5 ms·

- Widgets on the actual home screen, no swiping required. Every app has widgets (except Skype !), so you can have whichever info you need most right there - tr

- Widgets on the actual home screen, no swiping required. Every app has widgets (except Skype !), so you can have whichever info you need most right there - true browser, true addons. Unlike iOS, Android doesn't limit 3rd-party browsers to reskins of the OS' Web engine, but allows desktop-like from-the-ground-up browsers. You can get Firefow and put uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger on it. - sideloading w/o rooting. Exiting the Walled Garden (not recommended) doesn't require compromising the whole security setup by rooting, flasing a new ROM.... just activate Sideloading from the developer menu, and live only semi-dangerously. Reins in Google's censorship. - Regular File management, incl. internal Flash, SD card, Network, and Cloud. On of the first apps I install is Asus's File Manager so I can easily move stuff around my LAN etc.. Also makes it easy to use different apps for similar content: I've got my podcasts, audio books, and music in different folders and a separate app for each. - Plenty of storage: if you get a phone with an SD slot, you can have oodles of storage for dirt cheap, which is very handy if you wander out of cities. - much more choice about everything: all apps including Phone, Keyboard, Mail, Browser, Text, Homepage (Launcher), Maps,... can be defaulted to any 3rd-party app. This makes for a steeper learning curve (I prefer HERE MAps over Google Maps and Waze; Nova Launcher; Google Messages ...) Only Notifications and Settings are hard-linked to the core OS. - You get a choice of hardware. You can spend $500+ if you want to or need really good pics, but the $150 Redmi Note 7 or Realme 3 Pro are fine phones. The Note even have FM Radio, an IR blaster... no NFC though.

