iOS vs. Android - Page 4

Maggie Leung · 01-14-2011, 03:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Readerlover2011

I like the ipad. It gives me a unique feeling

Is it a tingling, burning feeling? There's a cream for that.

Dave_S · 01-14-2011, 03:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

Is it a tingling, burning feeling? There's a cream for that.

HansTWN · 01-14-2011, 08:15 AM

Actually, having used Android on the Dell Streak for 3-4 months now I do like it. But I am also quite aware of its limitations and I think a full Windows tablet like the Asus EP121 might be more suitable for me, if it really gets 4-5 hours of battery life with heavy usage (Asus claims up to 8 hours). Android is great for a phone, but I would like to do more with a tablet. Windows has much better resolution, no better how good browsing can get in Android, the best it can do is to be as good as Windows. There is no encrypted PPTP VPN on Android yet (and Google doesn't care to fix it), which is very important for me. Getting OpenVPN running on Android is a pain. You have to jump through hoops to get things like Hulu going, pay for apps that are free on Windows. And Windows apps are a lot more full featured than Android apps -- if there even are apps for a particular task.

And by paying a little more I get a really powerful computer, not a gigantic phone. In the end this "there is an app for that" just seems to be more of a hassle than a feature. "I don't need an app for that, it is included" is the better solution.

Well, I will just sit and wait for the moment. HP's announcements on WebOS should be interesting and I want to see real world examples of Honeycomb.

Richey79 · 01-14-2011, 10:10 AM

Finally got a tablet, after waiting and waiting for companies to make an Android tablet which worked to an acceptable level for months and months.

Which did I go for? IPad. Damn, can't get my jollies from being an Apple-hater any more.

The battery life, size and screen made the choice easy, I'm afraid (probably in that order). Tried the Galaxy Tab - it quickly grew to feel piddlingly-small in a short space of time. I don't imagine regretting the purchase, since nothing's on the immediate horizon other than the Adam (can't see myself trusting the company enough to buy for at least 6 months; if it's good, none will be available for more like 12). Once devices that can actually compete appear, it'll be at least another two months before we get them in the UK, and I refuse to pay for another data plan. The second-gen iPad may be coming, but I don't want a camera on it, the speaker's fine for my needs and I won't give up battery-life for processor speed.

So, that means I now have experience of 'droid 2.2 and iOS. I've rooted and jailbroken, so there are not extra frustrations with iOS and it's barely less customisable than 'droid. This also means my comparison is with the latest stable build of Cyanogen mod, rather than a cell-phone company's junk modification of the 'droid OS.

The Apple store has a greater proportion of worthwhile apps than Google Market. This may change over time, but Market is afflicted with quick and dirty ports of iPhone apps, and there's simply a greater proportion of junk apps (maybe the effect of Apple's store having a gate-keeper). You can find more free word-processor apps and such useful things in the Market, but nothing's stopping you from using Google Docs on iOS if you want a free ride.

Android lets you do what you like with your home-screens. I'm actually seeing this as a disadvantage with the current crop of devices. It means that iOS runs perfectly smoothly at all times. It multi-tasks as well or better than Android, which was something I really didn't expect. The only things I miss from my home-screen are a calendar box widget which permanently displays forth-coming events, an analogue clock app and a set of quick buttons to change screen-brightness, on/off for bluetooth etc. It's probably possible to get these by messing around with Wintergarden on a jailbroken device, but I don't think it's worth the time-investment for me.

Safari is a quicker browser, and better at handling bookmarks and multiple taps than the default Android browser and Dolphin HD. Probably because it can be tailored specifically to the hardware. IBooks reads PDFs incredibly quickly for the speed of the processor. I've tried multiple apps on 'droid to read PDFs, and they all feel so ridiculously bloated. Reading them on Android tends to feel like trying to swallow boiled eggs whole (if anyone knows of a quicker PDF reader on 'droid, please put me out of my misery).

Honeycomb looks very interesting. I'm starting to get the feeling, though, that Google's real weakness is in leaving the hardware manufacturers, software makers etc. far too much freedom. As a result, each step along the chain loses a degree of efficiency and becomes more poorly optimised. By the time you put hardware, user-interface, OS and application together, it starts to feel slightly like trying to cut your own hair by looking in the mirror.

I still like the creative freedom of Android, but iOS is really well suited to the job of running a tablet (especially one that's hardware has been specifically designed to run iOS) and just fits really well into every-day life, making tasks a pleasure to complete.

I'm surprised at how much I like iOS (after using desk-top Macs in the past and being unimpressed). It's limitations are overstated in a similar fashion to when people claim that the Kindle is 'locked down' by Amazon and DRM. That's only one path that you can take when using the device.

