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I left Apple IOS and came back to Android! (My reasons why)----->>

Let's get back to basics for a moment.

Be nice. Be polite. Argue respectfully. Keep it to the topic, or as close as possible. Do not comment on speculation about what another member's intentions might or might not be. Do not make it personal. There we go.

Now, on the topic of choice, let's remember that the iPhone is a choice, too. Choice isn't about a random uninformed selection of seemingly similar items and taking your chances, it's about having a variety of things to select from to complete a specific task, or group of tasks.

If I may use that tired old car analogy for a moment, the iPhone is the BMW of the phone world and we can all pretty much agree that the BMW 740i is a beautiful luxury vehicle and "better" than a vast majority of other vehicles. But, if i needed to haul firewood, i'd get a Ford F10. If I wanted exceptional mileage for commuting, I'd get a Prius. If I had to haul the kids to soccer practice I'd get a Honda Odyssey minivan. If was towing the boat to the lake, I'd get a Jeep Cherokee. If I was into street modding, I'd get a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO ... none of which overall matches the style or quality of the 740i, but non of which the 740i can do well. So the 740i is a luxurious car that impresses folks and carries a few people in style around on safe, paved roads. If you wanted to any of the other stuff, there are better suited alternatives, just not from BMW.


EDIT: MOVED TO THE LOUNGE
This has been becoming a "Lounge" type discussion, so it might as well be here. :D
 
if it was 10 bad things... like death.. loss of a limb.. ways to go blind... loos a great job...ways to loose your home...
----ok you are 100% right.. that would suck!!!

but... we are not talking about that.. we are talking about choices on a smartphone...

you want a phone that takes choices away.. to save on battery and performance (smoother ui graphics)...

i want a phone that gives me the choice to take away the same things...or use them if i wish.

The choices are;

Android
iOS
WP7
Symbian
Bada

broadly speaking. The iPhone does not take away any choice because you are free to pick from any of the other smartphone platforms if you wish. I don't know why people insist on peddling this 'lack of choice' meme; Apple don't force customers to buy iPhones, they do so willingly, i.e., they've made a choice.
 
The choices are;

Android
iOS
WP7
Symbian
Bada

I don't know why people insist on peddling this 'lack of choice' meme; Apple don't force customers to buy iPhones, they do so willingly, i.e., they've made a choice.

The reference to fewer choices are also with regard to what you have post-purchase, not only what purchasing choices you have (although that difference is HUGE between iPhone and Android, Android winning by a quantum margin ;)). Customizing can be done with iPhone, but is far more inviting and varied with Android devices.
 
Both phones has a viable market and if they didn't you relly think android or apple would still be around if they didn't have a good product? All I am hearing is the same points from all the other apple vs Google threads.

This is nothing more than ford vs Chevy. Of who's device is the best and I will prove why.
 
I actually find the iOS keyboard to be much better than the default Android one (it's probably the worst keyboard I've ever used, IMO). However, Android allows you to download third party keyboards, which of course, are much better than the iOS one. Swype puts any mobile keyboard to shame.

I actually find swype to be one of the worst keyboards out, but to each their own.





I've never dropped a phone in water so it's not an eventuality I plan for. If I planned for everything that could happen to my phone, it would be wrapped in some sort of bullet proof armour!

Lol, some people do try to wrap their phones in that armour.
 
Here is my quick take...

GNex: Unlockable by design, root access and custom, stable firmware ROMs being the next logical step in that progression. 720p HD screen with just 10 ppi less than a baby screen. With a recent mod, I can now call up 5, not just 3, software buttons when I want or need 'em in a pie form just like is optional in the stock browser in the dev settings; so now my whole HD screen is used at all times. Replaceable launcher (I use nova on top of leaked 4.0.4). Custom kernel in use that allows for 1 of the 2 cores to sleep while the screen is off and with setcpu I can chose my over or underclocking. I have 2 batteries. I have dropped my phone (LG Ally back in the day) and then dropped its components in rice to save time and money over an insurance claim. Did I mention that my Nexus and TV share an identical aspect ratio?

iPhone: Great accessories; wonderfully integrated with all things apple; head start in app dev department; beautiful but vulnerable design.

My 2
 
Different strokes for different folks.......me personally since owning the gnex i could never ever go back to a screen less than 4.3inches.....as a moderate user i find the battery performance is great (over a day)and love the fact i can customize the crap out of it.....only gripe is the bad flimsy back cover
 
The choices are;

Android
iOS
WP7
Symbian
Bada

broadly speaking. The iPhone does not take away any choice because you are free to pick from any of the other smartphone platforms if you wish. I don't know why people insist on peddling this 'lack of choice' meme; Apple don't force customers to buy iPhones, they do so willingly, i.e., they've made a choice.