obarthelemy 7y ago
On the flip side, mu iBrother made the transisiton to Android about a year ago. His major pain points were: - no iMessage. It's not particularly good or different compared to whatsapp, Skype, Messenger... but it's not available on Android and people are used to it. - in case of an issue, the solution is brand+model-specific. For some reasons he wanted a Notifications widgets, you get that differently for a Samsung or a Huawei (or you get an app). - it takes some effort to extract max. benefits from the switch. At a basic level things are very similar, but if you want to really make the most of either platform, you need to dig into things. As often, the hard part is not googling up how to do something, but simply discovering something is possible at all. Yes, you can hook up some phones directly to a monitor over the USB-C port. Or put a DAC on them. And use almost all xbox/PSx BT/USB Gamepads.
- obarthelemy 7y ago
  where did my line breaks go ?
  - mjlee 7y ago
    https://news.ycombinator.com/formatdoc https://news.ycombinator.com/formatdoc You need to leave a blank line to get a new paragraph.
- DEADBEEFC0FFEE 7y ago
  I think the switching cost is the same which ever way. I own a Pixel, and have an iPhone for work. I cannot be bothered to invest any time in learning IOS beyond the basics and generally don't enjoy it. I never really have confidence that my intuitions will be right. Simple things like pressing the big button will exit the app, makes me unproductive. I'm sure if it were my only phone I would be more proficient.
  - ajford 7y ago
    I have this same issue on a work-provided macbook pro. They want to standardize on laptops for the dev team, but I spent months just getting up to speed on using the damn thing, and I still don't feel comfortable on it. And when my personal laptop and desktop and file server are all linux, the switch is annoying and makes me less productive on both systems (take a bit to switch from "OSX mode" back to normal after getting home).
- RandomBacon 7y ago
  There are apps that allow you to use iMessage on Android.
  - maneesh 7y ago
    know of any apps specifically?
sametmax 7y ago
That's the comment I wanted to write. I'd add: - kde-connect. It's awesome to be able to control my computer for my phone, especially while watching a movie. - alternative stores. Being able to use aptoid and f-droid let me use the full potential of the phone without tying it to an email account. - productivity concepts arrive first on android. We had wifi hot spot. Quick wifi/bt/3G switch first. Etc. With apple, you only have what Apple though about, or could copy later. With Android, the community can implement many things. - USB-C charger. I don't want yet another charger/adapter - my phone will still work in 5 years. No "oh the home button is broken" scandal.
- tugberkk 7y ago
  [quote]- my phone will still work in 5 years. No "oh the home button is broken" scandal.[/quote] I don't think this is a standard, not every iphone button will be broken in 5 years; or no phone (with android os) has hardware guarantee for 5 years.
  - sametmax 7y ago
    I'm referring to that time where iPhone 5 buttons where breaking all over the place, Apple said it was hardware and that the only fix would be to buy the iPhone 6, but then rooted versions of the iPhone could use a non official software patch to fix the issue.
    - time0ut 7y ago
      Similarly, there was the time iOS 11 crippled my iPhone 6+. Apple's response of "you're imagining it, maybe buy a new phone" instead of "oh, ya, just replace the battery" soured me on Apple.
- gargravarr 7y ago
  - USB-C charger. I don't want yet another charger/adapter This for me is a downside as the USB-C landscape is a disaster of poorly-implemented designs. I'm less inclined to trust a USB-C adapter than a dumb USB adapter, and I would never plug a laptop charger into my phone. At least with dumb USB and micro-USB, you know you're getting 5 volts (excluding serious hardware failures). - my phone will still work in 5 years. No "oh the home button is broken" scandal. I'd argue the opposite, many Android phones are built to be as cheap as possible and their longevity is really hit and miss. If you want build quality, you need to buy flagship phones - my Galaxy S5 is still working after 5 years, sure, but many cheaper phones are just disposable; I'd have smashed several screens by now if I'd bought something cheaper. There's also the issue that most manufacturers give up on Android updates after 18 months; my S5 officially maxxed out at Android 6, but I'm running 9 via LineageOS. This means I get security updates to the OS, at least, but the low-level firmware has been abandoned by Samsung and if there are serious vulnerabilities, they won't be patched.
JofArnold 7y ago
As a both an Android and iOS user those are all good and accurate points. Except perhaps Files.app which is pretty advanced these days handling cloud (first and third party), local and external cards etc. I use it daily to manage all my files and actually I quite like it. The built in support for files of different types is excellent - I especially like the video player despite how basic it is.
duxup 7y ago
If you need really good pics the pixel 3a will do it for $400 (I got mine with a $100 rebate so $300).
PopeDotNinja 7y ago
My new Android is an Google Pixel 3a. Cost me $399 ($430-ish with tax and/or shipping). It's quite nice, and likely the best phone under $500. The camera is quite nice, too. Battery life seems decent enough, it lasts me the day with moderate-to-heavy usage. With Cricket Wireless, it $50/month with unlimited data on AT&T's network. I'm pretty happy!
Ayesh 7y ago
I'm using my third Mi phone now (Note 2, 4, and now a 6), and IR blaster is amazingly helpful. From turning volume in TV to turning A/C on my hotel I paid the fan-price for! They last just as an expensive phone would (I trek often and get screen cracked in a couple weeks).

obarthelemy 7y ago

On the flip side, mu iBrother made the transisiton to Android about a year ago. His major pain points were: - no iMessage. It's not particularly good or different compared to whatsapp, Skype, Messenger... but it's not available on Android and people are used to it. - in case of an issue, the solution is brand+model-specific. For some reasons he wanted a Notifications widgets, you get that differently for a Samsung or a Huawei (or you get an app). - it takes some effort to extract max. benefits from the switch. At a basic level things are very similar, but if you want to really make the most of either platform, you need to dig into things. As often, the hard part is not googling up how to do something, but simply discovering something is possible at all. Yes, you can hook up some phones directly to a monitor over the USB-C port. Or put a DAC on them. And use almost all xbox/PSx BT/USB Gamepads.

