Phasing out of Android anybody?

[Nylonee]

Hi all,

I've been through many Androids, I'm now on three that are HTC Desire, Galaxy Nexus and the almighty Transformer Prime. But as much as I love Google and the whole Android deal, I'm starting to phase out and reconsider my next step to be out of the Google circle (ha).

Anybody taking the same steps as me? I'm thinking my biggest frustrations is that no matter how powerful an Android device is (eg. Transformer Prime quad-core Tegra 3) it still lags considerably, while the iPhone has been smooth from the start of the smartphone generation, and Windows fixed that problem along the way.

I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that I'm not the only one getting tired of Android. I thought at one point that they were the best thing that could happen in the decade. =)

Cheers,

Nylonee

[Livin in a box]

I've got my Desire S for another year yet so even considering upgrading to another phone is ludicrous for me given the speed that phones are upgrading now, but I would like to switch to possibly Windows Phone next year. I don't want an iOS device because they are highly overpriced for what they are, but I do like being able to customise my ROM and things like that so I don't know yet.

Android is nice but sometimes I just think it can be a bit clunky at times with certain tasks and can, as you have said, be slow sometimes.

[cybertimber2008]

What are you doing on your phone to make it lag? (well, ok... let's understand that all phones will have some type of lag, regardless of OS and hardware).

I just *use* my phone and I really don't see it impeeding what I need to do.

[Anibal P]

Nope, tired recent iOS and WP7 devices, to include the latest and greatest Nokia phone, and I still prefer Android, the others are OK, but I prefer having real choices. And the only time I see "lag" on my aging Vibrant is if I look for it while bored, otherwise it's nice and smooth, just like most other current design Android phones

[tsupersonic]

I will phase out of Android as soon as Windows Phone gets repeating notification sounds for text messages. If I ever get out of the Android ecosystem, I will miss it for its amazing abilities for customization. There is no other mobile OS that comes even close in this regard, considering how many Android devices there are. I will always keep an Android phone just for development/fun toy.

[Ambroos]

You should try the Sony Xperia S. I own it now, and unless you're visiting really heavy sites (I'm looking at you The Verge) everything is buttery smooth. In a few months there will be an even faster version with a Snapdragon S4 out too!

[L1520]

Yup I am an ex Android fan...after a crap experience with 2x HTC Desire HD handsets in December 2010 (having previously had an HTC Magic & Nexus One) I left android for WP7 and haven't looked back!!

WP8 will crap all over iPhone & Android I believe.

[Anibal P]

Yup I am an ex Android fan...after a crap experience with 2x HTC Desire HD handsets in December 2010 (having previously had an HTC Magic & Nexus One) I left android for WP7 and haven't looked back!!

WP8 will crap all over iPhone & Android I believe.

Isn't that what you fanboys said about WP7? And based on what I've seen there's no chance in hell WP8 will be anything but 3rd place, maybe 4th if RIM could ever get their act together

[ShMaunder]

I consider "lag" in this context to be a GUI thing where menu scrolling or browser scrolling isn't smooth, but is no less functional or time consuming than other platforms? If so, then yes, it isn't brilliant - situation is far better in ICS, though there are still improvements that can be made.

However, Android is where operating systems should be (i.e. free, open source). It can't use the patented locked down algorithms that are available to the closed/non-free platforms, but at least you can inspect / customise the code of the OS you're running (plus it opens up the world of XDA, forks such as Cyanogenmod etc.). I can only hope that the likes of iOS and WP die in the near future (unless they become open source) - sure, there are some good concepts in them, but technology is becoming too pervasive to allow these closed, proprietary operating systems to monopolise computing devices *again*. I wouldn't mind seeing WebOS competing along side Android in the near future after its full source is released.

So to summarise, I feel that Android is very usable with a few "lag" issues, but I personally would carry on using it even if it doesn't feel 100% next to iOS/WP. An open source OS is where we should be heading for all platforms in the near future, and it will only improve with increased market share.

[funkydude]

Isn't that what you fanboys said about WP7? And based on what I've seen there's no chance in hell WP8 will be anything but 3rd place, maybe 4th if RIM could ever get their act together

Yeah, take these sensational statements with a grain of salt. It's his hope (well, probably everyone hopes that WP8 will be better), not fact.

You should try the Sony Xperia S. I own it now, and unless you're visiting really heavy sites (I'm looking at you The Verge) everything is buttery smooth.

The Verge is buttery smooth on my single core Lumia 800 :(

[Nylonee]

What are you doing on your phone to make it lag? (well, ok... let's understand that all phones will have some type of lag, regardless of OS and hardware).

I just *use* my phone and I really don't see it impeeding what I need to do.

Well I mean lag on all sorts of things which it shouldn't lag on. For example the first thing I noticed when getting the Galaxy Nexus was that live wallpapers slowed things down far too much, which I found to be a shame because that hadn't been improved much from Eclair =(

You should try the Sony Xperia S. I own it now, and unless you're visiting really heavy sites (I'm looking at you The Verge) everything is buttery smooth. In a few months there will be an even faster version with a Snapdragon S4 out too!

You clearly don't know the Transformer Prime =) It's WAY faster than the Sony Xperia S, and so is the Galaxy Nexus that I have right now.

Yeah I would never switch to an iOS. I was looking into WP8 though, the metro theme is tres interesting.

