What makes Android better?

[DeathsyctheHe11]

So what makes Android OS better than iOS? What does it do better or have that iOS don't?

Now before you jump me, I have a jailbroken iphone 3GS and waiting for my Galaxy S II. Now I just want to know the benefits since fanboys always say Android is so much better and iphones are for retards...

So, if you can, phrase it more professionally, like state what is better and how its better. Saying something is better with no reason does not help the cause. Also I prefer you refrain from using hardware specs that's not on all the Android. Yes some phones have nfc, face unlocking (soon), 4G, etc... but not all Android phones have it. Also, I could literally care less who copied who, who made what first. I could care less if your mom invented the cellphone first. I just want to know what makes Android system better. Since iOS 5 added some new features, also Ice cream added some new features, I would like your comments and thoughts on them.

Note: I would not argue with your comments as everything is opinion based. I just want to listen to what you people have to say.

[+virtorio MVC]

I use Android, and for me, the only thing it has over iOS was the ability to customize icon placement on the home screen and add widgets to it.

I would have listed the Notifications panel, but iOS 5 has that now (and for what I would want, would be much better).

At the end of the day though, iOS, Android and WP7 are all pretty good. I'd go for whatever phone you prefer hardware wise than software wise.

If all phone hardware was equal, I'd probably buy an iPhone or WP7 phone just to have a change. There is nothing about Android that makes it my "must have" mobile OS.

I should point out I've seen nothing of Android 4.0, so maybe it blows iOS 5 out of the water (the logo certainly looks delicious). I have no idea.

[Slammers]

Fanboy are fanboys and it goes both ways. They are both great os's.

For me the deciding factor that makes me have an android is just the fact that I don't ever want a cellphone worth more than $150, I go through at least one a year and only use them for texts calls and light internet usage. Iphones are just too expensive for what I need.

Comparing the os's, i think they are both great, android certainly has allot more customization which is a big plus if you like tinkering with your toys (likely if your on neowin ;p). I don't know if it's still the case but no flash on iphone sucks if you want to browse the net!

Notification bar is amazing on android although iphone has now added that. I wouldn't want to be locked into itunes to transfer music etc.

I love have all my gmail accounts linked to my phone and receiving and responding emails like they are texts it makes work allot easier.

The only reason I can ever see someone being better off with IOS is if they need a specific app or want to play allot of games.

That's all i got - someone that has owned both systems will be able to show allot more reasons than this.

[Scorbing]

So what makes Android OS better than iOS? What does it do better or have that iOS don't?

Now before you jump me, I have a jailbroken iphone 3GS and waiting for my Galaxy S II. Now I just want to know the benefits since fanboys always say Android is so much better and iphones are for retards...

So, if you can, phrase it more professionally, like state what is better and how its better. Saying something is better with no reason does not help the cause. Also I prefer you refrain from using hardware specs that's not on all the Android. Yes some phones have nfc, face unlocking (soon), 4G, etc... but not all Android phones have it. Also, I could literally care less who copied who, who made what first. I could care less if your mom invented the cellphone first. I just want to know what makes Android system better. Since iOS 5 added some new features, also Ice cream added some new features, I would like your comments and thoughts on them.

Note: I would not argue with your comments as everything is opinion based. I just want to listen to what you people have to say.

I will give you my own, personal, non-retard, non-fanboy opinion as I own both an Android HTC Inspire and an iPhone 4S:

The Android devices - most of them (especially the HTC line - have a beautiful 4.3" screen while the iPhone 4S has a 3.5" screen, which is also beautiful. The only reason I got an iPhone 4S is because of the apps. There are apps that I use a lot that are simply not available for Android and the few that are available either crash (force close) a lot or simply don't work right. Let's face it and be realistic, the Android market place is a mess. There is no "quality" control like in the iPhone Apps Store. The Android apps simply suck. The Android device GUI is faster than the iOS interface. It's snappier compared to the one on the iPhone. The Android device can be customized heavily while the iOS phone cannot. Both consume the same amount of battery.

I had a lot of problems sending and receiving text messages with photos on them on the Android Inspire, on the iPhone 4S I have no such issues.

The Android devices such as the HTC Inspire and the Samsung Galaxy S will never see Ice Cream Sandwich. They are stuck at their respective versions, in my case Android 2.3.4. There will be no more updates for that phone as far as Android is concerned. Apple on the other hand, updates iOS every so many months and allows every device, except the iPhone 3G, to update to the latest iOS version.

