Do we overestimate the benefits of Android versions? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi all,
I ask this question now as I wait for a dev. of ICS for my phone to progress.
Before I bought my phone, I read a review saying that it was one Android version behind but to the reviewer, the version numbers are over-hyped and in reality the phone was great. I should say I bought the phone in August 2010 and it was released May/June that year.
Even reading this, being in this forum, we're a part of a very small per centage of people who understand anything that goes on here, or even the title of this thread. I don't mean that in a -we're brilliant- way, rather that most of us are a little tech-crazy. But do we take it too far? Does 4.0 make your mouth water but 2.1 bores you?
Are there some real benefits to the newer versions? Yes, sure. A few more features, sometimes faster UI, better battery times. I have heard of a few phones out there which had significant benefits and very popular new features e.g. tethering, some camera stuff etc. But beyond this? There is a LOT of gimmicks, crap people like to show off to their friends and all of that, which bored me beyond the age of 20. I got my first phone aged 11. I've been getting phones a few times a year almost every year since. One mega-problem I have with these 'smartphones' is that there have been largely missing basic features which were in the 'feature phones' before them. They've been selling us half-featured phones and dribbling back the rest on 'updates'.
I mean this in a philosophical way - not a critical one. I'm not questioning the validity of this forum (or I wouldn't be here ) and I hope that's clear. What do you all think?
Well?

your parents let you have a phone at 11? and then bought you more then one a year since? wow!

Now don't get the impression I'm desperately wealthy!!! My uncle worked in international business and gave me his old one. I remember even at 11 he mentioned things like 'it's not public yet but Ericsson and Sony are going to merge their mobile business' and I was already hooked on business. I bought I think every phone after that myself, no parents!

Every major release usually has an overall system performance improvement.
But other than that it seems to be a hyped up gimmick.

^^^^ That's precisesly what I've been coming to think. Who doesn't want slightly better memory management to improve battery, some features you use etc. but beyond that I'm afriad it's gimmick-central.
I have to add the psychological aspect of this and marketing particularly.

i agree since samsung swcred t-mobile with sidekick 4g with a subpar camera ,froyo , weak processor 1ghz(alot of lags), and no support , meanwhile 3 or 4 months later a bunch of phones comes with better specs at the 99 price range

Bought my phone with 2.1 installed. Used it like that for a week or so then updated to official 2.2. No difference at all.
Then came the 2.3.4. Everything is the same. Then 2.3.7. Same again.
I use my phone as a phone and a navigation device. So these updates do me no good. Release of Navigon for android was big news for me. I can't say the same thing for the 2.3.

Yeah that's pretty the same for me. The few updates I've had have at least speeded boot time and UI lag is less. It actually came with 1.6, upgraded to 2.1 and nothing since. There's a 2 year support for updates says Sony Ericsson, this was before the Google agreement. Like the guy above, an updated version of the phone was released 1 year later with incredible specs for much cheaper, but I paid a lot for it first time around.

I suppose people are used to upgrade their phones without really using them often.

Related

[Q] [ Discussion: do you still have trust in SE? ]

So, here I am, I've been several years a reliable SE customer.
Well, ain't that anymore!
- K550i :
* hardware fabrication fault (phone turned itself off by the smallest shock/hobble)
- x1a:hardware fabrication fault
* motherboard
- x10:hardware fabrication fault
*motherboard
I've seen a lot of people (including myself) spitting their anger on the SE forum, just below the new arc. I've lost my trust, & so do thousands of x10 users.
& I haven't talked about the update-service yet....
Same with samsung/htc? The ones who quit SE (I'm sure I am not the only one who's lost their trust), what's your opinion?
It seems Samsung is also like SE. May be HTC is better.
Manufacturers have their pros and cons. As it stands, HTC has the biggest dev support and is the smartest choice if you want to maximize your phone's potential. SE, although a bit like Samsung as far as limited upgradability and bugfix support in the current XPERIA line, to me is not a bad choice. For most people the device works and mostly delivers on the platform's expected performance and features.
I would love nothing more than to get a bug free firmware but product branding seems to be top priority for some of these manufacturers. It's not all bad, but timescape and mediascape to me aren't fleshed out applications and time spent creating them should've been relegated to software/hardware R&D and QC.
Also, the X10 was their first venture into high end Android territory, the roadmap should have taken into consideration what kind of impression they would like to make in the Android community. Looking back it seems like SE cares about their user base because they gave us 2.1 and only a few days ago, dual touch. But as an X10 owner, I don't like hearing news about the x10's EOL because there are still bugs to fix yet. Bugs that should have taken top priority to address but there you go, they still exist. Not to mention an OS upgrade can breathe new life into the device because it's just too early to let it take a back seat in favor of new handsets that are only marginally better than the X10.
A great impression is an investment and will ensure brand loyalty. I think it has a lot to do with SE's business practice and how they are obviously so unprepared for the Android market on their first try. It pains me to see them stumble as they learn the ropes but some things are just not negotiable. Like trying to make customers believe that the x10 is not capable of DT. WTF?
All in all, I think the X10 is a masterpiece of a modern device and I'm proud to own one. I love it for what it does. You can bet that I will monitor SE's progress and their aftermarket support on their new lineup. But the next time I shop for a new handset, my hard earned money will go to a different manufacturer, but I'm not totally writing SE off. Unless SE does something so outrageously unexpected (like a froyo/gingerbread upgrade with all bugs fixed).
serious stop whining about se..
they brought u a very nice hardware piece, ok the support for the software sucks but still everything works.... just wait untill our devs gets to better stuff...
what did you think se would give u lifetime support or so? they need to think about their payments also.... if they stick with old stuff that has been sold they will lose money on it... simple aye?
well they sold 9 million units of the xperia series including x10 mini/pro and the x8
so what is your point? that they had enough money to maintain all their servers, employees, buildings, cars etc. for a month? LOL
Don't believe in loyalty to manufacturers, or network provider. They make their money, I make mine, I wanted an X10 due to its potential, which is finally being realised. I used to swear by Nokia, cos their quality was second to none, but that's not the case any more.
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
SE forget about a phone and hope on to the next project as soon as they release the phone. I am moving over to HTC for my next phone. At least HTC phones have more dev potential.

[Q] If 2.4 comes out in the summer?angry at Sony Ericsson Please read Complaintthread

