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Android |OT|

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tfur

tfur

Member
I have been hearing about the buttery smooth iOS BS well before ipad2 and the 4s. Yes its smooth when you are in iOS chicklet view doing nothing. Try multi tasking and the buttery smooth gets flies in it.

Needless to say, when actually using applications like the web browser, maps, etc... Android is smoother. Just look at the latest videos of comparisons with scrolling through web pages between ICS and iOS.

Feels like a lot of this is just validation for Apple laying a 3.5 inch samey egg.
 
B

brotkasten

Member
Zefah said:
I'll never understand how your relentless trolling is allowed.

That was good for a laugh, though!
Click to expand...
I think it's because he's trolling everyone and just switches sides from time to time. Makes it hard to hate him all the time.
 
J

JonnyBrad

Member
Just had a look at the ICS emulator.

The email app doesn't seem to have pinch to zoom (as its not mentioned in the settings, default zoom etc) its basically just the gmail app we've been seeing.

ARGH! HOW HARD IS IT GOOGLE. Every third party mail client has it.
 
K

kinggroin

Banned
Zefah said:
I've played around with plenty of devices (both old and new) on all three platforms. The UI lag, unresponsiveness, and overall choppiness is much more prevalent on Android devices (from Froyo to Gingerbread) than it is on iOS or Windows. Both iOS and Windows are extremely smooth (maybe they just use their GPUs better to mask load times), while stock Android (or the default manufacturer flavor) is quite laggy in comparison. I'm sure this is different on custom ROMs like Cyanogen, but I never messed with any of those.
Click to expand...


This should have been your initial response to my post instead of that BS everyone in this thread called you out on.

The only phone that has been absolutely flawless in extensive use, is the 4s. Considering how unintensive ios is compared to android, and that its hardware accelerated (android isn't), and the gpu in the 4s could probably run crysis 2...it better run as good as it does.


Couple things to keep in mind when you test stock android devices.

1) No iteration of android is hardware accelerated. A lot of the reason you've seen such an accelerated hardware refresh cycle with these Google devices, is because brute force was needed to run the os acceptably. This accounts for a lot of the android "lag".
ICS should take care of that.

2) Live wallpapers are almost always enabled by default on android devices. Those pretty backgrounds you see on the phones in-store, where the water ripples on touch, or the entire solar system is rotating around in the screen. That shit MURDERS performance. I suggest turning it off and testing future phones with a static background.

I was impressed how well the galaxy nexus performed with unfinished software AND a live wallpaper running. Good times ahead.
 
J

jayb

Member
JonnyBrad said:
Just had a look at the ICS emulator.

The email app doesn't seem to have pinch to zoom (as its not mentioned in the settings, default zoom etc) its basically just the gmail app we've been seeing.

ARGH! HOW HARD IS IT GOOGLE. Every third party mail client has it.
Click to expand...

At this point I'd be satisfied even with button zoom controls. Gmail not having any sort of zoom controls, whether that be pinch-to-zoom or buttons, is beyond maddening.
 
The Faceless Master

The Faceless Master

Member
jayb said:
so maybe it is an apple patent? can you patent pinch to zoom controls for a specific type of app? surely not, right?

I'll just continue assuming that the gmail app team are idiots, unless I hear of a patent that is preventing them from adding it.
Click to expand...
their email app has pinch to zoom and works with Gmail and Hotmail with Exchange Activesync settings, but doesn't have some of the advanced Gmail options.
 
J

JonnyBrad

Member
jayb said:
At this point I'd be satisfied even with button zoom controls. Gmail not having any sort of zoom controls, whether that be pinch-to-zoom or buttons, is beyond maddening.
Click to expand...

Its completely crazy. My company sends every mail with an 800px header. It drives me flipping nuts having to scroll every damn mail.

They must be running scared of an apple patent it just seems so stupid not to have some option.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
kinggroin said:
This should have been your initial response to my post instead of that BS everyone in this thread called you out on.

The only phone that has been absolutely flawless in extensive use, is the 4s. Considering how unintensive ios is compared to android, and that its hardware accelerated (android isn't), and the gpu in the 4s could probably run crysis 2...it better run as good as it does.
Click to expand...
You're right in suggesting that iOS is less intensive than Android, but I'm curious if you can explain why that really matters in the phone space? For a PC, of course I want more options and capabilities available to me, but for a phone I prefer a more streamlined approach.

You seem to be well versed in Android so I'm curious to know what it is you are doing with Android that requires all of those features. Given the choice, I would strip out a lot of those customization in order to achieve faster performance. For a portable device speed and accessibility should be critical. I just want to hear your opinions! :)
 
J

JonnyBrad

Member
The Faceless Master said:
yep. many people just use the Gmail app and ignore the Email app because all they use is Gmail.
Click to expand...

I swear the last time i used the stock cm7 mail app it didn't have zoom (it does on gs2 cos samsung have rewritten it)
 
F

Futureman

Member
so Maps, Gallery, Browser and (according to Faceless) stock email all have pinch-to-zoom.

Either I'm REALLY uninformed when it comes to patents, or it is not a patent issue. Aren't there hundres of Google engineers on Twitter, G+, FB, etc? Someone should ask.
 
