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An iPhone lover’s confession: I switched to the Nexus 4

364 points by bering 14y ago

sami36 14y ago
& I switched from an iPhone 4S to a Galaxy Nexus & back to an iPhone 5 , couldn't be happier. These posts are pointless. Whatever device works for you. All of these platforms have strengths & weaknesses. You can make equally cogent cases for the upcoming Blackberry 10 or Windows Phone 8. The First iPhone was a significant leap in mobile computing, since then, the way I see it, it's been mostly polish. Google & MSFT caught up to the competition, RIMM retooled. The more competition the merrier. Google Now is amazing. iOS fluidity still has no equal. Google play automatic app updates are convenient. iOS apps polish is extraordinary. Windows Phone tiles are fantastic. BB contact integration is a thing of beauty...etc.
- chunkyslink 14y ago
  I didnt get the impression that the author was trying to convert me, just that he loved his new phone. I'm sure he would agree with you.
- acchow 14y ago
  The Galaxy Nexus is garbage. I went from 4S to Galaxy Nexus too and it infuriated me. The screen was unusable in sunlight, microphone and speaker quality were laughable, battery life is half the 4S, not-very-sensitive touchscreen, etc. Now on an HTC One X, which I like more than the iPhone. It doesn't have any of the quality issues of the GNexus.
  - StavrosK 14y ago
    Odd, I got a Galaxy Nexus and it's the best phone I've ever had. To each his own, I guess.
    - dasil003 14y ago
      I have to agree with this sentiment. My wife has a 4S, but when I needed to upgrade my phone last spring, I didn't want to buy an iPhone mid-cycle. I got the Galaxy Nexus and was pleasantly surprised in all aspects. With ICS and especially JB, Android has really closed the gap to the point where I'm actually glad I don't have an iPhone because I'm a big Google ecosystem user and the better Gmail and Calendar apps tip the scales for me. GN is clearly inferior in build quality to an iPhone, but you have to be a bit of a snob to call it "garbage". It's solid hardware.
      - StavrosK 14y ago
        > GN is clearly inferior in build quality to an iPhone It's only inferior in visible quality (I've dropped it a lot and it barely has a scratch on it), but I'm okay with that because it costs half as much as an iPhone, which I think is very significant. You can get a top-of-the-line smartphone for $300. That's amazing.
        taligent 14y ago
        > You can get a top-of-the-line smartphone for $300. That's amazing. Not sure why you think this. It is mid range phone by every benchmark (e.g. no LTE, battery life, screen quality) and it gets destroyed by the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 in every performance benchmark.
        StavrosK 14y ago
        Why are you comparing it to the iPhone 5? The current top-of-the-line Google smartphone, the Nexus 4 (which is what you should compare to the iPhone 5), also costs $300.
        bjustin 14y ago
        When the phone only goes up to 16 GB of non-expandable space, it's hardly top-of-the-line. It doesn't have LTE either. Neither of these matters too much now, but will reduce longevity compared to actual top-of-the-line phones, e.g. the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5.
  - jedahan 14y ago
    I have a One X, and get a lot of questions from people with iPhones. Its just a good phone to me, but everyone else seems impressed with the screen quality, photo quality, speed etc. I thought all phones were more or less in the same ballpark.
    - acchow 14y ago
      The screen is the immediately impressive quality about the One X. Photos are mediocre in good lighting/outdoors but excellent under very dim light. Speed is alright I guess, but runs out of ram more often than I'd like (thus clearing an app out of cache causing a reload when switching back to it). To me, the most impressive is its battery life. I've gone through too many Android phones with poor battery life. The (snapdragon) One X is the only Android phone with acceptable battery life to me. So it's either iPhone or One X. Everything else dies on me at some point in the afternoon/evening.
- Mahn 14y ago
  > iOS fluidity still has no equal I've been using the iPhone for a while before switching to a Nexus 4, and honestly there is nothing that feels more fluid on iOS than on a Nexus 4 running jelly bean 4.2.1.
  - FireBeyond 14y ago
    And though some may view it as heresy, as someone who has always had a penchant for "high end" phones, has owned and used the 4S, S3, fluidity seems to be a "solved" problem - even on my latest phone, a Lumia 920 running Windows 8 (now my favorite device, despite the lacking ecosystem - the store is my least favorite aspect).
- DigitalJack 14y ago
  They are not pointless. I found it informative. I may pick up an android at some point in the future, and since I'm currently an iphone user, I found this point of view relevant.
fossuser 14y ago
Interesting - I switched from android to the iPhone 5 recently (after having the N1, NS and Galaxy Nexus). I thought this was the first iPhone that finally had the necessary hardware (LTE being required after the galaxy). The main things I miss are better google voice integration on the nexus phones (the ability to use the web interface for texting is something I can't give up). I also used to not pay for texting this way and could actually afford to have a smart phone because of it since Tmobile has a $30 no contract 100min/unlimited data plan for unsubsidized phones. I also needed some sort of google talk app which I finally found with the $5 version of the verbs app. A bunch of people I communicate with are on android and use google chat instead of facebook chat or imessage. The current iPhone does some things much better. The biggest thing is battery life which is at least twice as good as any nexus phone I've used (probably even more). The difference in battery is really incredible. The new native Facebook iOS app is also great to use. The iPhone hardware is also subjectively much nicer, it both looks and feels a lot better to me - makes me wish Google had partnered with Nokia. Really though they're both pretty equivalent at the point. Edit: Almost forgot, the critical feature of android was turn by turn navigation which apple finally came out with in iOS6. Now that google's released their maps app as well the core differences that mattered are gone.
- blinkingled 14y ago
  Battery life in Android land is a matter of choosing the right handset. I don't believe the iPhone holds a candle to my Note 2 or the RAZR Maxx if you actually use the phone heavily. Plus replaceable/extended batteries are another option.
  - djt 14y ago
    Comparing the iPhone to a Note 2 is probably unfair as those things are HUGE!
    - blinkingled 14y ago
      I guess any Android phone is now a days. The Razr is smaller of the two. But I think the point still stands due to replaceable batteries on phones like the S3 mini.
mattquiros 14y ago
Been an Android user for a year (Galaxy Tab 8.9) and was going to get an iPhone 5 last Christmas just to try out a different device. I changed my mind and am getting a Nexus 4 instead. I was able to use one of our test iPhones at work for a primary phone and here are just 3 things I don't like about iOS: 1. Toggling settings can be difficult. In Android, you have a pull-up/pull-down menu right from the home screen where you can just turn things on/off, like Bluetooth, sounds, WiFi, etc. In iOS, you go to the Settings app and scroll through the text labels and go through one or two more screens before achieving the same thing. And this, despite Apple's marketed UI simplicity. 2. The thing can't even send files over Bluetooth. How is that not possible in 2013? 3. Boring old homescreen from way back 2007, which displays an amalgamation of all the apps installed on my phone, not the apps I use the most. Of course, whichever phone you end up buying is nothing more than a personal preference. However, I just think that saying Android is better than iOS has become more of a fact than an opinion these days.
- rimantas 14y ago
  > The thing can't even send files over Bluetooth. > How is that not possible in 2013? The thing will also not accept your 1.44MB floppy. Shocking, I know. Ok, ok, I get what you say, but frankly, this is some pretty obscure use case for most. Not for you, obviously.
  - blub 14y ago
    Obscure? This is one of the stupidest misfeatures of iOS. The hardware is there and there are workaround apps that can help you do it from iDevice to iDevice. Many times I wanted to send a picture, contact or a document to someone standing right next to me and couldn't do it because they had an iPhone (or Windows Phone). This is especially pleasant when you're roaming and it's a bigger file.
  - StavrosK 14y ago
    Maybe you and everyone you know has unlimited data, but not everyone does. Bluetooth file sending works on every single phone apart from the iPhone, and it's frustrating when people can't send you photos because your stupid phone doesn't support the most ubiquitous file sharing method since 1995.
w0utert 14y ago
I agree with what the article says about sharing data between applications, this really is one of the biggest pain points of iOS right now. Fortunately, it looks like Apple will finally address this in the future, iOS 6 already has infrastructure in place to allow for remote view controllers that (in theory) should allow any application to register itself to handle certain data and events. Right now seems to be only used privately, for example to launch the mail application from other applications, but my guess is that iOS 7 will add public API's for other applications to do the same. Whether this means you can change default applications like Maps etc. I don't know, but the way Apple handled the (lack of) public-transit directions in Apple Maps suggests they are starting to be more flexible about default application handlers. That said, I wasn't really impressed by any of the other points the article makes. It starts out by saying 'Android on the Nexus 4 is better in almost every aspect', but besides the sharing thing it doesn't make a case for anything else. Some half-hearted observation that 'sometimes it even appears like rendering is smoother on the Nexus 4' and 'not all Android applications look like crap anymore' and that's about it. Oh and of course you can 'customize everything' and here you have 4 examples of the most ugly homescreens I have ever seen on a mobile phone. Hardly a clear-cut case of 'better in almost every aspect'. Looks like it's more a matter of preference than an objective evaluation on which of the 2 platforms is 'better'.