if the new version of gingerbread comes out, i doubt that the camera would have support on our x10s, i think that sony ericsson will just give up on developing the gingerbread for our devices, cause the apps would be out dated due to the only use of the new.apk files that will have new parsing ways due to the honeycomb app support, i bought my x10 outright for 700 bucks and i would be reallly pissed off if they delay the update to 2.3 as they did to 2.1 when 2.2 was already out, i paid for a high end device and the stopped supporting us untll we heard about the 2.3 generic update that we where receiving, im very angry with them for just leaving us in the dust, when the x8 even has more support than our devices, if this happens, i want the x10 community to make a complaint to make sure that sony ericsson never is allowed to make a nexus device cause it seems to me that they just screwed us over with the x10. and it seems to me when they released the neo, arc and play, that they are wanting something, and if their developers couldnt handle making a device with a single core processor, how are they gonna support a dual core processor in a phone, they screwed up once and if i dont get an update past 2.3 because they started off with an outdated software in the beginning, this phone seems to be just a problem device, and why should anyone support them in the future, lets make sure if that they cant handle our phone, that they cannot handle a developers phone. lets complain as a group to the google developers, cause this is ridiculous, expensive device, problems and hardships = me as a customer very angry at a company, disappointment in the past is always a bad rep for the company, i do believe that google pics their nexus devices with the amount of success with the phone and the arc was like the second gingerbread device released. so most to sell because its a pretty awesome phone, there trying to prove that they can do it, but not support a high end phone, us as the community of x10 owners, can do this if its big enough
jesus dude, that is one gigantic run on sentence...
The truth of the matter is that all things in the end die. The X10 has reached that point in the eyes of SE. Unfortunately, support for the X10 will be more than likely dead after the update. SE will be shifting focus on new phones and development. It is sad, but let's face it. Did SE continue updating the Xperia X1 after a year? Nope. I bought that thing for $800 and it broke 3 times on me in less than a year. Your $700 you used to buy the X10 was the price you paid to live on bleeding edge of fashion/technology. It is incredible that the X10 will even get 2.3 update. Also, do you know what is the difference between 2.4 and 2.3 is? Rumors are they are one and the same. With the Gingerbread update, our phones will be relevant for another 6months to a year (probably extended due to new custom roms). So in the end, be happy, enjoy the ride and get bigger better phone once it comes out.
i wanted a bigger phone, thats why i got the x10, the potentials of this device are endless. and with experimenting with the custom roms theres multiple problems. the number one problem is the camera, and then wlod reboots, i try to develop but i cant do it, i remember back in the days with my HTC Dream and Magic that they made them so customizable now sony wont even unlock our bootloaders. but they will unlock their new devices seems pointless, it would make life a whole lot easier if it was unlocked, but no we have to find different solutions, i wanted to keep this phone because it has a developers potential and in my opinion was one of the best phones at the time just before samsung released the galaxy s devices, in all of this, this phone had so much potential, and all that potential is down the drain
fiscidtox said:
jesus dude, that is one gigantic run on sentence...
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Click to collapse
Actually sir... there was two periods and it is therefore 3 run on sentences. Lol.
Sent from my X10i TripNMiUI using XDA App
Yes, this is a high end device, but in the world of smartphones, nothing lasts forever. I'm actually very surprised we even received 2.3.3. If a smartphone is out today, by tomorrow it will be old news. This is the new generation of smartphones sadly.
im 16 give it up if you look at multiple devices, alot are still receiving updates like the galaxy s devices. they started off with 2.1 and they received froyo, man froyo is the bomb, its my favorite android yet, i even like it more than gingerbread cause i find it more cleaner, i like all of android, but i think my next choice wont be sony ericsson, probably a Motorola atrix cause that thing is purely amazing, just playing with one instore, it makes me drool. Motorola has a really good track record so i think that they will be the next nexus holders, they definatly will be the tablet developer device holder for the first one whatever they will call it, and if they can pull off a huge 10 inch qHD display. peace ipad 2 but then apple will come out with SUPER BIGMASSSIVE RETNA DISPLAY CAN YOU SEE THE TEXT CLEARLY APPLE falling behind slackers
brandenmckenney said:
im 16 give it up if you look at multiple devices, alot are still receiving updates like the galaxy s devices. they started off with 2.1 and they received froyo, man froyo is the bomb, its my favorite android yet, i even like it more than gingerbread cause i find it more cleaner, i like all of android, but i think my next choice wont be sony ericsson, probably a Motorola atrix cause that thing is purely amazing, just playing with one instore, it makes me drool. Motorola has a really good track record so i think that they will be the next nexus holders, they definatly will be the tablet developer device holder for the first one whatever they will call it, and if they can pull off a huge 10 inch qHD display. peace ipad 2 but then apple will come out with SUPER BIGMASSSIVE RETNA DISPLAY CAN YOU SEE THE TEXT CLEARLY APPLE falling behind slackers
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The Retina Display is not as great as you think it is. You will only have no pixels when your letters are very tiny or pictures... I wouldn't buy for that a motorola. Ever a motorola or lg is never a motorola or lg again. Just suckish companies, no support and phones fail. My lg and motorola were in one month gone. My x10 is still looking very new after more then 7 months of heavy use!
Brandon mckinney? From atlanta ga? You the guitar kid?
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
brandenmckenney said:
im 16 give it up if you look at multiple devices, alot are still receiving updates like the galaxy s devices. they started off with 2.1 and they received froyo, man froyo is the bomb, its my favorite android yet, i even like it more than gingerbread cause i find it more cleaner, i like all of android, but i think my next choice wont be sony ericsson, probably a Motorola atrix cause that thing is purely amazing, just playing with one instore, it makes me drool. Motorola has a really good track record so i think that they will be the next nexus holders, they definatly will be the tablet developer device holder for the first one whatever they will call it, and if they can pull off a huge 10 inch qHD display. peace ipad 2 but then apple will come out with SUPER BIGMASSSIVE RETNA DISPLAY CAN YOU SEE THE TEXT CLEARLY APPLE falling behind slackers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dunno. I think that I would go with a new Galaxy SII when it comes out on a ATT frequency. I almost bought a Galaxy the last time, but the ergonomics and the bad GPS kept me away but I hungered for the 16G internal storage and the 1G ram, which are worse shortcomings of the X10, IMHO. I'm on 2.1, and I'm awaiting GB, and we'll see how it goes. Can't be bothered changing roms every day/week. Even with my contacts backed up, the market remembering all the apps I had/have, it's too much of a PITA to keep screwing around with it.
The atrix has some bad tech reviews, but it's certainly a fantastic concept and the second time around, it will be much better (with a quad core ;-) ).
