Since I have all three OS versions I have had time to test each in its own rights.(Disclaimer I do not have WP7 but a Zune HD) but WP7 isn't quite a major contender yet in the phone market and the Zune interface is where I think it shines the most.
I think Android is definitely the best as a smartphone OS over IOS. My reasoning behind this is simple, notifications. The point of a phone is to be the always connected devices for emails/messages/calls. Androids has a huge advantage over IOS in this area. With my ipod touch and Gvoice I am constantly having to close out of a popup every time I turn it on, and that is just plain annoying especially when I have a task(like taking a picture) in mind. With Android there is no intrusion from when I unlock the phone to when I open an app. Then when I want to read the notification it is in the task bar. With IOS I have to track it down.
Now IOS isn't a bad OS its actually great as an MID but that's about it. Being so streamlined with devices does have its advantages but not in a great way. The games and apps on IOS are great but do not necessarily require a constant connection. I currently have about the same amount of apps on both my G2x and Ipod Touch 4 and aside from a few gems on IOS I use my G2x more on the go and my Touch when I am at home or not needing a net connection. Now the Ipod Touch has the best mobile camera I have ever used and the fastest, but again not necessarily something needed for on the go, my G2x definitely takes much better quality pictures and video albeit slower.
And for media, hands down the Zune interface and player are miles ahead of IOS and Android. Getting to a specific artist might take a bit longer but shuffling my entire library or picking a favorite artist or playlist is 10x faster. Not to mention the sound is far ahead of the current IOS lineup. My G2x definitely has a much better sound then the Zune HD but the High quality sounds parts this is a rare exception. The other thing that makes the zune better is sliding to change the song. Something I find frustrating on both IOS and android. With my Zune I can changes the song without ever looking at the device, I am sure I could get used to that with android and IOS but so much easier with the Zune interface.
Now kind of off topic but I have to say for people that like the IOS player over the Android one, Why? I find the Android player much more intuitive, displays more pertinent information about the artists, and doesn't give you that stupid coverflow when titled sideways, which is a pain when your trying to switch songs and the player is sideways.
Anyway, your thoughts, disagreements or questions.
Discussion about
In a state of insomnia last night I got to thinking about what each OS excels at.
Though the hardware needs a lot of work, webOS is on par with iOS in terms of visual/interaction design in a lot of ways, and in some cases bests iOS. The attention to spatiality within the OS--where applications reside and how one launches, interacts with, and moves between them--is better than anything I've seen on any other platform. "Cards," as they've been called, are much more than application views arranged in a horizontal row.
In a lot of ways, webOS sits between iOS and Android on the spectrum of form and function, and I believe it has a tremendous amount of potential if HP puts out great hardware and markets it correctly.
In a lot of ways, webOS sits between iOS and Android on the spectrum of form and function, and I believe it has a tremendous amount of potential if HP puts out great hardware and markets it correctly.
Right now webOS can sit above both iOS and Android in a lot of areas. Not all areas obviously but the areas it lacks in are more of an effect of it's current lack of popularity and it's anemic hardware situation. If HP can improve on both of these issues, webOS could be big.
I definitely don't disagree with you there but they have no presence in the market anymore. They started strong and fizzled behind a great OS. I do wish they had expanded their market, and shipped to more carriers because I would have picked up a palm device to use as a secondary device but it never happened. And I think even HP realized it would have been a futile effort to go against Apple and Google and set them to the side like they did their Windows mobile devices.
I think you need to really try a WP7 device. The OS is far more than what is used in the Zune HD. The WP7 OS makes a lot of sense when you start using the hubs and the live tiles. Well designed apps that use the Metro UI are much slicker than anything I ever had on my Android phone (e.g. the Bing search that lets you scroll through different types of results - local, web, etc.)
WP7's current problem is that it is still behind in features and maturity to both iOS and Android, but if Microsoft can hurry up and update the OS WP7 will be the best mobile OS hands down. WP7 needs multitasking badly.
That said, iOS has already won the mindshare and marketing war. The first thing people ask when they see my WP7 phone (and previously my Android phone) is 'is it an iPhone?'. The second thing they say is that they want to get an iPhone because of <insert app here> that they have seen on a friend's iPhone (oblivious to the fact that the app is almost certainly available on one or more non-iOS platforms).
