5 ms·

It's always the little details. My limited experiences with Android (I try it every year or so) always end when I get annoyed by basic things not working. The t

by paul 14y ago

It's always the little details. My limited experiences with Android (I try it every year or so) always end when I get annoyed by basic things not working. The tablet I got at Google I/O 1.5 years ago would power off every time it was fully charged, so I could either leave it unplugged (it which case it would run down the battery after a few days), or I could keep it plugged in, but then I'd have to wait for it to boot every time I tried to use it. It feels like they give more attention to the "big" features than the "little" details, which is why I still have an iphone.

Lewisham 14y ago
Things were dramatically improved with Jelly Bean, which is the first Android release I think really stepped up to the plate with iOS. The little things were, by and large, dealt with. Matias Duarte has done a fabulous job.
- avalanchenine 14y ago
  > Things were dramatically improved with [X release] I've been hearing this argument with every single Android release to date. Like your comment's parent, I try out another Android device every 18 months or so, and I still have yet to be impressed. I haven't tried Jelly Bean though. Maybe it is really the release that makes everything better.
  - Lewisham 14y ago
    I was absolutely in the same boat as you: everything was better, but still not able to match iOS. I was happily surprised when I tried out Jelly Bean. The Holo theme is taking hold, Project Butter did really well (although I hear rumblings of regressions in 4.2).
    - nitrogen 14y ago
      Project Butter did really well (although I hear rumblings of regressions in 4.2). It's frustrating that this happened in Ubuntu as well. They spent a couple of releases focusing on fast boot times, and it paid off. A few releases later, and now boot times are slow again.
  - w1ntermute 14y ago
    > Like your comment's parent, I try out another Android device every 18 months or so, and I still have yet to be impressed. And I try out an iOS device every year or two, and I have yet to be impressed. The notification system is still inane, Mobile Safari still lags when scrolling, all your app icons still show up on your home screens, and you still can't use widgets on the home screen. When is Apple going to fix these glaring UX flaws?
    - defen 14y ago
      Ok, not trying to start an Apple war here, but: > The notification system is still inane No comment, haven't seen Android's version > Mobile Safari still lags when scrolling I haven't experienced this (iPhone 4 w/ iOS 5). Can you give specific URLs where this happens? > all your app icons still show up on your home screens You can make folders for your apps > you still can't use widgets on the home screen Not sure what this means (again, haven't used Android).
    - wlesieutre 14y ago
      @defen, Android lets you put widgets like weather, clock, stocks, etc, in your home screens. Something like this: http://phandroid.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/smsunread_270x404.png http://phandroid.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07...
  - michaelhoffman 14y ago
    Things were dramatically improved with Ice Cream Sandwich. Jelly Bean is just an incremental change in my opinion. (I am a happy Jelly Bean and iOS user.) Things also keep getting better as apps convert their design to work better with Holo and Android 4.x. That is a gradual improvement that continues.
- mun2mun 14y ago
