

I tried Android, but couldn't switch. Did you know you can't undo text edits? - benguild
http://benguild.com/2013/11/20/android-cant-undo-text-edits-wont-switch/

======
crazygringo
I've had an iPhone for two years, and never even _heard_ about undo before. I
almost couldn't believe it when I tried shaking, and it actually worked. Talk
about hidden features...

But typing is so much slower with an on-screen keyboard anyways, and I so
rarely select text for anything but copy/paste, it has never once happened
that I wished there was an undo.

~~~
Geee
Hah, maybe Samdung didn't copy the feature because they didn't notice it
either. And thus, they don't have undo at all. Hilarious.

~~~
code_duck
This feature's presence or absence is more about Android and Google than a
vendor such as 'Samdung'.

------
Khao
In other words : An Apple fanboy is being a total compainypants about Android
because he doesn't want to accept that it's actually a pretty good phone.

~~~
canistr
I disagree. Any time someone switches platforms, they will undoubtedly be more
prone to identify quirks and missing features in the new platform than
everyday users.

If companies (be it Apple or Google) want users to switch to their platform
from their competitors, it's critical for them to maintain feature-parity and
push the boundaries on their strengths. Case in point: Apple adding
notifications and copy&paste to the iPhone. Both were gripes from non-iPhone
users. But at some point, Apple had to bite the bullet to follow suit. Whether
their implementation was a success isn't the point, but rather keeping up with
the competition in feature parity.

~~~
Touche
> I disagree. Any time someone switches platforms, they will undoubtedly be
> more prone to identify quirks and missing features in the new platform than
> everyday users.

Exactly, and this goes both ways. I switched to iPhone a little over a year
ago (because apps) and the new car smell lasted about a day before I was
annoyed by quirks like lack of a swipe-keyboard, inability to get a piece of
information from one app into another app, and bad app switching. I returned
it after about a week of frustration.

------
Artemis2
"While nearly all of our consumer audio devices share the 3.5mm headphone jack
(and have since before I was born), my Apple “earpods” don't function properly
with Android phones!"

Welcome to Apple world, where everything interesting is patented so it works
only with your iPhone.

"Even my Mac computer can accept remote commands from and utilize the
microphone of these (for audio/video calls)."

Guess who makes Macs? Apple.

------
mortenjorck
I have to admit, my jaw dropped when I found out I couldn't undo a text edit
on my Nexus 7. This was last year; I assumed it had to be something that would
make it into 4.3 (no) or 4.4 (still no).

iOS's shake-to-undo still feels a bit gimmicky to me (I prefer the keyboard
undo button on iPads), but it's something that should have come immediately
after clipboard support on Android.

------
chrisrhoden
The complaint about backups is inaccurate. Preferences like sound or vibration
on type and (infamously) wifi are backed up automatically and restored on
boot. Many apps choose to save user preferences on their own servers in lieu
of using the Shared Preference manager, but many others do not - those
preferences will also be restored.

~~~
projct
Inaccurate? He turned on backup, and most of the settings didn't come back.
Apps don't opt-in to the backup feature in iOS - they opt out. This is a
design decision that results in a UX failure, and not an inaccurate complaint
at all.

------
headShrinker
These are not deal killers for me, so much as they are selling points for
Apple.

Android has plenty of deal killers; slow scrolling response, too many crap
apps in store, bloatware, cheap hardware designs, music players that lack
complex playlist algorithms, lacking mac integration, limited upgradability,
dumb OS features (samsung, ei: eye tracking?!), OS updates delayed up to one
year after release, short battery life, etc.

~~~
Nemisis7654
Like maxk42 said, most of these are device specific. I will address some of
these more specifically, though.

    
    
      slow scrolling response

While Android as a whole may not be as smooth as iOS is (due to the Dalvik VM
if I'm not mistaken), this is pretty much a non-issue on most newer phones
from what I've seen. Also, the addition of the Android Runtime, I've noticed
zero lag on my Nexus 5.

    
    
      Too many crap apps in store

This is an issue on both platforms. Most of the most popular apps on the App
Store are on the Play Store as well.

