I'm on my second Google Nexus phone and couldn't be happier. I've had
iPhone and other Android phones in the past. My last Nexus phone is now
used by my spouse. As Chuck mentioned, updates are early and often and
automatic. By contrast, my Asus tablet probably won't ever see another OS
update.
While I certainly agree with Moose that many things are easier (and often
prettier) with iThings, there are other issues.
A huge one for me in the past was that there weren't apps even available to
implement some functions I used a lot in support of systems and end-users.
Apple's ecosystem rules simply didn't allow them. I truly don't know how
many restrictions in this regard still exist, but one I remember clearly is
the inability to use Bluetooth for purposes other than headsets (or
equivalent connections). The other, and continuing issue is the inability
for Apps to communicate effectively from one to another, or to other
disparate systems. With Android, I can easily share data from most any app
to most any other app, without jumping through hoops engendered by Apple
trying to keep people locked in to the Apple ecosystem.
But one thing I am finding more and more potentially useful, the more I
learn about it and as I have begun using it, is the addition to many of the
Android phones of Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities. Want to
trade contact info? Choose the contact, tap phone-back to phone-back and it
pretty much just happens. Works for many, many other types of data
transfers also. It's being implemented (too slowly, IMO) for "tap and go"
payment systems at stores. With cheap NFC "tags", it can be used for
location awareness (to the room level, for example) at home. Or to set a
home automation/alarm system on or off (via the same tag, even) when
entering or leaving the house. Or to set phone features on or off depending
on whether one is home, at work, or in the car. And as I mentioned to Mike
Lazzari a short time ago, off list, it could be used to great advantage for
the project he's looking at with the NPS.
Unfortunately, no NFC capability in iThings...
---
Scott
On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 4:32 PM, Chuck Norcutt <
chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I don't know that I'll ever be tempted to buy an iThingy but my two
Android devices (a Huawei phone and Google Nexus 7" tablet) illustrate the
different levels of support from different companies. The Huawei phone is
several levels back from the current version of Android with no hope of
ever being updated. Even discovering that little factoid is difficult.
I'm not worried about it because it was cheap and I only use it as a dumb
phone that can also take pictures. The Google Nexus is totally different.
Since it's a Google product it's more like the support you get from Apple
or Microsoft. On the Nexus, updates to the OS and apps are common and take
place automatically. I only have a couple of apps. They don't communicate
with each other but have no need to.
One of these days I'll probably have to decide which mobile camp I'm in.
What I know at the moment is that I'll be very selective as to the
hardware supplier if it's Android or something else.
Chuck Norcutt
On 7/15/2014 4:48 PM, Moose wrote:
The tendency of Android makers to leave individual models stuck with
aging versions of the OS that can't be updated is just crap. The
variations in hardware quality and OS support make iDevices and iOS seem
like a haven of simplicity, quality and reliability.
--
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