Android Mobile OS

[Jeremy D. Scott]

Bringing this thread back from the dead:
My current phone - Motorola Droid - still works fine in every area except one, it no longer serves as a phone. Even on speaker mode you cannot hear calls. This is not good since we no longer have a land line.

Now that Verizon gives me an option, I must choose: iPhone or stay with Android.

What Android phones are actually comparable to iPhones?
Is the iPhone battery still a problem?

Opinions?

***I continue to stress that the #1 factor in making these decisions is personal preference. I believe you love Macs, Mike. The iPhone would seem to make sense.***

That said, there are only a couple of reasons that I am keeping my Android phone (myTouch 4G):
- I can use it as a WiFi hotspot at no extra cost.
- I have a grandfathered $25/month unlimited data add-on.
- Google Nav (turn-by-turn) is still really good.

Other than these, I'd love to have an iPhone (by the way, my mother switched to an iPhone on Thursday, and my brother and sister-in-law did it today). But as long as I can keep the first two of the above three reasons, I will stay with my Android phone. (I've heard that there are comparable free turn-by-turn apps with the iPhone now.) The truth is that once I got an iPad, my phone has been pretty much just a phone, with the exception of serving me well for the WiFi hotspot (it gives me better speeds than most networks like McD's, Panera, Starbuck's, etc.).

To answer your questions:
I don't know of a comparable Android phone, though admittedly, I don't pay attention as much as I used to. The new Google phone (Galaxy Nexus) might be...I don't know. But I'm not sure it's available on Verizon.
I don't even really remember iPhone battery problems. The batteries are superb as far as I know.

My current plan is to continue with what I've got (still have a year anyway). I'm thinking the next iPad will be faster than 3G. If they keep the data plan at $15/month uncontracted, I may go backwards on my phone and get the cheapest that I can. I use my iPad so much.

[Gary Creely]

***I continue to stress that the #1 factor in making these decisions is personal preference.

how so? does that trump a set of needs?

[Jon Twitchell]

how so? does that trump a set of needs?

Sure. If you hate the device, then you won't use it... even if it does what you need it to.

I know that some may disagree, but I think that the Kindle outshines the Nook. But I have a friend who is considering getting a nook. When she listed all of the reasons why she thought the nook was better, I realized that she was operating with false assumptions... and I could answer all of her reasons she thought the nook would be better by correcting those assumptions.

But at the end of the day, if she likes the look and feel of the nook better, she'll use it more. If she buys the kindle, but doesn't like it as much, she won't use it as much... even if it can do more.

[Cam Pence]

i dont know....i think the galaxy nexus is going to give apple a run for their money....I've got to give it to Samsung...they seem to be the only company visibly going for apples jugular. And judging by the ridiculous measures apple has tried legally to keep from even competing with them, it seems samsung has them on the ropes....time will tell

[Shea Zellweger]

i dont know....i think the galaxy nexus is going to give apple a run for their money....I've got to give it to Samsung...they seem to be the only company visibly going for apples jugular. And judging by the ridiculous measures apple has tried legally to keep from even competing with them, it seems samsung has them on the ropes....time will tell

IMO, ASUS is doing the same thing in the tablet market. The first gen Transformer is closer in quality to the iPad 2 than the iPad, and from what I've read about the Transformer Prime, it will blow the iPad out of the water in terms of quality and usefulness. However, I think Jon and Jeremy are onto something. People will probably buy more iPad 2s and 3s than Transformer Primes, because they have non-factually based reasons for preferring an iPad. I just don't see a tablet overtaking the iPad because it "Out-iPads the iPad," as it were. In order for an android tablet (or phone) to claim the number 1 spot, it will need to revolutionize the market.

[Gary Creely]

Sure. If you hate the device, then you won't use it... even if it does what you need it to.

The thing is you will not know wether you like the device until you have owned it for a while. 5mins playing with someone else's does not tell the the story of the device.