  And new release of Android 4.2 added some more "little things" http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/11/19/android-4-2-gate-here-are-some-of-the-major-issues-plaguing-googles-newest-release/ http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/11/19/android-4-2-gate-her.... I find it amusing that major tech news sites are very quit about it while they were beating drums about same issues happening in Windows Phone 8 devices just two days ago.
  - drivebyacct2 14y ago
    4.2 has dozens of tiny UI/UX touches that Duarte added in that I've not found documented anywhere online.
    - mun2mun 14y ago
      Well by "little things" I also meant bugs. Clock UI and new lock screen designs etc are matter of personal preference.
      - drivebyacct2 14y ago
        Those are features. Besides not giving my N10 back after showing it to her, my mother also wanted to know how to get her calendar to show up on her lock screen. It does have value and isn't just cosmetic. That I can check my email and calendar by simply turning on the screen is very valuable to me. Additionally the clock now includes the additional functionality that CM had just added (though I don't think the code is shared amongst them). Besides, I was referring to small UX/UI details (new swipeable gestures, new bits of polish here and there, new icons for core apps, new even smoother/slicker/amazing multitasking animations [much less disorienting than 4.1 in my opinion], etc). I'm personally quite aware of the Bluetooth, etc bugs (though I can't reproduce battery issues on ANY of my Nexus devices, it's obviously an issue). They're obviously problematic. I understand why they replaced the Bluetooth stack but they didn't do a very good job of it.
- paul 14y ago
  Glad to hear. I have a Nexus 7 on the way, so hopefully it will be awesome.
  - devcpp 14y ago
    It's awesome, I'm writing this comment from it right now in my bed. I particularly like the new input method in 4.2 where you don't need to actually press the keys, you just need to let your fingers slide over the keys and it guesses the word you meant to type. As you see, it's pretty accurate too. I hope this before a standard for tablets, is life- changing. I don't any bad things to say about the tablet either.
    - georgemcbay 14y ago
      After reading the last two sentences I can't tell if this is serious or satire.
drivebyacct2 14y ago
This is what I was afraid of. One tiny bug in one app is proof that Android still sucks. I'm going to stop reading comments about Android by people that haven't used it recently. After Jelly Bean, ICS and 4.2 saying that Android doesn't get the little details right is just laughable for me to hear, obviously they're embarrassed about this bug that affects like a microscopic number of people.
- ajross 14y ago
  It's the way the internet works. A few months back we were all chuckling over Apple maps screencaps. Google has to take their lumps on this -- it's a dumb bug and they should fix it. Frankly I didn't even know that app had a date picker and haven't used it ever. I'm far more upset over the fact that they replaced the bluetooth stack, frankly.
  - drivebyacct2 14y ago
    >I'm far more upset over the fact that they replaced the bluetooth stack, frankly. Yes, yes, yes. I would happily upvote articles about this subject rather than a microscopic bug (iOS6 maps is no microscopic bug).
w1ntermute 14y ago
> It feels like they give more attention to the "big" features than the "little" details, which is why I still have an iphone. Whereas Apple ignores the big features, such as Maps. Give me a break.
spot 14y ago
there are so many problems with iOS, you have just become acclimated to them. big ones and details too, like this: even if you have the sound turned off, when you plug it in, it chirps. and the power key and slide-to-unlock clicks. and when i open it, if i have a notification then it chirps. volume is OFF. wtf. maybe that is a big one, what do you think?