- jvzr 14y ago
  I was going to say the same things. Hopefully, there has been some serious work done on iOS 7 and it'll probably address most of the OP's concerns. However, I do hope they introduce none of these customization shenanigans. I don't care for widgets (nor do I want another icon or thing I cannot remove from my homescreen). If the base OS is sufficiently good UI-wise, there is no reason ever to need to customize its looks besides the wallpaper (e.g. OS X).
  - knightni 14y ago
    I disagree - widgets are enormously important to me, and were the deciding factor in my choosing an android phone. I'm quite forgetful, and I have a tendency to focus on one thing to the exclusion of others. Widgets allow me to display important information on my home screen that will be shown to me every time I look at the phone. This means that I can have a list of (for example) upcoming birthdays on my phone that I see over and over again, enough that I will eventually see the reminder at a point when I am in a position to do something about it. Alarms are useless by comparison, because I will inevitably be busy with something else when they go off. Calendars/todo apps are equally useless to me, because they require me to remember to open up an app all the time. I realise my use case is relatively niche, but I imagine there's a lot of different niche users out there that benefit from customisability.
so898 14y ago
Tried so hard to get a Nexus 4. However.... I am using iPhone 5 now. LOL
- apierre 14y ago
  Exactly! The Nexus4 is still sold out as we speak and even if you manage to order one, you will get a 8 weeks window for delivery but Google will make you pay £10 for "express" delivery. What a joke.
  - r4vik 14y ago
    and express is 2 fucking days in the UK, I'd call that a cultural faux pas, as 2 day shipping here is the crappy option. I've had amazon get things to my door in less than 14 hours given the right conditions.
    - WickyNilliams 14y ago
      Counterpoint: My nexus 4 went from being ordered to my door in ~36 hours, despite the website saying 4-6 weeks delivery time :)
      - rohitsethi 14y ago
        Thats great .. maybe they bumped up some people in shipping
edward322 14y ago
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pagliara 14y ago
Interesting. I too am an iPhone lover who recently picked up a Nexus 4 to get into Android development. This is my first experience with Android, so I didn't realize that the Nexus 4 Android experience might be different than your typical Android smartphone. I was very impressed with the overall experience. If I wasn't so used to iOS, I could easily see myself using Android on a Nexus 4. But in the end, I walked away with the opposite impression; I saw no compelling reason to switch to Android and have decided iOS is still the mobile OS for me. Unlike the author, I do not really consider myself a power user. The customizability of Android is really enticing, but at the end of the day I find myself preferring the design/philosophy of iOS. But it really just comes down to personal preference. After using an iPhone for so long, I became annoyed at the small design/interface differences present in the Nexus 4 (e.g. no physical home button). At times I found it difficult to use the Nexus 4 because of it's greater width. The iPhone width is optimal for my hand size and pocket size. Also, in my opinion as an app developer, the iOS app ecosystem still seems a lot stronger than Android. Browsing the Play Store was a little boring to me. Yes, most popular apps have both iOS and Android versions, but many developers still target iOS first and Android second. Until there's a reason for that to change I think iOS still has the edge in "killer" apps. That being said, I agree that there are a lot of nice things in Android that I would love to see implemented in iOS.
- beznogim 14y ago
  I would love to see the undo function implemented in Android. Text editing is very fiddly here, and you aren't even allowed to make mistakes.
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  Are you kidding me? The iPhone has the optimal width? You sound just like Marco, Gruber, and all those other Apple sycophants who were claiming that the iPhone size was perfect for the hand, until the iPhone 5 came out, of course. Just like they got their thumbs surgically altered when the 5 came out, no doubt you will be getting all your pockets resized if Apple increases the iPhone width.
  - robmcm 14y ago
lucian1900 14y ago
> While Android still doesn’t give you bouncing lists and scroll views Is that something people like so much? Whenever I've used an iOS device, it annoyed me. I much prefer the highlight in Android.
- michael_miller 14y ago
  Superficial as it is, absolutely, this is something I love about iOS. It reinforces the "manipulating real objects with touch" metaphor. If I move my finger while pressing down on a piece of paper in real life, I expect the underlying paper to move as well. The highlight on Android just feels weird and clunky with no basis in real world interaction. That's not to say it isn't usable -- it just isn't as much fun without the momentum scrolling physics.
  - lucian1900 14y ago
    I don't really think of my phone as obeying any sort of real life physics. There are way too many interactions that don't (on iOS as well) for me to be able to keep up that illusion.
  - w1ntermute 14y ago
    I hate the bouncing scroll - yet another example of Apple's idiotic focus on skeuomorphism. I like to scroll up when I'm at the top of a list, or down when I'm at the bottom, while reading an article or whatever. If that bouncing scroll thing existed in Android, the page would move as a result. That's not a problem with the highlight.
    - robmcm 14y ago
      We all know that Android would have this if it wasn't for patents. You can't scroll without the page moving... so I don't understand your point. Plus if you are scrolling slowly and reading as you go, having a litte bit of background show (part of the effect) is little difference from showing a flash of colour.
      - 14y ago
morphyn 14y ago
I've been using my Nexus 4 for one week now and I obviously love it. I think the feature that impressed me the most is the 'gesture typing', which compensates for my apparent inability to type correctly on a virtual keyboard. And it works surprisingly well in French too.
- bobfunk 14y ago
  Love the gesture typing as well, it's really impressive how well it works. I've only been using it in english so far, and feel crippled as soon as I have to write a message in other languages. Is there any way to quickly toggle between different languages?
  - josteink 14y ago
    If you have multiple languages enabled (as opposed to the default, system-language only), you can just point-hold the space-bar and a language selector will be opened. You can also enable a language-cycling button which will appear left of the space-bar if you so please. Both are definitely quick enough for my fancy.
    - bobfunk 14y ago
      Nice! Didn't know that. That's really handy!
stonekeeper09 14y ago
Having owned an iPhone 3, 3GS, 4 and a Galaxy S2, the Nexus 4 is by far the best smartphone I've owned.
- michael_miller 14y ago
  Can you elaborate on why? Is it for the same reasons as the article?
  - stonekeeper09 14y ago
    I wrote a long diatribe about the differences and then realised it was essentially the same as the article so...
- tesmar2 14y ago
  I currently have a 3gs. Will the Nexus4 be a big improvement? How was it to move over your music?
jamesjguthrie 14y ago
I went the other direction recently, from Galaxy S2 with 4.2.1 Jelly Bean to iPhone 3GS with jailbroken iOS 6.0.1. The iPhone feels great in my hands because it's so small and the battery seems to be lasting for ages. I don't even feel like it's that old because it still has the latest OS and apps. I'm enjoying the iPhone for now but I think it's mainly due to getting bored with the Galaxy. The Galaxy is due an upgrade in November and I think at that point I'll get a Nexus.
- Gmo 14y ago
  I feel that my 3GS is old because it lags like crazy. I have a hard time believing it would not be the case for you too.
  - jamesjguthrie 14y ago
    Nope, I don't feel that. Maybe it's because I'm used to using older equipment - I used a HTC Dream up until 12 months ago. Edit: HTC Dream was used for 3 years roughly, from Android 1.1 until 4.0 ROM's started coming out.
    - Gmo 14y ago
      Or maybe it's because you started from a clean slate ... (I'm using mine for more than 3 years now)
      - jamesjguthrie 14y ago
        Yeah, I never keep equipment for that long without wiping. At most every 12 months I do a proper wipe and upgrade.
  - FireBeyond 14y ago
    Agreed, especially after any real use. My ex- complained bitterly about iOS 5 on her 3GS being horrific, even after the updates claimed to alleviate performance issues.
laacz 14y ago
Backgraound. Happy iPhone user since 2008 (available in our country then). In december they gave me to try out Nexus 4 (unavailable in our country). As a device Nexus 4 itself is not much better than previous - Galaxy Nexus. Display itself is much worse on Nexus 4 than it was on Galaxy Nexus. After giving back Nexus 4 I thougth I'd try out living with Galaxy Nexus, which until now was my phone in the drawer. And, actually, though I was an iphonee for 4 years, Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.2.1 is an awesome device. Back button is something you miss dramatically on iphone after a detour to androidland. Sharing feature, Google Now, tiny things. I do not give a damn about configurability. There is a lot of stuff that I'd welcome into android world from ios, but other than that - I'm satisfied. Such migration would be unthinkable a year ago. 4.2.x, though not that much different from 4.1.x, is mature.
