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I haven't read the article but I was an iPhone3 for a year, nexus 1 for a year, nexus s for a year and now iPhone 4S for a year. Things I still miss: I still

I haven't read the article but I was an iPhone3 for a year, nexus 1 for a year, nexus s for a year and now iPhone 4S for a year. Things I still miss: I still miss that android apps can download in the background so for example when I wake up I the morning any new podcasts I'm subscribed to are already on the phone. Contrast to iOS6 where I have to remember to manually run the app. Which generally means I only run it just as I'm about to get in the car. I then sit in my entry way for 2-6 minutes waiting for my podcast app to download I miss that apps can register for more events and act on them. For example any app can register to get an event when a new photo is saved. It can then upload, in the background, that photo. That means I can install one Flickr app, one g+ app and one fb app and the photos get uploaded to all 3 services no matter which app I use to take the photo. Contrast to ios6 where either every photo app has to have built in uploading options for every service I could possibly want. Or, I have to manually run the specific app for each service. I miss auto app updating. I don't have as many apps as most of my friends on my iPhone but it seems like every day or every other day there's a number on the app store bugging me to update stuff. having to manually update is a distraction, chore, and annoyance I don't need. Of course I miss being able to choose various default apps. I want Camera+ to be my default camera. I want Google maps to be my default maps. I want gmail to be my default mail app. I want a different apps to be my default music player and video player. I want chrome to be my default browser. I miss being able to customize my desktop and lock screen. Not just adding widgets but changing it to use other apps. See http://slidescreenhome.com http://slidescreenhome.com as one example. I miss geeky things like being able to run an ssh tunnel in one app and use that tunnel in another app. That said I'm still on iPhone. There's still plenty of things I like about iPhone over Android. I don't see myself switching back for at least a few more generations.