I agree with you that Android is better than iOS.
I'd love some Android features on my WP7, such as notifications. WP7 notifications pop up at the top of the screen like on Android, but then they disappear after 10 seconds and you can't retrieve them. If you don't have a corresponding live tile for the notification you simply lose it and there's no way to know what notifications you've missed. Annoying.
WP7's current problem is that it is still behind in features and maturity to both iOS and Android, but if Microsoft can hurry up and update the OS WP7 will be the best mobile OS hands down. WP7 needs multitasking badly.
That said, iOS has already won the mindshare and marketing war. The first thing people ask when they see my WP7 phone (and previously my Android phone) is 'is it an iPhone?'. The second thing they say is that they want to get an iPhone because of <insert app here> that they have seen on a friend's iPhone (oblivious to the fact that the app is almost certainly available on one or more non-iOS platforms).
I agree with you that Android is better than iOS.
I'd love some Android features on my WP7, such as notifications. WP7 notifications pop up at the top of the screen like on Android, but then they disappear after 10 seconds and you can't retrieve them. If you don't have a corresponding live tile for the notification you simply lose it and there's no way to know what notifications you've missed. Annoying.
I do want a WP7 device, but I just don't think it will fit my habbits of phone use. iOS was barely usable to me as a phone and the Zune interface was unbearable in everything but music. Honestly I think Microsoft made a huge mistake by not making a Zune HD 2 or even another Zune. Microsoft has always excelled in media interfaces as of late and they seem to be pushing it off the burner completely to go after Android and iOS. Not to knock WP7 but it seems they wanted a more social phone then a media phone.
It's not necessarily a more social phone - they're just catching up to the current phone makers in terms of interface and usability, as well as adding their own innovative features in the case of the more 'social' aspects of the phone.
What aspects are they missing in the Zune hub?
What aspects are they missing in the Zune hub?
I remember a few months back when I was caught in the hype of WP7. I'm planning on purchasing an iPhone 4S now instead of a Samsung Omnia 7 (Microsoft seems to be moving a bit too slow, and the hardware manufacturers even slower as well - the specs are now already outdated, with the dual core phones coming out.) but I still really like the interface of Windows Phone 7. The minimalistic design and the smooth animations remind me of OSX.
However, another problem that made the decision for me was my reliance on Mac, and how WP7 didn't really integrate well with Mac. I have most of my contacts in Address Book and my media in iTunes, and I don't think it'll sync well into Windows Phone 7. (The contact fields are uncustomisable.)
Perhaps this will change in the future, but for now, I cannot purchase a WP7 phone.
However, another problem that made the decision for me was my reliance on Mac, and how WP7 didn't really integrate well with Mac. I have most of my contacts in Address Book and my media in iTunes, and I don't think it'll sync well into Windows Phone 7. (The contact fields are uncustomisable.)
Perhaps this will change in the future, but for now, I cannot purchase a WP7 phone.
As soon as Mango comes out in 4 months or so I'd say the iPhone and Android are the ones behind Windows. I may be forgetting a few things, but I think multitasking is the only major feature missing from WP7 that the other platforms have. And in terms of UI and overall concept I think WP7 makes iOS and Android both look a bit quaint. WP7 is data centric and the others are app centric. That seems so dated to me now that contacts, pictures, searching, etc. is all able to flow between different services based on context rather than which app I have open.
What do you need to connect your phone to your computer for? If you're transferring music and video (which I personally don't) I believe you can do this with a Mac via the Zune connector. But iTunes would be better if you're using it as you media library (this would make me sad as I find iTunes incredibly bad, at least on Windows).
As for contacts, calendar, etc. I let everything sync to the cloud (I use a combination of Gmail/calendar, Windows Live/hotmail, and my work Outlook account). It seems odd to plug a phone into a computer to keep everything synced. I'm not a big fan of cables.
What do you need to connect your phone to your computer for? If you're transferring music and video (which I personally don't) I believe you can do this with a Mac via the Zune connector. But iTunes would be better if you're using it as you media library (this would make me sad as I find iTunes incredibly bad, at least on Windows).
