was the biggest part of it (and most requested I guess) and they also have the native APIs looking very similar to WinRT. They will have to bring this to the Managed side as well and it will be interesting to see how they fare in that regard.
Native code does not only provide for easier porting of games but also allows better and faster image and audio processing which some Apps require to make sense on a mobile device, although I don't know too many that take advantage of that.
The ability to integrate Tell Me into Third Party Apps is one of the coolest features they built into WP8 but I have to admit that it has rarely been used so far and not in the best implementations. Bluetooth APIs have also been added which as well was a rather glaring omission in WP7. The ability of Apps to start other Apps or to launch documents in other Apps that support the file type was also added but again: there are not that many Apps supporting it right now. Offline mapping functionality is now available to Apps which to my knowledge similar to the system speech engine integration is also something that currently isn't available on competing platforms.
To cut it short: quite a lot changed under the covers. Not everything people would have wished for has happened but the platform has become a lot more capable. But, it hasn't been available for most developers until launch and doing interesting stuff based on the new features takes time. We've currently mostly seen early adoptions of new features into existing Apps. New concepts have not arrived but I'm pretty sure people have Apps in development that will take advantage of what was added.
Where you are correct is that there are some pretty annoying omissions in improving certain built in features. It starts with custom notification sounds (which should not be to hard to do based on how it was implemented in WP7 homebrew software and continues on in new features that didn't go quite far enough. BitLocker is there but can only be enabled using an Exchange-Servers Security Policies. PDFs are now displayed in the Office Hub but can't be stored there from the Internet or when received through an E-Mail. They'll have to work those kinks out because I honestly believe: there are not that many really big functionality gaps in the OS by now but many, many annoyances that add up.
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I may have misunderstood you-
but are you saying that one particular app is getting 5000-6000 downloads, per day, on wp8 devices ?

Must be one heck of an app. Frankly I haven't found one great one, yet.

Yes, 1 App 5000-6000 downloads / day. Although it's WP7 AND WP8. I have never bothered to find out if I can filter the data to see WP7 and WP8 separately. And as for it being good: it seems to do what lots of people want it to do although I actually do believe myself that for some an alternative App might be better. I always tried to keep it simple and not overload it with too many features. Other developers of similar Apps have done it differently.
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I've attached the download chart from 1st of September to mid of February as it is provided in the Dev Cenetr. The left scale shows daily Downloads (purple line), the right scale displays total Downloads (black line) just passed the 1.4 Million Download mark).As you can see there have been 664 000 Downloads in that timeframe.

StevieBallz said:
Yes, 1 App 5000-6000 downloads / day. Although it's WP7 AND WP8. I have never bothered to find out if I can filter the data to see WP7 and WP8 separately. And as for it being good: it seems to do what lots of people want it to do although I actually do believe myself that for some an alternative App might be better. I always tried to keep it simple and not overload it with too many features. Other developers of similar Apps have done it differently.
View attachment 1740415
I've attached the download chart from 1st of September to mid of February as it is provided in the Dev Cenetr. The left scale shows daily Downloads (purple line), the right scale displays total Downloads (black line) just passed the 1.4 Million Download mark).As you can see there have been 664 000 Downloads in that timeframe.
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What's the name so we can try it out?
Paid or free? Doesn't matter I'm willing to support.

Connectivity Shortcuts - has been free for most of it's life but I added Ads some months back. I believe it is still getting the fine Download numbers due to the fact of it being one of the first two Shortcut Apps. I'm pretty sure you'll have tried out one of them and that being said: most of them are quite trivial in idea and implementation (so I would guess you will stand by your finding of no nice Apps). But this is getting pretty much Offtopic.
Posting the chart motivated me to look through the more detailed data. I still can't tell WP7 and WP8 apart but according to that sales have scaled back following Christmas in countries like the US or Germany (which kind of is expected given strong holiday sales). The sustained influx of users seems to come from countries where newer devices are still being launched. That spike you can see in mid-January was 4000 sales in China on a single day although I have no idea as to what happened that day (it wasn't the Lumia 920 launch - I looked it up and that was in mid-December).
In the end I believe that my Download data is kinda similar to the Facebook-Metric that several blogs have employed to calculate WP growth due to the fact that the App is part of Microsoft's collection for productivity and is also being featured in Nokia's App Highlights-App. Still this in no way yields us definitive data on how WP is doing but given how the chart reacted to some of the events in WP's life it seems we can still draw some conclussions based on that data.

StevieBallz said:
Connectivity Shortcuts - has been free for most of it's life but I added Ads some months back. I believe it is still getting the fine Download numbers due to the fact of it being one of the first two Shortcut Apps. I'm pretty sure you'll have tried out one of them and that being said: most of them are quite trivial in idea and implementation (so I would guess you will stand by your finding of no nice Apps). But this is getting pretty much Offtopic.
Posting the chart motivated me to look through the more detailed data. I still can't tell WP7 and WP8 apart but according to that sales have scaled back following Christmas in countries like the US or Germany (which kind of is expected given strong holiday sales). The sustained influx of users seems to come from countries where newer devices are still being launched. That spike you can see in mid-January was 4000 sales in China on a single day although I have no idea as to what happened that day (it wasn't the Lumia 920 launch - I looked it up and that was in mid-December).
In the end I believe that my Download data is kinda similar to the Facebook-Metric that several blogs have employed to calculate WP growth due to the fact that the App is part of Microsoft's collection for productivity and is also being featured in Nokia's App Highlights-App. Still this in no way yields us definitive data on how WP is doing but given how the chart reacted to some of the events in WP's life it seems we can still draw some conclussions based on that data.
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Ok now I see why you have so many downloads. One of the most useful apps on the platform.