stan.s said:
I dunno. I think that I would go with a new Galaxy SII when it comes out on a ATT frequency. I almost bought a Galaxy the last time, but the ergonomics and the bad GPS kept me away but I hungered for the 16G internal storage and the 1G ram, which are worse shortcomings of the X10, IMHO. I'm on 2.1, and I'm awaiting GB, and we'll see how it goes. Can't be bothered changing roms every day/week. Even with my contacts backed up, the market remembering all the apps I had/have, it's too much of a PITA to keep screwing around with it.
The atrix has some bad tech reviews, but it's certainly a fantastic concept and the second time around, it will be much better (with a quad core ;-) ).
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yeah ill probably wait, i dont need a phone really untill when i can use it as a full laptop, Quad core would be amazing, 1.2ghz How undervolted would that thing be,
Windst said:
Brandon mckinney? From atlanta ga? You the guitar kid?
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
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no im from canada, theres alot of people named after the exact same name as me, but i spell mine different from most, with an e before the n instaad of o
brandenmckenney said:
if the new version of gingerbread comes out, i doubt that the camera would have support on our x10s, i think that sony ericsson will just give up on developing the gingerbread for our devices, cause the apps would be out dated due to the only use of the new.apk files that will have new parsing ways due to the honeycomb app support, i bought my x10 outright for 700 bucks and i would be reallly pissed off if they delay the update to 2.3 as they did to 2.1 when 2.2 was already out, i paid for a high end device and the stopped supporting us untll we heard about the 2.3 generic update that we where receiving, im very angry with them for just leaving us in the dust, when the x8 even has more support than our devices, if this happens, i want the x10 community to make a complaint to make sure that sony ericsson never is allowed to make a nexus device cause it seems to me that they just screwed us over with the x10. And it seems to me when they released the neo, arc and play, that they are wanting something, and if their developers couldnt handle making a device with a single core processor, how are they gonna support a dual core processor in a phone, they screwed up once and if i dont get an update past 2.3 because they started off with an outdated software in the beginning, this phone seems to be just a problem device, and why should anyone support them in the future, lets make sure if that they cant handle our phone, that they cannot handle a developers phone. Lets complain as a group to the google developers, cause this is ridiculous, expensive device, problems and hardships = me as a customer very angry at a company, disappointment in the past is always a bad rep for the company, i do believe that google pics their nexus devices with the amount of success with the phone and the arc was like the second gingerbread device released. So most to sell because its a pretty awesome phone, there trying to prove that they can do it, but not support a high end phone, us as the community of x10 owners, can do this if its big enough
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Click to collapse
dude! Chill!
You got xda! I believe apart from camera, xda will do a wonderful job in making a better rom for it! Chill
you need to calm down lol cant expect se to bring updates out forever im happy with 2.2 personally
Sent from my X10i TripNMiUI using XDA Premium App
Chill....
Your phone will be out of date....
Deal with it.
I think a lot of angst is created because of the 'mighty 1GHz' processor in the x10, people assume that is is nearly as fast as the current-gen snapdragons etc. It isn't. The graphics are sub-par and the memory is slow. Sure the x10 is fast and can keep up nicely with its own generation of devices but it is not 'new'.
Recently Google have been changing their attitude to releasing honeycomb to tablet manufacturers and guess what, many devices are not going to be compatible. Take the Advent Vega tablet, packing a first-gen Tegra 2 processor, its not going to be officially supported, so there will not be proper hardware acceleration for the interface and probably only sdk builds of honeycomb.
Dang...
Google are changing the way they release their operating systems and changing the requirements for manufacturers to get the latest official build of their software. This is going to help with fragmentation and give a more consistent experience across devices. They are also aiming for a longer release cycle on each version of android. As ice cream is going to be based heavily on honeycomb, I would think that Google would add similar restrictions and it is likely that the snapdragon in the x10 would not be supported, if so, neither would the nexus 1 or the desire etc.
There is nothing Sony can do about this, sure they made mistakes with the x10, but hey, they have promised us gingerbread and have given us dual touch. If you look at the ark, play etc, SE seems to have taken alot of peoples views into account and have realised that if they don't give the absolute bleeding edge version of android people will whine and ***** that they don't have flash or apps2sd or the biggest release number. If you care, root, flash a rom, install apps2sd, whatever you want to do. If you care, you can do something about it.
And finally about the bootloader, the devs have found ways around it and are giving us fresh kernels, I would not completely write off SE's argument that it is licensing issues as these can make a huge difference and complicate the process - A process that is SE's porogative anyway. Even on my Nokia n800, one of the most open devices, Nokia had decided that it didn't want to pay the licence to Imagination Technologies for use of the PowerVR graphics on the SoC's it bought, hence, no graphics coprocessor...
I think Sony gets too much flak, sure it took ages for 2.1, and it is taking a while for gingerbread, but the phone works, solid as a rock in fact and it only crashes because I have seriously fk'd around with the settings, I can deal with that. My phone is out of date, but I don't care, I am a tinkerer and I can make it do everything I need, I am looking forward to gingerbread as I love the camera too much on stock, but I have jit, link2sd, barnacle wifi tether and all sorts of other mods. Gingerbread will be great, and will definitely tide me over to my next dual core Ice cream toting superphone..... when it comes out...
T
@tomh235, what a wonderful post man, u just truly explain what android is all about let me explain.
I was once an iphone fiend, stuck with my 3gs, jailbreaked, and it bricked due to mods that i've tryed, I wanted to upgrade to the iphone 4 and couldn't cuz it was reserved for new customers first, I tryied through many ways and it was almost like the contract I was about 2 sign was saying "in exchange of your unborn child". People around me was trying everything 2 get an iphone 4 and when I had a look at this, I was like that's it, what else. The seller was saying "its a revolution in the smartphone world and bla bla bla". When I look at the androids, he couldn't tell me nothing about it. So I dare myself with the xperia x10. I should have read more about the phone before getting one though lol but Ive learned so much bout computers, technology, linux, im no dev but a good tester/user. I will never go back to an iphone promise.
What i wanna send as a statement is that if you are the kind of people that always go to your carrier cuz your phone isn't snappy from time to time or really need regular updates and baby like support,stick to your iOs that works good for most people. If your the kind of user that isn't scare of tweaking, searching for mods, get an android. There so much different phones, OS, features, roms. Nothing 2 bored about. Xperia x10 is okay on froyo, waiting for official gingerbread, no regret about my 3GS that i replaced the screen and sold it 400$ loll iphone fiends.
Sent from my super duper phone