TeeWEE 14y ago
Any mirror? Its down here.
- deleted 14y ago
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- finspin 14y ago
  http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:www.24100.net%2F2013%2F01%2Fan-iphone-lovers-confession-i-switched-to-the-nexus-4-completely%2F http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:www.241...
deleted 14y ago
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- fpgeek 14y ago
  Amazingly, innovation is where the OEM skins we normally deplore really shine. Yeah, a lot of their experiments don't work out, but some do and it pushes Android forward. Looking at 4.2, for instance, at least lockscreen widgets, wireless display and gesture typing (usually via licensed Swype) were anticipated by OEM skins.
obituary_latte 14y ago
What are people's experience dealing with the migration of music from iOS to android? As an iOS user with an itch to checkout android again (had one of the first HTC "google phones"), this is one of my bigger concerns.
- josteink 14y ago
  Upload to Google Music. Tag the music you want on the device as "available offline", on your phone, when you have internet connectivity. No cables. No sync. No fucking iTunes. No computer required. Just internet. Done. If you feel old-fashioned, you can also just copy files to your device as a standard MTP or mass-storage device using USB-cables, or copy to SD-cards. As long as the music files are properly tagged you should have everything auto-discovered on the device.
  - obituary_latte 14y ago
    So is DRM not an issue? Sounds promising. Thanks for the info.
    - taligent 14y ago
      DRM will be an issue for any older purchased iTunes Music. But you can pay a little more and Apple will provide non-DRM versions.
    - DannyBee 14y ago
      A few years ago, apple stopped encrypting music. The music is watermarked, but not encrypted anymore. These files (m4a), can be played without issue. The older stuff, which is encrypted (m4p), can't be played. However, you can just remove the DRM using any of the available DRM removers, with no loss (they are just removing the encryption, not transcoding).
    - matwood 14y ago
      iTunes DRM tracks will likely not work, but at this point iTunes hasn't sold DRM tracks in a long time. Most (all?) other tracks have had the ability to upgrade and make DRM free for awhile now.
mmahemoff 14y ago
"Solving the inconsistencies grouped around the back button" Android's back button used to be incredibly inconsistent and hard to predict, but now there's a fairly well established standard for this, which is supported by the API (http://developer.android.com/design/patterns/navigation.html http://developer.android.com/design/patterns/navigation.html). There was even a full-length Google IO session on it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwGHJJYBs0Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwGHJJYBs0Q). It doesn't mean all apps follow the standard, especially those naievely ported from iOS. Even some Google apps don't always meet expectations. But the convention is mostly there now and just needs more adoption.
- king_jester 14y ago
  The main issue with the back button is that devs love to mess around with how it works by default, usually to satisfy some kind of architecture that doesn't make sense in the first place on an Android device. From what I've seen of people's Android code, a lot of folks don't grok the Activity and Fragments APIs at first and end up making huge mistakes or creating excessive architectures to try and 'solve' the problem. Unfortunately, this is a kind of chicken and egg problem, since a lot of Android apps are done by hobbyists who need time and practice to get up to speed or by commercial companies that don't care for or don't have any idea on how their product should work on Android.
- chimeracoder 14y ago
  > It doesn't mean all apps follow the standard, especially those naievely ported from iOS. Agreed. Amusingly, the only apps that I ever complain about (whether for the back button or for general styling and functionality) are the ones that are clearly half-baked ports of iOS apps. No wonder it looks terrible and doesn't seem to work properly - you're following all the best practices for the wrong operating system!
adrinavarro 14y ago
Unlike most people commenting here, I got a sub-200$ Android (Huawei G300). I got it a few days ago through Amazon just to try something new, and it's way better than I expected it to be. I first had an iPhone when it came out, then moved to a BlackBerry (weird, I know), and now I'm considering staying with Android, at least for daily use. I still have to stick to the BlackBerry as it's the only phone on the market that provides international roaming at affordable prices, very good battery life (+replaceable, I have my own arsenal and can go for weeks travelling without charging the phone) and a very good keyboard, which is good when you spend your time writing awkwardly long emails. Android, since ICS, seems to be mature enough for most users. It's snappy (its multitasking, background apps and toggles mean you can do things faster than in an iPhone), does good resource managing and has a very good integration across the whole system. And, as some people have said, it's no longer ugly!
- kokey 14y ago
  If a good Android phone comes to market with a keyboard like the Blackberry or Nokia communicators, it will certainly get me to consider switching away from the iPhone.
- gman99 14y ago
  OT: Speaking of the G300, I'd recommend moving to CyanogenMod9 on the G300 -- I think it's much better than the default ICS it ships with (CM10 and above are still quite shaky, although it's fine for my needs). I understand if you'd prefer to not to mess with your phone and use the default install, but if you feel like getting your hands dirty g300.modaco.com is the place for alternate ROMS. Best £70 (PAYG, but I guess there is still some operator subsidy in that price) I spent on a phone.
  - adrinavarro 14y ago
    I'm using the CM9 release found at MoDaCo, and still getting used to it while doing small tweaks. It took me less than an hour since I opened the box to wipe the original system (at least Huawei is way better at hardware than they're at software). As a side note — do you too suffer of touch sensitivity problems? I feel it isn't as snappy as I'd like it to be, and there seems to be no workaround for it. Mostly around the corners, when typing on the keyboard, it might miss some keys and I have to press harder. But I have stupid fingers, so, go figure.
zaidf 14y ago
Apple is increasingly making me look stupid, something I couldn't imagine happening when the iPhone first came out. Few days ago I saw a friend of mine unlock her phone using facial recognition. I was amazed. She was surprised at my amazement. I feel lots of iPhone users have similar moments when they see their friends with android use "magical" looking features the iPhone is slow to adopt.
- ScottWhigham 14y ago
  The facial recognition is very cool. Does it take longer than a swipe+pin? I guess it's just a matter of the hardware - how long it takes the camera to focus, how long it takes the chip to process, etc. It's just that I can swipe+pin in probably 1 - 1.5 seconds and I'd be surprised if facial recognition is faster.
  - zaidf 14y ago
    Great question but dont assume speed of unlocking is what everyone based their decision on. I can tell you my mom would rather use facial recognition than entering a pin even if the latter was faster. She did point out quirks like if her hair isn't brushed it may not work etc. It could well be that the technology isn't polished enough for Apple's standard but I know when I see an Android user use it, I walk away impressed and questioning why my iPhone can't do that.
    - jonknee 14y ago
      > It could well be that the technology isn't polished enough for Apple's standard but I know when I see an Android user use it, I walk away impressed and questioning why my iPhone can't do that. We're living in a post Siri, post Maps world. Apple is not concerned if software works before they decide to ship it.
      - taligent 14y ago
        > Apple is not concerned if software works before they decide to ship it. The VP in charge of iOS Software Engineering was publicly fired over Siri and Maps. Pretty sure they do care.
sidcool 14y ago
I bought a total of 3 Nexus 4 phones for myself and my friends. All are pleased and so am I.
niklas_a 14y ago
Can only agree with OP. I gave up my iPhone 4 for a Galaxy Nexus this summer and have never looked back. I think Google can still work on the default look, but I find Android to be very "clean" and quick to work with. Android feels much more like a real operating system. iOS is so restricted and there are many work tasks that I cannot do (e.g. mailing a dropbox file to someone). Google Now is also amazingly good. And the fact that mail search actually works is a "small" bonus :P Samsung has also implemented some cool features in the SGS3, like that the screen stays on as long as you look at it. They are just much worse at marketing it. Can you imagine how much Apple would have hyped a similar feature?
- robmcm 14y ago
  I have always wondered about that feature, and always think.. - What if two people are looking at it. - Does it flick on and off as I look around - Is it using a huge amount of power when ever the screen is on, not only with powering the screen but with powering the camera. - Can I still use my screen as a light, or does is power off when I face it away from me? (I have a flash light app but it's quicker some times to just use the screen). - What if I am holding it sideways and cover the camera with my hand. - What if I am wearing glasses (something that obstructs my eyes) - What if I put glasses on while looking at the phone? - What if it's too dark for the camera I imagine there are enough facts here that made someone like Apple or Google think it's a bad idea. I expect someone in the Samsung marketing department came up with this idea.
