

After the iPhone 4S, Android just feels wrong  - danilocampos
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-news/after-the-iphone-4s-android-just-feels-wrong/5068

======
ubercore
I'm having the opposite reaction. I find myself fighting against iOS most of
the time. The browser zooms to odd proportion on most pages, and I really miss
the double-tap to zoom for one-handed browsing. Reading a notification, and
having no direct path back to where you came from (answering a txt message,
for instance) feels really clunky. The lack of widgets feels outdated and
dogmatic, rather than useful. Being able to put a contact on my home screen,
click once to open ways to communicate and a second time to
email/txt/call/facebook is amazingly useful to me, because I generally contact
only a few people on a regular basis.

And if you expand to include the ecosystem, it's not even close. The iCloud
web apps are pathetic compared to Google's offerings.

I could go on. And this isn't just bashing, I'm growing to like a lot about
iOS, but I think these Android vs iOS stories are mostly link bait. They're a
lot more similar than most people will admit, and both have plusses and
minuses.

EDIT: Ok click to zoom is kinda there, but I like the way it works on Android
better. That's just a preference, so I'll strike that from my list of
objections.

~~~
myspy
Double-tap for zoom is there all the time but maybe the sites you visit don't
zoom correctly because the container goes all the way from left to right (I
think this site has such a zooming problem).

And the iCloud web apps are awesome. Don't know where the problem is. They
behave like real OS apps. I like that.

~~~
ubercore
Really? Performance is awful for me.

------
Pewpewarrows
For the uninformed, these are two separate issues.

The first is that apps are laggy or jittery during scrolling or animations.
This is partially due to poor coding from developers, but the main reason for
its existence was the lack of hardware acceleration on Android devices. This
changed with 3.0 on tablets, and now 4.0 on everything. Developers still have
to opt-in with a one-line XML file change, due to compatibility issues. So in
essence this has been solved across the board.

The second is what a lot of users are now referring to (and was largely masked
by the presence of the former problem). And it's that there's a much larger
drag distance required to "initiate" user interaction on Android than iOS.
When I pick up a friend's iPhone, it seems like if a hair on my finger even
grazes the screen the UI immediately (and appropriately) reacts. On every
Android device that I've ever used, it takes approximately 0.5 to 1.0
centimeters before the UI will begin to react and scroll. This is what people
mean when they say that it feels like you're "pulling" the UI on Android,
while iOS has 1:1 natural interaction.

Is it annoying? Yes. But after moderate use I stop noticing it, until I happen
to touch an iOS device again. Now that Ice Cream Sandwich has taken care of
every other fault with the platform I had, this is really the last item on my
list of complaints, having used Android devices for years on a near-daily
basis. I don't know if it's a problem with the hardware of the screen sensors
themselves or with the levels of abstraction to Java-land, but this should be
their top priority for what I can only assume they'll call Jelly Bean.

~~~
Steko
"So in essence this has been solved across the board."

Which is why ICS Galaxy Nexus demo units were reported to still be laggy?

~~~
Pewpewarrows
Not from what I saw or heard. Engadget's review for example praised how silky
smooth the entire user experience now was.

Though I can imagine that being a beta build running in debug mode doesn't
really help, if someone did see the occasional hiccup.

~~~
chugger
is ICS going to fix all the crashes, virus/spyware/malware, poor battery life?
will ICS even run on older Android phones? will your carrier even let you
upgrade to ICS?

~~~
andylei
i mean, if you look at old iphones, they're pretty laggy and jittery on newer
versions of ios

~~~
rimantas
You mean specifically iPhone 3G with iOS 4.0 (which was fixed with 4.1)?

~~~
gergles
Doubtful, he probably means things like my (current-gen) iPod touch, which
runs like molasses with iOS 5. Stutters, jumps, unresponsiveness far worse
than any Android phone I ever used.

~~~
falling
There is probably something wrong with your iPod. I'd take it to the Apple
Store. iOS 5 works fine on a 3GS, and your iPod has iPhone 4-comparable
hardware.

~~~
Champer2
The iPod touch (current gen) has 256MB of RAM to the iPhone4(S)'s 512MB. The
iPod Touch (current gen) has a retina display which the iPhone 3GS doesn't
have. These factors may have produced a difference in performance.

------
cryptoz
Comparing last year's Android with this year's iOS? Why not wait three weeks
and compare recent iOS and recent Android?

I think it's common knowledge Google didn't work terribly hard on getting a
smooth UI until ICS. I'm an Android dev and I fully understand the
"smoothness" of iOS is attractive, but it's a bit unfair of a comparison to
make at this time - using an iPhone 4S.

Yes, I know the 4S is shipping and the Galaxy Nexus is not - that much I'll
give. But this is only a month-long window and not very reflective of the
coming future.

~~~
wvenable
Yes, but the same comparison could be made with last year's Android and iOS4.
For smoothness of UI, even the original iPhone was smooth.