lanelio 14y ago
"I haven't read the article but..." So it's come to this on HN...
- Tyrant505 14y ago
  No.. it was just stated instead of not.
- desigooner 14y ago
  I routinely read through the comments before I actually click on the link to the article. It's a quick indicator to the quality of the article and often, I learn more from the comments vs. the article itself.
  - jedahan 14y ago
    I used to do the same thing until I realized how much it affected my interpretation of the article. It colored my thoughts, making me part of the hivemind. Now I read the article first, then wait a few seconds before looking at what other people think so I can better for my own opinion.
    - i386 14y ago
      That's the problem with the HN:News iOS app - it shows the comments first and I've always believed it should show the article first.
      - lostlogin 14y ago
        Very much yes. I need more up votes to give. Why on earth are comments first, maybe comments first AFTER the first viewing, but not first time.
  - malachismith 14y ago
    Reading through the comments before reading the article is different from posting your thoughts without reading the article.
- ghshephard 14y ago
  Somewhere between 50-75% of the time I don't read the articles posted to HN. The comments are frequenty more interesting, and almost always have commenters that are more informed about the original topic.
bstar77 14y ago
For podcasts, I use Instacast and that definitely downloads in the background, but I believe the app just can't be in suspend state. As long as a bunch of apps have not been opened after instacast, it should download everything fone. The trade-off is to have background downloading on all the time, which is something I hated about android in the 4 years I used it. Background processes were always killing my battery and it was never obvious what was running. I think the sane compromise that I wish apple would make is to allow for more permanent background tasks to run, but only when externally powered.
- untog 14y ago
  As long as a bunch of apps have not been opened after instacast, it should download everything fone. See, for me that uncertainty is a killer. I want my podcasts downloaded in the morning. I don't want to have to check before I go to bed that the app is still in memory, that's mad. There are Android apps that abuse their background abilities, but the vast majority work just fine and don't kill your battery.
- jmreid 14y ago
  I don't think it's a matter of other apps not running after you suspend Instacast. All apps have a limited amount of time to complete something like a download task while backgrounded. In Downcast, I have set my home as a geo fence, and tell it to fetch new podcasts whenever I leave or arrive. Downcast is allowed to subscribe to this geofence and wake itself up to fetch new podcasts, all without me opening the app at all. The only catch is if the downloads take more than 15 minutes, they get paused until I open the app again.
ricw 14y ago
The downside of auto-downloading is that your tablet/phone will run out of battery much faster than on iOS. iOS has stand by times of weeks (31 days?), which is wonderful. My nexus 7 runs dry after days, arguably because of the apps I use, or because the OS allows them. I'm unsure which I prefer, though I'd like to be able to configure a trade-off between the two myself..
- wvenable 14y ago
  There is a setting to turn off background wifi when not plugged in; that should solve your problem on the nexus 7.
- ConstantineXVI 14y ago
  Simple fix: permissions. > [Podcast App] would like to run in the background. You can change this at any time. Allow/Deny? Or perhaps being a bit more specific: > [Podcast App] would like to sync nightly. Allow/Deny/Charging Only?
  - OriginalSyn 14y ago
    Or only allow downloading in background when connected to a charger.
  - bhaile 14y ago
    +1 I use BeyondPod as my Podcast manager and its set to only download when charging, on WiFi and at 7am. No background processing otherwise. I've used BeyondPod for so long that I don't even realize effective it is until reading all these comments. I have over 40 podcasts that are updated. I listen to them on flights, walking, downtime..etc.
- marshray 14y ago
  I don't have a problem with plugging my device in every few days. Perhaps I'm just trained from the bad old NiCd days to keep unused stuff on the charger.
leephillips 14y ago
You sure make a good case for Android being vastly more capable. After that litany, I'm really curious what are the "plenty of things I like about iPhone over Android". Why are you sticking with the iPhone despite your compelling list of Android advantages? I ask as someone who has used iPhone but not Android, is keenly aware of iOS limitations, but likes the hardware.
- slykat 14y ago
  I've switched between the two platforms a bit - I had an iphone 3G, a few android phones, and switched back to iOS with iPhone 5. I really like Android but there were a few deal killers: 1) Battery life - pretty much the reason I switched back to iPhone. It doesn't matter how great the software is - if I can't turn on the phone it's useless. I don't know how many times I would be racing to meet friends at night, hoping I would reach them in time before my phone completely died. I spent an unforgivable about of my time tinkering with settings to extend battery using widgets (toggling data, location services, turning down brightness to the point it was barely viewable, etc.). My last phone was a Galaxy Nexus and almost everyone on my team had one. Guess how many people had 4G on? No one - the phone died in hours with it on. A close friend, who is a diehard Android fan, keeps a stock of 3 charged batteries on him at all times (he has a separate charger). All of this was just too much of a hassle for me to justify. I haven't had a single day where my phone has died before I've gone home with my iPhone; it lasts a full day with my normal usage. 2) OS upgrades - I was debating between the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5 for my last phone purchase. Besides battery issues, a major con was that I knew the S3 would probably never be updated. Some of my favorite Android features are recent updates (Google Now) and it'd be painful to know that I probably miss out on new features for the 2 years of my phone contract. If the phone you want is a Nexus, this won't be that much of an issue, but that severely limits your device options. And it still somewhat applies to Nexus phones - the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is 3 OS updates behind due to Verizon's approval process. 3) UI/design - There is still a lack of UI/design consistency across the Android ecosystem. It means that the learning curve for the ecosystem is still higher than iOS and sometimes things don't behave the way you expect. Anyone who uses a combination Maps, Nav, and the back button heavily will feel this. I find that the Google Maps iOS app is significantly more consistent than the Android version (although less powerful). This is a consistent theme with iOS vs. Android - better UI but less power. 4) Camera - The camera is one of my most frequently used applications and Galaxy Nexus camera was pretty bad; Google sacrificed camera quality for shutter speed. There are a few Android phones with great cameras (S3) but they are not part of the Nexus line (see #2) 5) App polish - There is still a gap in the quality of applications on the two ecosystems. This is due to many developing on iOS first and Apple's review process. This is a minor complaint since the gap is narrowing and I expect this advantage to be gone by the end of 2013. 6) Maintenance & Depreciation - Have a cracked screen? Good luck finding a shop that will replace your phone model at a decent rate. Screen replacement on my Galaxy Nexus was $100+ while you can easily get your iPhone screen replaced for $30. Depreciation is a "feature" many don't think about, but it's nice to know that I can sell my phone for a decent rate if I switch back to Android (http://priceonomics.com/phones/ http://priceonomics.com/phones/) I'm still a big fan of Android and will probably switch back when there's a Nexus phone released with a solid battery & camera.
jmreid 14y ago
You can do this kind-of on the iPhone. Some apps support the geo fence wake-up thing that lets them update subscriptions. For example, you can set your home address in Downcast or Instapaper so that when you leave or arrive, those apps will fetch new content without you having to open the app. Downcast will even download the podcasts in the background. Now, this requires you to move outside the fence, so it's not time based. But I had a decent system where I had my work and home address in Downcast and I set it to fetch whenever I leave or arrive. My regular commute meant that I was always triggering the geo fence.
- ulyssesgrant 14y ago
  wouldn't this be the same as initiating the download as you prepare to leave the house? you'll still have to wait the 2-6 minutes for the podcast
  - jmreid 14y ago
    Sure, but my way means that I get in my car and my podcasts are refreshed, or at least they are when I hit the first set of lights.
  - Domenic_S 14y ago
    I'm a very casual podcast listener. I pull up the stock iOS podcast app, hit the podcast I want to listen to, and it streams (plays) while downloading. On non-wifi it takes maybe 4 seconds to start. Is this unusual? Do other apps make you wait for the whole 'cast to download? Is it a per-podcast thing?
    - nicolethenerd 14y ago
      This assumes that you're somewhere with wifi (or 3/4G, I suppose). I do a good chunk of my iPhone media consumption during my commute via the subway - there's no internet underground, so everything needs to be pre-downloaded.
mikec3k 14y ago
Android still feels too clunky for me and I dislike the flat UI without gradients, drop shadows, or rounded corners.