  - vacri 14y ago
    It has a normal screen timeout. When it gets close to the timeout, it looks for 'open eyes looking at me' and if it detects them, stays on. When the screen does turn off, it's like any other timeout - it won't flick back on by newly detecting eyes again. And no, of course if you're going to use your screen as a flashlight, it's not going to detect your eyes and stay on. If you're not willing to go to the marginal effort of activating a flashlight app, what mechanism do you propose they use to have the phone detect when you're using it as a flashlight-by-screen?
finspin 14y ago
The website went down. Here is the cached version of the article: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:www.24100.net%2F2013%2F01%2Fan-iphone-lovers-confession-i-switched-to-the-nexus-4-completely%2F http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:www.241...
SeripisChad 14y ago
GROUP TEXT MESSAGES drive me crazy on android (complete rubbish), iOS has nice user experience for this. If there was one thing I wish google would fix ASAP its this.
- TrisMcC 14y ago
  Group text messages work fine on Android 4.2.
  - SeripisChad 14y ago
    Nice to hear that it's fixed. Wish I could get my phone updated without rooting it. My friend's iPhone 4 (released June 2010) is now patched up to worked with group messages fine, but my EVO 3D (released June 2011) that's a year younger won't get any updates. Android fragmentation graphic info: http://cdn2.techanalyzer.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Android-Fragmentation.jpg http://cdn2.techanalyzer.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Andr...
  - SeripisChad 14y ago
    according to this it's still not implement in stock Android - only patch on certain phones by the carriers. see: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24468 http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24468
kolleykibber 14y ago
The Samsung S3 / Nexus 4 comparison is interesting. I just sold a Nexus 4 and bought an S3. I do prefer stock android, but no sd card, fragility issues and the unremovable battery were a deal breaker for me.
- vacri 14y ago
  I do see a lot of iPhones with smashed screens but I've only ever seen two or three Androids with smashed screens (and no blackberries). So this probably means that either the androids don't smash easily; that android users don't drop their phones on hard surfaces (unlikely - these are humans we're talking about); or that the iPhone screen is so good it keeps working when smashed and the Android ones don't. Sample size: public transport users and eatery-goers...
  - ConstantineXVI 14y ago
    Most Android phones don't have glass running all the way to the edge, I'd imagine that's a factor. Semi-related: I've dropped a pocketknife blade first on a Nokia E71. There's the tiniest scuff on the screen, that's it. (And it's still in active use. Remains the best phone with a keyboard ever built.)
bertomartin 14y ago
I was just making the case for investing in Apple on seeking alpha (an investing site). I've seen few people switched to the iPhone and even I was tempted with the release of the iPhone 5. To be honest, I haven't played with an android phone that matches it hardware wise. The lack of nexus 4 devices in the store really hurts google as there's no way one can just walk in a store and 'test' it out, like one can do with the iPhone. You have to make do with youtube unboxing videos, which are good, but leaves much to be desired. FWIW, I'm now seeing the value of iPhone's especially for people already in the eco-system. I could have never seen this before
asc76 14y ago
I'm really curious about Android as I've been an avid Apple iPhone user since iPhone first came out. Part of me wants to switch as I love what Google is doing, but I'm hesitant as I'm so entrenched in the Apple ecosystem.
Cl4rity 14y ago
It's my opinion that you can't make the assertion that the Nexus 4 is faster than the iPhone 5 by feel. Some people feel like their cars or motorcycles perform better after an oil change and a car wash, but it's psychological. Otherwise, I guess the rest of the article is interesting because it just proves that these "Why I switched" articles are never going to die for whatever reason. In 2008: "Why I switched from BlackBerry to iPhone" In 2009: "Why I switched from iPhone to give webOS a shot" In 2010: "Why I switched to Windows Phone from iOS" In 2011: "Why I switched to Android from iPhone" In 2012: "Why I switched from X to X because it doesn't even matter anymore" I get that it gives perspective on the differences between platforms and devices, but these pieces can only be so narrow because it's only one person's perspective.
stevewilhelm 14y ago
I manage my media assets (music, podcasts, video, photos, apps) across several devices (phones, ipods, tables, and laptop) using iTunes. Can anyone speak to how well switching one iPhone to a Nexus would work in this type of senario?
- WickyNilliams 14y ago
  I believe that doubleTwist is able to sync with an itunes library (or at least it used to, and it was it's major selling point so i can't imagine that's changed). It has a desktop app and a mobile counterpart.
zemanel 14y ago
Have a Macbook Pro for a couple of years. I had an Iphone 3 once i liked it very much. Now i have a lowly ZTE Aqua with Android 4.0.3 and i'm very satisfied. Tried an Iphone 5 at a store and Ipad's and found the UI, boring. In my opinion, Apple's "chromed" UI is getting old and would really love something more fresh, either on iOS and OSX.
jolohaga 14y ago
This confirms everything I will ever know and believe.
sourc3 14y ago
I am getting frustrated with all these mobile os posts. Reminds me of the desktop OS wars people took pride in joining. Everyone's needs are different; some people love customization and hacking their phone. Others get it to just conform to the majority. Some even get it because it's free. Platforms evolve with different visions. The beauty of the era we are in is the fact that services like Amazon Cloud Player, Dropbox and Spotify let you be on whatever platform you wish without losing your "services". Am I the only one who doesn't care what OS they use as long as texting/podcasting/web browsing/music is available?
rogerbinns 14y ago
My huge problem with iOS (and Apple in general) is the obsession with constantly making you enter passwords. Sometimes it gets so overwhelming that I am convinced the codebase mainly consists of password entering routines interspersed with small bits of other functionality. iOS's inability to share between apps also means usernames and passwords have to be constantly re-entered there too (eg every app that supports Dropbox requires entering a username and password in each app). This Apple disease spreads elsewhere. I had to enter my username and password on their developer site, and some web developer at Apple had gone to great lengths to prevent you from pasting your password into the password field. (I don't know that password - it is stored in a password management program.) I can't for the life of me understand why the Apple faithful put up with this nonsense.
- el_cuadrado 14y ago
  I, for one, would like to have more passwords in iOS. Like password-protecting my email app, file sharing app, and others.
  - rogerbinns 14y ago
    Do you mean different passwords for different services (eg a specific password for Apple email versus a different password for iTunes store?) or that you want access to individual apps password protected? For the latter Android has the concept of multiple users but only on tablets. It isn't that useful as you can't for example create limited access guest accounts, only full blown ones. And software can't be made accessible the new users unless they create a google account in order to access the play store, even if already installed. It also turned off face recognition for me. The one thing Android did get right (but not perfect) is having a central account manager. Any service can add itself - for example the Github and Dropbox apps do. Any app (with permissions) can request access to accounts that require user interaction to confirm. However the app does not get a password, but instead a token that has to be periodically renewed.
- sbuk 14y ago
  This is simply not true. Also the language you are using is deliberately incendiary.
pirateking 14y ago
Does not compare the security model of the two platforms. This is the number one factor for me (and dare I say, should be for everyone). I don't know much about the Android security model - does it have any advantages over iOS?
drucken 14y ago
Extremely detailed video comparison and review of Google Nexus 4 versus Samsung Galaxy S3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D30vBWCWCnI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D30vBWCWCnI
rdl 14y ago
I still like my iPhone and iPad, but I could see moving to Android in 1-2 generations. Apple's first-party software quality is declining, and not being able to override it is grating and limiting improvements. The two things which keep me from moving to Android are: 1) My ~$500 or so in purchased applications. Vendors should allow a one-time return of purchased apps on one platform to get them for the other, or just give both iOS and Android licenses for the same price if there's a way to prove the phone belongs to the same human. Admittedly 99% of what I really care about is free or <$100 total (Kindle, 1Password, Facebook, web, email, ssh pretty much cover my use). 2) Lack of hardware platform security features on most Android devices (semi-supported on the S3, apparently, but I'd only ever buy a Nexus device). If Google developed a Nexus 4+, 7+, 10+ with apple or blackberry level hw security, I'd probably switch, particularly if there were a way for an enterprise to essentially replicate the Google Apps management of devices with a simple self-hosted server (i.e. root of trust being enterprise, vs. Google or Apple).