As for contacts, calendar, etc. I let everything sync to the cloud (I use a combination of Gmail/calendar, Windows Live/hotmail, and my work Outlook account). It seems odd to plug a phone into a computer to keep everything synced. I'm not a big fan of cables.
Well... WP7 is a bit too data centric - the phone is mainly focused on data, which I do not necessarily have much of right now, which would make this feature irrelevant. For WP7, it requires you to work for it (Data) instead of the phone working for you and 'adding new features' in terms of apps when you require it.
The data that you put into WP7 also seems to be locked in, since the Windows Phone ecosystem is only one type of hardware right now (Phone) and no other platform integration (Tablet, PC, ... - perhaps this will change with Windows 8).
For connecting the phone to the computer - my contacts are in Address Book, so it won't sync with Windows Phone well. The fields within the contacts hub is a bit rigid and you can't change the name, and I prefer not to sync with the Cloud for the address book for security/privacy reasons. I've also tried to do it as well, but it kept messing up and the fields went really weird.
I agree with how it seems to be rather odd to sync with cables, but I'm confident it will change in iOS 5.
I have no problem with iTunes for media files - it's not slow at all and I only keep music in it. (I manually organise my video files and use VLC to play them.)
The data that you put into WP7 also seems to be locked in, since the Windows Phone ecosystem is only one type of hardware right now (Phone) and no other platform integration (Tablet, PC, ... - perhaps this will change with Windows 8).
For connecting the phone to the computer - my contacts are in Address Book, so it won't sync with Windows Phone well. The fields within the contacts hub is a bit rigid and you can't change the name, and I prefer not to sync with the Cloud for the address book for security/privacy reasons. I've also tried to do it as well, but it kept messing up and the fields went really weird.
I agree with how it seems to be rather odd to sync with cables, but I'm confident it will change in iOS 5.
I have no problem with iTunes for media files - it's not slow at all and I only keep music in it. (I manually organise my video files and use VLC to play them.)
I couldn't disagree more regarding WP7 requiring you to 'work for data'.
What I love about WP7 is that I don't need to worry about whether a photo is stored in a particular folder or app or whether it is on Facebook, etc. I just go to the pictures hub because what I am looking for is a picture not a picture "in a certain place" or "with a certain app". The same goes for contacts. Do I want to load a Facebook app or website to see someone's status or would I rather just see it on the home screen of the people hub without needing to open a tab, where I can see their status regardless of whether they updated it on Facebook or Windows Live (or Twitter, etc.)? I'm thinking of that person, not a particular app or service they may have been using.
And it's great to have my contacts all synced and together regardless of whether they are Facebook friends, actual friends, whether I have only an email address or their whole life story, etc.
I personally think in terms of data rather than in terms of apps. I'm really looking forward to more devs getting used to the way WP7 works.
No data is 'locked in' to WP7. Your XBox Live gamer tag is the same you use on XBox and Games for Windows Live, and is also your Zune tag. You can integrate Google, Yahoo, or Windows Live services as well as Facebook and soon Twitter and LinkedIn.
But you also have the best of both worlds. Let the phone collate and organise your data or use individual apps for stuff.
WP7 does still have a hill to climb in terms of apps, but many apps are much better on WP7 than iPhone (e.g. IMDB).
What I love about WP7 is that I don't need to worry about whether a photo is stored in a particular folder or app or whether it is on Facebook, etc. I just go to the pictures hub because what I am looking for is a picture not a picture "in a certain place" or "with a certain app". The same goes for contacts. Do I want to load a Facebook app or website to see someone's status or would I rather just see it on the home screen of the people hub without needing to open a tab, where I can see their status regardless of whether they updated it on Facebook or Windows Live (or Twitter, etc.)? I'm thinking of that person, not a particular app or service they may have been using.
And it's great to have my contacts all synced and together regardless of whether they are Facebook friends, actual friends, whether I have only an email address or their whole life story, etc.
I personally think in terms of data rather than in terms of apps. I'm really looking forward to more devs getting used to the way WP7 works.
No data is 'locked in' to WP7. Your XBox Live gamer tag is the same you use on XBox and Games for Windows Live, and is also your Zune tag. You can integrate Google, Yahoo, or Windows Live services as well as Facebook and soon Twitter and LinkedIn.
But you also have the best of both worlds. Let the phone collate and organise your data or use individual apps for stuff.