lanelio 14y ago

"I haven't read the article but..." So it's come to this on HN...

Tyrant505 14y ago
No.. it was just stated instead of not.
desigooner 14y ago
I routinely read through the comments before I actually click on the link to the article. It's a quick indicator to the quality of the article and often, I learn more from the comments vs. the article itself.
- jedahan 14y ago
  I used to do the same thing until I realized how much it affected my interpretation of the article. It colored my thoughts, making me part of the hivemind. Now I read the article first, then wait a few seconds before looking at what other people think so I can better for my own opinion.
  - i386 14y ago
    That's the problem with the HN:News iOS app - it shows the comments first and I've always believed it should show the article first.
    - lostlogin 14y ago
      Very much yes. I need more up votes to give. Why on earth are comments first, maybe comments first AFTER the first viewing, but not first time.
- malachismith 14y ago
  Reading through the comments before reading the article is different from posting your thoughts without reading the article.
ghshephard 14y ago
Somewhere between 50-75% of the time I don't read the articles posted to HN. The comments are frequenty more interesting, and almost always have commenters that are more informed about the original topic.

bstar77 14y ago

For podcasts, I use Instacast and that definitely downloads in the background, but I believe the app just can't be in suspend state. As long as a bunch of apps have not been opened after instacast, it should download everything fone. The trade-off is to have background downloading on all the time, which is something I hated about android in the 4 years I used it. Background processes were always killing my battery and it was never obvious what was running. I think the sane compromise that I wish apple would make is to allow for more permanent background tasks to run, but only when externally powered.

untog 14y ago
As long as a bunch of apps have not been opened after instacast, it should download everything fone. See, for me that uncertainty is a killer. I want my podcasts downloaded in the morning. I don't want to have to check before I go to bed that the app is still in memory, that's mad. There are Android apps that abuse their background abilities, but the vast majority work just fine and don't kill your battery.
jmreid 14y ago
I don't think it's a matter of other apps not running after you suspend Instacast. All apps have a limited amount of time to complete something like a download task while backgrounded. In Downcast, I have set my home as a geo fence, and tell it to fetch new podcasts whenever I leave or arrive. Downcast is allowed to subscribe to this geofence and wake itself up to fetch new podcasts, all without me opening the app at all. The only catch is if the downloads take more than 15 minutes, they get paused until I open the app again.

ricw 14y ago

The downside of auto-downloading is that your tablet/phone will run out of battery much faster than on iOS. iOS has stand by times of weeks (31 days?), which is wonderful. My nexus 7 runs dry after days, arguably because of the apps I use, or because the OS allows them. I'm unsure which I prefer, though I'd like to be able to configure a trade-off between the two myself..

wvenable 14y ago
There is a setting to turn off background wifi when not plugged in; that should solve your problem on the nexus 7.
ConstantineXVI 14y ago
Simple fix: permissions. > [Podcast App] would like to run in the background. You can change this at any time. Allow/Deny? Or perhaps being a bit more specific: > [Podcast App] would like to sync nightly. Allow/Deny/Charging Only?
- OriginalSyn 14y ago
  Or only allow downloading in background when connected to a charger.
- bhaile 14y ago
  +1 I use BeyondPod as my Podcast manager and its set to only download when charging, on WiFi and at 7am. No background processing otherwise. I've used BeyondPod for so long that I don't even realize effective it is until reading all these comments. I have over 40 podcasts that are updated. I listen to them on flights, walking, downtime..etc.
marshray 14y ago
I don't have a problem with plugging my device in every few days. Perhaps I'm just trained from the bad old NiCd days to keep unused stuff on the charger.