obarthelemy 7y ago
where did my line breaks go ?
- mjlee 7y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/formatdoc https://news.ycombinator.com/formatdoc You need to leave a blank line to get a new paragraph.
DEADBEEFC0FFEE 7y ago
I think the switching cost is the same which ever way. I own a Pixel, and have an iPhone for work. I cannot be bothered to invest any time in learning IOS beyond the basics and generally don't enjoy it. I never really have confidence that my intuitions will be right. Simple things like pressing the big button will exit the app, makes me unproductive. I'm sure if it were my only phone I would be more proficient.
- ajford 7y ago
  I have this same issue on a work-provided macbook pro. They want to standardize on laptops for the dev team, but I spent months just getting up to speed on using the damn thing, and I still don't feel comfortable on it. And when my personal laptop and desktop and file server are all linux, the switch is annoying and makes me less productive on both systems (take a bit to switch from "OSX mode" back to normal after getting home).
RandomBacon 7y ago
There are apps that allow you to use iMessage on Android.
- maneesh 7y ago
  know of any apps specifically?

sametmax 7y ago

That's the comment I wanted to write. I'd add: - kde-connect. It's awesome to be able to control my computer for my phone, especially while watching a movie. - alternative stores. Being able to use aptoid and f-droid let me use the full potential of the phone without tying it to an email account. - productivity concepts arrive first on android. We had wifi hot spot. Quick wifi/bt/3G switch first. Etc. With apple, you only have what Apple though about, or could copy later. With Android, the community can implement many things. - USB-C charger. I don't want yet another charger/adapter - my phone will still work in 5 years. No "oh the home button is broken" scandal.

tugberkk 7y ago
[quote]- my phone will still work in 5 years. No "oh the home button is broken" scandal.[/quote] I don't think this is a standard, not every iphone button will be broken in 5 years; or no phone (with android os) has hardware guarantee for 5 years.
- sametmax 7y ago
  I'm referring to that time where iPhone 5 buttons where breaking all over the place, Apple said it was hardware and that the only fix would be to buy the iPhone 6, but then rooted versions of the iPhone could use a non official software patch to fix the issue.
  - time0ut 7y ago
    Similarly, there was the time iOS 11 crippled my iPhone 6+. Apple's response of "you're imagining it, maybe buy a new phone" instead of "oh, ya, just replace the battery" soured me on Apple.
gargravarr 7y ago
- USB-C charger. I don't want yet another charger/adapter This for me is a downside as the USB-C landscape is a disaster of poorly-implemented designs. I'm less inclined to trust a USB-C adapter than a dumb USB adapter, and I would never plug a laptop charger into my phone. At least with dumb USB and micro-USB, you know you're getting 5 volts (excluding serious hardware failures). - my phone will still work in 5 years. No "oh the home button is broken" scandal. I'd argue the opposite, many Android phones are built to be as cheap as possible and their longevity is really hit and miss. If you want build quality, you need to buy flagship phones - my Galaxy S5 is still working after 5 years, sure, but many cheaper phones are just disposable; I'd have smashed several screens by now if I'd bought something cheaper. There's also the issue that most manufacturers give up on Android updates after 18 months; my S5 officially maxxed out at Android 6, but I'm running 9 via LineageOS. This means I get security updates to the OS, at least, but the low-level firmware has been abandoned by Samsung and if there are serious vulnerabilities, they won't be patched.

JofArnold 7y ago

As a both an Android and iOS user those are all good and accurate points. Except perhaps Files.app which is pretty advanced these days handling cloud (first and third party), local and external cards etc. I use it daily to manage all my files and actually I quite like it. The built in support for files of different types is excellent - I especially like the video player despite how basic it is.

duxup 7y ago

If you need really good pics the pixel 3a will do it for $400 (I got mine with a $100 rebate so $300).

PopeDotNinja 7y ago

My new Android is an Google Pixel 3a. Cost me $399 ($430-ish with tax and/or shipping). It's quite nice, and likely the best phone under $500. The camera is quite nice, too. Battery life seems decent enough, it lasts me the day with moderate-to-heavy usage. With Cricket Wireless, it $50/month with unlimited data on AT&T's network. I'm pretty happy!

Ayesh 7y ago

I'm using my third Mi phone now (Note 2, 4, and now a 6), and IR blaster is amazingly helpful. From turning volume in TV to turning A/C on my hotel I paid the fan-price for! They last just as an expensive phone would (I trek often and get screen cracked in a couple weeks).