How do we not have an Android thread on this forum yet? Time to balance out that iPhone 5 thread ;).
I got a new Samsung Galaxy S3 with my upgrade and traded in my old iPhone 4. I haven't done much with it yet, but I am really happy with my purchase so far. =).
Enjoy this picture I took. ;)
Cool phone! You look a bit like a super villain in that pic Tim. ;)
Your escape from the seduction of the dark side is almost complete. :)
I'll be sure to bump this thread on occasion to keep it from drifting into obscurity.... ;)
I like the perspective, makes your new phone look like the size of your head! LOL!
I couldn't resist having a little fun Tim. Hope you get a laugh out of this! :biggrin
Emperor Tim!
You want thisssss....don't you....
"Take it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with all your hate and your journey to the Android-side will be complete!"
I find your lack of apps disturbing...
Now Jobs' failure is complete...
When I left Cupertino I was but the Apprentice now South Korea is the Master..
Don't try and frighten us with you Samsunger's ways.
Your sad devotion to that clunky OS has not helped you conjure up a decent GPS system, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the nearest Apple store...
Bwhahahahahaha this thread is a riot =P. Cracking up over here. Saved the photo, thanks Rico.
Quote from: Bryancd on April 04, 2013, 04:21:40 PM
I find your lack of apps disturbing...
^^^ omg this one made me howl...genius
Love the photoshop Rico! Nice work!!
Tim - I really like the Samsung Galaxy S3. It's a really nice phone. Last summer I bought the HTC One X and really like it, especially now that it has Jellybean on it, but if the S3 had been available at the time I would have bought it instead (even though I am still a little miffed with Samsung about the lack of support for my Blu-Ray player that they would take months to release any firmware updates).
Kevin
I've never played with an Android device. I've been flirting with the thought of the Galaxy Note or the new thing that's coming out (I forget what it's called) combining my iPad and iPhone into one device...but I think I'd miss the bigger screen of my iPad and the pure pocket portability of the iPhone.
Quote from: Ktrek on April 04, 2013, 08:50:49 PM
Love the photoshop Rico! Nice work!!
Tim - I really like the Samsung Galaxy S3. It's a really nice phone. Last summer I bought the HTC One X and really like it, especially now that it has Jellybean on it, but if the S3 had been available at the time I would have bought it instead (even though I am still a little miffed with Samsung about the lack of support for my Blu-Ray player that they would take months to release any firmware updates).
Kevin
Nice! That makes 3 of us that are proud owners of grown up phones! ;) We may be a minority over here but I'm sure we can conjure up a few good posts.
Personally I prefer any android device over anything Apple. Apple is way overpriced in my opinion and I think the Android OS offers more flexibility. Not that Apple doesn't make a decent product but I think the latest generation of Android devices outperforms what they offer. At work we sell the new Samsung 10.1 note and it is really really nice. Smooth operation, lightweight and sleeker design than the Ipad. If I didn't already own a Nook HD+ with a Jellybean card installed on it I might have purchased one. But since I haven't had ny Nook HD+ all that long I doubt my wife would let me sink $500 into another device that does basically what I already have on the Nook for a lot less.
Kevin
we have androids and apple.... and I didn't have the greatest experience with android.. but now I use my Apple stuff like crazy! and LOVE it.
I think that's where the rubber meets the road with these things. I have always said for a lot of consumers, ease of use is the most important consideration followed by how well a device integrates to the things we place value on from a tech standpoint. That's where Apple excels. Android devices offer a tremendous amount of flexibility, assuming you are willing to commit the time to learn how to take advantage of that. What Android/Samsung devices have over Apple globally is that they are, in general, less expensive. That's it, this isn't a war over quality or functionality, it's $. That's the main reason they are more numerous globally. Price. There is no doubt you can make an Android device do what an iOS device can do, but you have to be willing to do that. Not me, brother, I have a job, I just want crap to be easy and work and I will gladly pay for that. It's not a fight of right or wrong, better or worse, it's just each use case.