Anyone else getting tired/fed up with Android?

Just wondering if anyone else is feeling like me, and getting tired of Android. Considering abandoning Android and moving to an iPhone or (maaaaybe) WP7.
Normally I would have never considered it. Like a year ago.
But two things happened...
1: I got an ipad2, and found out that I really enjoyed it.
2. My phone broke. Twice. First the motherboard, and then the touchscreen died. Ive had a total of 5 Android phones (mostly HTC and Samsung) two of those had minor issues, and this one, which basically became TWICE. it's not so much that the hardware breaks that bothers me. That can happen to any phone. What bothers me is the hours you spend on the phone, weeks you wait while it's being repaired, arguing with the phone company whether they should get you a new phone, and on and on and on. Contrast this with Apples customer service. You go to the Apple store, and many times they just give you a new phone if e problem is serious enough, or repeats itself.
And then there's Android itself. Don't get me wrong, I love Android. But there are some things that never really change. The occasional lag or choppy listview you still get with a dual core CPU (!) and mediocre battery life.
And the whole software and hardware upgrade circus...
I got a top of the line Evo3d phone last year, which was supposed to get upgraded to ICS relatively fast, and then a couple of weeks ago HTC all of a sudden made an announcement that pretty much said: "Screw you, Evo3D owners! We're updating other handsets first, so you'll have to wait at least till summertime to get an update!"
And nevermind that you can forget about software updates after a year (If youre very lucky, year and a half. Yes there are developer updates and ROMS, but really, I can't be bothered with it anymore)
The hardware situation is also frustrating. Your phone is outdated in less than a year, replaced by yet another faster flagship, that despite the higher specs only seems to be marginally faster.
Compare that to iPhones, that don't just work, but work well... And not only does a three year old iPhone 3GS STILL get updates to the latest version of iOS (Do you even remember the Android phone you had three years ago? Chances are the last OS update was 3 or 4 versions ago) and an almost two year old iPhone4 not only keeps its resale value really high, it still FEELS like a top of the line phone, able to keep up with today's flagships.
IOS and iPhones obviously arent perfect, and have their flaws too. And I'm still not sure if I'm going to jump ship (or maybe should try WP7) but has anyone else felt frustrated with the whole Android experience and have considered switching?
the occasional lag and stutter is due to the lack of hardware acceleration in gingerbread roms/apps. ICS should take care of that. Also you need to keep in mind that android is constantly improving. All these issues we have now will be corrected by google. Yes, i agree with you on our phones becoming outdated fast, but if that's an issue for you get a nexus phone.
I own an android tablet and an iphone 4 (company phone)
Maybe I would try win mobile but I would not get an iphone for personal use. To your point about the software updates you are not being fair. Ios updates are minor, largely bug fixes, and Ios is almost identical to its original form. Be careful what you wish for regarding 3 year old devices getting software updates. Ask someone with a iPhone 3g how ios 4 worked out for them. My wife had her iPhone 4 go back 3 times for major repairs and freezes occasionally needing to be hard rebooted so hardware problems are not just android issues. Battery life on the iPhone is horrible since ios 5.
Listen, if you like ios and the iPhone there is no issue with that. I do not find android lagier than ios, in fact my old Samsung captivate blows my iPhone 4 away speed wise. The iPad is a great device, I just can't warrent the cost for a device with no flash player.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using xda premium
ive had 3 iphones. all together. and yes it is a great phone. just a quick summary. if the iphone drops, be prepared to spend lots of money. software wise i hardly faced much issues.IOS is very good and stable, but battery is realy bad.
im new to androids, and i like the fact that its constantly improving. and of course how everyting can be customized. on an iphone, its like apple owns the phone and not you. then u JB it, and still limitations will be there.
and IOS is kind of boring, hehe , android is a bit more fun.
im never sick of android. i would get an iphone but i don't really have the time to sit at starbucks and fake write stories on a macbook so i can look deep to women in their teens.
I see nothing that is the fault of Google's Android. Hardware issues are the fault of the manufacturer and should be covered under warranty. You can't blame an OS for hardware issues. Upgrades one again are the manufacturer's decision. You could make the argument that Android OEMs need to be let in earlier in development (similar to Windows) so that they can have upgrades out in a timely manner. But most of the upgrade stalling come from the stupid custom skins/launchers that OEMs feel the need to distribute. So don't get mad at Android when most of your problems are caused the the OEM.
vszulc said:
Just wondering if anyone else is feeling like me, and getting tired of Android. Considering abandoning Android and moving to an iPhone or (maaaaybe) WP7.
.....
2. My phone broke. Twice. First the motherboard, and then the touchscreen died. Ive had a total of 5 Android phones (mostly HTC and Samsung) two of those had minor issues, and this one, which basically became TWICE. it's not so much that the hardware breaks that bothers me. That can happen to any phone. What bothers me is the hours you spend on the phone, weeks you wait while it's being repaired, arguing with the phone company whether they should get you a new phone, and on and on and on. Contrast this with Apples customer service. You go to the Apple store, and many times they just give you a new phone if e problem is serious enough, or repeats itself.
....
And the whole software and hardware upgrade circus...
I got a top of the line Evo3d phone last year, which was supposed to get upgraded to ICS relatively fast, and then a couple of weeks ago HTC all of a sudden made an announcement that pretty much said: "Screw you, Evo3D owners! We're updating other handsets first, so you'll have to wait at least till summertime to get an update!"
And nevermind that you can forget about software updates after a year (If youre very lucky, year and a half. Yes there are developer updates and ROMS, but really, I can't be bothered with it anymore)
The hardware situation is also frustrating. Your phone is outdated in less than a year, replaced by yet another faster flagship, that despite the higher specs only seems to be marginally faster.
Compare that to iPhones, that don't just work, but work well... And not only does a three year old iPhone 3GS STILL get updates to the latest version of iOS (Do you even remember the Android phone you had three years ago? Chances are the last OS update was 3 or 4 versions ago) and an almost two year old iPhone4 not only keeps its resale value really high, it still FEELS like a top of the line phone, able to keep up with today's flagships.
IOS and iPhones obviously arent perfect, and have their flaws too. And I'm still not sure if I'm going to jump ship (or maybe should try WP7) but has anyone else felt frustrated with the whole Android experience and have considered switching?
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Click to collapse
Considered switching? No. I came from iPhone. I would never go back. Must address some things you said from my own personal experience...
RE: phone braking - I'm not sure what experience you've had with Apple, but I've *never* had them just replace a phone in the way that you are implying. Depending on the problem, you may have to send your phone away for repairs or possibly purchase a new one. Unless it is obvious that the problem is on their end, they don't just give you a new phone on the spot. You have to deal with the same discussions of why it's broken, what happened, multiple attempts to repair, blah blah blah. My *one* hard button stopped working for some time, and had to deal with going into the store 4 times and calling customer service repeatedly. It's every company. Can't avoid it.
RE: updates - Yes, they give updates to all phones... but they essentially only have ONE PHONE. Apple doesn't have the plethora of phone brands/types that Android does. So, yes, the iPhone 3 and iPhone 4 get updated with IOS 5. What happened with those updates? My iPhone nearly bricked. I was getting error messages that said that my iPhone "was not compatible" and could not update. It took my sister's iPhone 4 nearly 4 months to finally accept and install the update. Now that it's installed, her apps are FC'ing constantly, her phone freezes on a daily basis (and she can't just pull the battery, keep in mind), push notifications are not working (even though her settings are fine), and her phone dies within 4-5 hours. So... yeah. Not all sunshine and roses.