    
    
      Cheap hardware designs

Not really an Android issue. Blame this on the OEMs. Though, there are some
very well built, comfortable phones. HTC One, Moto X, both Nexus 4 and Nexus
5. This is more of a personal preference. I could say the same about iPhones
as I personally don't like the design of the phone.

    
    
      Music players that lack complex playlist algorithms

Perhaps not as complex as iTunes, Google Play Music is quite a service. Check
it out if you haven't.

    
    
      Lacking mac integration

Any specific examples here? I have used a Mac for the past year and have had
no issues with integration.

    
    
      Limited upgradability

Not sure what you mean if not OS upgradability (see below).

    
    
      Dumb OS features

Again device specific. Also, something you might see as dumb may not be to
someone else. Personally, I think the fingerprint scanner is dumb. Thought it
was when Motorola did it years ago, think it still is today.

    
    
      OS updates delayed

Again, device specific. Nexus phones do not have this problem. Moto X is
another phone that is getting quick updates.

    
    
      Short battery life

No response here. This is my biggest gripe with Android.

------
andybak
Backup is big one and as a long-term Android user I find it unforgivable that
this isn't implemented in a system-wide way.

Text undo - now you mention it, that would be nice to have. I can't say I've
ever cursed it's absence though.

He's just wrong on the camera focus. Just tried it.

I don't use disk encryption although what he says seems to make sense. I
wouldn't call it a deal-breaker though.

Finally - regarding hardware compatibility? - sounds like a gap in the market
for an enterprising chap!

~~~
benguild
Video camera focus, not the photo camera. :)

------
girvo
Man... I swear you can undo in nearly any text box on Android (unless it's a
custom class used by the third party dev)... You long press on the text box
and click undo on the popup.

Am I remember wrong? It's been 12 months since I last used my Xperia, so I
probably am.

~~~
aetherson
I just tried on my Razr M, and no, no undo option based on a long press. Just
cut, copy, and select-all. Same on my Nexus 7.

I'd never heard of a shake-undo feature on iOS, but it does sound awesome.

~~~
girvo
It's actually annoying sometimes! But useful when you need it.

~~~
maxk42
Yeah, I don't have the steadiest hands. I can imagine the undo popup coming
'round every friggin' time I try to type something...

Then again, I'd take Swiftkeys over undo any day.

~~~
clarky07
I've had an iPhone for over 4 years and didn't know this feature existed.
Unsteady hands will not set it off.

------
revelation
Huh? You can manually refocus the camera, just tap on the image somewhere. I'd
do a video, but.. (Nexus 4 w/ 4.4)

~~~
eonil
Is this feature universally available over all the devices if they have recent
OS?

~~~
Karunamon
I'm unaware of a phone camera that doesn't have some kind of focus capability,
and the tap-to-focus feature is part of the AOSP camera in, at least, anything
north of 4.0, so...

~~~
jordanthoms
His complaint is that you can't tap to focus _while shooting video_.

------
canistr
As an everyday carrier of both an iOS and Android device, it's rather
refreshing when people point out flaws and points of improvements on both
platforms. I certainly hope Google fixes these problems ASAP.

~~~
Tloewald
The competition between Android and iOS will probably go down as one of the
great technical "great leaps forward" in history. While I often wish they
could all just get along, the fact that two incredibly capable companies (and
heck, Microsoft as well now) are fighting it out hammer and tongs in a pretty
flat playing field is ridiculously awesome. Imagine if the same level of
competition had existed between Apple and Microsoft between 1985 and 2000.

Consider that we're getting smaller, faster, lower powered, and often cheaper
devices with more features every year. We got this level of progress in PC
hardware for a while (1990-2003 or so) but software progressed far more
slowly. Right now, literally everything is up for grabs, and everyone is
benefiting.

------
neals
I've been an iPhone user for the past 4 years. I know about the undo feature
but have honestly never ever used it.

------
tbob22
You can undo in Android, just not with the stock keyboard. Try out A.I.type
Keyboard. It may not be the best solution as it should be built in, but it
does work.

[http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/7762/zm0t.png](http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/7762/zm0t.png)

------
hiddensanctum
Android and iOS are very different OSes. iOS I feel is more out of the box
everything you need but you must use our stuff (itunes, imessage...etc). Stock
Android is more here is a barebone kit and we got all these third party stuff.
Pick and choose what you like.

The Nexus 5 is for people who don't want all this complications. Its a very
barebone phone designed for devs. But if you get an Android with a third part
skin like the HTC One, most of these issues are solved (off the top of my head
I know it has #2 and #3).

------
clarky07
Interesting, I just tried Android for the last week as well. None of his
complaints bothered me though. I actually almost switched, but ended up going
back to iPhone as well. I will miss some things (widgets) but in the end the
iPhone is better at being a phone IMO.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6777363](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6777363)

------
lowmagnet
I've been on the fence about switching away from iPhone. I hardly use Apple
software and only the non-straightforward backup really bothers me.