I am going on the idea that one will like the device that functions in the way that best fills their needs.

People ask my advice on these kinds of things a lot, and I see that they are very influenced by preconceived notions about this phone or that (ie- personal preference- or the alleged #1 factor). Many people who buy based on that end up with a device they do not like over time.

We may have different ideas about what "personal preference" is, but to me it is the person who is "I must have apple, because I am an apple person" ect... Or I hate apple, so I can't get an Iphone ect... This stuff is what gets people locked into phones that they may not like after the novelty of the new device wares off, because it is weak at the things they do most.

[Rich Schmidt]

...because they have non-factually based reasons for preferring an iPad.

I'm not sure I'd say that "personal preferences" are "non-factually based." I personally would prefer an iPad over an Android tablet because I'm already a little bit invested in Apple's ecosystem. I have a handful of purchased apps that I could also use on an iPad, and I could stream an iPad 2's display to my TV with the Apple TV that I already own. And it would play nicely with my/the church's MacBook Pro and the presentation software we use on Sunday mornings.

Even something as simple as "I'm accustomed to iOS and don't want to adjust to using Android" is a personal preference based on fact. Or "I want to use Facetime / play games with my friends who have iPads." Etc.

Sorry... just the reaction I had when I read that phrase.

[Shea Zellweger]

I'm not sure I'd say that "personal preferences" are "non-factually based." I personally would prefer an iPad over an Android tablet because I'm already a little bit invested in Apple's ecosystem. I have a handful of purchased apps that I could also use on an iPad, and I could stream an iPad 2's display to my TV with the Apple TV that I already own. And it would play nicely with my/the church's MacBook Pro and the presentation software we use on Sunday mornings.

Even something as simple as "I'm accustomed to iOS and don't want to adjust to using Android" is a personal preference based on fact. Or "I want to use Facetime / play games with my friends who have iPads." Etc.

Sorry... just the reaction I had when I read that phrase.

Yeah, I was trying to come up with a short-hand for "reasons which are not related to the specifications of the device so much as personal preference." Guess I didn't succeed; The sort of reasons you gave are the sort of reasons I was thinking of when I made that post.

[Gary Creely]

I personally would prefer an iPad over an Android tablet because I'm already a little bit invested in Apple's ecosystem. I have a handful of purchased apps that I could also use on an iPad, and I could stream an iPad 2's display to my TV with the Apple TV that I already own. And it would play nicely with my/the church's MacBook Pro and the presentation software we use on Sunday mornings.

Even something as simple as "I'm accustomed to iOS and don't want to adjust to using Android" is a personal preference based on fact. Or "I want to use Facetime / play games with my friends who have iPads." Etc.

Sorry... just the reaction I had when I read that phrase.

To me your examples are not personal preference. To me person preference is considering all things equal, I just simply prefer one over the other. Personal preference is based more on subjective preference. If you have some investment in the apple ecosystem your preference moves from subjective to objective and practical. If you are more familiar with one OS over the other you have entered more objective factors.

This may be running in circles over semantics, but as we know words mean something.

[Cam Pence]

IMO, ASUS is doing the same thing in the tablet market. The first gen Transformer is closer in quality to the iPad 2 than the iPad, and from what I've read about the Transformer Prime, it will blow the iPad out of the water in terms of quality and usefulness. However, I think Jon and Jeremy are onto something. People will probably buy more iPad 2s and 3s than Transformer Primes, because they have non-factually based reasons for preferring an iPad. I just don't see a tablet overtaking the iPad because it "Out-iPads the iPad," as it were. In order for an android tablet (or phone) to claim the number 1 spot, it will need to revolutionize the market.