RE: phone outdated - iPhone 4 comes out, and months later Apple releases their "new phone," being the iPhone 4S. And yes, it's in quotes cause it's essentially the same phone with the addition of Siri. I was pissed at the time. My iPhone 4, which looks and feels and performs just like the brand new version, was now outdated because it didn't have a creepy chick that could talk. /bitterness. At least with Android, if your phone is outdated, it's because a truly new phone has been released - new look, new feel, new OS, new specs, new features, etc.
I get the Apple appeal. I do. I was there once. If you enjoy rooting, flashing custom roms, and having the opportunity to customize your phone, don't jump ship. Sure, you could jailbreak your iPhone, but then you'd just be able to change a couple of settings (ones that you can tailor on a Droid w/o rooting). However, if that stuff doesn't excite and drive you, and you just want a phone to stay stock, and just do basic functions, then maybe the iPhone is best for you. I thought it was fine until I realized I wanted to be able to do more. Just don't jump ship thinking that Apple is some magic company. You'll be disappointed. I was.
mcord11758 said:
I own an android tablet and an iphone 4 (company phone)
Maybe I would try win mobile but I would not get an iphone for personal use. To your point about the software updates you are not being fair. Ios updates are minor, largely bug fixes, and Ios is almost identical to its original form. Be careful what you wish for regarding 3 year old devices getting software updates. Ask someone with a iPhone 3g how ios 4 worked out for them. My wife had her iPhone 4 go back 3 times for major repairs and freezes occasionally needing to be hard rebooted so hardware problems are not just android issues. Battery life on the iPhone is horrible since ios 5.
Listen, if you like ios and the iPhone there is no issue with that. I do not find android lagier than ios, in fact my old Samsung captivate blows my iPhone 4 away speed wise. The iPad is a great device, I just can't warrent the cost for a device with no flash player.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using xda premium
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+10000... totally agree.
task650 said:
im never sick of android. i would get an iphone but i don't really have the time to sit at starbucks and fake write stories on a macbook so i can look deep to women in their teens.
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Muahahaha this just made me LOL! Quite possibly one of the best comments I've read on XDA. I approve!
Sent from my Droid X2 using xda premium
Never get tired of Android . Came from WinMo to Android, and will never go back. As far as Apple and their precious Iphone . NO THANK YOU . Know several people ( Lots ) with everything from the original Iphone to the new Iphone 4S. Nothing but issues and situations. My one bud dropped his day old 4S from about three feet off the ground. Done . It practically shattered. But that's not a big deal take it in if you have insurance, and done. WRONG! Took it in and he got a refurb. Nothing but issues with it. Others I know treat their phones like it's made of crystal. they still have nothing but software issues. I'd say it was isolated, but I'm talking about 15 different people. Out of that group, only 4 have never had an issue with their phones. So IMO it's not worth it. But it's only my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions.
i love android and would never abandon it. if u think that iPhone is better than u are so wrong. with iPhone u pay 100% more for 20% less. 65% parts in iPhone are from samsung.
Just don't jump ship thinking that Apple is some magic company. You'll be disappointed. I was.
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totally agree with u m8
i came from iphone -> winMo -> Android i have been using android devices for about 2 years and i can say i will not look back. Android has a great community with great people and devs
Android is the only one for me.. I had I phone 4s......crap lol boring same as the past iPhone's great for people that just want a phone really that dose a few things on the side games ..internet ..fb.. lol but that's about it great for my wife that not technically minded. Android you can customize .. from UI straight down to hardware. As I say each time SHEEP.....copy after copy .....
Sent from my MT11i using xda premium
Android is better but...
I think android is better, cause i love to costumize my phone hardly, but u know.. it always unstable lorr..
Maybe i need secondary phone like blackberry just to calling and texting.
I have iPhone 4S, iPad2 a well as an android tablet (tf101) and phone, dunno about WP but iOS has it's merits. Definitely smoother (not necessarily faster). However the small size and lack of 4g/widgets/everything is a deal breaker. Since getting ICS on my tablet and my phone, it just seems to be a higher level of product that does more stuff than iOS especially once Cornerstone becomes more standard.
Also I think iOS crashes more http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2012/02/02/does-ios-crash-more-than-android-a-data-dive/ ,I've certainly had a few problems.
It looks like most of your annoyances surround the fact that iOS devices get updates much quicker. Can't really help that but you haven't said much about why android the OS bothers you. Is something terrible about your less-than-current OS? As for hardware, even iPhones have hardware problems and they break/crack much more easily. If you're going to complain about battery life, I hope you know the iphone's battery life isn't really better than the newer androids. Except on most androids you can use spare batteries if you want. If you like using your phone 100% without worrying about battery life that's an easy way. Choppy list scrolling is noticeable on most androids but rare on most newer phones, never really bothers me but that's hardly a deal breaker compared to the features variety that iphones lack.
Ics will amaze you with zero lag.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
I find more and more I love about my phone/android practically everyday. It has actually made life easier in many aspects. Wouldn't think about switching. Just my opinion. Cheers!
*signed
I love Android. I have Apple stuff at home like an iPod and to be honest, never liked it. Wife uses it mostly. I find my Android can do a hell of a lot of stuff and it's fast and there is just so much customization you can't do with an iPhone/iPod. Could not see me not enjoying this Nexus phone I got. I got it unlocked with custom kernel etc and it's way better than it was at stock. So in summary, not at all getting bored with my Android phone. I love it.
I came to android from Blackberry, and an old windows ce phone. I can honestly say that I LOVE my Motorola Atrix android phone. It works....works well....and is so much faster than the crackberry. My sig other, on the other hand, HATES her Samsung Galaxy Vibrant. It seems to get headaches all the time. (a combination of hardware glitches and user error, but I won't tell her that ) I just won't buy into the Apple empire, even if Stevo is gone.
Having plodded through years of Symbian 3rd on the Nokia E71 and E5, I am delighted on a daily basis by the newer, shinier, more customisable UI Android provides. My Galaxy Note is not, however, a better *phone* than the E5. It's a better everything else, though. I keep the E5 as a quickdraw backup.
Overall though, the reason I prefer android is the "wild west" feel of thousands of excellent applications and very few restrictions on how to arrange and use them on my device. Same as Windows vs Mac, really. People would all use Macs if the top 200 games on Steam were compatible with that and not PCs. We go where the mojo is.
It's your money and if you think you like iOS more then get the phone!!
For me, I like Android more now especially Android phones even though I have an iPad. And I had an iPhone before getting my first Android phone.
Will most likely never buy a android phone again. I switched a little over a year ago. I will buy android tablets though cuz i see no point getting an ipad wen i have a iphone. I don't have any problems with my or fiences iphone. No problems with updates like someone else said either. I just came back to Android when i bought my Transformer Tablet and installed ics. Android is still laggy with GPU hardware acceleration forced on or off and don't let me start on the laggy Netflix app compared to the ios version. I still love my Android tablet.