I also own an Apple TV and an iMac so the iPhone seems like a logical choice to use with those devices since I cannot use my Android phone with the Apple TV. I have 2 cameras on my iPhone 4S, I have 1 camera on my Android. The video quality and photo quality of the iPhone 4S is much better than the Android counterpart. The speaker phone on the iPhone 4S is much, much better than the one on the Inspire.

So, do I miss my 4.3" Android screen? Yes. Would I go back to Android? No.

[Glen]

As the others have stated, it's personal preference. I bought an Android phone because I like customizing my mobile device to my needs. I will be looking at iOS and WP7 as well as Android when my contract comes up for renewal next year, but for now it works well for me.

[Emon]

1. You don't have to use iTunes. Plug your Android phone to your computer and it shows up as an external drive.
   
2. Widgets.
   
3. Notification bar.
   
4. You can change default keyboard, browser, SMS app etc.
   
5. You can get apps from different markets.
   
6. Free Navigation app that comes with the platform.
   

[Scorbing]

Windows 7 Phones are looking to get interesting too.

[Slammers]

I had a lot of problems sending and receiving text messages with photos on them on the Android Inspire, on the iPhone 4S I have no such issues.

The Android devices such as the HTC Inspire and the Samsung Galaxy S will never see Ice Cream Sandwich. They are stuck at their respective versions, in my case Android 2.3.4. There will be no more updates for that phone as far as Android is concerned.

I agree with your points but can you confirm there will be no ICS on those phones? I can almost guarantee they will see it not long after release, be it officially or through a custom rom.

I am also not sure if you text troubles are due to android os it's self because I have never had or heard of anyone having problems like this. For me having an open file system makes it alot easier to send different files etc.

edit: in regards to Emom's post, can you really not install different browsers on IOS!?!?!

I don't know where i'd be without opera mini. It's the best phone browser ever if your on a slow or small data plan as it compresses all data at it's end before it sends to you meaning speed and usage is raised/lowered by roughly 60% respectively.

[Scorbing]

I agree with your points but can you confirm there will be no ICS on those phones? I can almost guarantee they will see it not long after release, be it officially or through a custom rom.

I am also not sure if you text troubles are due to android os it's self because I have never had or heard of anyone having problems like this. For me having an open file system makes it alot easier to send different files etc.

edit: in regards to Emom's post, can you really not install different browsers on IOS!?!?!

I don't know where i'd be without opera mini. It's the best phone browser ever if your on a slow or small data plan as it compresses all data at it's end before it sends to you meaning speed and usage is raised/lowered by roughly 60% respectively.

I think this might answer the question of whether HTC will update their phones or not. We'll see:

http://phandroid.com/2011/10/19/which-htc-devices-will-see-ice-cream-sandwich-updates-htc-issues-statement/

[Berserk87]

Android you can customize everything and run non market apps without having to bypass your phones security/google.

[migo]

Big things is the extra customisation you can get with cooked Android ROMS compared to jailbreaking. Even though I could do some pretty decent stuff with iOS jailbroken, there was always a limit. I couldn't configure WiFi to turn off on sleep, and I couldn't make the keyboard actually good. The right cooked ROM will definitely allow that, and there's no shortage of alternate keyboards to suit your tastes.

There's also the fact that while the 3G and 3GS were well designed from a hardware perspective (minus the lemon 3GS models with poor battery life), the iPhone 4 and 4S just aren't designed as well, and Apple's consistently shown they don't have a clue about radio performance and design. With Android you can go for a manufacturer that designs their phones according to ergonomics and function rather than purely on form as Apple does.

[notuptome2004]

1. You don't have to use iTunes. Plug your Android phone to your computer and it shows up as an external drive.
   
2. Widgets.
   
3. Notification bar.
   
4. You can change default keyboard, browser, SMS app etc.
   
5. You can get apps from different markets.
   
6. Free Navigation app that comes with the platform.
   

1. you can now do everything wirelessly without plugging in your iPhone to the Pc

2. iOS dont need widgets as it can have Full screen Apps acts like widgets or the new Notification center

3. yea iOS5 now has a notification center and notification bar balloon thing at the top as well as lock screen notification all of which was created by a Jailbreak App Developer who now works for Apple

4. you can now do that in IOS 5

5. in iOS ther is no need to as the App store has all the apps you could want . but you could JB your idevice if you truly wanted other stuff

6. That is the only thing you may have there but so what some may not mind paying for an App such as a navigation app or so

[DeathsyctheHe11]

1. You can get apps from different markets.
   

Can you elaborate more on this? How is different markets going to help the iOS better than the app store it has now? In your view, did the Amazon store really help make the Android a better system? How?