WP7 does still have a hill to climb in terms of apps, but many apps are much better on WP7 than iPhone (e.g. IMDB).
Well the data is not necessarily flexible enough, I think. I would actually prefer to load an app instead of centralise it in one big place. While I really do like the idea of the feature, it's just that all the data is now placed into one place and you can't necessarily consolidate all the data together in one place (For example, Facebook and text messages) if you want to export it out or just view it outside of the Windows Phone ecosystem.
For the apps aspect though, the UI and usability of iPhone apps is steadily improving. (e.g. Evernote)
For the apps aspect though, the UI and usability of iPhone apps is steadily improving. (e.g. Evernote)
It sounds like you're referring to the 'stream' that is a new feature coming in 7.5/Mango later this year.
Communication organised by person rather than by app or method of communication. I think it is excellent. I can go to the person I want to communicate with, and my phone will indicate where they are currently online (Gtalk, WL Messenger, Facebook) and I can choose one of those or SMS or call. I personally find this much more appealing than loading Facebook to see if they are online. No. Load Gtalk. Not there either. Load WL Messenger. Nope, not there. OK, I'll text. That is mostly already in the current version, but Mango will actually show a conversation chronologically regardless of whether some of it was SMS and some IM, etc. Might even be a money saver if I'm texting my friend and he logs into Gtalk while we're in mid-conversation.
Again, for me any communication starts with the person I want to communicate with, not with a particular service or app that they may or may not be connected to.
Obviously everybody has their own preferences, but for me MS are onto a winner (not counting the update disaster that was the first update and the lack of important launch features).
Communication organised by person rather than by app or method of communication. I think it is excellent. I can go to the person I want to communicate with, and my phone will indicate where they are currently online (Gtalk, WL Messenger, Facebook) and I can choose one of those or SMS or call. I personally find this much more appealing than loading Facebook to see if they are online. No. Load Gtalk. Not there either. Load WL Messenger. Nope, not there. OK, I'll text. That is mostly already in the current version, but Mango will actually show a conversation chronologically regardless of whether some of it was SMS and some IM, etc. Might even be a money saver if I'm texting my friend and he logs into Gtalk while we're in mid-conversation.
Again, for me any communication starts with the person I want to communicate with, not with a particular service or app that they may or may not be connected to.
Obviously everybody has their own preferences, but for me MS are onto a winner (not counting the update disaster that was the first update and the lack of important launch features).
What do you mean by specs being outdated? My WP7 is extremely smooth and fast (smoother than the iPhone 4 and much smoother than the Motorola Milestone) and can run fully 3D games without breaking a sweat.
I think dual core processors are currently putting the cart before the horse. More power is always great, but in a mobile device I'd be more worried about battery life than whatever benchmark-only speed improvements I can get.
On every phone I've owned the bottlenecks have been internet speed and the pain of typing on a tiny keyboard or touchscreen.
I think dual core processors are currently putting the cart before the horse. More power is always great, but in a mobile device I'd be more worried about battery life than whatever benchmark-only speed improvements I can get.
On every phone I've owned the bottlenecks have been internet speed and the pain of typing on a tiny keyboard or touchscreen.
Specs outdated compared to the other phones on the market. iPhone is getting a dual core processor soon and the 1 ghz (minimum spec - hardware manufacturers apparently have little incentive to push the bar for hardware.) processor will quickly be outdated. (Not necessarily talking about the interface)
I'm quite sure games will get more powerful and utilise most, if not all, of the potential of the processor, and WP7 may become increasingly irrelevant in the mobile games market. (Perhaps this will change though, since xbox live is one of the features that they tout.)
I'm quite sure games will get more powerful and utilise most, if not all, of the potential of the processor, and WP7 may become increasingly irrelevant in the mobile games market. (Perhaps this will change though, since xbox live is one of the features that they tout.)
I have to say that overall, for me Android is a far more complete, interesting experience than the iOS one. I could just about substitute my computer for my Android device, but I don't feel that way for the iPhone...
Its the little things like notifications, like having live wallpapers, like flash, like widgets and shortcuts to break up the otherwise boring, spartan wall of icons...
I think maybe that's what kills iOS for me: Its just so dull and predictable all the time....