364 points by bering 14y ago

& I switched from an iPhone 4S to a Galaxy Nexus & back to an iPhone 5 , couldn't be happier. These posts are pointless. Whatever device works for you. All of these platforms have strengths & weaknesses. You can make equally cogent cases for the upcoming Blackberry 10 or Windows Phone 8. The First iPhone was a significant leap in mobile computing, since then, the way I see it, it's been mostly polish. Google & MSFT caught up to the competition, RIMM retooled. The more competition the merrier. Google Now is amazing. iOS fluidity still has no equal. Google play automatic app updates are convenient. iOS apps polish is extraordinary. Windows Phone tiles are fantastic. BB contact integration is a thing of beauty...etc.

chunkyslink 14y ago
I didnt get the impression that the author was trying to convert me, just that he loved his new phone. I'm sure he would agree with you.
acchow 14y ago
The Galaxy Nexus is garbage. I went from 4S to Galaxy Nexus too and it infuriated me. The screen was unusable in sunlight, microphone and speaker quality were laughable, battery life is half the 4S, not-very-sensitive touchscreen, etc. Now on an HTC One X, which I like more than the iPhone. It doesn't have any of the quality issues of the GNexus.
- StavrosK 14y ago
  Odd, I got a Galaxy Nexus and it's the best phone I've ever had. To each his own, I guess.
  - dasil003 14y ago
    I have to agree with this sentiment. My wife has a 4S, but when I needed to upgrade my phone last spring, I didn't want to buy an iPhone mid-cycle. I got the Galaxy Nexus and was pleasantly surprised in all aspects. With ICS and especially JB, Android has really closed the gap to the point where I'm actually glad I don't have an iPhone because I'm a big Google ecosystem user and the better Gmail and Calendar apps tip the scales for me. GN is clearly inferior in build quality to an iPhone, but you have to be a bit of a snob to call it "garbage". It's solid hardware.
    - StavrosK 14y ago
      > GN is clearly inferior in build quality to an iPhone It's only inferior in visible quality (I've dropped it a lot and it barely has a scratch on it), but I'm okay with that because it costs half as much as an iPhone, which I think is very significant. You can get a top-of-the-line smartphone for $300. That's amazing.
      - taligent 14y ago
        > You can get a top-of-the-line smartphone for $300. That's amazing. Not sure why you think this. It is mid range phone by every benchmark (e.g. no LTE, battery life, screen quality) and it gets destroyed by the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 in every performance benchmark.
        StavrosK 14y ago
        Why are you comparing it to the iPhone 5? The current top-of-the-line Google smartphone, the Nexus 4 (which is what you should compare to the iPhone 5), also costs $300.
        bjustin 14y ago
        When the phone only goes up to 16 GB of non-expandable space, it's hardly top-of-the-line. It doesn't have LTE either. Neither of these matters too much now, but will reduce longevity compared to actual top-of-the-line phones, e.g. the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5.
- jedahan 14y ago
  I have a One X, and get a lot of questions from people with iPhones. Its just a good phone to me, but everyone else seems impressed with the screen quality, photo quality, speed etc. I thought all phones were more or less in the same ballpark.
  - acchow 14y ago
    The screen is the immediately impressive quality about the One X. Photos are mediocre in good lighting/outdoors but excellent under very dim light. Speed is alright I guess, but runs out of ram more often than I'd like (thus clearing an app out of cache causing a reload when switching back to it). To me, the most impressive is its battery life. I've gone through too many Android phones with poor battery life. The (snapdragon) One X is the only Android phone with acceptable battery life to me. So it's either iPhone or One X. Everything else dies on me at some point in the afternoon/evening.
Mahn 14y ago
> iOS fluidity still has no equal I've been using the iPhone for a while before switching to a Nexus 4, and honestly there is nothing that feels more fluid on iOS than on a Nexus 4 running jelly bean 4.2.1.
- FireBeyond 14y ago
  And though some may view it as heresy, as someone who has always had a penchant for "high end" phones, has owned and used the 4S, S3, fluidity seems to be a "solved" problem - even on my latest phone, a Lumia 920 running Windows 8 (now my favorite device, despite the lacking ecosystem - the store is my least favorite aspect).
DigitalJack 14y ago
They are not pointless. I found it informative. I may pick up an android at some point in the future, and since I'm currently an iphone user, I found this point of view relevant.

fossuser 14y ago

Interesting - I switched from android to the iPhone 5 recently (after having the N1, NS and Galaxy Nexus). I thought this was the first iPhone that finally had the necessary hardware (LTE being required after the galaxy). The main things I miss are better google voice integration on the nexus phones (the ability to use the web interface for texting is something I can't give up). I also used to not pay for texting this way and could actually afford to have a smart phone because of it since Tmobile has a $30 no contract 100min/unlimited data plan for unsubsidized phones. I also needed some sort of google talk app which I finally found with the $5 version of the verbs app. A bunch of people I communicate with are on android and use google chat instead of facebook chat or imessage. The current iPhone does some things much better. The biggest thing is battery life which is at least twice as good as any nexus phone I've used (probably even more). The difference in battery is really incredible. The new native Facebook iOS app is also great to use. The iPhone hardware is also subjectively much nicer, it both looks and feels a lot better to me - makes me wish Google had partnered with Nokia. Really though they're both pretty equivalent at the point. Edit: Almost forgot, the critical feature of android was turn by turn navigation which apple finally came out with in iOS6. Now that google's released their maps app as well the core differences that mattered are gone.

blinkingled 14y ago
Battery life in Android land is a matter of choosing the right handset. I don't believe the iPhone holds a candle to my Note 2 or the RAZR Maxx if you actually use the phone heavily. Plus replaceable/extended batteries are another option.
- djt 14y ago
  Comparing the iPhone to a Note 2 is probably unfair as those things are HUGE!
  - blinkingled 14y ago
    I guess any Android phone is now a days. The Razr is smaller of the two. But I think the point still stands due to replaceable batteries on phones like the S3 mini.

mattquiros 14y ago

Been an Android user for a year (Galaxy Tab 8.9) and was going to get an iPhone 5 last Christmas just to try out a different device. I changed my mind and am getting a Nexus 4 instead. I was able to use one of our test iPhones at work for a primary phone and here are just 3 things I don't like about iOS: 1. Toggling settings can be difficult. In Android, you have a pull-up/pull-down menu right from the home screen where you can just turn things on/off, like Bluetooth, sounds, WiFi, etc. In iOS, you go to the Settings app and scroll through the text labels and go through one or two more screens before achieving the same thing. And this, despite Apple's marketed UI simplicity. 2. The thing can't even send files over Bluetooth. How is that not possible in 2013? 3. Boring old homescreen from way back 2007, which displays an amalgamation of all the apps installed on my phone, not the apps I use the most. Of course, whichever phone you end up buying is nothing more than a personal preference. However, I just think that saying Android is better than iOS has become more of a fact than an opinion these days.

rimantas 14y ago
> The thing can't even send files over Bluetooth. > How is that not possible in 2013? The thing will also not accept your 1.44MB floppy. Shocking, I know. Ok, ok, I get what you say, but frankly, this is some pretty obscure use case for most. Not for you, obviously.
- blub 14y ago
  Obscure? This is one of the stupidest misfeatures of iOS. The hardware is there and there are workaround apps that can help you do it from iDevice to iDevice. Many times I wanted to send a picture, contact or a document to someone standing right next to me and couldn't do it because they had an iPhone (or Windows Phone). This is especially pleasant when you're roaming and it's a bigger file.
- StavrosK 14y ago
  Maybe you and everyone you know has unlimited data, but not everyone does. Bluetooth file sending works on every single phone apart from the iPhone, and it's frustrating when people can't send you photos because your stupid phone doesn't support the most ubiquitous file sharing method since 1995.

w0utert 14y ago

I agree with what the article says about sharing data between applications, this really is one of the biggest pain points of iOS right now. Fortunately, it looks like Apple will finally address this in the future, iOS 6 already has infrastructure in place to allow for remote view controllers that (in theory) should allow any application to register itself to handle certain data and events. Right now seems to be only used privately, for example to launch the mail application from other applications, but my guess is that iOS 7 will add public API's for other applications to do the same. Whether this means you can change default applications like Maps etc. I don't know, but the way Apple handled the (lack of) public-transit directions in Apple Maps suggests they are starting to be more flexible about default application handlers. That said, I wasn't really impressed by any of the other points the article makes. It starts out by saying 'Android on the Nexus 4 is better in almost every aspect', but besides the sharing thing it doesn't make a case for anything else. Some half-hearted observation that 'sometimes it even appears like rendering is smoother on the Nexus 4' and 'not all Android applications look like crap anymore' and that's about it. Oh and of course you can 'customize everything' and here you have 4 examples of the most ugly homescreens I have ever seen on a mobile phone. Hardly a clear-cut case of 'better in almost every aspect'. Looks like it's more a matter of preference than an objective evaluation on which of the 2 platforms is 'better'.