~~~
fondue
No it wasn't; I own an iPhone 3G and it stalls and stutters doing anything.
It's consistently done that for the entirety of its service. My wife bought
the 3GS and _that_ was when we saw much of the UI lag go away.

I moved on to Android and own a Galaxy S - there's virtually no UI stutter at
all, I only see delays on shutting some programs or launching a few apps. My
wife recently bought a 4S and it's very smooth, but don't tell me that iOS has
always been this smooth because you're looking back with rose-colored glasses.

------
sardonicbryan
I don't see why this is surprising -- after all, the Nexus S is a previous
generation phone released 9 months ago. A more fair comparison would be with a
Galaxy S2 or Galaxy Nexus.

Personally, I love my S2, as it's remarkably faster than my first gen Galaxy S
in pretty much everything.

And since I hardly ever see anyone extolling the actual feature benefits of
Android, here are 5 Android only features I could not live without:

1) Swype - Delightful, much faster one handed, much much better in portrait
mode, don't have to change the way I hold my phone to start typing

2) Shortcuts to Contacts on Home Screen (two tap calling, texting, IM or
email! Best flow for actual communicating after Blackberry's "Just start
typing their name")

3) Widgets (Calendar, Time + Weather, Evernote, Live Weather background, Wifi
Hotspot)

4) Dolphin HD Browser - I can use my volume buttons to change tabs!

5) Chrome to Phone - Really easy to clip notes to myself for later

~~~
daleharvey
I think this gets lost inside most android comparisons, but I find the lack of
an intents system and more importantly, a global back button completely
jarring on ios, the most common example would be, from clicking a link in
email, to opening that page in the browser, then pressing back to go right
back to my email. the same operation on my ipad means clicking a link, going
back, being confused closing my browser, opening email and finding the email
again

~~~
grkhetan
The back button on Android is a double-edged sword (based on what I have
read/heard), because its function is overridden by apps in inconsistent ways,
so you are never sure what effect that button press may have. Am I correct? (i
am an iOS user, so don't know)

~~~
CountSessine
I love Android's back button, but yes, I think you're right about the
overriding problem. The browser, for example, arguably shouldn't be using it
to go back to a previous page.

------
joebadmo
Can't really disagree with this. After using my wife's iPhone 4S, my Droid X
always feels like something less than direct manipulation. [Edit: And to be
fair, my wife's old 3GS and her 3G before that were always more responsive to
touches than any of my Android phones.]

I say this with every OS release and every major hardware upgrade, but I
really hope the Galaxy Nexus[0] and ICS finally make up some of the difference
with hardware acceleration of the UI.[1]

[0]: Terrible mouthful of a name, Galaxy Prime or Nexus Prime would've been so
much better.

[1]: This is my next/Verge reporting notwithstanding. Reports are that some
leftover jitteriness is due to apps not having opted into hardware
acceleration yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

~~~
tdoggette
re [0]: It seems clear that it's a political choice-- Google's not releasing a
flagship that's not a "Nexus," and Samsung's not releasing a high-end phone
that's not a "Galaxy."

What do you think of "Nexus Galaxy"?

~~~
joebadmo
Agreed. Nexus Galaxy is just as bad, imo.

When all the rumored names were flying around, I suspected this would be it,
but I was hoping it would be some sort of dual release, with Google selling
the 'Nexus Prime' directly, and Samsung releasing the Galaxy [X] on carriers.
Maybe that would've been worse, though.

------
jonathanedwards
After Android, iPhone 4s just LOOKS wrong.

I am switching back from 4s to Android because I find Safari unreadable with
my old eyes. No control over font sizes, and the double-tap zoom doesn't
reflow text. So HN is completely unreadable in portrait, and only barely so in
landscape. No problem on my DroidX.

~~~
saturdaysaint
Have you tried "Reader" mode in Safari? An icon shows up in the address bar
when Safari detects that you're reading an article - when you press this icon,
the page appears as simply formatted text and it gives you full control of
font sizes.

Of course, since HN isn't an article, it's not much help here - HN is the one
page I use where this is a problem, ironically.

~~~
wvenable
Goddamn reader button doesn't show up in half the places I would like to be. I
don't know why they still haven't implemented text-reflow like most other
mobile browsers.

------
oldstrangers
Rather subjective and very short on details. Comparing the Nexus S to a dual
core phone like the 4S is blatantly silly. Blaming the fluidity of a phone
experience on the entirety of Android as a whole is just blatantly stupid.

Nevertheless, "it just feels wrong" doesn't sound like a very actionable
complaint; not to mention, the majority of the issues brought up seem to have
been addressed in ICS. Perhaps the author should spend more time with newer
Android phones, and less time making silly and useless comparisons.

~~~
rayiner
If anything the iPhone 4 was a step down in the fluidity department versus the
3GS (probably due to the increased pixels on the retina display).