Most of the apps have to be fashioned in the same way with the same layout (although some prefer this as having one design language, it just feels really boring and somewhat limiting, where Android has far more variety).
The poor customisation of the software that you can do in iOS doesn't help the staring at that endless grid, something Android has widgets for and homescreens on the left and gaps (!) between icons that you can choose and PERSONALISE.....
Also, iOS feels somewhat limiting in terms of the lack of flash (which is key, no matter how rubbish flash itself is), the lack of media players to play any of your files without converting them or putting them into iTunes (which is a whole other kettle of buggy, time consuming, generally annoying fish), the lack of the ability to put your own keyboard e.g. Swift Key (which is definitely 100% better than typing on the smaller, less predicting iOS keyboard), and the lack of file manager which makes things generally more difficult on iOS by making productivity more difficult and pushing us into the flaming hell that is iTunes....
Sure, iOS may be good if you aren't willing to put five minutes in to explore all the depths of your device, sure its good if you need the extra 100,000 apps (I end up sinking my time into 1 or 2 apps at the most anyway), sure its good if you can't handle doing anything with a file explorer but prefer iTunes very specific, very closed system which is undoubtedly a major contributor to deaths due to high blood pressure everywhere.... but I definitely dislike being boxed in to doing what Apple deem I need, in they way in which they deem it.....
/rant
Sorry... iOS is fine, but I'll stick to my lovely, cuddly, green, leviathan android
Its the little things like notifications, like having live wallpapers, like flash, like widgets and shortcuts to break up the otherwise boring, spartan wall of icons...
I think maybe that's what kills iOS for me: Its just so dull and predictable all the time....
Most of the apps have to be fashioned in the same way with the same layout (although some prefer this as having one design language, it just feels really boring and somewhat limiting, where Android has far more variety).
The poor customisation of the software that you can do in iOS doesn't help the staring at that endless grid, something Android has widgets for and homescreens on the left and gaps (!) between icons that you can choose and PERSONALISE.....
Also, iOS feels somewhat limiting in terms of the lack of flash (which is key, no matter how rubbish flash itself is), the lack of media players to play any of your files without converting them or putting them into iTunes (which is a whole other kettle of buggy, time consuming, generally annoying fish), the lack of the ability to put your own keyboard e.g. Swift Key (which is definitely 100% better than typing on the smaller, less predicting iOS keyboard), and the lack of file manager which makes things generally more difficult on iOS by making productivity more difficult and pushing us into the flaming hell that is iTunes....
Sure, iOS may be good if you aren't willing to put five minutes in to explore all the depths of your device, sure its good if you need the extra 100,000 apps (I end up sinking my time into 1 or 2 apps at the most anyway), sure its good if you can't handle doing anything with a file explorer but prefer iTunes very specific, very closed system which is undoubtedly a major contributor to deaths due to high blood pressure everywhere.... but I definitely dislike being boxed in to doing what Apple deem I need, in they way in which they deem it.....
/rant
Sorry... iOS is fine, but I'll stick to my lovely, cuddly, green, leviathan android
I can't say that Android is better than iOS and vice versa -- they both have their pros and cons.
Android notifications are definitely better. They're not all in your face and there's an indicator at the top which is good me as a person who forgets to follow up on things. Also, as user of everything Google, I like how there are a lot of native Google apps.
iOS beats Android in the polish department. Things look better, feel better, and I think it's more stable. It's really the attention to detail that makes it a better experience like when you scroll to the end of a page and it has that bounce.
As for Zune HD, I agree with you 100%, the interface is the awesome. When I play music on my Droid X, I always swipe the album art expecting the track to change, but of course that doesn't happen. I haven't had too much hands on time with a Windows Phone, but it's something I'm considering once my phone upgrade rolls around.
Android notifications are definitely better. They're not all in your face and there's an indicator at the top which is good me as a person who forgets to follow up on things. Also, as user of everything Google, I like how there are a lot of native Google apps.
iOS beats Android in the polish department. Things look better, feel better, and I think it's more stable. It's really the attention to detail that makes it a better experience like when you scroll to the end of a page and it has that bounce.