As Frisco pointed out, I'm not talking about choice in device, OS or provider. Just about everyone has these choices. There are a ton of different options out there for devices and it is true that you get the widest range of choices with Android, but that choices I am referring to are those you are allowed to make with the device you are using. When it comes down to it Android offers the user far more choices/options on one device than any other OS. With Android a users ability to choose doesn't end.

The iPhone does in fact take away many choices that users have. No option to run flash, live wallpaper, custom launchers, widgets, custom lock screens, optional keyboards, custom status bars, multiple home screens, multiple markets, etc. These are all choices that an Android user gets to make that iPhone users do not and these are all allowed without rooting. Once a phone is rooting the choices become almost too many to list. So this really isn't a meme of any sort. The iPhone doesn't allow for choice because it is a restricted device.
 
I love platform wars! Back in the day it was Symbian vs. PalmOS vs. BlackBerryOS. Apple and Google changed the game, and soon someone else will come up with an orthogonal method to upset the "apple cart", as it were. :)

Personally I have used all these platforms at one time or another as my primary handheld. There are positives and negatives to each, and at the moment I more associate with the Android culture than that of the iDeas put forth by Apple. I've found a handset I'm happy with, and now my work iPhone sits neglected on my nightstand, its sole function is to forward phone calls and SMS (of course it's jailbroken) to my GNexus.

I say live and let live. Not enough time in this life to worry about what others do. :)
 
Blackberry was the one that snapped me out of the "phone is a phone" mindset. ;)

I was enthralled with that thing, and thought it was the ultimate, especially when the browser began to improve.

Now it's a bit primitive in concept as well as design, as compared to both iPhone and Android.
 
My wife is a bit frustrated with her iPhone that she can't change the default web browser (she likes Opera) without jailbreaking it.

Unfortunately, Android is also going in the fewer-choices direction. I've noticed in Ice Cream Sandwich, I cannot disable haptic feedback for the unlock screen or for selecting multiple photos in the Gallery. Yes, I can disable haptic feedback in general but not for those two things. And I'm rooted and still can't do it.

There are also a couple of other items in the fewer-choices category.

Now you can't take the search widget off the home screens. You can disable it (but not put anything in its place), or you can use an alternative launcher. In the old days of Android, you could customize even the stock launcher a bit more.

I'm sure there's a mod for this out there but in older versions of Android even unrooted and without modding, you could easily separate out the ringtone volume from the notification volume.

I'm not complaining. I love my Galaxy Nexus! I'm just saying the whole "choices" thing applies in some measure (maybe not equally) to both iPhone and Android.
 
"Technically ignorant" has a negative twinge to it that I personally resent, as I think back to those great days of first acquiring an Android device and coming here to get help. Truly ignorant people do not ask for help. And to be overwhelmed with choices is a good thing, it means you've got a lot of new ground to learn about. To disrespect those "overwhelmed" users seems crass and condescending toward the majority of new users and new members here.

I apologize, it wasn't my intention to sound condescending to anyone. When I use the word ignorant, I simply meant the definition of the word, which is unlearned, or unknowledgeable in a certain area. It has nothing to do with a willingness to learn, but our society has made the term "ignorant" to be a negative term, which it wasn't originally intended to be.

And when I say overwhelmed, I mean the definition there, as well, which is to simply be buried beneath a mass of something, or to have an excessive amount of something heaped or loaded upon. When I think of the term "overwhelmed," I think of someone who has been presented with too much to the point of freaking out, rather than being unable to decide which to choose first.

Again, I did not mean any disrespect to anyone here or not, and if you want my sources, I simply checked dictionary.com
 
I apologize, it wasn't my intention to sound condescending to anyone. When I use the word ignorant, I simply meant the definition of the word, which is unlearned, or unknowledgeable in a certain area. It has nothing to do with a willingness to learn, but our society has made the term "ignorant" to be a negative term, which it wasn't originally intended to be.

And when I say overwhelmed, I mean the definition there, as well, which is to simply be buried beneath a mass of something, or to have an excessive amount of something heaped or loaded upon. When I think of the term "overwhelmed," I think of someone who has been presented with too much to the point of freaking out, rather than being unable to decide which to choose first.

Again, I did not mean any disrespect to anyone here or not, and if you want my sources, I simply checked dictionary.com

Thanks for clarifying, lightningdude. I know I'm often using the backspace key when composing a post, to remove a word or phrase that on second thought could be taken in a too negative light. ;)
 
My wife is a bit frustrated with her iPhone that she can't change the default web browser (she likes Opera) without jailbreaking it.