Quote from: Bryancd on April 05, 2013, 05:02:47 PM
I think that's where the rubber meets the road with these things. I have always said for a lot of consumers, ease of use is the most important consideration followed by how well a device integrates to the things we place value on from a tech standpoint. That's where Apple excels. Android devices offer a tremendous amount of flexibility, assuming you are willing to commit the time to learn how to take advantage of that. What Android/Samsung devices have over Apple globally is that they are, in general, less expensive. That's it, this isn't a war over quality or functionality, it's $. That's the main reason they are more numerous globally. Price. There is no doubt you can make an Android device do what an iOS device can do, but you have to be willing to do that. Not me, brother, I have a job, I just want crap to be easy and work and I will gladly pay for that. It's not a fight of right or wrong, better or worse, it's just each use case.
And if anything breaks in the software, you're fubared. I quit trusting Apple when iTunes Match decided that it had to change my music data or, better yet, it would also completely delete songs altogether. Yeah, that was fun when I found that out. Disabled Match soon after. Not happy that I wasted that money. Later, iCloud sync quit working and I never got it to reliably work again. I did plenty of research and attempts to fix it but eventually just gave up (because the general sentiment from Apple techs was that there was no fix for my issues) and moved everything over to Dropbox or other competitors.
Does iOS "just work"? I really debate that sentiment these days. It's certainly simplistic, once you get to know it but that takes time, as someone who knows from experience teaching new iOS users. I will grant that there are plenty of people who don't have issues with iOS such as Rick. But for me, between the service issues and Apple's overzealous control of the App Store, I decided I didn't want to deal with that anymore.
You are not understanding but are also somehow making my point. :)
Quote from: Bryancd on April 05, 2013, 07:33:36 PM
You are not understanding but are also somehow making my point. :)
I don't see how. On either points.
Bryan, from the perspective of the average consumer I have no doubt that price is the major factor in Android adoption over iOS. Even then quality products from Samsung like the S3 and some of the Galaxy Tabs and the Note are not too far off Apple prices.
For the technically minded it is definitely functionality and flexibility. You can just simply do a lot more with a good Android device these days in comparison with iOS.
Another fallacy is that Android is hard to use. Perhaps in the early days but not anymore. Granted you may need to invest slightly more time to discover all the features but that's because there are so many user customisable functions!
If you are a general user then yes iOS offers a simple and reliable experience with more than enough apps to do most things you would want to do. As long as you can live with the restrictions the app store imposes. Also if you are somebody like Rick and you use your device for music creation then the iPad is the best device for you. Android cannot compete in the audio content creation sector at the moment, this is a problem at the kernel level, not just lack of software.
Personally I'm so glad that there is genuine competition for both systems to innovate.
I am always curious about these Ap store restrictions you guys talk about. I have never, not once, had any problem or difficulty using an Ap the way I want. The shit just works on my phone, on my iPad, what the hell else am I supposed to be doing with this stuff that I am restricted from. :blink
Quote from: Bryancd on April 06, 2013, 01:44:09 PM
I am always curious about these Ap store restrictions you guys talk about. I have never, not once, had any problem or difficulty using an Ap the way I want. The shit just works on my phone, on my iPad, what the hell else am I supposed to be doing with this stuff that I am restricted from. :blink
I was referring to Apple barring apps such as these from the app store: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130322/07553322417/apple-disapproves-another-game-taking-serious-subject.shtml. (http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130322/07553322417/apple-disapproves-another-game-taking-serious-subject.shtml.) Apple has been barring apps that they don't feel "comfortable" with a lot lately. Heck, they barred a calendar app for years without saying why.
On a function level, there's a lot apps can't do. You can't set default apps like Chrome or Firefox for opening Internet links. All Browser apps are forced to use Safari's slower browsing engine. (Essentially, Chrome and the rest of the apps are just different skins of the Safari app). Which is why Firefox stated they won't release their browser onto iOS. Another example: if you look at your notification menu, the weather & stock apps have widgets that you can use. However, Apple has barred any other app from being able to create their own widgets for.....unknown reasons. You're also restricted to Twitter and Facebook when you want to share photos from the photos app. That restriction doesn't exist on Android, you can share to G+, Flickr and many other places. I could go on but that's just some of the basic restrictions. And there are things that different apps cannot do. That varies depending on the app though and we could talk about that all day.