by paul 14y ago

Lewisham 14y ago

Things were dramatically improved with Jelly Bean, which is the first Android release I think really stepped up to the plate with iOS. The little things were, by and large, dealt with. Matias Duarte has done a fabulous job.

avalanchenine 14y ago
> Things were dramatically improved with [X release] I've been hearing this argument with every single Android release to date. Like your comment's parent, I try out another Android device every 18 months or so, and I still have yet to be impressed. I haven't tried Jelly Bean though. Maybe it is really the release that makes everything better.
- Lewisham 14y ago
  I was absolutely in the same boat as you: everything was better, but still not able to match iOS. I was happily surprised when I tried out Jelly Bean. The Holo theme is taking hold, Project Butter did really well (although I hear rumblings of regressions in 4.2).
  - nitrogen 14y ago
    Project Butter did really well (although I hear rumblings of regressions in 4.2). It's frustrating that this happened in Ubuntu as well. They spent a couple of releases focusing on fast boot times, and it paid off. A few releases later, and now boot times are slow again.
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  > Like your comment's parent, I try out another Android device every 18 months or so, and I still have yet to be impressed. And I try out an iOS device every year or two, and I have yet to be impressed. The notification system is still inane, Mobile Safari still lags when scrolling, all your app icons still show up on your home screens, and you still can't use widgets on the home screen. When is Apple going to fix these glaring UX flaws?
  - defen 14y ago
    Ok, not trying to start an Apple war here, but: > The notification system is still inane No comment, haven't seen Android's version > Mobile Safari still lags when scrolling I haven't experienced this (iPhone 4 w/ iOS 5). Can you give specific URLs where this happens? > all your app icons still show up on your home screens You can make folders for your apps > you still can't use widgets on the home screen Not sure what this means (again, haven't used Android).
  - wlesieutre 14y ago
    @defen, Android lets you put widgets like weather, clock, stocks, etc, in your home screens. Something like this: http://phandroid.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/smsunread_270x404.png http://phandroid.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07...
- michaelhoffman 14y ago
  Things were dramatically improved with Ice Cream Sandwich. Jelly Bean is just an incremental change in my opinion. (I am a happy Jelly Bean and iOS user.) Things also keep getting better as apps convert their design to work better with Holo and Android 4.x. That is a gradual improvement that continues.
mun2mun 14y ago
And new release of Android 4.2 added some more "little things" http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/11/19/android-4-2-gate-here-are-some-of-the-major-issues-plaguing-googles-newest-release/ http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/11/19/android-4-2-gate-her.... I find it amusing that major tech news sites are very quit about it while they were beating drums about same issues happening in Windows Phone 8 devices just two days ago.
- drivebyacct2 14y ago
  4.2 has dozens of tiny UI/UX touches that Duarte added in that I've not found documented anywhere online.
  - mun2mun 14y ago
    Well by "little things" I also meant bugs. Clock UI and new lock screen designs etc are matter of personal preference.
    - drivebyacct2 14y ago
      Those are features. Besides not giving my N10 back after showing it to her, my mother also wanted to know how to get her calendar to show up on her lock screen. It does have value and isn't just cosmetic. That I can check my email and calendar by simply turning on the screen is very valuable to me. Additionally the clock now includes the additional functionality that CM had just added (though I don't think the code is shared amongst them). Besides, I was referring to small UX/UI details (new swipeable gestures, new bits of polish here and there, new icons for core apps, new even smoother/slicker/amazing multitasking animations [much less disorienting than 4.1 in my opinion], etc). I'm personally quite aware of the Bluetooth, etc bugs (though I can't reproduce battery issues on ANY of my Nexus devices, it's obviously an issue). They're obviously problematic. I understand why they replaced the Bluetooth stack but they didn't do a very good job of it.
paul 14y ago
Glad to hear. I have a Nexus 7 on the way, so hopefully it will be awesome.
- devcpp 14y ago
  It's awesome, I'm writing this comment from it right now in my bed. I particularly like the new input method in 4.2 where you don't need to actually press the keys, you just need to let your fingers slide over the keys and it guesses the word you meant to type. As you see, it's pretty accurate too. I hope this before a standard for tablets, is life- changing. I don't any bad things to say about the tablet either.
  - georgemcbay 14y ago
    After reading the last two sentences I can't tell if this is serious or satire.

drivebyacct2 14y ago

This is what I was afraid of. One tiny bug in one app is proof that Android still sucks. I'm going to stop reading comments about Android by people that haven't used it recently. After Jelly Bean, ICS and 4.2 saying that Android doesn't get the little details right is just laughable for me to hear, obviously they're embarrassed about this bug that affects like a microscopic number of people.

ajross 14y ago
It's the way the internet works. A few months back we were all chuckling over Apple maps screencaps. Google has to take their lumps on this -- it's a dumb bug and they should fix it. Frankly I didn't even know that app had a date picker and haven't used it ever. I'm far more upset over the fact that they replaced the bluetooth stack, frankly.
- drivebyacct2 14y ago
  >I'm far more upset over the fact that they replaced the bluetooth stack, frankly. Yes, yes, yes. I would happily upvote articles about this subject rather than a microscopic bug (iOS6 maps is no microscopic bug).

w1ntermute 14y ago

> It feels like they give more attention to the "big" features than the "little" details, which is why I still have an iphone. Whereas Apple ignores the big features, such as Maps. Give me a break.

spot 14y ago

there are so many problems with iOS, you have just become acclimated to them. big ones and details too, like this: even if you have the sound turned off, when you plug it in, it chirps. and the power key and slide-to-unlock clicks. and when i open it, if i have a notification then it chirps. volume is OFF. wtf. maybe that is a big one, what do you think?