Unfortunately, Android is also going in the fewer-choices direction. I've noticed in Ice Cream Sandwich, I cannot disable haptic feedback for the unlock screen or for selecting multiple photos in the Gallery. Yes, I can disable haptic feedback in general but not for those two things. And I'm rooted and still can't do it.

There are also a couple of other items in the fewer-choices category.

Now you can't take the search widget off the home screens. You can disable it (but not put anything in its place), or you can use an alternative launcher. In the old days of Android, you could customize even the stock launcher a bit more.

I'm sure there's a mod for this out there but in older versions of Android even unrooted and without modding, you could easily separate out the ringtone volume from the notification volume.

I'm not complaining. I love my Galaxy Nexus! I'm just saying the whole "choices" thing applies in some measure (maybe not equally) to both iPhone and Android.

When I first got my Gnex I knew that the persistent search bar would shove me the wrong way. The haptic feedback you discussed is a tiny issue for me as well. As far as volume, I always keep my volume maxed but if you like that option I can see its downfall set the way it is. While I didn't unlock and root, ROM, etc right away (I had a palpable sense that I would be getting a lemon, which I did, due to being an early adopter), it was always my intention.

After taking control of my Nexus I will say that I love Nova Launcher (no search bar with the ability to use the space vacated), a full screen mod with an app that launches back, home, multitask, and legacy menu and search, buttons, when I need 'em, so I am in business as they say. In Roman's AOKP ROM, volume separation has been achieved and is optional. And I am sure some dev, if pressed by the community, could come up with a way to disable the haptic feedback that is unaffected by "global" haptic settings.

I know unlocking and rooting and such is not for everyone! So why did I share all of this? Because it speaks to the point that with Android there are a plethora of options available to each community of phone. And as you are aware, none of the above is even remotely possible in iOS!

Back when I got my first Android device (LG Ally), I longed for an iPhone but couldn't afford one. Then the iPhone 4 came to Verizon and by that time I had no desire to leave Android! Why??? Because it was/is open and uber flexible. And now that I have a GNex, I am grateful of my decision. That decision also led me to Ubuntu Linux, which freed me from the grip of Windows. Thank you Google!
 
Yeah, as I said before, I love my Galaxy Nexus. I have unlocked and rooted it. I use ADW instead of the stock launcher, and I put in a soft button mod to put the Search button back there. I'm not a fanatic, though, who believes Google can do no wrong. I get just as annoyed with the so-called "fandroids" as I do with the so-called "iSheeple." There are pros and cons either way--use whatever works best for you.
 
Yeah, as I said before, I love my Galaxy Nexus. I have unlocked and rooted it. I use ADW instead of the stock launcher, and I put in a soft button mod to put the Search button back there. I'm not a fanatic, though, who believes Google can do no wrong. I get just as annoyed with the so-called "fandroids" as I do with the so-called "iSheeple." There are pros and cons either way--use whatever works best for you.

Just a heads-up regarding launcher replacements. I think ADW is doing fine, but I switched to GO for some variety. When I updated to 4.0.4, I noticed quite a bit of lag. Eventually I figured out it was the launcher, and have been using Nova with no issues since.

Have fun!
 
Comes down to marketing brainwash! the same reason half of america is so tuned to there teevee's! they beleive what they see.. apple is seen as top dog and "In" told all my freinds avoid apple, all my android palls have very personilezed phones and cool features they love.. but like someone stated before.. its the image thats brought with that over priced locked down device.. you dont own something till it has your own touch and when i see apple i just think millions of people in the same rut with nothing better to do than show there cool white phone ya know? If color is a big deal im sure the money saved going Droid could get you one hell of a flame paint job lol any one ever seen Weeds the HBO series? if you have the time i advise watching the intro Weeds intro Season 1 original good quality - YouTube these people who happen to all be the same probably own an iphone (:! no diversity kill the imagination!
 
I'm sure there's a mod for this out there but in older versions of Android even unrooted and without modding, you could easily separate out the ringtone volume from the notification volume.
.

So AudioManager does not work on ICS? O.o I have set varying level for all my sound bites at various of time of days.
 
So AudioManager does not work on ICS? O.o I have set varying level for all my sound bites at various of time of days.
No, it doesn't work for ICS, apparently:
Jason on December 19, 2011 (Samsung Galaxy Nexus with version 3.0.2)
Separate volumes...