I don't think it's a subjective, empty complaint. Android phones are laggy, or
at least a lot of the popular ones are. Lag destroys the "direct manipulation"
experience. Maybe ICS changes everything, who knows. I wrote off Android a
couple of years ago. That's the fundamental problem with Android, isn't it?
People try a couple of 2.1 devices that suck and well why should they give it
another chance?

~~~
oldstrangers
"I wrote off Android a couple of years ago. That's the fundamental problem
with Android, isn't it? People try a couple of 2.1 devices that suck and well
why should they give it another chance?"

Considering that Android is leading the market place in almost every
conceivable category, people obviously aren't just trying a "crappy device"
and not giving it a second chance. So, no, obviously not a fundamental problem
with Android...

------
angryasian
Some of these issues seem really frivolous. First if you're going to compare
iOS5 and 4s the comparison should be against the latest Android ICS and Nexus.
Second, after a week of use of his new toy he wants to compare it to years of
usage of his old Android phone. As a 3GS owner, i've had apps crash, loss of
data (instapaper).. among other things. I think its funny reviews like this
come out before the launch (you can make the connection)

------
arihant
I don't get this article. Web browsing and notifications were the reason I
loved Android more than iOS.

The double-tap to zoom on Android browser..just works! It perfectly flies in
to the content, adjusts text size beautifully and rearranges the images
linearly. If one reads a lot of content online, this feature is beyond
awesome.

~~~
rimantas
Yeah, it also works on iOS. Since the first iPhone.

~~~
arihant
No it doesn't. What does it do when you double-tap HN page on iPhone?

Do that on an Android and see what happens.

All it does on iOS is zoom till it removes the padding. On Android, it makes
it a readable list, with correclty sized upvote icons, perfect reading size.
It, in a way, instantly makes HN a mobile site. This is more than just
zooming.

------
zmmmmm
It's hard to disagree with one person's perceptions, but I do think there is a
distinct type of person who notices this / cares dramatically about it and
that they are not necessarily reflective of everyone. Similar to pentile
screens, this seems to be a very personal, thing. Some people it bothers and
they just can't stand it. Others will proclaim they cannot perceive it at all.
It's interesting how variable it actually is between people.

The problem is that you will get a person who cares reviewing a unit and
describing the problem as if its the end of the world when a majority of their
readers actually will either not care or perhaps even not perceive the issue
at all.

------
drivingmenuts
I've been on Android for a couple of years now and just got the Galaxy SII.

It doesn't exactly feel wrong, but sure as hell it doesn't feel right, either.
Everything I do on Android seems to take about two or three steps more than it
should. Some things just don't work. Some things just aren't possible. I can't
find certain software that I need. The worst thing, it's missing fit and
polish half the time.

This is the least comfortable I've ever been with a tech purchase. Hopefully,
T-Mobile gets bought out and then I can play the get out of contract free card
and get an iPhone.

~~~
gardarh
I have to disagree with you - I got my SGS2 this spring (live in Europe) and
it feels quite right to me. Browsing, for one, is really smooth. I thing
Samsung did a good job with their Android customizations (well, they copied a
lot of features from iPhone).

However the iPhone UI is much more polished. That can hardly be debated, feels
to me like the Android dev team "just made it work" and didn't have too much
time to worry about polish.

I really hope ICS fixes that.

------
bfrog
Java once again was a horrible horrible choice for a phone.

I'm still mind blown by the choice of Java. Slow start, garbage collection
slow downs, and massive memory usage are all par for course. Then add to it
the usual Java developer mentality of needing some massive architecture for
the simplest of programs.

Is it any wonder to people that android is slow?

I have hopes that whatever comes next learns the mistake that people hate
slow. Not being slow means not using a language where text editors are known
to use gigabytes of memory and run slow on 12 core monster boxes.

------
pixie_
It's got to be java. The garbage collection hiccups and bad performance and
all over android phones. I can feel it when I use them. I can feel it when I
develop for them. It's like in the old days, 200 mhz computers trying to run
java, it was so slow back then. And now cell phones are slow, and performance
matters. It's ridiculous that you need a 1ghz processor to get get good
performance on a phone, but thats java for you. We had fluid apps running on
200 mhz computers, but they were written languages without memory management.
It's no wonder why iPhone apps written in objective-c run so smoothly.

~~~
foobarbazetc
I don't know why you've been downvoted, because you're speaking the absolute
truth. I guess the truth hurts to the Android fanboys and/or Google employees
in this thread.

Then again, Google really didn't have a choice back then.

------
thought_alarm
Don't worry. I heard Android has been completely "re-invented" in version 4.0.

------
nextparadigms
This article doesn't make much sense after we've seen Android 4.0. Plus, how
come he's noticing these differences "just now" ? iOS has pretty much worked
like that since day one, and it hasn't changed all that much up to iOS5. In
contrast, Android has evolved tremendously over the past 3 years from version
1 to version 4. If they keep this up with future versions, Android will
continue its rise in market share _and_ mind share.

