CVByrne Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Forget it, the only way to understand is when you get using touchscreen smartphones fore a few months. Ok, One last attempt to explain. Yes you can get news by clicking on the app that has it, I get news I want without specifically going looking for it. Instead of going oh what is the score in the villa game and checking for it, my phone will alert me with the score without me opening an app because it is set up to. If I scroll to my news home screen it is filled with different news widgets I've set up, so instead of opening an app for each separate news widget I have it all there on one screen in a flash. I dunno I'm trying my best to explain. Maybe mykeyb will give you a better insight in a month or two, he wants a bit of customization so I'm sure he'll have loads of different home screens full of widgets and will be in a position to explain specific differences between the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykeyb Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 If you press the home button you will get the start screen with all the usual app icons on an IPhone, on an Android you can have whatever you like, weather, diary appointments and so on. Not only that you can completely change the look of your home screens very very easily. On an IPhone you can move your apps around, creat folders for them and that's about it. The iPhone is probably the best phone I have had but have really missed the ability to play around with the UI like I could on my previous Windows Mobile phones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerlad Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 When I press the home button it flicks to the home page with all the icons I have chose to have there. Not many as I like to have a photo wallpaper to see, but I have 8 icons/apps that I have chose to have there. Conor!!!!!! I got it right.... I see what u mean about the news widget, I suppose thats a pretty good thing, altho the BBC news app is editable to have the news, sport i choose to have whn i open it. so kinda the same I guess.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 It's not the same because you still have to open it. You can't just glance at your phone and have the information there. I have a widget on my homescreen that gives me train times, it switches between stations based on my location, to see what time my departure is I just look at the widget, no need to open the app or anything, it's there, constantly updated, all the time. With an iphone you'd have to spend time loading the app for that. Just browse through this thread you'll soon get the idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerlad Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Yeh but what i mean is, if the news app is your 2nd screen u still have to slide to it, same way i have press the app to open it. Seems the same really, altho like i have already said the 'live' widgets sound like a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerlad Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 That site you linked, mentions Hacks at the top... does that mean you have to hack to do all/some of those things? just wondering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykeyb Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 If you want to switch on or off Bluetooth on an iPhone you have to press the home button then settings then general then Bluetooth then you can toggle it on or off. On Android you would just put a widget to switch it on or off from you home screen. You can pretty much design your own layout to include whatever is most important to you. That's just not possible with an Iphone and probably never will be if Steve Jobs has his way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 That site you linked, mentions Hacks at the top... does that mean you have to hack to do all/some of those things? just wondering? Nope. Hacking is for loading custom roms. 99.9% of the things in that thread can be done on stock. You might be able to launch an app to see the same data, but you'd then have to wait for the app to load and fetch the data. The beauty of widgets is they can have the data pushed to them, so it's always there waiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerlad Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 That site you linked, mentions Hacks at the top... does that mean you have to hack to do all/some of those things? just wondering? Nope. Hacking is for loading custom roms. 99.9% of the things in that thread can be done on stock. You might be able to launch an app to see the same data, but you'd then have to wait for the app to load and fetch the data. The beauty of widgets is they can have the data pushed to them, so it's always there waiting.And caining your data ;-). Tbh, although the things mentioned are quite 'cool', I don't think it's something that would make choose android over iPhone. I suppose it's personal preference though, I'm not that fussed at having news etc pushed through to my phone but if I did i guess that would be an advantage over the iPhone. For me though, the apps, the ease of use, the look is something that matters more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 No offence Gingerlad but you're new to touchscreen smartphones so probably won't get the merits of these things until you are well used to them. Smartphones have learning curves. My one gripe is with this comment I don't think it's something that would make choose android over iPhone. Why does it have to have something special to make you pick it over the iPhone, it does everything the iPhone does and more, for far cheaper. See what I mean, we're telling you why many people enjoy Androids custimisation advantages over the iPhone. Even if they are not features you think are that great, it's not a negative to have them. It not like the default setting is "iPhone is better, you need to show me some special feature that makes me go wow to have Android." You bought an iPhone because it has the marketing and is a well known brand but never actually researched Android at all. So to be fair you bought an iPhone without knowing what else there is on offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerlad Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Like I said, I'm not new to touch screen smart phones. Had one for the last 2 yrs. Also I stated why I chose the iPhone. Ease of use etc. I'm just saying the main point you're making is the custom widgets. Which I admitted was good, but not something that would make me choose it over the things I chose iPhone for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerlad Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Oh, and for far cheaper? I got the phone for free? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Firstly, the myth of ease of use. You couldn't have researched Android properly. As 2.2 is as slick as iOS4. This Android is hard to use is crap is about 12 years old at this stage. It's a fully fledged slick operating system. In fact many reviewers believe HTC's Sense is the smartphone interface king. Also look how long your contract is and how much your monthly bill is, in relation to data/mins/texts etc. Android is cheaper. It's pretty common knowledge. Also widgets is just the tip of the iceberg. As I said it'd take weeks to detail everything. As you get to know your iPhone, when you find something you want it to do and it doesn't let you, 99% of the time Android will let you do that. For example flash video, iOS doesn't support it, so no streaming. Many iPhone paid apps are free on Android as they are funded through advertising. Angry Birds for example. There is Wifi Tethering, Wifi hotspot, free turn by turn sat nav. Plus many more things. Anyway, enough of this. Enjoy your iPhone. It is the first "real" touchscreen smartphone you've had. You'll never go back to a normal phone from here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerlad Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 It's not the first real touch screen smart phone I've had. As I've said. And I pay £35 for 1200 mins, unlim txt and I think 1gb data. Might be 750 tho. for 18 months. I wouldn't say that You could get android for 'far' cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 I edited my above post to expand a bit. What was your previous touchscreen smartphone then? Was it a nokia, did it have a stylus and run symbian? "real" means iPhone, Android or Windows Phone 7. All others are total failures that they are now extinct or getting there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerlad Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 It was a nokia.yes. It did have stylus but I never used it once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 It's not a smartphone in the modern sense. Not like the current three platforms I mentioned. Look the iPhone 4 is a superb phone, with a slick operating system and the market leading app store. But for many it's not the peak of the smartphone experience, Android is with it's superior features and level of customisation that even extends to the handsets themselves. There are Android phones with screens from 2inch's up to 5. With loads of choice, a person can pick the exact experience they want, not the one Steve Jobs gives you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerlad Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 The iPhone does everything I could ask for, and more. Your bias is what makes you say android is far superior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 I said "for many", as in "many people" not all people. Many people believe that Android is the peak of the smartphone. The iPhone does everything you ask for and more, but that's not the case for everyone Unlike you I'm not biased, I have legitimate reasons for thinking Android and a choice of handset is superior to the iPhone. I've detailed my reasons many times. While you don't even know what Android does, yet call me biased. I tried to be informative here. I'll learn to treat you as a iPhone fanboi next time. As you've made a strong case for being one today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerlad Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Maybe I am. But you've failed to mention anything that would make me think android Is superior to iPhone. The live widget I admit Is good altho not something I'd find useful. the 4" screen is so insignificant it's irrelevant. App store, ease of use, asthetics, these are all things I find more appealing in the iPhone. If that makes me a fanboy then so be it. But you do come across as someone desperately trying to justify not having an iPhone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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