Does not allow for separation of notification and ring volume. Pointless.
I've done extensive Google searching, and people have suggested all sorts of applications, but no one using Galaxy Nexus has said "Yes, that worked. Thanks!"

Right now I'm trying a Tasker profile that has my Ringer volume set low for notifications, and then when an incoming call comes in, it sets the Ringer volume high for 30 seconds, and then back low again.
 
No, it doesn't work for ICS, apparently: I've done extensive Google searching, and people have suggested all sorts of applications, but no one using Galaxy Nexus has said "Yes, that worked. Thanks!"

Right now I'm trying a Tasker profile that has my Ringer volume set low for notifications, and then when an incoming call comes in, it sets the Ringer volume high for 30 seconds, and then back low again.

Oh boy :( that's really rough >_< So, no devs have found a hack around this for rooted GNex? :(

So...what else does ICS doesn't have that GB has?
 
So...what else does ICS doesn't have that GB has?
You can't disable haptic feedback in the Gallery or on the lockscreen. You also can't remove the search widget from the regular launcher and put stuff in its place (good thing you can use alterntive launchers).
 
A phone that becomes unresponsive...a phone that reboots randomly. THAT is what i am talking about. Poor signal strength, poor Wifi reception, poor 4G reception. Both phones. These are the reasons why i gave up on the Epic 4G. These are the reasons why my wife won't go back to Android...but since she does not use it much other than texting and making calls (non-emergently, unlike me), she will put up with it until 2 year is up.
My wife and I both had Blackberry Bold 9000's that crashed, and later died outside of warranty. New motherboards required: binned. We were probably unlucky, but what expensive failures!

My Meizu M9 (previously my wife's) was up for eight months before I re-flashed to update to the latest firmware, and has been reliable since then. I'm getting 2 days before recharging, so if I forget I can survive. However, a standard USB connector to my PC at work is available if I need it. I had a reboot problem - the cause was a clam-shell executive case that would shift a bit in my pocket and just touch the power button. Doh!

I took it over from my wife as I'd played a lot with Launchers and software, and she wanted a new one: the Galaxy Ace, which has been flawless for two weeks, despite her installing apps. (She checks with me first *most* of the time:) )

I now have an Onda Vi140 tablet. It comes rooted with ICS 4.03. As it's my first tablet, I made the mistake of installing apps that were not tested with ICS. After a bit of research, rather than diving in, I now have a fully functioning tablet that is customised exactly the way I like it.**

iPhones have their market. Many people are happy with them for whatever reason they buy them; many aren't. The difference seems to be that people will forgive Apple anything; perhaps to justify their investment. I've seen this in other forums where people defend weaknesses rather than admit their product isn't perfect. To suggest they don't crash or are without problems is to fly in the face of evidence.

Here in China Apple is a status symbol, like hanging a giant Canon/Nikon round your neck, even though you can't use it. When I bought my camera, I researched and bought Olympus. It does everything I need for less money. You'd be surprised at the number of people frustrated they can't get pictures like mine with cameras costing three times as much. They blame their equipment and seek better cameras. My camera is better than me.

I, for one, welcome Android and open source software with open arms. In our household we have a very basic user who needs her husband to help with anything other than easy click-to-do things, and a more tech-savvy user who likes to tweak and play. Android serve both of us very well, at a much lower price point. We see no advantage at all in having an Apple product, on price or features.

David.
**I'm not saying this will be the case next week, as the tablet market at this price point is still cutting edge. I may yet eat my words - on the tablet in any case :D.
 
I see just any many people now with Samsung phones as I do users with iPhones.

Was siting next to somebody on the train yesterday with a Galaxy Note and it was a women.

Also most Android users don't know what Android version they're running, we really are a minority here because the truth is the average user doesnt really care and that goes for both iSO and Android users.

My mate for example has a Galaxy S and hes currently on 2.2, only because I suggested to him a while back he should update it, he was perfectly happy with the phone just running 2.1. Sadly this represents the average user and since Samsung don't have OTA updates they just won't know theres anything better available without using kies.
 
Also most Android users don't know what Android version they're running, we really are a minority here because the truth is the average user doesnt really care and that goes for both iSO and Android users.

My mate for example has a Galaxy S and hes currently on 2.2, only because I suggested to him a while back he should update it, he was perfectly happy with the phone just running 2.1. Sadly this represents the average user and since Samsung don't have OTA updates they just won't know theres anything better available without using kies.

Most Android owners don't care about what OS version until they have some big software issues. They either go to the carrier and they are told that the '2.3' update fixes that issue....then that's when they start caring about OS updates. You see a lot of new forum members here that join because they have issues and want a fix.
 
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