Enough chaps, no need to make posts personal attacks.
Sent from my Arc using xda app-developers app

I feel more like a disappointed by the WP8 release.
It just feels like a Windows Mobile 2003/5/6 all over again! Where Microsoft overpromised and underdelivered. Where every new major release added very little on the table, and where iPhone added a whole set of new experiences.
I didn't really buy the whole "locked" device for your own good bull****, as you are not "root". I like the Windows Mobile custom builds that improved your experience or even fixed some bugs.
In a sense, the "spirit" of the Windows Mobile (chaos), moved to the Android. There is all sorts of custom builds and apps.
With the recent release of Android 4.2, that improves the animation speed (makes it as smooth as WP), there is no good reason, not to update.
I gave it a chance... it did not lived up to it.

There's an awful lot to say about that post my friend! The changes from 2003 to 5 were massive though, both on the surface and under the hood, 5 to 6 was more like a refinement, what was to come after 6.5 was wrong though, it flew in the face of what was happening with IOS ad android and I for one am glade it got caned. WP isnt supposed to be compared to the others, its different an for good reason, I will admit that the security side is the only reason I haven't got a Wp8 device, but WP7s security (interop unlocked) with root tools is the clear answer to the problem but....
Sent from my SGH-i937 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
---------- Post added at 09:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:38 AM ----------
.... As to what made wm good, well again your right, it was the customization factor, it was and still is the best OS pocket PC platform out there, but the sales model was never going to work, and android is starting to see the effect too, MS made the core platform, sent it to OEMs who pissed all over it, it then got sent to the networks who all took a giant dump on it, we ended up with slow, bloated devices with no drivers to support the hardware and MS shouldered the blame! The proof of what wm could have been is here in the real roots of xda dev, what was still lacking from our custom roms was developed drivers that made use of the device. All those android lot may think they are all jazzy and new but wm had similar skins decades ago lol, it just needed some TLC!
Sent from my SGH-i937 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

dazza9075 said:
There's an awful lot to say about that post my friend! The changes from 2003 to 5 were massive though, both on the surface and under the hood, 5 to 6 was more like a refinement, what was to come after 6.5 was wrong though, it flew in the face of what was happening with IOS ad android and I for one am glade it got caned. WP isnt supposed to be compared to the others, its different an for good reason, I will admit that the security side is the only reason I haven't got a Wp8 device, but WP7s security (interop unlocked) with root tools is the clear answer to the problem but....
Sent from my SGH-i937 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
---------- Post added at 09:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:38 AM ----------
.... As to what made wm good, well again your right, it was the customization factor, it was and still is the best OS pocket PC platform out there, but the sales model was never going to work, and android is starting to see the effect too, MS made the core platform, sent it to OEMs who pissed all over it, it then got sent to the networks who all took a giant dump on it, we ended up with slow, bloated devices with no drivers to support the hardware and MS shouldered the blame! The proof of what wm could have been is here in the real roots of xda dev, what was still lacking from our custom roms was developed drivers that made use of the device. All those android lot may think they are all jazzy and new but wm had similar skins decades ago lol, it just needed some TLC!
Sent from my SGH-i937 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
history, repeating?
but then there are the wonderful custom roms. you remember your favorites from wm, they're reincarnated with better hardware (touch screens rock now!) and more mobile centric applications.
the deficiencies of wp8 don't have custom roms to supplement (or did i miss them, sorry) - so what is the natural progression for folks who want a little more of this or that ?
the next step for wp is __________ ?

we can all blame Apple, really, for being so creative..
but more accurately, we can blame HTC for abandoning all of its WinMob users to try and copy the iPhone
but more specifically, we can blame the uncreative doofs at Microcrap for trying to copy the above two companies
or more directly we can blame all the little braindead users out there who think their phones need to be swiped
what is with that swiping crap? its lamest thing i've every done in my entire life.
do you really need to swipe everything? is that really the main purpose of you owning a phone?
because all i'm seeing is different ways to swipe things... and thats because users are apparently so shallow and pathetic, that the best thing they can do with their phone is be seen by others swiping it
and to be extra 1337, they dream of being able to swipe it in some different direction than other people
but really.. lets analyze whats happening.. take away the swiping, and what are they doing? the most useless crap ever to have existed on the face of the planet.. thats what
really?
its like planet of the living braindead around here..
i dont need a phone that matches my haircut, piercings, butterfly tattoos, & painted nails..
and no, no matter how i'm swiping, i'm not going to believe i'm hip, fashionable, advanced, or the slightest bit interesting
screw your swiping.. why dont you make my phone useful & productive, instead.. how about that?

The whole point of this forum is to make our devices better, and share our knowledge about how to do so. This thread does not do that, and does not bring anything positive whatsoever. In fact, this is purely a rant thread, and with that in mind I'm going to close it. Discussion is one thing, but there's nothing positive to be had here.
Thread closed.

Database Users

welcome