Thats a very good point. Apple has been very good at creating (beyond a solid product-even people like me who are not mac guys have to give them that) a culture and image. In many ways, even if Samsung and Asus come up with a better product spec wise, they have not spent the last decade creating that culture and image therefore will be fighting an uphill battle in that area, however I still think Samsung (and Asus) will be formidable competitors. They will def. have my business. My wife however, who has two brothers and parents who have become "once you go mac, you never go back" people, now fully believes that mac is the only way she can ever possibly go. A household divided

[Mike Schutz]

I have been in my local Verizon store twice to have this conversation. In both cases, with two different salespersons, they have trashed the iPhone in favor of Android phones, especially the Razr. It was similar to the old days going into a CompUSA and asking the sales staff to compare a Mac and a PC - they would always trash the Apple product, and then with a few questions it became obvious that they didn't even know how to use a Mac.

My favorite quote: "Apple will soon be gone. They don't care about technology. All they do is develop brand loyalty."

I can only assume they get a higher commission on Android phones.

[Hans Deventer]

When it comes to tablets, I don't know what the future will bring but we either get HTML5 here real fast, or the fact that iPad's don't support flash is going to be an increasingly bad decision for Apple. I do like my iPad2, but I only have one because I didn't pay for it. If it would have been personal expense, I'd have bought an Android tablet for 2/3 of the price AND Flash support without thinking twice.

[Rich Schmidt]

When it comes to tablets, I don't know what the future will bring but we either get HTML5 here real fast, or the fact that iPad's don't support flash is going to be an increasingly bad decision for Apple. I do like my iPad2, but I only have one because I didn't pay for it. If it would have been personal expense, I'd have bought an Android tablet for 2/3 of the price AND Flash support without thinking twice.

Since Adobe has quit developing Flash for mobile devices, my guess is that we'll see less and less of it on the web... and where we do still see it, there will be Flash-less versions for users of mobile devices.

[Rich Schmidt]

My favorite quote: "Apple will soon be gone. They don't care about technology. All they do is develop brand loyalty."

I can only assume they get a higher commission on Android phones.

I'm having trouble believing the ignorance of the person you're quoting. Apple, the world's second largest company by market value, will soon be gone? Apple, a consistent leader in technology, doesn't care about technology?

Mind-boggling...

BTW, since this is an Android thread: I hope Android keeps improving. Especially since so many people are using it. There's room for lots of players on this field...

[Shea Zellweger]

So I've had my ASUS Transformer for about a month now. I have opened my notebook exactly twice in that time, so I could transfer some files to my desktop (which I can link remotely to my tablet, although I haven't totally figured that part out yet). So far, I've not had any computing needs that I could accomplish with my laptop, but couldn't with the tablet, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I haven't even picked up the keyboard docking base yet (I'm hoping the price drops when the Transformer Prime comes out), which will basically turn it into a netbook with a reported 16 hour active battery life. If you're looking for a computer replacement, this may very well be it.

As for Honeycomb in particular (should have ICS some time in the next couple months), I've so far managed to find free apps for pretty much everything. I don't know if this is old news, but my phone's version of the market did not have the integration with google books, music, and movies. That's a pretty big plus for me, as I was already using those on my google account. I've had two problems, which are minor, and I'm not sure how prevalent they are among Honeycomb users. First, it seems as though pausing a movie for more than a couple seconds throws the system off, so you have to restart. You can restart, and then move right ahead to where you were, so it takes maybe an extra 2 seconds, but it's still annoying. Second, there's a button at the bottom (not sure what it's called) that lets me quickly scroll through all the apps I have open. But once I open an app, it stays there, even after I "kill" it, and doesn't go away unless I restart, so that feature is not really as convenient as it initially seemed. It does show them in order of last used, though, so if I'm switching between 2 or 3 apps, it works.

[Cam Pence]

So I've had my ASUS Transformer for about a month now. I have opened my notebook exactly twice in that time, so I could transfer some files to my desktop (which I can link remotely to my tablet, although I haven't totally figured that part out yet). So far, I've not had any computing needs that I could accomplish with my laptop, but couldn't with the tablet, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I haven't even picked up the keyboard docking base yet (I'm hoping the price drops when the Transformer Prime comes out), which will basically turn it into a netbook with a reported 16 hour active battery life. If you're looking for a computer replacement, this may very well be it.