~~~
trimtab
TitaniumBackup with back up to a cloud service or your own server solves that
problem. Alas, you do have to "root" your phone.

I agree such functionality should be included with any Smartphone at this
point, but it appears that only a small percentage of Smartphone consumers
seem to care.

------
tomp
After a year of using Samsung Galaxy S 2, I realized that the most common
reason that my phone shuts down (i.e. crashes) and restarts is copying to
clipboard. After 20 clipboard uses, it just crashes, and Samsung, the biggest
and richest Android vendor has refused to fix this issue for almost 2 years!

------
Nemisis7654
Wow, I did not know about that undo feature. That would be a great addition to
Android.

One way they could do this pretty easily in my opinion (if they wouldn't do
the shake feature) is to have it included in the contextual action bar when
you highlight text.

------
thinkmassive
Concerning the SIM card, that sounds more like an issue with using a Verizon
phone overseas than any issue with Android. I believe any non-LTE Verizon
phone (including pre-LTE iPhones) would have the same issue.

------
benguild
I feel like #1-4 are really small fixes. Can't wait to try Android again!

~~~
NickPollard
#1-4 seem like reasonable issues, and I hope they get fixed. None are things
that are a problem for me, but I can see how they would be for some.

#5 - I might be misunderstanding this, but it reads like: Apple-specific
hardware does not work on Android, and this is the fault of Android. I would
say the fault lies with Apple, who force proprietary interfaces and not open
standards. Then again, for headphone interfaces (which I myself don't use - I
have a decent pair of Sony headphones which just have a standard audio jack
for audio only), I suspect that other manufacturers are dropping the ball too.

~~~
benguild
I agree with your thoughts on #5. The main reason I mentioned it was not at
the fault of Android, but more just at the fault of manufacturers.

I'm glad we've agreed on USB, but I don't understand the need for proprietary
3.5mm remote protocols at this point.

------
nitrogen
Has anyone tried pairing a Bluetooth keyboard and pressing Ctrl-Z? I seem to
recall this working in the emulator.

~~~
benguild
I believe this does work.

------
eonil
People easily forget what's precious while they're having it. And then,
realize after they lost it.

~~~
andybak
Deep. Unfortunately I have no idea what you're talking about. Care to
elaborate?

~~~
eonil
I meant, they are happy with iOS because there's something important, but they
easily forget because it's hard to be described in words. Not impossible,
anyway a lot harder than simple numbers and graphs. Or it looks too natural to
be lacked.

And people realize that other products are lacking that after they drop iOS.

------
goggles99
Article points out missing features or presumed flaws in Android, but not The
inverse (IOS flaws and missing features). How does this add value for anyone
thinking of switching? or wanting to debate which phone is better for whom and
why.

As such, it's nothing but another uninformed rant.

It's likely that most people who own an iPhone don't even know about this
feature.

He owned an android phone for a week and did not even see half the features
that Android has and IOS lacks. How can you adjust to a totally different UI
(and begin to appreciate many of the features and differences) in such a short
period of time.

This post was not worth reading.