It looks like it will be a battle between typography and design (Metro) and productivity and customization (Android).

Thanks for input. I feel safer feeling a little Android unloving coming along.

Nylonee

[remixedcat]

It's fine on my LG Optimus S

[ShMaunder]

^^ I take it we're talking about the desktop version of the verge which even my laptop struggles to load at times? Mobile version is fine, even on the gt540 (same as Wildfire S specs).

[Detection]

The Verge is completely smooth on my ASUS Transformer with Dolphin Browser HD using Desktop User-Agent but it took forever to load.

[Phouchg]

You should try the Sony Xperia S. I own it now, and unless you're visiting really heavy sites (I'm looking at you The Verge) everything is buttery smooth. In a few months there will be an even faster version with a Snapdragon S4 out too!

They'll be setting for that freaking Arc looks, though, right? I've left smartphone world at all, but I do love the awesome design of LT26i. Did I say it's awesome? Oh, okay, awesome.

[techbeck]

Yes, Android still lags on 4.0 but it is much better. I hardly experience it myself but have seen the iPhone lag as well. I can handle a split second delay every now and then. Not getting bored of Android either since it seems every day there is something else to mod/change on the phone.

[Ently]

Well from my personal experience I went from a iPhone 3G to SGS 1 and loved it then I went from the Galaxy S1 to the iPhone 4.. now im on the SGS 2 and honestly both breeds of phone are one and the same and I really love features from both.

I think it's normal to change things up from time to time so if you're thinking of getting the next iPhone say for example then sure why not try something new!

With all that said though if you're hoping to avoid lag it's on all handsets to some degree, yes even the infamously smooth iPhone has its lag issues.

[Boz]

Hi all,

...

Cheers,

Nylonee

Here's my take on it considering I have been through all devices and I use them to death.

I wouldn't bet on anything MIcrosoft until they have matured and proven to be worthy competitor. They have not so far. That's just my personal take on it. They are kind of desparte and Nokia is in shambles.

Windows 8 success is largely the key here and if it's not received enthusiastically by consumers it's going to be a dead end and will set Microsoft back for another couple of years if we look at Vista.

So I would say on Microsoft platform, just wait. Don't be their "beta" user.

If you really want to have a good experience albeit with little choice, Apple has done a great job putting everything to work together. Depending on your needs, you might find that Apple's eco-system is definitely the way to go. Having iPad, iPhone, a mac at home and AppleTV the synergy and how they operate is really going to make you feel great because it's dumbed down to the tiniest details.

The biggest problem with Apple's eco-system is the lock-in. If at some point you don't like how your AppleTV or iPad works or IPhone works, or Apple screws up, you are pretty much cornered and you have to keep giving them money because you really have one choice. Apple will completely control your experience and choices. If you can accept that, you will probably enjoy it.

Android, on the other hand, is something I just simply can't replace. The fact that I personally can do whatever I want, install whatever I want, customize it however I want, run multiple different browsers for example or just explore what's new, not to mention that Android's innovation is so rapid that we see amazing things with every new iteration.

The great thing about it, is that because it's so fast in iterating you can still build your libraries knowing that tomorrow your stuff will work no matter what manufacturer's device you pick as long as it runs Android but I personally think that this won't be a problem because we already have such an insane amount of offering with devices and experience you just have to shop to find something you really like.

My personal support (even though I use all of these platforms) goes to Google because I think out of all of them, the will remain open and foster innovation by 3rd parties. Maybe that might not still be obvious to many people, but Android is so widespread now that developers and innovators will without a doubt start releasing more and more amazing stuff that will only be available on Android, exactly because of that openness and very little limitation on what you can do with it.

Now, the bad part of that, is that you have to be a bit more careful. You have to be wise and not install every single crap you think you might need or blindly install stuff from some 3rd party website just because you can. It's common sense that has been present on Windows for a long time and those who are cautious have a great experience.

That's just my 2 cents. Take it for what it is.

[Colin McGregor]

i tried iOS, blackberry, android and Windows phone. After finally using windows phone i cant possibly see myself every going back to the other inferior phones.

[shockz]

As an iPhone 4 owner, it's hardly a smooth experience that fanboys make it out to be.

I've been an iPhone user since the original iPhone back in 2007, and let me tell you...

Apps can take awhile to open, and I probably deal with 3-5 app crashes a week. Camera app is also quite flakey and takes forever to process a pic. A restore fixes the camera lag, until your library starts to grow again and then it starts reoccurring. Throwing folders to organize them only seems to make it worse.

Not to mention the facebook app is total garbage... and I've heard fb devs blame iOS. While it sucks on android, it's barely usable on iOS.

There really isn't much you can do unless you jailbreak, and it turns into quite a boring experience after the first month or so.

iTunes also is a worthless piece of software, very frustrating to use (especially when doing wifi syncing).

[+virtorio MVC]

I went from Android to WP7 and I will never go back.

[xeleraph]

Yes, the iPhone has SOME lag. But on average, you're going to see way more lag on Android than iOS/WP, even though quad-core models like the One X reduce the margin considerably. But still laggier than iOS/WP.

As for getting tired of Android, you'll get tired of just about anything once you've used it for too long. That's normal, and there's nothing wrong with switching phones, nor with switching back later down the road.