Yeah, I have to say that while I understand what you're saying, life is really too short for me to waste any time worrying about it. I guess that until they ban an app I really care about for some reason then I'm not going to expend any energy being bothered about it.
I could go further but I've just realised this is the Android thread so I'm probably way off topic.
My only Android experience is my wife's Wildfire S and that has been a less than stellar performer. I have no compulsion to switch (but nor am I compelled to upgrade from a 4 to a 5) and, to a degree, think that things have reached the point on both sides of the argument where even old devices are so capable that there are no compelling reasons to change to something new.
I guess I'm getting old since I used to be a site admin on a reasonably popular PDA board and forum over here and spent hours tweaking and discussing all sorts of things.
Of course, if my iPhone breaks... :D
Quote from: KingIsaacLinksr on April 06, 2013, 03:12:17 PM
Quote from: Bryancd on April 06, 2013, 01:44:09 PM
I am always curious about these Ap store restrictions you guys talk about. I have never, not once, had any problem or difficulty using an Ap the way I want. The shit just works on my phone, on my iPad, what the hell else am I supposed to be doing with this stuff that I am restricted from. :blink
I was referring to Apple barring apps such as these from the app store: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130322/07553322417/apple-disapproves-another-game-taking-serious-subject.shtml. (http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130322/07553322417/apple-disapproves-another-game-taking-serious-subject.shtml.) Apple has been barring apps that they don't feel "comfortable" with a lot lately. Heck, they barred a calendar app for years without saying why.
On a function level, there's a lot apps can't do. You can't set default apps like Chrome or Firefox for opening Internet links. All Browser apps are forced to use Safari's slower browsing engine. (Essentially, Chrome and the rest of the apps are just different skins of the Safari app). Which is why Firefox stated they won't release their browser onto iOS. Another example: if you look at your notification menu, the weather & stock apps have widgets that you can use. However, Apple has barred any other app from being able to create their own widgets for.....unknown reasons. You're also restricted to Twitter and Facebook when you want to share photos from the photos app. That restriction doesn't exist on Android, you can share to G+, Flickr and many other places. I could go on but that's just some of the basic restrictions. And there are things that different apps cannot do. That varies depending on the app though and we could talk about that all day.
To your first point I say a resounding so what?
To the second I have had zero problems sharing photo's in the manner I want with iOS. The minutiae you are talking about is completely meaningless to me. I don't spend hours of my life dicking around with widgets.
Quote from: Bryancd on April 06, 2013, 03:37:07 PM
Quote from: KingIsaacLinksr on April 06, 2013, 03:12:17 PM
Quote from: Bryancd on April 06, 2013, 01:44:09 PM
I am always curious about these Ap store restrictions you guys talk about. I have never, not once, had any problem or difficulty using an Ap the way I want. The shit just works on my phone, on my iPad, what the hell else am I supposed to be doing with this stuff that I am restricted from. :blink
I was referring to Apple barring apps such as these from the app store: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130322/07553322417/apple-disapproves-another-game-taking-serious-subject.shtml. (http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130322/07553322417/apple-disapproves-another-game-taking-serious-subject.shtml.) Apple has been barring apps that they don't feel "comfortable" with a lot lately. Heck, they barred a calendar app for years without saying why.
On a function level, there's a lot apps can't do. You can't set default apps like Chrome or Firefox for opening Internet links. All Browser apps are forced to use Safari's slower browsing engine. (Essentially, Chrome and the rest of the apps are just different skins of the Safari app). Which is why Firefox stated they won't release their browser onto iOS. Another example: if you look at your notification menu, the weather & stock apps have widgets that you can use. However, Apple has barred any other app from being able to create their own widgets for.....unknown reasons. You're also restricted to Twitter and Facebook when you want to share photos from the photos app. That restriction doesn't exist on Android, you can share to G+, Flickr and many other places. I could go on but that's just some of the basic restrictions. And there are things that different apps cannot do. That varies depending on the app though and we could talk about that all day.