[Q] Lumia 920 Running Android?

Based on past Windows Phones, etc and the Lumia's similar hardware to many Android phones, do any seasoned Windows developers think it is possible?
I'd buy the Lumia 920 in a heartbeat if it wasn't a Windows Phone.
UserDemos said:
Based on past Windows Phones, etc and the Lumia's similar hardware to many Android phones, do any seasoned Windows developers think it is possible?
I'd buy the Lumia 920 in a heartbeat if it wasn't a Windows Phone.
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I would assume that most people would not buy this if it was an Android phone
Unless the phone was actually released I would not expect any replies on this one.
Windows phone is much better then android. The only avantage of an android phone is the freedom of modification. Windows phone is much much saver and smoother then android and the importants thing is thay you can do EVERVTHING what android also can do. So its your choice which os you prefer but for ME and many other people its wp which makes the phone much more decenter.
Sent from my GT-S5830 using xda premium
Lumia Running Android? :crying:
Close thread please..
Buy a N9 and run Android on it.
Verstuurd van mijn GT-I9300 met Tapatalk
Mafiatounes said:
Buy a N9 and run Android on it.
Verstuurd van mijn GT-I9300 met Tapatalk
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Better yet buy an Android phone...
try on 920 android whene i buy it
Honestly I'd buy this in a heartbeat if it ran Android JB. Atm only the HOX matches this phone in terms of design and hardware but the HOX is a broken product. And to all of you who claimed that this phone will not sell if it runs Android: wake up from your fanboyism. Had Nokia made Android phones they wouldnt have been losing 3 billion euro in the last 18 months including the run of the first Lumia line. Honestly 18 months ago if you'd asked people who they would buy from: Nokia or Samsung or HTC, I'm very sure that most of them would have said Nokia. Why cant they just be like Samsung, HTC and ZTE and leverage themselves on several platform? They didnt even have to contribute resources to the software, just use stock Android and they would be selling like hot cakes. The answer is clear: Elope. This guy will come down in history as the one who brought Nokia down. Period.
And PS the WP doesnt even have the apps that I've been using regular: Grindr, Jack'd, Temple run, Pixlr-o-matic, ANZ goMoney etc. In many cases there's no equivalent of them. And the WP fan boys keep saying their app store is good enough.
Good luck.
louis.b said:
Honestly I'd buy this in a heartbeat if it ran Android JB. Atm only the HOX matches this phone in terms of design and hardware but the HOX is a broken product. And to all of you who claimed that this phone will not sell if it runs Android: wake up from your fanboyism. Had Nokia made Android phones they wouldnt have been losing 3 billion euro in the last 18 months including the run of the first Lumia line. Honestly 18 months ago if you'd asked people who they would buy from: Nokia or Samsung or HTC, I'm very sure that most of them would have said Nokia. Why cant they just be like Samsung, HTC and ZTE and leverage themselves on several platform? They didnt even have to contribute resources to the software, just use stock Android and they would be selling like hot cakes. The answer is clear: Elope. This guy will come down in history as the one who brought Nokia down. Period.
And PS the WP doesnt even have the apps that I've been using regular: Grindr, Jack'd, Temple run, Pixlr-o-matic, ANZ goMoney etc. In many cases there's no equivalent of them. And the WP fan boys keep saying their app store is good enough.
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Actually I am sure the phone would sell if it had android on it. But simply said it doesn't and most likely will not do that anytime soon.
Everyone is entitled to use whatever OS he/she likes. If the apps you have are only available for android, then bad luck, in my opinion you are missing out.
As however was already mentioned before, this point is completely useless and even though this post is only supporting that fact, I again would like to mention:
MODs, please close, pointless post at this point in time
Nokia slept waiting for some miracle (Symbian Something or Meego, or who knows) for too long while Apple and Android (more like Samsung) grew bigger and bigger. It was under the truck before Elop was in charge (why do you think the board accepted a new foreign CEO?). If anything happens to Nokia it is because of their own fault.
Anyway I expect the 920 to really succeed, it will be great to have more players in the market. If it turns to be 50% as good as it looks, then I will buy it.
louis.b said:
Honestly I'd buy this in a heartbeat if it ran Android JB. Atm only the HOX matches this phone in terms of design and hardware but the HOX is a broken product. And to all of you who claimed that this phone will not sell if it runs Android: wake up from your fanboyism. Had Nokia made Android phones they wouldnt have been losing 3 billion euro in the last 18 months including the run of the first Lumia line. Honestly 18 months ago if you'd asked people who they would buy from: Nokia or Samsung or HTC, I'm very sure that most of them would have said Nokia. Why cant they just be like Samsung, HTC and ZTE and leverage themselves on several platform? They didnt even have to contribute resources to the software, just use stock Android and they would be selling like hot cakes. The answer is clear: Elope. This guy will come down in history as the one who brought Nokia down. Period.
And PS the WP doesnt even have the apps that I've been using regular: Grindr, Jack'd, Temple run, Pixlr-o-matic, ANZ goMoney etc. In many cases there's no equivalent of them. And the WP fan boys keep saying their app store is good enough.
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Actually after several years on android I might change to Windows. I noticed that since I have the freedom of doing so much personalisation on my android I'm never happy with how it looks and performs - I might as well try something new. Nokia is synonym for stability and performance (talking about the hardware) and I'm really looking forward to the camera. Off all android-specific apps I only really need one: google music - and that works by using Gooroovster.
pencilcase said:
Actually I am sure the phone would sell if it had android on it. But simply said it doesn't and most likely will not do that anytime soon.
Everyone is entitled to use whatever OS he/she likes. If the apps you have are only available for android, then bad luck, in my opinion you are missing out.
As however was already mentioned before, this point is completely useless and even though this post is only supporting that fact, I again would like to mention:
MODs, please close, pointless post at this point in time
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Yes true everyone is entitled to use whatever OS he/she likes to use, but look at how the WP fanboys trash the OP just because he/she asked if there's anyway to use Android on this device. Who provoked who first?
And the only thing Im missing out is the the NOkia hardware. I really dont give a rat's ass about M$ and their OS. Actually I consider it one of the main disadvantages of the phone.
And why close this thread? Isnt this a development forum where people come together to solve software issues? Im pretty sure this was never meant to be a trolling/ comparing thread. Some fan boys just need to chill out/ abstain from posting inflammatory comments and let people who have the solutions deal w it.
(Y)
louis.b said:
Yes true everyone is entitled to use whatever OS he/she likes to use, but look at how the WP fanboys trash the OP just because he/she asked if there's anyway to use Android on this device. Who provoked who first?
And the only thing Im missing out is the the NOkia hardware. I really dont give a rat's ass about M$ and their OS. Actually I consider it one of the main disadvantages of the phone.
And why close this thread? Isnt this a development forum where people come together to solve software issues? Im pretty sure this was never meant to be a trolling/ comparing thread. Some fan boys just need to chill out/ abstain from posting inflammatory comments and let people who have the solutions deal w it.