As for Honeycomb in particular (should have ICS some time in the next couple months), I've so far managed to find free apps for pretty much everything. I don't know if this is old news, but my phone's version of the market did not have the integration with google books, music, and movies. That's a pretty big plus for me, as I was already using those on my google account. I've had two problems, which are minor, and I'm not sure how prevalent they are among Honeycomb users. First, it seems as though pausing a movie for more than a couple seconds throws the system off, so you have to restart. You can restart, and then move right ahead to where you were, so it takes maybe an extra 2 seconds, but it's still annoying. Second, there's a button at the bottom (not sure what it's called) that lets me quickly scroll through all the apps I have open. But once I open an app, it stays there, even after I "kill" it, and doesn't go away unless I restart, so that feature is not really as convenient as it initially seemed. It does show them in order of last used, though, so if I'm switching between 2 or 3 apps, it works.

I just bought a new laptop last week for school and considered the transformer with keyboard but was afraid the tablet might fair as well in the arena of word processing. Have you gotten much use out of it with your seminary work?

[Shea Zellweger]

I just bought a new laptop last week for school and considered the transformer with keyboard but was afraid the tablet might fair as well in the arena of word processing. Have you gotten much use out of it with your seminary work?

Polaris office works quite well. The only thing I wouldn't do on the transformer is write a paper, but that has more to do with my own writing process- I have Thompson and Reuters' EndNote, which is only available for Mac and PC, and works best with MS Word. I could theoretically do first drafts on my tablet, but that's what a typewriter is for . Everything else is fine, though- taking notes, outlining papers, etc. I'm guessing the keyboard will improve the experience quite a bit as well.

[Hans Deventer]

Since Adobe has quit developing Flash for mobile devices, my guess is that we'll see less and less of it on the web... and where we do still see it, there will be Flash-less versions for users of mobile devices.

Yes, I know. But untill that day comes, I still see the "not supported" sign waaaay too often.

[Jim Chabot]

Yes, I know. But untill that day comes, I still see the "not supported" sign waaaay too often.

There must be a good bit of perspective in play here. I see "not supported" from time to time, although generally it is something that isn't important and I shrug it off and move on. Other times I will admit to thinking that the web site will either be changing soon to keep up with the times or be relegated to the dust heap. I'm thinking that my conversion to apple is pretty solid, as a former PC only supporter and a staunch one at that, I am surprised at myself.

The sites that do give me fits are the ones that either require an app or those which automatically route you to their "mobile" site. I don't want to download an app in order to view a site, so I don't. And I don't want a silly lightweight unfamiliar version of a site either.

I am still on the fence about trading my Droid in for an iPhone. As far as the operating system, I'm finding either one to be fine. In fact the Android system was instrumental in my transition from PC to Mac, they are quite similar. I had the Droid for about a year before the Mac.

I'm leaning toward the iPhone partly because I tend to think in fleet terms. I like to own mechanical devices of the same manufacturer, it makes operation, maintenance and repair so much easier. Presently I buy Nikon cameras, Ford vehicles, Porter Cable power tools, Snap On hand tools and Caterpillar earth engaging equipment. If I change one piece, the plan is to change all of them. In this way the iPhone makes sense. The only things left for me in the PC world are my audio processing software which I could change out, and my architectural design software which is firmly in the PC world so I need to maintain one PC.

The only negative I'm seeing on the iPhone is the screen size, the droid is bigger and my eyes aren't getting any better. This may be enough to keep it in my pocket.

[Hans Deventer]

There must be a good bit of perspective in play here.

Could very well be. It probably depends to a large extent on what sites one frequently visits.