To your first point I say a resounding so what?
To the second I have had zero problems sharing photo's in the manner I want with iOS. The minutiae you are talking about is completely meaningless to me. I don't spend hours of my life dicking around with widgets.
To the first: if Apple restricting apps based on not being "comfortable" with them doesn't concern you, I frankly don't know what will. I view it as censorship. And I hate censorship. Don't even start telling me about how it happens all the time because that doesn't mean I have to tolerate/like it. This is just one app that got the news to go viral, we have no idea what other apps have been blocked by Apple because they weren't "comfortable" with it.
To the second: if you're fine with the iOS experience then nothing I say is going to sway you otherwise. (Not that I'm really trying anyway) There is plenty more that Android allows that Apple doesn't. That's just the simple fact of the matter. And it isn't tiny minutiae either but here's the basic point: there is a lot of freedom in Android. You get to choose the experience you want and it isn't dictated by Apple. Yeah, the lack of restrictions is a big deal but the amount of how much you'll care varies from person to person. I have no idea how you like using your iOS devices so I can't really express the differences to you in any meaningful way unless you tell me. But, if you don't care and you prefer to have everything guided by Apple's hand, that's fine. It's your choice after all.
As a business analysts I know the difference between censorship and managing a business. You don't have to agree with it, but it would behoove you in the future to be more aware and understanding of it. I don't feel I am denied Ap content due to what you perceive as censorship. And Tim I think you need to realize that for you technology is a hobby, perhaps a passion. You do blogs and podcasts about it and I assume your immediate per group is also very much involved with it. And that's cool, I have hobbies (triathlon) that take up a lot of my free time. I also have a career, a wife, a baby, so don't concern myself with contemplating the extra bit of user experience I might have with different devices as the one I am getting now is great for me. All my stuff works the was I want and I don't give it a second thought. Now, globally, I will tell you as someone who analysis business that there are way more of casual users like me out there as opposed to folks like you our Dan who take this more seriously. Same thing can be said for my hobby, in fact there are likely way fewer people who do the Ironman then are heavy into technology. The reality is that iOS works great for a lot of people, as evidenced by it's adoption. It's also a reality that the vast market of casual users around the world, especially in less affluent nations, that price will drive sales before the ability to change a widget or setting default pas, or the fact that Apple retains the right to choose which Aps to support. Your worldview is wonderfully egalitarian, I used to feel the same when I was in college. The realty, however, is a bit different.
And having said that, it's why Google is a better investment then Apple.
I'm loving my 8X. It has out of the box universal translator that's kind of hot.
This is no argument here and that's the point. Bryan had hit the nail on the head from his point of view and that's exactly what we're talking about here, different points of view. It's no surprise that an iOS user that hasn't used Android 4.+ would feel they are missing anything, especially if technology is just a tool and not a passion. If the ecosystem is sufficient for you then there is no problem.
I'm glad you mentioned your triathlon training as a passion in comparison to Tim's and my passion for technology because it is totally relevant. I'm sure there are methods and equipment, gear etc you would recommend over others from personal opinion, experience and because some have better features than others (for you). It is no different.
I'm interested to see what Apple do next though because I fell they are at the point where they need to do more or different. I've read reports they are under pressure by analysts to offer larger screen sizes for one. it will be interesting to see if they change their business model at all.
OK. Will try to keep this thread on topic but of course if you want to hear about the good and bad (and yes this is both!) of or experiences with Android you can always listen to TekoCratik ;)
OK, I don't want to protract this off topic stuff too much further and I really don't want this to be seen as any sort of personal attack (OK Tim?) but I must confess that I'm at a complete loss as to how anyone thinks that the public has any right to decide what anyone (in this case Apple) should or shouldn't sell in their store. Maybe this is a UK/US difference, but this sort of attitude just doesn't make any sense to me.