(Y)
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I agree, people should not get angry for such requests - everybody is free to ask for what they want. As you already said, the hardware is what I'm missing out as well, and who knows... I might even like Windows 8!
Mods, can this thread be closed ? This is going to just attract trolls.. and we know how we hate that here..
Obviously Nokia should be running Android. That's working out great for Samsung, right? Let's be realistic here. Aside from the money Nokia got from Microsoft for adopting Windows Phone, it's the better OS, on virtually every level.
I can say that objectively, too. I've had every major Android phone since the HTC Magic, including every Nexus device, and the HTC One X. I currently use a Galaxy Nexus. I've also had two Samsung Focuses, and a Nokia Lumia 900. I loved the OS. Absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, there was always some glaring flaw or glitch with the hardware that wouldn't let me keep running WP7. For instance, the Nokia I had (replaced twice) kept having issues disconnecting my calls for no reason. Kind of a problem, since I use my personal cell for meetings all day. The touch screen also annoyed me, as did the fit and finish, like the not-quite-flush SIM tray, and the rattling vibrate. No big deal, they've fixed most of that now, and I hear from a Lumia 900-owning friend that it's perfect.
Unfortunately, the Android game isn't going to last forever. OEMs are starting to realize that Google is never going to come to bat for them, and that running Android on all of their flagship devices is costing them a tremendous amount of time and money in legal battles. With Windows Phone, they pay a licensing fee, and Microsoft OWNS that OS. If they get sued over the OS, Microsoft is obligated to step in. Hardware is a different story, of course, but that's easy enough to overcome. If the Marketplace was up-to-par with iOS and Android, I don't think we'd be having this conversation. If WP7 was released a year earlier, that would definitely be the case. Thankfully, the Marketplace is getting much better, thanks to the likes of Nokia, and I see Samsung and HTC starting to help out in that arena.
Sure, Nokia is still hemorrhaging money. That may get fixed with time, or it may not. Nokia may go away. Thing is, if they had gone with Android, they'd be risking joining the same boat as Samsung. Sure, Samsung is on top of the world in smartphone sales, but how much of the profits they've earned do you think have been turned around and put into legal battles, R&D for redesigning hardware and software to get around injunctions, lost sales from injunctions, etc? Obviously they're still making a pretty solid profit, but I can guarantee you that that number is FAR higher than they're comfortable with. MeeGo could have been a real contender, but when you're really the only OEM building with the OS, it's hard for people to make that choice. Regardless, MeeGo is (unfortunately) gone now.
I, like many people, figured that Google was biding their time, waiting on just the right time to come to bat for Samsung and HTC, fighting off Microsoft's licensing fees, and Apple's ridiculous lawsuits, but they still haven't. Google is simply sitting back, waiting for the patent system to collapse instead. Problem is, even if that DOES eventually happen, it's certainly not going to be any time soon.
Do you think the OEMs don't see that? Do you think they don't care that they're being left out in the cold, to fend for themselves, while Google is reaping the benefits of their one-sided partnerships? Then, the second one of them tries to make a move to separate themselves from the Android pack, they get slapped on the wrist by Google for it, like the recent case with Acer. I notice that a lot of manufacturers are pulling out the stops for their WP8 offerings, where their WP7 offerings were mediocre (at best), even by WP7 standards. Going from the Samsung Focus to the Samsung ATIV, for example. Pretty epic stuff is happening, and I don't think it's entirely coincidental. I'm sure that some small part of all of these OEMs hopes that WP8 takes off, so that they can have a significant amount of marketshare in an environment where there's not such a constant legal risk.
I think that the Android ecosystem is going to start getting a little shaky in the next couple of years, especially if Microsoft can bring some more apps to the table for WP8. Let's just hope Nokia lasts that long, and Microsoft (and their customers) don't give up first.
Disclaimer: I realize that this is a pretty strong point of view, especially coming from someone who is enough of a fan to actually own Google and Android apparel. I'm not saying this is going to happen tomorrow, but I am saying that this is going to happen - eventually. Feel free to disagree with me, that's fine. Feel free to flame me about how much better Android is than Windows Phone. That's fine, it's your opinion. This is mine.
And, you know what? I'll give up all of these marvelous apps I have on Android to have my Zunepass back. Every single replacement I've tried on Android (MOG, etc) sucks. Give Windows Phone a chance, people. I can pretty much guarantee you'll like it a lot more than you think you will.
And, lastly... Sorry for the rant!
920 with Android!
Who is mad enough to buy that?
Nokia specs are nothing to be compared with Samsung and Apple LG HTC
So again why would anyone buy this limited phone with Android where there are S3/NoteII and HOX/+?
Its just a pointless request... Sorry to say that OP
morning thunder said:
920 with Android!
Who is mad enough to buy that?
Nokia specs are nothing to be compared with Samsung and Apple LG HTC
So again why would anyone buy this limited phone with Android where there are S3/NoteII and HOX/+?
Its just a pointless request... Sorry to say that OP
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Nokia Specs are nothing compared to who? Obviously someone has done no homework. You must be one of those people.
That phone is a flagship phone with flagship specs. If I didn't have a contract less than a year in with my carrier, it would easily be my next phone. I was running Mango on my HD2 and it was smoother than any phone I've owned. Windows Phone8 should be a major player as long as it is shoved in everyones faces. Unfortunately most people tend to listen to the idiot next to them instead of researching and learning on their own(apple fanboys). Nokia Lumia 920 side by side with the iPhone 5 compares favorably. Next to the SIII it still is inline spec wise. The difference is in operating systems and App Markets. iOS, Android had a big head start, but Windows is catching up fast. The UI for Windows is on par with iOS and already surpasses Android(due to hardware fragmentation). The Windows market lacks the number of apps that Andoiod and iOS enjoy, however I'm not a big app fan and most Windows functionality is built right into the OS. Go to the Nokia Website and do a little snooping around and you'll get an eye opener. The only reason someone(cotulla) put android on the HD2 was because there was no other phone with those specs at the time. You want Android now buy an Android phone.
charliebigpot said:
Actually after several years on android I might change to Windows. I noticed that since I have the freedom of doing so much personalisation on my android I'm never happy with how it looks and performs.
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That's exactly how I feel too. The bad thing with being able to customize android is that I'm always looking at trying to make my phone better but am never really happy with it. I change ROMs all the time and I'm constantly waiting for the devs to update something or release something new to make my phone better, yet I'm never really satisfied. I think I'd like WP8 for the fact that I know I won't want to swap ROMs or do anything special with it because it'll run like butter out of the box, not like with android.
i don't get this whole 2 and throw android has some great hardware but let down by software. the real question shouldn't be can android run on lumia but more can we port windows phone to say the htc one x or even the one x+ I really don't get why a company that supports both os's don't just put both on the same hardware so you could buy either variant. Now that would sell like hot cakes!