[Mike Schutz]

I have been in my local Verizon store twice to have this conversation. In both cases, with two different salespersons, they have trashed the iPhone in favor of Android phones, especially the Razr. It was similar to the old days going into a CompUSA and asking the sales staff to compare a Mac and a PC - they would always trash the Apple product, and then with a few questions it became obvious that they didn't even know how to use a Mac.

My favorite quote: "Apple will soon be gone. They don't care about technology. All they do is develop brand loyalty."

I can only assume they get a higher commission on Android phones.

Realized that this is not a Verizon-owned store (Even though that is the only sign on the front), but an "authorized reseller."

[Jim Chabot]

Could very well be. It probably depends to a large extent on what sites one frequently visits.

Yes I think so. If your favorite sites have enough flash content to make them unusable with the iPad, then it would make sense that the iPad would be the problem rather than the site.

I have to admit that my love affair with the iPad isn't entirely an apple thing. I have found that I love the freedom that a tablet gives me. My usual evening relaxation time involves a comfortable position on the couch watching tv and surfing the web and now I can also read with the kindle app while I watch and surf. I used to do this with a laptop, but now with the weight, heat and cords gone, this activity is positively blissful! I suppose that I would be just as happy with an android tablet although I have fallen in love with the mac os because everything just works, no computer theory required!

[Rich Schmidt]

Yes, I know. But untill that day comes, I still see the "not supported" sign waaaay too often.

Could very well be. It probably depends to a large extent on what sites one frequently visits.

Yes I think so. If your favorite sites have enough flash content to make them unusable with the iPad, then it would make sense that the iPad would be the problem rather than the site.

Ditto what Jim said. Use what works for you. For me, right now, that's a 15" MacBook Pro + iPhone. No iPad yet. I rarely bump into the Flash issue on the phone. If I did, consistently, it would certainly annoy me... and would make me think twice about buying any tablet that didn't have excellent Flash support. (Unfortunately, very few tablets have excellent Flash support.)

[Hans Deventer]

Another one. Got an email with 2 Powerpoint files, simple ppt, not even pptx. iPad can't show them. Checking the internet, it appears I need to convert them to PDF to have them show up on an iPad. Why is this?

[Shea Zellweger]

Another one. Got an email with 2 Powerpoint files, simple ppt, not even pptx. iPad can't show them. Checking the internet, it appears I need to convert them to PDF to have them show up on an iPad. Why is this?

Hans,
Have you tried any powerpoint viewing apps? Slideshark is rating pretty well

[Hans Deventer]

Hans,
Have you tried any powerpoint viewing apps? Slideshark is rating pretty well

Sure, there are ways. But I don't understand why there are no regular viewers or office applications that simply open the file without converting it.

[Cam Pence]

There must be a good bit of perspective in play here. I see "not supported" from time to time, although generally it is something that isn't important and I shrug it off and move on. Other times I will admit to thinking that the web site will either be changing soon to keep up with the times or be relegated to the dust heap. I'm thinking that my conversion to apple is pretty solid, as a former PC only supporter and a staunch one at that, I am surprised at myself.

The sites that do give me fits are the ones that either require an app or those which automatically route you to their "mobile" site. I don't want to download an app in order to view a site, so I don't. And I don't want a silly lightweight unfamiliar version of a site either.

I am still on the fence about trading my Droid in for an iPhone. As far as the operating system, I'm finding either one to be fine. In fact the Android system was instrumental in my transition from PC to Mac, they are quite similar. I had the Droid for about a year before the Mac.

I'm leaning toward the iPhone partly because I tend to think in fleet terms. I like to own mechanical devices of the same manufacturer, it makes operation, maintenance and repair so much easier. Presently I buy Nikon cameras, Ford vehicles, Porter Cable power tools, Snap On hand tools and Caterpillar earth engaging equipment. If I change one piece, the plan is to change all of them. In this way the iPhone makes sense. The only things left for me in the PC world are my audio processing software which I could change out, and my architectural design software which is firmly in the PC world so I need to maintain one PC.