It's extreme but the best illustration to explain what I mean is as follows:
I don't work in retail but I used to volunteer in the bookshop attached to our old church. To me, saying Apple should sell Apps they don't want to sell is akin to someone coming into that church bookshop and demanding the right to buy pornographic books. Not a chance, right? How is Apple different?
With a further hour to think on this, I think that what I'm saying is that I get why some people, personally don't like the Apple App Store model and so react as the market allows and go somewhere else. What I don't understand is why anyone attaches these emotive words like "censorship" to what is, essentially, a shopkeeper choosing what to stock.
(Sorry if I'm pushing this too far but I really want to understand. This sort of attitude has come up a few times over the last few years and I really am at a loss to understand it.)
Quote from: Dangelus on April 07, 2013, 12:52:40 AM
This is no argument here and that's the point. Bryan had hit the nail on the head from his point of view and that's exactly what we're talking about here, different points of view. It's no surprise that an iOS user that hasn't used Android 4.+ would feel they are missing anything, especially if technology is just a tool and not a passion. If the ecosystem is sufficient for you then there is no problem.
I'm glad you mentioned your triathlon training as a passion in comparison to Tim's and my passion for technology because it is totally relevant. I'm sure there are methods and equipment, gear etc you would recommend over others from personal opinion, experience and because some have better features than others (for you). It is no different.
I'm interested to see what Apple do next though because I fell they are at the point where they need to do more or different. I've read reports they are under pressure by analysts to offer larger screen sizes for one. it will be interesting to see if they change their business model at all.
OK. Will try to keep this thread on topic but of course if you want to hear about the good and bad (and yes this is both!) of or experiences with Android you can always listen to TekoCratik ;)
Well said, Dan. And yes, Apple is at very tough time right now. iPhone and iPad and iOS will continue to be very popular and hold a certain high end cache in the market place, but like Sony in the '80's or Dell in the '90's, that luster won;t last forever without innovation. Where Apple succeeded was in creating new markets for products no one knew even existed. What companies like Google and Microsoft have done is come into existing markets and saturate it with product options at lower margins. I have zero doubt that Android will become the widest adopted mobile operating system in the world. It pretty much already is. The real issue I had with Tim's comment is one, as Mike said above, it's not censorship for a non-government entity to choose to support or not support a product and the contention that iOS doesn't work well. Clearly it does, it just may not work for a specific individuals use case well enough.
In regards to what I would recommend to someone for triathlon gear and training, yes, I have an informed opinion about what I think works best and what doesn't but I tend to temper that bias with the audience and for the more casual adopter, tailor that recomendation for their own goals, budget, act. And therein lies my personal feeling toward iOS, it just works great for what I want out of it.
Quote from: Feathers on April 07, 2013, 08:17:21 AM
OK, I don't want to protract this off topic stuff too much further and I really don't want this to be seen as any sort of personal attack (OK Tim?) but I must confess that I'm at a complete loss as to how anyone thinks that the public has any right to decide what anyone (in this case Apple) should or shouldn't sell in their store. Maybe this is a UK/US difference, but this sort of attitude just doesn't make any sense to me.
It's extreme but the best illustration to explain what I mean is as follows:
I don't work in retail but I used to volunteer in the bookshop attached to our old church. To me, saying Apple should sell Apps they don't want to sell is akin to someone coming into that church bookshop and demanding the right to buy pornographic books. Not a chance, right? How is Apple different?
With a further hour to think on this, I think that what I'm saying is that I get why some people, personally don't like the Apple App Store model and so react as the market allows and go somewhere else. What I don't understand is why anyone attaches these emotive words like "censorship" to what is, essentially, a shopkeeper choosing what to stock.
(Sorry if I'm pushing this too far but I really want to understand. This sort of attitude has come up a few times over the last few years and I really am at a loss to understand it.)
Thinking about it, I believe my issue is that Apple has never been clear on what is and isn't tolerated on their store. (It's pretty easy to figure out what Christian bookstores will and won't sell). Had I known ahead of time what apps they were going to ban over the years, I never would have bought into iOS. I don't feel the book analogy completely works (though I get your point) because it's not like books rely on the store's say-so to be read. We can buy a book wherever we please and it will still "work". But if Apple says no, you can't buy apps for iOS anywhere else. And with a combination of vague and always-changing rules, I definitely don't like it. Maybe censorship is a harsh term to use...