leephillips 14y ago

You sure make a good case for Android being vastly more capable. After that litany, I'm really curious what are the "plenty of things I like about iPhone over Android". Why are you sticking with the iPhone despite your compelling list of Android advantages? I ask as someone who has used iPhone but not Android, is keenly aware of iOS limitations, but likes the hardware.

slykat 14y ago
I've switched between the two platforms a bit - I had an iphone 3G, a few android phones, and switched back to iOS with iPhone 5. I really like Android but there were a few deal killers: 1) Battery life - pretty much the reason I switched back to iPhone. It doesn't matter how great the software is - if I can't turn on the phone it's useless. I don't know how many times I would be racing to meet friends at night, hoping I would reach them in time before my phone completely died. I spent an unforgivable about of my time tinkering with settings to extend battery using widgets (toggling data, location services, turning down brightness to the point it was barely viewable, etc.). My last phone was a Galaxy Nexus and almost everyone on my team had one. Guess how many people had 4G on? No one - the phone died in hours with it on. A close friend, who is a diehard Android fan, keeps a stock of 3 charged batteries on him at all times (he has a separate charger). All of this was just too much of a hassle for me to justify. I haven't had a single day where my phone has died before I've gone home with my iPhone; it lasts a full day with my normal usage. 2) OS upgrades - I was debating between the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5 for my last phone purchase. Besides battery issues, a major con was that I knew the S3 would probably never be updated. Some of my favorite Android features are recent updates (Google Now) and it'd be painful to know that I probably miss out on new features for the 2 years of my phone contract. If the phone you want is a Nexus, this won't be that much of an issue, but that severely limits your device options. And it still somewhat applies to Nexus phones - the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is 3 OS updates behind due to Verizon's approval process. 3) UI/design - There is still a lack of UI/design consistency across the Android ecosystem. It means that the learning curve for the ecosystem is still higher than iOS and sometimes things don't behave the way you expect. Anyone who uses a combination Maps, Nav, and the back button heavily will feel this. I find that the Google Maps iOS app is significantly more consistent than the Android version (although less powerful). This is a consistent theme with iOS vs. Android - better UI but less power. 4) Camera - The camera is one of my most frequently used applications and Galaxy Nexus camera was pretty bad; Google sacrificed camera quality for shutter speed. There are a few Android phones with great cameras (S3) but they are not part of the Nexus line (see #2) 5) App polish - There is still a gap in the quality of applications on the two ecosystems. This is due to many developing on iOS first and Apple's review process. This is a minor complaint since the gap is narrowing and I expect this advantage to be gone by the end of 2013. 6) Maintenance & Depreciation - Have a cracked screen? Good luck finding a shop that will replace your phone model at a decent rate. Screen replacement on my Galaxy Nexus was $100+ while you can easily get your iPhone screen replaced for $30. Depreciation is a "feature" many don't think about, but it's nice to know that I can sell my phone for a decent rate if I switch back to Android (http://priceonomics.com/phones/ http://priceonomics.com/phones/) I'm still a big fan of Android and will probably switch back when there's a Nexus phone released with a solid battery & camera.

jmreid 14y ago

You can do this kind-of on the iPhone. Some apps support the geo fence wake-up thing that lets them update subscriptions. For example, you can set your home address in Downcast or Instapaper so that when you leave or arrive, those apps will fetch new content without you having to open the app. Downcast will even download the podcasts in the background. Now, this requires you to move outside the fence, so it's not time based. But I had a decent system where I had my work and home address in Downcast and I set it to fetch whenever I leave or arrive. My regular commute meant that I was always triggering the geo fence.

ulyssesgrant 14y ago
wouldn't this be the same as initiating the download as you prepare to leave the house? you'll still have to wait the 2-6 minutes for the podcast
- jmreid 14y ago
  Sure, but my way means that I get in my car and my podcasts are refreshed, or at least they are when I hit the first set of lights.
- Domenic_S 14y ago
  I'm a very casual podcast listener. I pull up the stock iOS podcast app, hit the podcast I want to listen to, and it streams (plays) while downloading. On non-wifi it takes maybe 4 seconds to start. Is this unusual? Do other apps make you wait for the whole 'cast to download? Is it a per-podcast thing?
  - nicolethenerd 14y ago
    This assumes that you're somewhere with wifi (or 3/4G, I suppose). I do a good chunk of my iPhone media consumption during my commute via the subway - there's no internet underground, so everything needs to be pre-downloaded.

mikec3k 14y ago

Android still feels too clunky for me and I dislike the flat UI without gradients, drop shadows, or rounded corners.