The only negative I'm seeing on the iPhone is the screen size, the droid is bigger and my eyes aren't getting any better. This may be enough to keep it in my pocket.

totally agree. I find that I stick to samsung for alot of electronic needs from TV's to laptops to cell phones. If they would up the storage on their galaxy mp3 player, I would probably trade in the ipod.

[Rich Schmidt]

Sure, there are ways. But I don't understand why there are no regular viewers or office applications that simply open the file without converting it.

I don't understand. There are several office apps for iOS that work with ppt files.

I didn't realize you couldn't preview them in email. I almost never have reason to use ppt files.

[Hans Deventer]

I don't understand. There are several office apps for iOS that work with ppt files.

Ah! That's nice. Been looking for a Powerpoint Viewer at the appstore but could not find it. Dowloaded a file mananger that supposedly would allow for viewing PPT's but it did not work. Please, what app allows me to view ppt's?

[Rich Schmidt]

Ah! That's nice. Been looking for a Powerpoint Viewer at the appstore but could not find it. Dowloaded a file mananger that supposedly would allow for viewing PPT's but it did not work. Please, what app allows me to view ppt's?

OK, Hans, I'm starting to wonder if there's something goofy about the PPT files you're having trouble viewing. I just found some old emails with PPT files attached, and I could preview them in the regular ol' mail app on my iPhone with no problem.

I previewed one in my Dropbox without too much trouble... though for some reason some of the words were off the screen. I'm not sure why that is. But they look the same when I "quick look" them on my Mac, so it must have something to do with how those slides are put together.

My wife uses QuickOffice (HD?) for viewing & editing MS Office docs on her iPad. I haven't messed with it, but I asked her last night if she ever has to open PPT files with it, and she said it works fine.

BTW, I used the word "preview" in speaking of my experiences on the iPhone because all I was doing was viewing the slides. I wasn't trying to play the ppt presentation, view any notes associated with them, edit them, etc. I think QuickOffice (and others) will let you do all that.

[Hans Deventer]

OK, Hans, I'm starting to wonder if there's something goofy about the PPT files you're having trouble viewing. I just found some old emails with PPT files attached, and I cold preview them in the regular ol' mail app on my iPhone with no problem.

So am I. I'd do some testing!!

[Hans Deventer]

So am I. I'd do some testing!!

Sent myself another ppt file and it opens without any problems on the iPad. Apparently, there was indeed something wrong with the previous one. Thanks for hanging on, Rich!

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

[David Parker]

The business/personal uses of a tablet have now convinced me I want one...from my reading I think the Asus Transformer Prime is the way to go. I love my Motorola Bionic Android phone and have moved all my contact management and calender from Outlook to Google. From the reviews, this Prime looks like the ticket. Only consistent complaint seems to be a weak GPS performance due to the metal case, but that doesn't concern me. I'll plan to tether it for internet when away from wi-fi.

Thoughts?

[Shea Zellweger]

The business/personal uses of a tablet have now convinced me I want one...from my reading I think the Asus Transformer Prime is the way to go. I love my Motorola Bionic Android phone and have moved all my contact management and calender from Outlook to Google. From the reviews, this Prime looks like the ticket. Only consistent complaint seems to be a weak GPS performance due to the metal case, but I that doesn't concern me. I'll plan to tether it for internet when away from wi-fi.


Thoughts?

I'm surprised there are already "consistent complaints," given the newness of the tablet. The first generation transformer is more than enough computing power for me, and from what I've seen of the Prime, it basically blows all the competition out of the water (iPad 3 notwithstanding). I'd say go for it

[Hans Deventer]

Thoughts?

David, a collegue of mine at IT recently bought a Asus EEE Pad and is totally happy with it. I'd go for it too if I had to buy one.