iOS to Android
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
Thinking of moving from iOS to Android? As promised, here are some observations from a long-time iOS user:
Google Android
| What's to Like | What's Not |
|---|---|
| Highly Customizable: custom launchers (LauncherPro, Go Launcher EX), widgets (Beautiful Widgets) | Web Browsing: the included web browser is slow and difficult to use- Safari on iOS is far superior |
| Fast UI: not quite as 'snappy' as iOS, but very nice | Folders: ugly and simplistic, iOS has a far better implementation |
| Notifications: very well executed, in stark contrast to the terrible notifications in iOS | No Screenshots: yes, the SDK has this ability, but it isn't exactly convenient |
| Market/App Store: Android Market works well, and along with OTA installs it makes the Apple App Store look clumsy |
Since we’re on the subject, here are my thoughts on the Nexus S. Also, if you look closely at the above photo (aka Android screenshot), you’ll see a Rearth Ringke case. This is a great case, and I can highly recommend it. The case is well made with a nice texture, accurate cut-outs and fits snuggly on the phone.
Google Nexus S
| What's to Like | What's Not |
|---|---|
| Screen: clear, bright and responsive | Screen: scratches very easily (more on this later...) |
| Audio: good call quality and speakerphone | Size: too big (larger than iPhone) |
| Speed: overall, the Nexus S feels fast and never seems underpowered | WiFi: weak WiFi reception |
| Cameras: the still and video quality is nice, for a phone | Battery: poor battery life- it generally lasts a day, a few more days would be preferable |
| Powering Off: neat screen effect- think old CRT TV | Indicator LED: this is perhaps the only feature I miss from the Blackberry |
| Buttons: power and volume buttons poorly placed |