jvzr 14y ago
I was going to say the same things. Hopefully, there has been some serious work done on iOS 7 and it'll probably address most of the OP's concerns. However, I do hope they introduce none of these customization shenanigans. I don't care for widgets (nor do I want another icon or thing I cannot remove from my homescreen). If the base OS is sufficiently good UI-wise, there is no reason ever to need to customize its looks besides the wallpaper (e.g. OS X).
- knightni 14y ago
  I disagree - widgets are enormously important to me, and were the deciding factor in my choosing an android phone. I'm quite forgetful, and I have a tendency to focus on one thing to the exclusion of others. Widgets allow me to display important information on my home screen that will be shown to me every time I look at the phone. This means that I can have a list of (for example) upcoming birthdays on my phone that I see over and over again, enough that I will eventually see the reminder at a point when I am in a position to do something about it. Alarms are useless by comparison, because I will inevitably be busy with something else when they go off. Calendars/todo apps are equally useless to me, because they require me to remember to open up an app all the time. I realise my use case is relatively niche, but I imagine there's a lot of different niche users out there that benefit from customisability.

so898 14y ago

Tried so hard to get a Nexus 4. However.... I am using iPhone 5 now. LOL

apierre 14y ago
Exactly! The Nexus4 is still sold out as we speak and even if you manage to order one, you will get a 8 weeks window for delivery but Google will make you pay £10 for "express" delivery. What a joke.
- r4vik 14y ago
  and express is 2 fucking days in the UK, I'd call that a cultural faux pas, as 2 day shipping here is the crappy option. I've had amazon get things to my door in less than 14 hours given the right conditions.
  - WickyNilliams 14y ago
    Counterpoint: My nexus 4 went from being ordered to my door in ~36 hours, despite the website saying 4-6 weeks delivery time :)
    - rohitsethi 14y ago
      Thats great .. maybe they bumped up some people in shipping

edward322 14y ago

Bad News Installous iOS Crack Store Has Been Shutdown http://itechbook.net/why-installous-is-showing-terminated-error.html http://itechbook.net/why-installous-is-showing-terminated-er...

pagliara 14y ago

Interesting. I too am an iPhone lover who recently picked up a Nexus 4 to get into Android development. This is my first experience with Android, so I didn't realize that the Nexus 4 Android experience might be different than your typical Android smartphone. I was very impressed with the overall experience. If I wasn't so used to iOS, I could easily see myself using Android on a Nexus 4. But in the end, I walked away with the opposite impression; I saw no compelling reason to switch to Android and have decided iOS is still the mobile OS for me. Unlike the author, I do not really consider myself a power user. The customizability of Android is really enticing, but at the end of the day I find myself preferring the design/philosophy of iOS. But it really just comes down to personal preference. After using an iPhone for so long, I became annoyed at the small design/interface differences present in the Nexus 4 (e.g. no physical home button). At times I found it difficult to use the Nexus 4 because of it's greater width. The iPhone width is optimal for my hand size and pocket size. Also, in my opinion as an app developer, the iOS app ecosystem still seems a lot stronger than Android. Browsing the Play Store was a little boring to me. Yes, most popular apps have both iOS and Android versions, but many developers still target iOS first and Android second. Until there's a reason for that to change I think iOS still has the edge in "killer" apps. That being said, I agree that there are a lot of nice things in Android that I would love to see implemented in iOS.

beznogim 14y ago
I would love to see the undo function implemented in Android. Text editing is very fiddly here, and you aren't even allowed to make mistakes.
w1ntermute 14y ago
Are you kidding me? The iPhone has the optimal width? You sound just like Marco, Gruber, and all those other Apple sycophants who were claiming that the iPhone size was perfect for the hand, until the iPhone 5 came out, of course. Just like they got their thumbs surgically altered when the 5 came out, no doubt you will be getting all your pockets resized if Apple increases the iPhone width.
- robmcm 14y ago

lucian1900 14y ago

> While Android still doesn’t give you bouncing lists and scroll views Is that something people like so much? Whenever I've used an iOS device, it annoyed me. I much prefer the highlight in Android.

michael_miller 14y ago
Superficial as it is, absolutely, this is something I love about iOS. It reinforces the "manipulating real objects with touch" metaphor. If I move my finger while pressing down on a piece of paper in real life, I expect the underlying paper to move as well. The highlight on Android just feels weird and clunky with no basis in real world interaction. That's not to say it isn't usable -- it just isn't as much fun without the momentum scrolling physics.
- lucian1900 14y ago
  I don't really think of my phone as obeying any sort of real life physics. There are way too many interactions that don't (on iOS as well) for me to be able to keep up that illusion.
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  I hate the bouncing scroll - yet another example of Apple's idiotic focus on skeuomorphism. I like to scroll up when I'm at the top of a list, or down when I'm at the bottom, while reading an article or whatever. If that bouncing scroll thing existed in Android, the page would move as a result. That's not a problem with the highlight.
  - robmcm 14y ago
    We all know that Android would have this if it wasn't for patents. You can't scroll without the page moving... so I don't understand your point. Plus if you are scrolling slowly and reading as you go, having a litte bit of background show (part of the effect) is little difference from showing a flash of colour.
    - 14y ago

morphyn 14y ago

I've been using my Nexus 4 for one week now and I obviously love it. I think the feature that impressed me the most is the 'gesture typing', which compensates for my apparent inability to type correctly on a virtual keyboard. And it works surprisingly well in French too.

bobfunk 14y ago
Love the gesture typing as well, it's really impressive how well it works. I've only been using it in english so far, and feel crippled as soon as I have to write a message in other languages. Is there any way to quickly toggle between different languages?
- josteink 14y ago
  If you have multiple languages enabled (as opposed to the default, system-language only), you can just point-hold the space-bar and a language selector will be opened. You can also enable a language-cycling button which will appear left of the space-bar if you so please. Both are definitely quick enough for my fancy.
  - bobfunk 14y ago
    Nice! Didn't know that. That's really handy!

stonekeeper09 14y ago

Having owned an iPhone 3, 3GS, 4 and a Galaxy S2, the Nexus 4 is by far the best smartphone I've owned.

michael_miller 14y ago
Can you elaborate on why? Is it for the same reasons as the article?
- stonekeeper09 14y ago
  I wrote a long diatribe about the differences and then realised it was essentially the same as the article so...
tesmar2 14y ago
I currently have a 3gs. Will the Nexus4 be a big improvement? How was it to move over your music?

jamesjguthrie 14y ago

I went the other direction recently, from Galaxy S2 with 4.2.1 Jelly Bean to iPhone 3GS with jailbroken iOS 6.0.1. The iPhone feels great in my hands because it's so small and the battery seems to be lasting for ages. I don't even feel like it's that old because it still has the latest OS and apps. I'm enjoying the iPhone for now but I think it's mainly due to getting bored with the Galaxy. The Galaxy is due an upgrade in November and I think at that point I'll get a Nexus.

Gmo 14y ago
I feel that my 3GS is old because it lags like crazy. I have a hard time believing it would not be the case for you too.
- jamesjguthrie 14y ago
  Nope, I don't feel that. Maybe it's because I'm used to using older equipment - I used a HTC Dream up until 12 months ago. Edit: HTC Dream was used for 3 years roughly, from Android 1.1 until 4.0 ROM's started coming out.
  - Gmo 14y ago
    Or maybe it's because you started from a clean slate ... (I'm using mine for more than 3 years now)
    - jamesjguthrie 14y ago
      Yeah, I never keep equipment for that long without wiping. At most every 12 months I do a proper wipe and upgrade.
- FireBeyond 14y ago
  Agreed, especially after any real use. My ex- complained bitterly about iOS 5 on her 3GS being horrific, even after the updates claimed to alleviate performance issues.

laacz 14y ago

Backgraound. Happy iPhone user since 2008 (available in our country then). In december they gave me to try out Nexus 4 (unavailable in our country). As a device Nexus 4 itself is not much better than previous - Galaxy Nexus. Display itself is much worse on Nexus 4 than it was on Galaxy Nexus. After giving back Nexus 4 I thougth I'd try out living with Galaxy Nexus, which until now was my phone in the drawer. And, actually, though I was an iphonee for 4 years, Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.2.1 is an awesome device. Back button is something you miss dramatically on iphone after a detour to androidland. Sharing feature, Google Now, tiny things. I do not give a damn about configurability. There is a lot of stuff that I'd welcome into android world from ios, but other than that - I'm satisfied. Such migration would be unthinkable a year ago. 4.2.x, though not that much different from 4.1.x, is mature.