And I suppose you're right, I don't get to tell Apple what they can and can't sell on the store. But that's why I'm leaving them because Android is not restricted to just Google Play, we have the ability to install from anyone. It's something I feel far more comfortable having that option than being restricted to one store anymore. It's why I have no plans of buying consoles or a potential future Windows version that is locked to Microsoft's store. (It's possible that could happen). Because I no longer feel that corporations should have the final say on what software is and isn't installed on my devices. Yeah, sure, the apps are less secure but as long as you play it smart like on Windows, you'll be fine.
Don't worry Feathers, I don't view it as a personal attack. I'm just in this for the discussion. At the end of the day, if you're fine with Apple or Windows Phone 7 or even Blackberry because it fits your needs, then that's a good thing.
Quote from: X on April 06, 2013, 06:26:20 PM
I'm loving my 8X. It has out of the box universal translator that's kind of hot.
A universal translator? Do you know what service it's running off of? I haven't seen a 8X in the wild.
iOS is a closed, proprietary OS, Apple doesn't deny that our try and sell it as something different. So it's at their discretion what they allow or not allow to run on it. Apple has always been a closed ecosystem, that's why they have been so successful integrating users starting with iPod and iTunes and moving that into iPhone and iPad. They are trying to sell something they are not, they are selling a user experience where all their proprietary software and hardware work together. If an Ap developer doesn't want to adhere to those limitations they are free to take their business elsewhere. That's not censorship, that's market selection.
As a software engineer and someone who once developed a mobile app for personal use (Palm OS) the Apple restrictions would drive me mad. If I ever get made redundant and decide to enter the mobile market then it won't be Apple hardware I develop for. Despite that, however, and while I know the lock in to the App store makes this a somewhat unique case, at the macro level anyone who every develops a product runs the risk that no-one will sell it for them. This is not completely unique to iOS software. The fact of having nowhere else to go to sell does increase the risk to the dev, however.
As a consumer, it doesn't worry me since there are enough apps that do what I want (and that's all I care about). At the point that that becomes a real problem to me then I'd hope the loss of revenue would have already become a problem to Apple so that the lack of software doesn't kill the platform completely. I don't see that happening at the minute.
Quote from: KingIsaacLinksr on April 07, 2013, 10:18:42 AM
Quote from: X on April 06, 2013, 06:26:20 PM
I'm loving my 8X. It has out of the box universal translator that's kind of hot.
A universal translator? Do you know what service it's running off of? I haven't seen a 8X in the wild.
It's stock with phone 8. What it does is translate anything you snap a pic of into any other language that you want. It then overlays the translation over the original text. It's great for picking out restaurants in china town.
Quote from: X on April 11, 2013, 06:58:31 PM
Quote from: KingIsaacLinksr on April 07, 2013, 10:18:42 AM
Quote from: X on April 06, 2013, 06:26:20 PM
I'm loving my 8X. It has out of the box universal translator that's kind of hot.
A universal translator? Do you know what service it's running off of? I haven't seen a 8X in the wild.
It's stock with phone 8. What it does is translate anything you snap a pic of into any other language that you want. It then overlays the translation over the original text. It's great for picking out restaurants in china town.
Huh, that's pretty neat, don't think I've heard of anyone else doing something like that.
Quote from: X on April 11, 2013, 06:58:31 PM
Quote from: KingIsaacLinksr on April 07, 2013, 10:18:42 AM
Quote from: X on April 06, 2013, 06:26:20 PM
I'm loving my 8X. It has out of the box universal translator that's kind of hot.
A universal translator? Do you know what service it's running off of? I haven't seen a 8X in the wild.
It's stock with phone 8. What it does is translate anything you snap a pic of into any other language that you want. It then overlays the translation over the original text. It's great for picking out restaurants in china town.
Now that could be a useful feature! Not one I've heard of before.
this is how it looks. granted this is a very quick cap and translate.