The Nexus 6P as the definitive (and possibly my last) Android phone?

So, I've owned only Android devices since I began buying smartphones and tablets, but I really feel like very little has changed with regards to Android's performance ever since the Snapdragon 800 in 2013. Even the addition of more RAM and higher-spec processors hasn't really changed much about the AOSP experience, and my old (GPE-converted) Galaxy S4 still feels like I could throw most anything at it.
With the Nexus 6P finally bringing the last few things I really wanted in a mobile phone (the fingerprint sensor, metal, 1440p AMOLED, pure Android without compromising the camera, USB-C), I'm really thinking that this may be my last Android phone for a long while. I feel like, while equally unnecessary, the N6P will offer the pinnacle of stock Android, while rounding out the feature set of all I look for. I was debating whether to cheap out and buy a N5X for dev and general mucking about, but I think I will instead commit to getting the 6P for the above reasons.
My last upgrade to the G3 was almost unnecessary, even though I love the phone. I only upgraded, since my S4's power button broke and headphone jack got a bit wonky. Had that not happened, I think I'd be still using it today as my DD. I didn't even feel the itch to upgrade to any of this year's devices (except the Nexus phones and the buzz around the fp sensor and camera), and I've already had the device for more than a year.
While it may be an unpopular opinion around these parts, I think I may switch to an iPhone (probably the 7+) when my contract is up just to see how that platform improves over the next couple of years. A second GB of RAM totally changed that phone, which shows just how behind they are in some aspects, and where potential lies. I just don't see Android making any earth-shattering changes, mostly because it doesn't need to anymore. OEMs drive their own crap update cycle by bogging down their updates and the like, a problem which never existed on my GPE-converted S4, and won't exist on the Nexus.
Don't really know why I felt like making this post, but I did. :silly:
I agree with you on certain points.
But remember,
my old (GPE-converted) Galaxy S4 still feels like I could throw most anything at it.
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You did something to your phone in order to be fast / smooth / etc. While we as a community continue to do this and find ways to improve everything.. Android (stock) has come a long way.
I'm really thinking that this may be my last Android phone for a long while.
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You reasoning for this is there is nothing really new on Android and Android phones haven't really evolved much but the same goes for iOS. This coming from someone who keeps going back and forth from Android to iOS. iOS is much more polished and needs less specs to run smooth, but you also have to remember they only have to worry about support their own hardware. And while yes, there has been phone upgrades from Apple (bigger screen, etc.), this is stuff Android has been doing for a long time.
It's kind of hard honestly.. after a certain point.. development / upgrades happen slower.. when jumping from phone to phone now, things don't seem like much of an upgrade. I think that's because we upgrade phones so often now, we don't notice the differences as much. But say you had to keep your S4 for another year without the ability to root / install a custom ROM, I'm sure you'd be all over the N6P.
While XDA has made Android development much bigger and contributed in a positive way, it has also kind of spoiled us and made us think the way you are.
For me the big things that keep me on android are customization and the ability to do what I want with the phone (not what Apple or anyone else wants me to do). I would love to say this would be my last phone for a while but 2 things will prevent that....
1. I'm a tech junkie
2. Android support is 2 years
Well, the LG G3 isnt the best phone... you'll probably like the Nexus 6P a LOT!
I said that with the Nexus 6. I might still keep the Nexus 6 but I'm at least going to give the 6P a shot.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
I'm not far behind but not because Android vs Apple but because my life centers around MS products. I work in IT, exclusively with MS products. Why is my mobile device on a different ecosystem?
I'm excited for what MS has in store for their APIs that allow ios and Android apps to behave as if they're in their natural environment. I think this approach is going to flatten the playing field and OS will no longer matter.
Now if they could just make tech without built in obsolescion the market will start filling with devices that have purpose instead of purely consumerism. There WILL be a threshold of device waste that will force our hand.
Excel made some good points. And I too felt the same about not seeing much improvement from my phone but the continuous development thru ROMs makes it seems like the progress is small but it not....if you tally up the progress over the 1 year iPhone life cycle it is a lot of progress.
Google has too many things going on and unfortunately doesn't take the time to perfect their products except their search engine. They rather create a new product versus refining an existing one.
Imagine if google only had drive, no gmail, no G+, a tablet, one PC, and Android that ran on a single phone from one manufacturer....say LG. And Kept that same phone and just improved the hardware each year and the software as well....and diverted all other efforts towards perfecting that single device. That phone would be light years ahead of apple. Instead google has close to 200 products and services they wear themselves thin with. And tackling the immense task of attempting to make android run seemless and smooth on
Almost 19,000 devices instead of on just a handful of devices plus one phone is the difference between google and apple.
With that said and even with google continuing to expand like they do....I still think Google's android os running on top tier android devices will surpass IPhones in all aspects in couple years.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Exel said:
You did something to your phone in order to be fast / smooth / etc. While we as a community continue to do this and find ways to improve everything.. Android (stock) has come a long way.
You reasoning for this is there is nothing really new on Android and Android phones haven't really evolved much but the same goes for iOS. This coming from someone who keeps going back and forth from Android to iOS. iOS is much more polished and needs less specs to run smooth, but you also have to remember they only have to worry about support their own hardware. And while yes, there has been phone upgrades from Apple (bigger screen, etc.), this is stuff Android has been doing for a long time
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Partially correct on the first point. It is fundamentally still "stock" (no kernel mods/custom features) on GPE firmware, but yes, I haven't tried stock since the original shipping firmware. I haven't rooted my phones since putting GPE on the S4. My Nexus 9, the G3, and the S4 all run unrooted, the former two of which are on stock firmware. The biggest pain about Android is debloating carrier crapware, a problem nonexistent on Nexus devices.
I feel like Android has matured to the point that there is little left to give. As far as supporting their own stuff, that's why I feel like the N6P would be the ultimate.
WoodroweBones said:
For me the big things that keep me on android are customization and the ability to do what I want with the phone (not what Apple or anyone else wants me to do). I would love to say this would be my last phone for a while but 2 things will prevent that....
1. I'm a tech junkie
2. Android support is 2 years
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Click to collapse
I agree, but customisation is so easy to do on Android without mods or root. The only other phone I was considering was the S6 edge +, which is also comparably restrictive. I just haven't felt the need to root since the S4.
An iPhone, on the other hand, I would be keen to jailbreak instantly. Quite a lot of interesting tweaks come out of Apple's "crack R&D team" (like swipeselection....), and jailbreaking is the only way to stay on that edge and get appropriate customisation.
I would also be using pretty much solely Google apps there anyway, since the default apps are kinda terrible.
bsg411 said:
Google has too many things going on and unfortunately doesn't take the time to perfect their products except their search engine. They rather create a new product versus refining an existing one.
Imagine if google only had drive, no gmail, no G+, a tablet, one PC, and Android that ran on a single phone from one manufacturer....That phone would be light years ahead of apple. Instead google has close to 200 products and services they wear themselves thin with.
With that said and even with google continuing to expand like they do....I still think Google's android os running on top tier android devices will surpass IPhones in all aspects in couple years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But the diversity is the beauty of Google. The fact that they move the ecosystem forward and have a constant stream of novelty across their business is what helps them succeed. Android itself doesn't really need more improvement, is my argument. It's already there, and their job is to create new services to drive the platform.
Android as an OS already far exceeds that of iOS IMO, especially with Google Now. What I want to see is how Apple catches , since their platform seems to still be in flux (as far as performance and service delivery goes).
You'll change your mind when they release the Nexus 14z, which will project it's 16k display directly to your brain, and be able to read your thoughts instead of having to speak "OK Google".
I'm serious, because Google will have perfected mind control by then and we'll all be drones.
All hail Masters Page and Brin, our merciful overlords!
---------- Post added at 09:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:31 PM ----------
Seriously though, I admire your pragmatic upgrade preferences on smartphones.
TemporaryTester said:
But the diversity is the beauty of Google. The fact that they move the ecosystem forward and have a constant stream of novelty across their business is what helps them succeed. Android itself doesn't really need more improvement, is my argument. It's already there, and their job is to create new services to drive the platform.
Android as an OS already far exceeds that of iOS IMO, especially with Google Now. What I want to see is how Apple catches , since their platform seems to still be in flux (as far as performance and service delivery goes).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you the software is better but implementing all the services via the OS on a multitude of devices is a difficult task. However starting with this 6P nexus devices I think are on par with iPhone (hardware and software) and I bet will surpass the iPhone 7 next year.
I just wish they worked with one manufacturer to help perfect the hardware and built on a good hardware design instead of going back and forth with with hardware features and designs .....kinda like the 5x with 6P features.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
If the 6P lives up to the hype, the improvements left are physics stuff: battery life, moar camera, lighter/thinner/stronger, waterproof, sapphire display.
That said, iPhones have been such a bitter disappointment since the Gingerbread days. I'm on Apple for the most part (MBr, iMac 5k) and would consider switching to iOS but the differentiators that custom Androids offer simply aren't there, or even possible. The current crop of crippled hardware is missing too much. When Apple makes a real retina display (eg AMOLED 2k) and loses the oversized HTC-ish bezels it'll be worth another look. Assuming Apple gives out widgets, call recording & MinMinGuard too.
WoodroweBones said:
2. Android support is 2 years
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Click to collapse
For a Nexus device the support window is 3 years. N5 is 2 years old and just recieved Android 6.0. It will continue to get updates for atleast another full year. Unfortunately that is likely to end when android N comes next fall.
Interesting that this phone has everything you ever wanted. Did you know you wanted a 1440p phone with a fingerprint scanner 2 years ago? Probably not. I'm sure innovation will continue, though maybe slowly. I'd like to see better battery tech.
This is how the technology cycle is. You cant have the same level of developments every year throughout the products/os cycle.
I believe many of the features we see added are already developed. They just hold back so they can have a balance of Big n small changes each year & also market couple of features as exclusives for the latest version.
It is the same with iOs as well. You will not see a lot of big changes. Many of them will be hardware based. As os's get more refined hardware dependency will reduce. Today you can get excellent performance from a mid range android device. Tomorrow it will spread to lower end devices aswell. In principal its a good thing.
Right now the top most focus for any R&D of software or hardware company is battery life. The company that cracks it will play a major role.
CrashTestDroid said:
If the 6P lives up to the hype, the improvements left are physics stuff: battery life, moar camera, lighter/thinner/stronger, waterproof, sapphire display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? People are still hung up on sapphire? Sapphire is brittle. I want foldable screens. I still believe Nokia's concept of a phone that trifolds and then bends to fit as a watch is the future. No more carrying a giant brick in my pocket.
Spaderess said:
For a Nexus device the support window is 3 years. N5 is 2 years old and just recieved Android 6.0. It will continue to get updates for atleast another full year. Unfortunately that is likely to end when android N comes next fall.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True... I guess for me I mean 2 years of getting a new android version but yeah technically 3 years support I suppose.
warplane95 said:
Well, the LG G3 isnt the best phone... you'll probably like the Nexus 6P a LOT!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A G3 running BlissPop ROM is truly a thing of beauty! It's incredibly compact and lightweight for a 5.5" phone, and it flies without the LG software on it. It has a great camera (a step behind the current best, but I've had very few pictures I wasn't very happy with), and the screen as much better than it's reputation indicates it should be ... mostly, I think, because the default brightness is quite low. And the battery life is quite good ... I end most days with 50% after about 1.5 hours of SOT.
I'm mostly upgrading to the 6P because I usually buy a new phone every 6-9 months, but it's been 14 months and I need a new shiny object to fondle. I'm honestly not expecting it to be a whole lot better than the G3 for me ... better screen, better speakers (I hope) and a fingerprint reader may or may not be enough to compensate for the substantial increase in bulk. I had a Note 5 for a week, and it just didn't feel like much of an improvement so I sent it back, which I have never done before.
And my G3 has a replaceable battery, and I could probably be happy with it for 5 more years, if I wasn't such a gadget whore.
Of course I certainly don't think an iPhone is the answer .... that's just ridiculous!
Whoops double post
Here's an idea...try to find a friend with an iPhone who would be willing to trade with you for a week or something. Wipe the phones, trade your SIMs and see how the other side lives.
Sent from my LG-V410 using Tapatalk
Though it had it's issues, the Nexus 6 strong enough in all the categories that I stuck with it for a full year. The only thing strong enough to pull me away now is the 6P. I fully expect it to keep me locked in for the next year as well. However, it could be good enough that I don't feel the need to upgrade to next year's nexus. Only time will tell.

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