As for Zune HD, I agree with you 100%, the interface is the awesome. When I play music on my Droid X, I always swipe the album art expecting the track to change, but of course that doesn't happen. I haven't had too much hands on time with a Windows Phone, but it's something I'm considering once my phone upgrade rolls around.
I'd have to disagree with the polish and stability points. I've seen iOS get pretty ugly at times. Also, imo, the poor notification system of iOS would be an aditional strike against it's "polish" since those things can have a very large impact on your general use and feel of the OS.
It might be a device specific issue, but I experience freezes several times a day on my Droid X. On my iPad, I've had an app crash every so often, but it rarely ever freezes. Same experience with my girlfriend's iPod touch.
The poor notification system on iOS is more of a user experience issue than a polish issue.
The poor notification system on iOS is more of a user experience issue than a polish issue.
A large part of the "polish" of an OS is determined by the user experience.
I feel like we have different definitions of "polish"
Some characteristics of an unpolished OS to me are apps crashing, phone freezes up, things are slow to launch, stability etc...both Android and iOS are subject to this, but in my experience, it's more prevalent with Android.
You can say the iOS notification system has an unpolished user experience, but I wouldn't say it lacks polish. It does what it's supposed to do reliably. Does it work well? Not to me, but it works. You're interrupted when you're watching a movie or typing a text, but it doesn't freeze your phone up when you dismiss a notification or cause any unexpected issues.
I guess it's an adjective vs noun thing.
Some characteristics of an unpolished OS to me are apps crashing, phone freezes up, things are slow to launch, stability etc...both Android and iOS are subject to this, but in my experience, it's more prevalent with Android.
You can say the iOS notification system has an unpolished user experience, but I wouldn't say it lacks polish. It does what it's supposed to do reliably. Does it work well? Not to me, but it works. You're interrupted when you're watching a movie or typing a text, but it doesn't freeze your phone up when you dismiss a notification or cause any unexpected issues.
I guess it's an adjective vs noun thing.
I see where your coming from but wouldn't apps crashing(I am assuming your talking about 3rd party) be more a user experience thing. If it really is third party then really there is no need to be weighed against the OS as a whole. The problem with android is that each phone should be weighed as its own entity. My G2x has no slowdown problems, unless I really push it where as the same load on your X might cause it to crash and slow down to a crawl.
The level of polish of an OS is determined by the user experience and general operating stability. Android is no less unstable than iOS. The experiences you've had with Android I've had equally with iOS.
As far as user experience goes, it's a mixed bag based on what you want to do. Out of the box, Android can be less in your face, particularly with notifications, and allow you to do more customization and be less cumbersome (god i hate dealing with iTunes). Move to a more intermediate level and iOS can be easier to jailbreak verse rooting Android. Move to the advanced level and iOS's user experience prety much stays at the intermediate level while the Advanced users can do a lot more with Android.
Overall, I wouldn't call iOS anymore polished than Android or visa versa, yet. Android is polishing up a lot faster than iOS right now though, so that could change very soon.
As far as user experience goes, it's a mixed bag based on what you want to do. Out of the box, Android can be less in your face, particularly with notifications, and allow you to do more customization and be less cumbersome (god i hate dealing with iTunes). Move to a more intermediate level and iOS can be easier to jailbreak verse rooting Android. Move to the advanced level and iOS's user experience prety much stays at the intermediate level while the Advanced users can do a lot more with Android.
Overall, I wouldn't call iOS anymore polished than Android or visa versa, yet. Android is polishing up a lot faster than iOS right now though, so that could change very soon.
deinfinityx: Yes, polish definitely has an affect on user experience, but I would still consider them separate things
OrionAntares: I agree with your assessment of Android vs iOS by your definition of polish in the context mobile OSes
With that said, can we all agree that Windows Mobile sucks? :)
OrionAntares: I agree with your assessment of Android vs iOS by your definition of polish in the context mobile OSes
With that said, can we all agree that Windows Mobile sucks? :)
Depends, what do we DEFINE as Windows Mobile? Is it just version 6.5 and earlier or is Windows Phone 7 also Windows Mobile? :P
I think MS is trying to move away from the 'Windows Mobile' name, and instead, use the Windows Phone name.
I loved Windows Mobile. I used older versions on PDAs and 6.1 and 6.5 on phones. The functionality was great, but the OS suffered from being old and designed in a different era (i.e. when smartphones were for business users and geeks only).