TeeWEE 14y ago

Any mirror? Its down here.

deleted 14y ago
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finspin 14y ago
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:www.24100.net%2F2013%2F01%2Fan-iphone-lovers-confession-i-switched-to-the-nexus-4-completely%2F http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:www.241...

deleted 14y ago

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fpgeek 14y ago
Amazingly, innovation is where the OEM skins we normally deplore really shine. Yeah, a lot of their experiments don't work out, but some do and it pushes Android forward. Looking at 4.2, for instance, at least lockscreen widgets, wireless display and gesture typing (usually via licensed Swype) were anticipated by OEM skins.

obituary_latte 14y ago

What are people's experience dealing with the migration of music from iOS to android? As an iOS user with an itch to checkout android again (had one of the first HTC "google phones"), this is one of my bigger concerns.

josteink 14y ago
Upload to Google Music. Tag the music you want on the device as "available offline", on your phone, when you have internet connectivity. No cables. No sync. No fucking iTunes. No computer required. Just internet. Done. If you feel old-fashioned, you can also just copy files to your device as a standard MTP or mass-storage device using USB-cables, or copy to SD-cards. As long as the music files are properly tagged you should have everything auto-discovered on the device.
- obituary_latte 14y ago
  So is DRM not an issue? Sounds promising. Thanks for the info.
  - taligent 14y ago
    DRM will be an issue for any older purchased iTunes Music. But you can pay a little more and Apple will provide non-DRM versions.
  - DannyBee 14y ago
    A few years ago, apple stopped encrypting music. The music is watermarked, but not encrypted anymore. These files (m4a), can be played without issue. The older stuff, which is encrypted (m4p), can't be played. However, you can just remove the DRM using any of the available DRM removers, with no loss (they are just removing the encryption, not transcoding).
  - matwood 14y ago
    iTunes DRM tracks will likely not work, but at this point iTunes hasn't sold DRM tracks in a long time. Most (all?) other tracks have had the ability to upgrade and make DRM free for awhile now.

mmahemoff 14y ago

"Solving the inconsistencies grouped around the back button" Android's back button used to be incredibly inconsistent and hard to predict, but now there's a fairly well established standard for this, which is supported by the API (http://developer.android.com/design/patterns/navigation.html http://developer.android.com/design/patterns/navigation.html). There was even a full-length Google IO session on it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwGHJJYBs0Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwGHJJYBs0Q). It doesn't mean all apps follow the standard, especially those naievely ported from iOS. Even some Google apps don't always meet expectations. But the convention is mostly there now and just needs more adoption.

king_jester 14y ago
The main issue with the back button is that devs love to mess around with how it works by default, usually to satisfy some kind of architecture that doesn't make sense in the first place on an Android device. From what I've seen of people's Android code, a lot of folks don't grok the Activity and Fragments APIs at first and end up making huge mistakes or creating excessive architectures to try and 'solve' the problem. Unfortunately, this is a kind of chicken and egg problem, since a lot of Android apps are done by hobbyists who need time and practice to get up to speed or by commercial companies that don't care for or don't have any idea on how their product should work on Android.
chimeracoder 14y ago
> It doesn't mean all apps follow the standard, especially those naievely ported from iOS. Agreed. Amusingly, the only apps that I ever complain about (whether for the back button or for general styling and functionality) are the ones that are clearly half-baked ports of iOS apps. No wonder it looks terrible and doesn't seem to work properly - you're following all the best practices for the wrong operating system!

adrinavarro 14y ago

Unlike most people commenting here, I got a sub-200$ Android (Huawei G300). I got it a few days ago through Amazon just to try something new, and it's way better than I expected it to be. I first had an iPhone when it came out, then moved to a BlackBerry (weird, I know), and now I'm considering staying with Android, at least for daily use. I still have to stick to the BlackBerry as it's the only phone on the market that provides international roaming at affordable prices, very good battery life (+replaceable, I have my own arsenal and can go for weeks travelling without charging the phone) and a very good keyboard, which is good when you spend your time writing awkwardly long emails. Android, since ICS, seems to be mature enough for most users. It's snappy (its multitasking, background apps and toggles mean you can do things faster than in an iPhone), does good resource managing and has a very good integration across the whole system. And, as some people have said, it's no longer ugly!

kokey 14y ago
If a good Android phone comes to market with a keyboard like the Blackberry or Nokia communicators, it will certainly get me to consider switching away from the iPhone.
gman99 14y ago
OT: Speaking of the G300, I'd recommend moving to CyanogenMod9 on the G300 -- I think it's much better than the default ICS it ships with (CM10 and above are still quite shaky, although it's fine for my needs). I understand if you'd prefer to not to mess with your phone and use the default install, but if you feel like getting your hands dirty g300.modaco.com is the place for alternate ROMS. Best £70 (PAYG, but I guess there is still some operator subsidy in that price) I spent on a phone.
- adrinavarro 14y ago
  I'm using the CM9 release found at MoDaCo, and still getting used to it while doing small tweaks. It took me less than an hour since I opened the box to wipe the original system (at least Huawei is way better at hardware than they're at software). As a side note — do you too suffer of touch sensitivity problems? I feel it isn't as snappy as I'd like it to be, and there seems to be no workaround for it. Mostly around the corners, when typing on the keyboard, it might miss some keys and I have to press harder. But I have stupid fingers, so, go figure.

zaidf 14y ago

Apple is increasingly making me look stupid, something I couldn't imagine happening when the iPhone first came out. Few days ago I saw a friend of mine unlock her phone using facial recognition. I was amazed. She was surprised at my amazement. I feel lots of iPhone users have similar moments when they see their friends with android use "magical" looking features the iPhone is slow to adopt.

ScottWhigham 14y ago
The facial recognition is very cool. Does it take longer than a swipe+pin? I guess it's just a matter of the hardware - how long it takes the camera to focus, how long it takes the chip to process, etc. It's just that I can swipe+pin in probably 1 - 1.5 seconds and I'd be surprised if facial recognition is faster.
- zaidf 14y ago
  Great question but dont assume speed of unlocking is what everyone based their decision on. I can tell you my mom would rather use facial recognition than entering a pin even if the latter was faster. She did point out quirks like if her hair isn't brushed it may not work etc. It could well be that the technology isn't polished enough for Apple's standard but I know when I see an Android user use it, I walk away impressed and questioning why my iPhone can't do that.
  - jonknee 14y ago
    > It could well be that the technology isn't polished enough for Apple's standard but I know when I see an Android user use it, I walk away impressed and questioning why my iPhone can't do that. We're living in a post Siri, post Maps world. Apple is not concerned if software works before they decide to ship it.
    - taligent 14y ago
      > Apple is not concerned if software works before they decide to ship it. The VP in charge of iOS Software Engineering was publicly fired over Siri and Maps. Pretty sure they do care.

sidcool 14y ago

I bought a total of 3 Nexus 4 phones for myself and my friends. All are pleased and so am I.

niklas_a 14y ago

Can only agree with OP. I gave up my iPhone 4 for a Galaxy Nexus this summer and have never looked back. I think Google can still work on the default look, but I find Android to be very "clean" and quick to work with. Android feels much more like a real operating system. iOS is so restricted and there are many work tasks that I cannot do (e.g. mailing a dropbox file to someone). Google Now is also amazingly good. And the fact that mail search actually works is a "small" bonus :P Samsung has also implemented some cool features in the SGS3, like that the screen stays on as long as you look at it. They are just much worse at marketing it. Can you imagine how much Apple would have hyped a similar feature?

robmcm 14y ago
I have always wondered about that feature, and always think.. - What if two people are looking at it. - Does it flick on and off as I look around - Is it using a huge amount of power when ever the screen is on, not only with powering the screen but with powering the camera. - Can I still use my screen as a light, or does is power off when I face it away from me? (I have a flash light app but it's quicker some times to just use the screen). - What if I am holding it sideways and cover the camera with my hand. - What if I am wearing glasses (something that obstructs my eyes) - What if I put glasses on while looking at the phone? - What if it's too dark for the camera I imagine there are enough facts here that made someone like Apple or Google think it's a bad idea. I expect someone in the Samsung marketing department came up with this idea.
- vacri 14y ago
  It has a normal screen timeout. When it gets close to the timeout, it looks for 'open eyes looking at me' and if it detects them, stays on. When the screen does turn off, it's like any other timeout - it won't flick back on by newly detecting eyes again. And no, of course if you're going to use your screen as a flashlight, it's not going to detect your eyes and stay on. If you're not willing to go to the marginal effort of activating a flashlight app, what mechanism do you propose they use to have the phone detect when you're using it as a flashlight-by-screen?

finspin 14y ago

The website went down. Here is the cached version of the article: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:www.24100.net%2F2013%2F01%2Fan-iphone-lovers-confession-i-switched-to-the-nexus-4-completely%2F http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:www.241...