Not trying to bash, just want more explanation.

[+virtorio MVC]

Apple's consistently shown they don't have a clue about radio performance and design

The iPhone 4S is significantly better than the iPhone 4 in this area.

[Emon]

Can you elaborate more on this? How is different markets going to help the iOS better than the app store it has now? In your view, did the Amazon store really help make the Android a better system? How?

Not trying to bash, just want more explanation.

Well it's just gives you more choice ... more choice to users also more choice to devs (I'm a dev) to sell their apps. Also Amazon App Store has the free app a day thing which is cool.

[dnast]

The reason I like Android so much is the ability to customize everything to my liking. Being able to completely change the home screen/launcher as well as all the default phone activities all the way to the dialer satisfies the tinkerer in me.

A lot of people don't care about that and iOS and WP7 are great alternatives.

Can you elaborate more on this? How is different markets going to help the iOS better than the app store it has now? In your view, did the Amazon store really help make the Android a better system? How?

Not trying to bash, just want more explanation.

The main benefit IMO is that you can shop around for better prices on apps.

[Rippleman]

why are brunettes better at sex then blondes?

(same answer as your question: depends on what you like)

[Gaara sama]

You guys miss the point Android OS let you ability to customize and not only that you can view any site and play any game that require Adobe Flash ,sorry iphone can't view all site you want to view or play game .

[Kreuger]

I like that it's not locked down and you can do what you want with it. At least in theory. How many custom roms do you see for iPhones with hardware specific optimizations? Then again you can argue that's a bad thing but for me it isn't. Plus seeing as it's a Google phone and I use a lot of their services, I get the best of native integration.

[Amarok]

I got an Android phone because the price was right and I trust Google more than I trust Apple. That said, if someone would have offered me an iPhone for the same price as my Android phone I may have taken it. Or if Win7 phones would have been an option then I'd definitely have considered one of those. Since I mostly use my phone for SMS, twitter, email, etc I didn't really base my decision on super amazing groundbreaking features ... if I had, and everything else was the same, I'd still have been hard pressed to make a decision. In the end Android just won for me. When it's time for a new phone who knows? Well, I can say it probably won't be an iPhone because I'm not really interested in paying the apple tax for something that doesn't do anything truly groundbreaking. It's not like we're talking Apple vs Blackberry here where there is a clearcut winner ... It's pretty much a 3-way tie. I have had an absolute blast rooting my phone and installing all sorts of nifty things on it since then though.=)

TLDR: I picked Android because it could do what I wanted it to do and so much more, it was priced nicely, and of the three major phone OSes it's produced by the company I've had the most experience with. The customization is pretty awesome too.

[DeathsyctheHe11]

I want to ask, do you guys really play any games with flash? How efficient is flash on Android? Is it laggy? Do most people turn it off or do most install it?

Seeing how the marketplace is filled with games and most website are adopting mobile layouts, I never really felt that I need flash on my iPhone. The only thing I do miss is watching XXX ><, but even those sites are have mobile layouts (don't ask..).

[Digitalx]

flash games are fine so long as they're built with limited touch approach to interaction also as long as you got a decent device flash 11 it won't lag and it's about as efficient as gaming on any game on android or watching youtube movies.

I personally put it as selective on because of a lot of annoying ads wasting bandwidth that I don't wish to see. And yes you can enjoy your pr0ns on android.

[migo]

The iPhone 4S is significantly better than the iPhone 4 in this area.

Still not good enough. They've reduced the death grip issue but not eliminated it entirely. They've also demonstrated they care much more about form and pretending they were right all along than admit they made a mistake and do a significant design overhaul to eliminate the problem entirely.

[Hardcore Til I Die]

Android is better for me as I like to customise my stuff. Android takes longer to set up and it's not as fluid or simple as iOS, but you can do a lot more with it.

[Scorbing]

Android is better for me as I like to customise my stuff. Android takes longer to set up and it's not as fluid or simple as iOS, but you can do a lot more with it.

Android has its place. Both platforms, iOS and Android, have their pros and cons. I am 100% sure that the next iPhone is going to be a total re-design and will be 10 times better than the current model.

Apple's main problem is this: Customization

Now that Steve Jobs is gone (RIP), they need to re-think their strategies. They need to change iOS and let the user do more customizing. Open the OS more, let the user do more without the need to Jailbreak their phones. If Apple does this, they will gain more users to the iPhone and properly compete with Android in that level.