01-14-2011, 08:15 AM	#48
HansTWN Wizard Posts: 4,538 Karma: 264065402 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Taiwan Device: HP Touchpad, Sony Duo 13, Lumia 920, Kobo Aura HD	Actually, having used Android on the Dell Streak for 3-4 months now I do like it. But I am also quite aware of its limitations and I think a full Windows tablet like the Asus EP121 might be more suitable for me, if it really gets 4-5 hours of battery life with heavy usage (Asus claims up to 8 hours). Android is great for a phone, but I would like to do more with a tablet. Windows has much better resolution, no better how good browsing can get in Android, the best it can do is to be as good as Windows. There is no encrypted PPTP VPN on Android yet (and Google doesn't care to fix it), which is very important for me. Getting OpenVPN running on Android is a pain. You have to jump through hoops to get things like Hulu going, pay for apps that are free on Windows. And Windows apps are a lot more full featured than Android apps -- if there even are apps for a particular task. And by paying a little more I get a really powerful computer, not a gigantic phone. In the end this "there is an app for that" just seems to be more of a hassle than a feature. "I don't need an app for that, it is included" is the better solution. Well, I will just sit and wait for the moment. HP's announcements on WebOS should be interesting and I want to see real world examples of Honeycomb. Last edited by HansTWN; 01-14-2011 at 08:21 AM.

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01-14-2011, 10:10 AM	#49
Richey79 mrkrgnao Posts: 241 Karma: 237248 Join Date: May 2010 Device: PRS650, K3 Wireless, Galaxy S3, iPad 3.	Finally got a tablet, after waiting and waiting for companies to make an Android tablet which worked to an acceptable level for months and months. Which did I go for? IPad. Damn, can't get my jollies from being an Apple-hater any more. The battery life, size and screen made the choice easy, I'm afraid (probably in that order). Tried the Galaxy Tab - it quickly grew to feel piddlingly-small in a short space of time. I don't imagine regretting the purchase, since nothing's on the immediate horizon other than the Adam (can't see myself trusting the company enough to buy for at least 6 months; if it's good, none will be available for more like 12). Once devices that can actually compete appear, it'll be at least another two months before we get them in the UK, and I refuse to pay for another data plan. The second-gen iPad may be coming, but I don't want a camera on it, the speaker's fine for my needs and I won't give up battery-life for processor speed. So, that means I now have experience of 'droid 2.2 and iOS. I've rooted and jailbroken, so there are not extra frustrations with iOS and it's barely less customisable than 'droid. This also means my comparison is with the latest stable build of Cyanogen mod, rather than a cell-phone company's junk modification of the 'droid OS. The Apple store has a greater proportion of worthwhile apps than Google Market. This may change over time, but Market is afflicted with quick and dirty ports of iPhone apps, and there's simply a greater proportion of junk apps (maybe the effect of Apple's store having a gate-keeper). You can find more free word-processor apps and such useful things in the Market, but nothing's stopping you from using Google Docs on iOS if you want a free ride. Android lets you do what you like with your home-screens. I'm actually seeing this as a disadvantage with the current crop of devices. It means that iOS runs perfectly smoothly at all times. It multi-tasks as well or better than Android, which was something I really didn't expect. The only things I miss from my home-screen are a calendar box widget which permanently displays forth-coming events, an analogue clock app and a set of quick buttons to change screen-brightness, on/off for bluetooth etc. It's probably possible to get these by messing around with Wintergarden on a jailbroken device, but I don't think it's worth the time-investment for me. Safari is a quicker browser, and better at handling bookmarks and multiple taps than the default Android browser and Dolphin HD. Probably because it can be tailored specifically to the hardware. IBooks reads PDFs incredibly quickly for the speed of the processor. I've tried multiple apps on 'droid to read PDFs, and they all feel so ridiculously bloated. Reading them on Android tends to feel like trying to swallow boiled eggs whole (if anyone knows of a quicker PDF reader on 'droid, please put me out of my misery). Honeycomb looks very interesting. I'm starting to get the feeling, though, that Google's real weakness is in leaving the hardware manufacturers, software makers etc. far too much freedom. As a result, each step along the chain loses a degree of efficiency and becomes more poorly optimised. By the time you put hardware, user-interface, OS and application together, it starts to feel slightly like trying to cut your own hair by looking in the mirror. I still like the creative freedom of Android, but iOS is really well suited to the job of running a tablet (especially one that's hardware has been specifically designed to run iOS) and just fits really well into every-day life, making tasks a pleasure to complete. I'm surprised at how much I like iOS (after using desk-top Macs in the past and being unimpressed). It's limitations are overstated in a similar fashion to when people claim that the Kindle is 'locked down' by Amazon and DRM. That's only one path that you can take when using the device.