SeripisChad 14y ago

GROUP TEXT MESSAGES drive me crazy on android (complete rubbish), iOS has nice user experience for this. If there was one thing I wish google would fix ASAP its this.

TrisMcC 14y ago
Group text messages work fine on Android 4.2.
- SeripisChad 14y ago
  Nice to hear that it's fixed. Wish I could get my phone updated without rooting it. My friend's iPhone 4 (released June 2010) is now patched up to worked with group messages fine, but my EVO 3D (released June 2011) that's a year younger won't get any updates. Android fragmentation graphic info: http://cdn2.techanalyzer.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Android-Fragmentation.jpg http://cdn2.techanalyzer.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Andr...
- SeripisChad 14y ago
  according to this it's still not implement in stock Android - only patch on certain phones by the carriers. see: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24468 http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24468

kolleykibber 14y ago

The Samsung S3 / Nexus 4 comparison is interesting. I just sold a Nexus 4 and bought an S3. I do prefer stock android, but no sd card, fragility issues and the unremovable battery were a deal breaker for me.

vacri 14y ago
I do see a lot of iPhones with smashed screens but I've only ever seen two or three Androids with smashed screens (and no blackberries). So this probably means that either the androids don't smash easily; that android users don't drop their phones on hard surfaces (unlikely - these are humans we're talking about); or that the iPhone screen is so good it keeps working when smashed and the Android ones don't. Sample size: public transport users and eatery-goers...
- ConstantineXVI 14y ago
  Most Android phones don't have glass running all the way to the edge, I'd imagine that's a factor. Semi-related: I've dropped a pocketknife blade first on a Nokia E71. There's the tiniest scuff on the screen, that's it. (And it's still in active use. Remains the best phone with a keyboard ever built.)

bertomartin 14y ago

I was just making the case for investing in Apple on seeking alpha (an investing site). I've seen few people switched to the iPhone and even I was tempted with the release of the iPhone 5. To be honest, I haven't played with an android phone that matches it hardware wise. The lack of nexus 4 devices in the store really hurts google as there's no way one can just walk in a store and 'test' it out, like one can do with the iPhone. You have to make do with youtube unboxing videos, which are good, but leaves much to be desired. FWIW, I'm now seeing the value of iPhone's especially for people already in the eco-system. I could have never seen this before

asc76 14y ago

I'm really curious about Android as I've been an avid Apple iPhone user since iPhone first came out. Part of me wants to switch as I love what Google is doing, but I'm hesitant as I'm so entrenched in the Apple ecosystem.

Cl4rity 14y ago

It's my opinion that you can't make the assertion that the Nexus 4 is faster than the iPhone 5 by feel. Some people feel like their cars or motorcycles perform better after an oil change and a car wash, but it's psychological. Otherwise, I guess the rest of the article is interesting because it just proves that these "Why I switched" articles are never going to die for whatever reason. In 2008: "Why I switched from BlackBerry to iPhone" In 2009: "Why I switched from iPhone to give webOS a shot" In 2010: "Why I switched to Windows Phone from iOS" In 2011: "Why I switched to Android from iPhone" In 2012: "Why I switched from X to X because it doesn't even matter anymore" I get that it gives perspective on the differences between platforms and devices, but these pieces can only be so narrow because it's only one person's perspective.

stevewilhelm 14y ago

I manage my media assets (music, podcasts, video, photos, apps) across several devices (phones, ipods, tables, and laptop) using iTunes. Can anyone speak to how well switching one iPhone to a Nexus would work in this type of senario?

WickyNilliams 14y ago
I believe that doubleTwist is able to sync with an itunes library (or at least it used to, and it was it's major selling point so i can't imagine that's changed). It has a desktop app and a mobile counterpart.

zemanel 14y ago

Have a Macbook Pro for a couple of years. I had an Iphone 3 once i liked it very much. Now i have a lowly ZTE Aqua with Android 4.0.3 and i'm very satisfied. Tried an Iphone 5 at a store and Ipad's and found the UI, boring. In my opinion, Apple's "chromed" UI is getting old and would really love something more fresh, either on iOS and OSX.

jolohaga 14y ago

This confirms everything I will ever know and believe.

sourc3 14y ago

I am getting frustrated with all these mobile os posts. Reminds me of the desktop OS wars people took pride in joining. Everyone's needs are different; some people love customization and hacking their phone. Others get it to just conform to the majority. Some even get it because it's free. Platforms evolve with different visions. The beauty of the era we are in is the fact that services like Amazon Cloud Player, Dropbox and Spotify let you be on whatever platform you wish without losing your "services". Am I the only one who doesn't care what OS they use as long as texting/podcasting/web browsing/music is available?

rogerbinns 14y ago

My huge problem with iOS (and Apple in general) is the obsession with constantly making you enter passwords. Sometimes it gets so overwhelming that I am convinced the codebase mainly consists of password entering routines interspersed with small bits of other functionality. iOS's inability to share between apps also means usernames and passwords have to be constantly re-entered there too (eg every app that supports Dropbox requires entering a username and password in each app). This Apple disease spreads elsewhere. I had to enter my username and password on their developer site, and some web developer at Apple had gone to great lengths to prevent you from pasting your password into the password field. (I don't know that password - it is stored in a password management program.) I can't for the life of me understand why the Apple faithful put up with this nonsense.

el_cuadrado 14y ago
I, for one, would like to have more passwords in iOS. Like password-protecting my email app, file sharing app, and others.
- rogerbinns 14y ago
  Do you mean different passwords for different services (eg a specific password for Apple email versus a different password for iTunes store?) or that you want access to individual apps password protected? For the latter Android has the concept of multiple users but only on tablets. It isn't that useful as you can't for example create limited access guest accounts, only full blown ones. And software can't be made accessible the new users unless they create a google account in order to access the play store, even if already installed. It also turned off face recognition for me. The one thing Android did get right (but not perfect) is having a central account manager. Any service can add itself - for example the Github and Dropbox apps do. Any app (with permissions) can request access to accounts that require user interaction to confirm. However the app does not get a password, but instead a token that has to be periodically renewed.
sbuk 14y ago
This is simply not true. Also the language you are using is deliberately incendiary.

pirateking 14y ago

Does not compare the security model of the two platforms. This is the number one factor for me (and dare I say, should be for everyone). I don't know much about the Android security model - does it have any advantages over iOS?

drucken 14y ago

Extremely detailed video comparison and review of Google Nexus 4 versus Samsung Galaxy S3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D30vBWCWCnI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D30vBWCWCnI

rdl 14y ago

I still like my iPhone and iPad, but I could see moving to Android in 1-2 generations. Apple's first-party software quality is declining, and not being able to override it is grating and limiting improvements. The two things which keep me from moving to Android are: 1) My ~$500 or so in purchased applications. Vendors should allow a one-time return of purchased apps on one platform to get them for the other, or just give both iOS and Android licenses for the same price if there's a way to prove the phone belongs to the same human. Admittedly 99% of what I really care about is free or <$100 total (Kindle, 1Password, Facebook, web, email, ssh pretty much cover my use). 2) Lack of hardware platform security features on most Android devices (semi-supported on the S3, apparently, but I'd only ever buy a Nexus device). If Google developed a Nexus 4+, 7+, 10+ with apple or blackberry level hw security, I'd probably switch, particularly if there were a way for an enterprise to essentially replicate the Google Apps management of devices with a simple self-hosted server (i.e. root of trust being enterprise, vs. Google or Apple).