A

andycapps

Member
dark10x said:
You're right in suggesting that iOS is less intensive than Android, but I'm curious if you can explain why that really matters in the phone space? For a PC, of course I want more options and capabilities available to me, but for a phone I prefer a more streamlined approach.

You seem to be well versed in Android so I'm curious to know what it is you are doing with Android that requires all of those features. Given the choice, I would strip out a lot of those customization in order to achieve faster performance. For a portable device speed and accessibility should be critical. I just want to hear your opinions! :)
Click to expand...

At this point, isn't a modern smartphone taking the place of a PC for a lot of people? As such, they want to be able to multitask.. I can understand wanting smooth performance, but I'll take a very smooth performance with a hiccup every now over the alternative. Granted, hopefully ICS enables me to multitask with little to no slowdowns or hitches.
 
C

Corran Horn

May the Schwartz be with you
Anyone have a good checkers game with online play besides "checkers online". That one is horrible to try and get a friend to play with.
 
O

OriginalThinking

Member
Ugggghhhhhhhhhhh Touchwiz. It's not even skin deep some of the things they've done. I've sold my Nexus S and am temporarily using a GS2 (selling that too). Samsung what were you thinking.... Also that shitty plastic home button on the euro version. Whose idea was that?
 
P

polyh3dron

Banned
tfur said:
I have been hearing about the buttery smooth iOS BS well before ipad2 and the 4s. Yes its smooth when you are in iOS chicklet view doing nothing. Try multi tasking and the buttery smooth gets flies in it.

Needless to say, when actually using applications like the web browser, maps, etc... Android is smoother. Just look at the latest videos of comparisons with scrolling through web pages between ICS and iOS.

Feels like a lot of this is just validation for Apple laying a 3.5 inch samey egg.
Click to expand...
I don't know what ICS is like, but scrolling with Gingerbread is shit. I do a few swipes to scroll down and the inertia just keeps going and going, and then if I tap to stop the super fast scrolling and then let go, even if I slightly move my finger that i tapped to stop the scrolling a micrometer in the same direction, scrolling resumes at the super fast speed.

Also, I hope ICS improves the fonts for web page rendering because the fonts in Gingerbread are ass ugly.
 
K

kehs

Banned
Turns out cell data is working on the sdk port

The browser zoom in/zoom out on screen controls are indeed gone.
 
jobber

jobber

Would let Tony Parker sleep with his wife
What's the live wallpaper with the fish in the water that's on the Galaxy and Razr?
 
K

kehs

Banned
Ferrio said:
Wouldn't browsers be pretty much unusable then?
Click to expand...

? Pinch to zoom still works.

edit: Pinch to zoom is present in the email app on ics...but it's weird as shit to zoom out.

it won't zoom out past actual pixel size, wtf is this google?

Swiping between emails is a Gmail exclusive.
 
K

kinggroin

Banned
dark10x said:
You're right in suggesting that iOS is less intensive than Android, but I'm curious if you can explain why that really matters in the phone space? For a PC, of course I want more options and capabilities available to me, but for a phone I prefer a more streamlined approach.

You seem to be well versed in Android so I'm curious to know what it is you are doing with Android that requires all of those features. Given the choice, I would strip out a lot of those customization in order to achieve faster performance. For a portable device speed and accessibility should be critical. I just want to hear your opinions! :)
Click to expand...


We all know Android's strength in being customizeable. Shitty live wallpapers, unique sounds for every notification under the sun, custom icons and launchers...

That's all great, and goes the furthest in allowing an individual to truly personalize their phone, but that's not the intensive stuff that offers a real benefit and reason for the compromise in performance.

Its been said a bajillion times, and by now, the feature is completely taken for granted. Widgets are THE reason for me personally, to prefer android over ios.

When I use my phone, its almost always for the same select tasks. Facebook, Google Reader, and my Email. I rarely just dick around on my phone searching for apps to download in the market. I consider my phone a tool first. One that needs to get me the most relevant data/info I need, as fast as possible. The less time I have to spend in my app drawer the better. One quick glance with my three main Widgets is usually all I need to get what I need at any given session with my phone.

I'm sure others in here can chime in on this too. Some love an at-a-glance weather view. Some love to see the latest YouTube videos scrolling through their home page. It varies from person to person, but again, its what I feel is android's greatest strength. Modularity, superior notification system (yes, still), and built in navigation follow behind.

Hope that sheds some light.
 
D

Deleted member 22576

Unconfirmed Member
Android is just the best OS for the internet. All a computer/tablet/phone is is a platform for the browser. And Android is far more capable at the internet than iOS.

Also, Google services etc..

That's why I use Android.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
dark10x said:
You're right in suggesting that iOS is less intensive than Android, but I'm curious if you can explain why that really matters in the phone space? For a PC, of course I want more options and capabilities available to me, but for a phone I prefer a more streamlined approach.
Click to expand...

I know you weren't directing me, but after using my android phone a couple weeks the customization aspect is what I love about it. For example I set up a Pandora widget and access basic functions on my home screen without going back into the app after opening it. Have a time and weather widget set up as well which is very handy.