It's splitting hairs, but I suppose user experience is the design of the OS (how it functions, choices made by the designers, etc.) and polish is how smoothly that is pulled off.
I think Android has the better design, but my old Milestone was always a little rough around the edges compared to iPhones.
I think Windows Phone 7 beats both Android and iOS in both design and polish FWIW (at least when ignoring the fact that WP7 is still lacking some important features).
I think Android has the better design, but my old Milestone was always a little rough around the edges compared to iPhones.
I think Windows Phone 7 beats both Android and iOS in both design and polish FWIW (at least when ignoring the fact that WP7 is still lacking some important features).
I have to say I disagree on the Android being less polished, especially with Google updating it so quickly....
I agree, before Froyo, it was far less polished, but especially with the new crop of really fast dual core devices, iOS doesn't get that trophy anymore IMO....
I agree, before Froyo, it was far less polished, but especially with the new crop of really fast dual core devices, iOS doesn't get that trophy anymore IMO....
I have a Droid X, which has Froyo, and I don't think it's as stable as iOS is at the moment. You can read my other replies on this question for my reasoning.
Even if Google updates Android with more improvements, I probably won't see it for months. Gingerbread was released in December 2010 and it still hasn't hit a majority of phones out there, mine included.
Even if Google updates Android with more improvements, I probably won't see it for months. Gingerbread was released in December 2010 and it still hasn't hit a majority of phones out there, mine included.
I agree that older (yes yes yes, the Droid X is not old and neither is Froyo...) devices are less polished, but stuff coming out now (especially at the top end) is no less stable than iOS, which is undoubtedly very stable....
Going forward, I just don't believe that iOS will have the advantage of being evidently more polished than Android....
I do have to agree, the android update situation is farcical and hopefully the new "Android Coalition" will help to rectify that.... I'm equally frustrated, my Desire HD is still on Froyo, when HTC have approved gingerbread for the same device, but my Carrier (T-Mobile UK) are delaying it further than other carriers for no apparent reason....
Going forward, I just don't believe that iOS will have the advantage of being evidently more polished than Android....
I do have to agree, the android update situation is farcical and hopefully the new "Android Coalition" will help to rectify that.... I'm equally frustrated, my Desire HD is still on Froyo, when HTC have approved gingerbread for the same device, but my Carrier (T-Mobile UK) are delaying it further than other carriers for no apparent reason....
Its sad that in all reality its the carriers that are kneecapping the updates to android. Part of it is the Manufacturers and their stupid skins but the carriers not releasing updates for x reason is getting old. I do wish Google appifies more of their apps maybe even framework. Wouldn't it be cool and a first if you could update your whole framework from the market.
OS updates are a double-edged sword. I think MS have the best strategy - set minimum specs and ensure (at least in theory) that all phones with the original version get all updates. If they get on a 12 month hardware/major OS revision cycle (similar to Apple) they could have a different set of minimum specs for WP8 and it would suit the usual consumer upgrade cycle.
I noticed something in my Google Reader feed today announcing some product getting an Android 2.1 update...that is ridiculous. My last phone had 2.1 about a year ago or more.
I noticed something in my Google Reader feed today announcing some product getting an Android 2.1 update...that is ridiculous. My last phone had 2.1 about a year ago or more.
MS's strategy (as you say) is in theory the best, and I hope they can make good of it, but right now, they look to be falling into the Android trap, albeit a bit less severely (possibly because they don't have as many phones on the market).... They seem to be having difficulty getting updates to people which is what they pledged not to do....
Android's quick upgrading is good if you want the latest and greatest sooner than every year and would be better if people could actually get the updates which seems to be what google are trying to do with their whole update alliance or whatever it is....
Android's quick upgrading is good if you want the latest and greatest sooner than every year and would be better if people could actually get the updates which seems to be what google are trying to do with their whole update alliance or whatever it is....
The current iPad has dual core, and the iPhone 4S is rumoured to inherit the same dual core chip as well.
Yes, but what I was saying is that all that means is Android is now just as slippery smooth as iOS even if by raw power.... and so iOS no longer has the advantage of being any more polished, even with their dual core: there is only so fast and without lag an OS can get
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