Performance is fine, and while it may not be as smooth as iOS it isn't soul crushing.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
I'm sure others in here can chime in on this too. Some love an at-a-glance weather view. Some love to see the latest YouTube videos scrolling through their home page. It varies from person to person, but again, its what I feel is android's greatest strength. Modularity, superior notification system (yes, still), and built in navigation follow behind.

Hope that sheds some light.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the post! I can definitely understand where you're coming from. It seems that preference is going to vary based on how ones uses their phone. Some of those features simply aren't important or necessary for me but I can see why they would be quite valuable to others. I don't think those additions warrant calling iOS a piece of trash, though.

Mrbob said:
I know you weren't directing me, but after using my android phone a couple weeks the customization aspect is what I love about it. For example I set up a Pandora widget and access basic functions on my home screen without going back into the app after opening it. Have a time and weather widget set up as well which is very handy.

Performance is fine, and while it may not be as smooth as iOS it isn't soul crushing.
Click to expand...
I can dig that. I'm not sure why you'd need a time widget, though. :p

I guess I'm not really a fan of customization as it always ends up feeling a bit unpolished. Customizing aspects of Android reminds me of people loading their machines up with Windows Blinds on XP. Having a Pandora widget is cool, though.

I have been hearing about the buttery smooth iOS BS well before ipad2 and the 4s. Yes its smooth when you are in iOS chicklet view doing nothing. Try multi tasking and the buttery smooth gets flies in it.
Click to expand...
It has been, though. The issue I've found is that the newer updates do tend to hurt performance a bit on older devices (which is obviously true with Android as well). I still have a 2nd gen iPod Touch on iOS 3.2 and it responds just as fast as before. Scrolling through most content at a smooth 60 fps much of the time.

At the respective time of release, it's always quite smooth compared to the competition and each new device only serves to improve that.
 
The Faceless Master

The Faceless Master

Member
JonnyBrad said:
I swear the last time i used the stock cm7 mail app it didn't have zoom (it does on gs2 cos samsung have rewritten it)
Click to expand...
hrm, well, i guess either Motorola, LG and Samsung all added pinch to zoom on their devices or it's standard since you last tried.
 
J

JonnyBrad

Member
The Faceless Master said:
hrm, well, i guess either Motorola, LG and Samsung all added pinch to zoom on their devices or it's standard since you last tried.
Click to expand...

Nah I have cm7 2.3.7 I can load up and no pinch zoom. They all add it in after I guess. Copernicus is saying its in the 4.0 mail app thank fuck.
 
K

kehs

Banned
CM's email app is slighly modified, so it's possible they branched of the AOSP trunk before pinch/zoom was added and haven't merged back since.

Protip for the day:Don't accidentally erase your only nandroid backup.
 
P

polyh3dron

Banned
dark10x said:
I guess I'm not really a fan of customization as it always ends up feeling a bit unpolished. Customizing aspects of Android reminds me of people loading their machines up with Windows Blinds on XP. Having a Pandora widget is cool, though.
Click to expand...
It reminds me of how people used to "customize" their myspace pages.
 
E

Enduin

No bald cap? Lies!
polyh3dron said:
It reminds me of how people used to "customize" their myspace pages.
Click to expand...

Yall need to check out the Android Customization Thread, cause while most people just slap shit together and it looks ugly as hell, a good few us of have some aesthetic sense and do things up classy. For even more check out MyColorScreen.com. Even on the Tablet side of things, people who take the time have made their shit look downright gorgeous.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Enduin said:
Yall need to check out the Android Customization Thread, cause while most people just slap shit together and it looks ugly as hell, a good few us of have some aesthetic sense and do things up classy. For even more check out MyColorScreen.com. Even on the Tablet side of things, people who take the time have made their shit look downright gorgeous.
Click to expand...

Having the option to customize is nice, but I've yet to see an Android customization that looks great and looks like it would be functionally superior to the vanilla ROM. The two you linked and almost everything on the front page of mycolorscreen look downright awful to me.

Oh, and you gotta love how everyone has a big ass time and weather widget taking up two or three rows on their home screen. HTC really started a terrible design meme with their flip clock.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
dark10x said:
I can dig that. I'm not sure why you'd need a time widget, though. :p

I guess I'm not really a fan of customization as it always ends up feeling a bit unpolished. Customizing aspects of Android reminds me of people loading their machines up with Windows Blinds on XP. Having a Pandora widget is cool, though.
Click to expand...

The Pandora Widget is the most useful for me. I also had an ESPN widget with updated sports scores, but I didn't like the look of it so it is gone. Not sure what I'll have in the future, but I really love the concept of them. Really easy to set up too. I had my Pandora widget up and running in 15 seconds. Hopefully Apple adds this functionality in the future to iOS.

The biggest reason I bought my phone is to get a smart phone on a no contact plan. Been pleasantly surprised with the Android platform after purchase. When I get my next phone in a year or two I'll grab another Android phone. Of course only after I know it has Ice Cream Sandwich installed. Going to pocket the extra 40 bucks a month I don't have to pay in a plan and buy an Ipad 3.
 
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