The 'openness' of Android

[tapper mike]

So to have really lustrous stones you polish them with iFart apps?

[spaceman]

So to have really lustrous stones you polish them with iFart apps?

Luckily on Android you can tell crap by using the amazing crap alert app
http://www.appbrain.com/app/uk.co.dmdrummond.crapalert

Or if you come from iphone and feel a bit lost there's fart for your life
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.fadosoft.game.protfull

or fart memory
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.madtowngames.fartmemory

or just pick one
http://www.appbrain.com/search?q=fart

[tapper mike]

I smell jealousy.

[buscemi]

Nobody is jealous once they realize the grass is only greener because there's enough bullshit to go 'round on the other side too. Plenty of fertilizer wherever you are.

[robenestobenz]

Not sure what's up with the article. Takes about 10 minutes to go from a carrier's crippleware to full-blown android and it doesn't even take technical knowledge. And regarding openness, what is he trying to compare it to? Apple's entirely closed itunes phones that come with a propriety port instead of USB, or WinMo/BB phones that have been behind the curve for years?

I don't know what's up with that article. The dashboard stats were off by miles - 4.4% of handsets on the latest version is some way from 28%. I've been checking the Android developer's website a lot over the past month or so and I don't recall it being that low any time recently.

And if he's going to bitch about provider-tampered Android versions being a closed system -- they're still not as closed as the Apple set-up (which I'd have little with as a user, were it not for the opaque, morally prescriptive and sometimes cretinous approval process).

Fortunately, I got my Desire from 3 -- who had absolutely no software on it whatsoever. Not even a splash screen on boot-up. Great phone IMO, although the shitty "multi-touch" is a bit of a downer...

[spaceman]

The Apple iPhone is 'closed' which, in my opinion has had almost entirely positive effects on apps in the app store. I can't think of any app for jail-broken iPhones that are even remotely worth going through the trouble for and you have the added benefit of knowing that your app will not be stuffed full of spyware or other shit. If you like to jerk off on porn on your mobile of course then Android is probably the place to be (although apparently Flash is still mostly a disaster on Android).

The problem I have with the iPhone is that I don't have free access to the file system or freedom to organise and play my media files (or any other file for that matter) in the way I want to. I'm on a Mac so all I can use to upload music is iTunes, and only on a Mac because it will demand a FAT system when using iTunes on my office PC. I just want to connect my phone like any other storage device and put my files where I want them using the Finder on OSX or Windows Explorer of Windows. The problem with Android in that department is that there's no app that comes even close to the iPod app on the iPhone, even though the iPod app isn't exactly the be all end all of media apps either. Surely someone can develop a decent media player for Android.. what the f**k is happening with that?

Apart from that, I like consistency in UI, which Android doesn't have yet. It's a part of my personality which I'm sure I share with many other Apple product users. This means nothing to many other people. But that's less of an issue.

And from what I've heard, most Android phones are actually good at making phone calls, which isn't always the case with an iPhone. But I hate phoning anyway so I don't give a shit about that.

I still have a few months left on my iPhone contract and I'm hoping that there will be good amount of new developments in the Android world before that to make the process of picking a new phone a bit more interesting.

[Yagushi]

I just want to connect my phone like any other storage device and put my files where I want them using the Finder on OSX or Windows Explorer of Windows.

http://www.macroplant.com/phonedisk/

[spaceman]

I just want to connect my phone like any other storage device and put my files where I want them using the Finder on OSX or Windows Explorer of Windows.

http://www.macroplant.com/phonedisk/

It's very neat. The main problem I have with it is that it crashes every time on startup on Windows XP.

[robenestobenz]

The Apple iPhone is 'closed' which, in my opinion has had almost entirely positive effects on apps in the app store. I can't think of any app for jail-broken iPhones that are even remotely worth going through the trouble for and you have the added benefit of knowing that your app will not be stuffed full of spyware or other shit. If you like to jerk off on porn on your mobile of course then Android is probably the place to be (although apparently Flash is still mostly a disaster on Android).

Bollocks. Vetting for technical unreliability and maliciousness is near-necessary for the system, but you know as well as I do that the Apple coddling of its users sets in at a degree well before porn. Take the Nine Inch Nails app for example - blocked if I remember correctly because of their lyrics. Did Apple really need to protect the masses from a few f**ks in an app they don't even have to install? As for Flash, on the higher end phones it's fine for video streaming and the more basic interactive stuff. You won't get far on miniclip.com, but it's good enough for most places on the web.

The problem with Android in that department is that there's no app that comes even close to the iPod app on the iPhone, even though the iPod app isn't exactly the be all end all of media apps either.

The bundled music player on Android is shite. I say music specifically, because on most phones, you don't even have a video player out of the box. Doubletwist (free) is a good media player, although you have a similar problem as on the Ipod/Iphone as it won't pick anything off the device other than what's in the "my recordings" folder - you need to do a PC sync. Good if you listen to podcasts though, although no 2-way. Astroplayer has the great feature of being able to display your music by folder structure (which is how I've always done it on my PC) but it's not there yet in speed and interface terms.

Apart from that, I like consistency in UI, which Android doesn't have yet. It's a part of my personality which I'm sure I share with many other Apple product users. This means nothing to many other people. But that's less of an issue.

It's 95% consistent. If that extra inch of intuitiveness is important to you, then PC/mobile, whatever - only Apple put enough thought into their interfaces to provide that for you, IMO. Android 3 may do it later this year, but I doubt it tbh.

[Yagushi]

http://www.macroplant.com/phonedisk/

It's very neat. The main problem I have with it is that it crashes every time on startup on Windows XP.

Whoops! That's what I get for suggesting software which I haven't even tested for myself...

Have you tried iPhone Explorer as well and is it also prone to crashing?

[spaceman]

http://www.macroplant.com/phonedisk/

It's very neat. The main problem I have with it is that it crashes every time on startup on Windows XP.

Whoops! That's what I get for suggesting software which I haven't even tested for myself...

Have you tried iPhone Explorer as well and is it also prone to crashing?

Have you tried testing your crap software yourself first before endorsing it to me?

Slightly worried about the fact it doesn't even mention audio files. My guess is that they are stored in some sort of itunes library format that doesn't like curiosity. More worried about their Phone disk crash debacle .

[Yagushi]

Have you tried testing your crap software yourself first before endorsing it to me?

Slightly worried about the fact it doesn't even mention audio files. My guess is that they are stored in some sort of itunes library format that doesn't like curiosity.

Yeah, I think that's one of my biggest complains about this Apple stuff; everything's so secretive and restricted... I'm in the same boat as you since I'd prefer the damn iDevice to be more like a fancy bit of external memory and just drag 'n' drop everything I want on it and not have Apple attempt to micro-manage my usage via iTunes...

[egbert]

While Steve is still there (hey that'd be a good name for his biopic - "I'm still here!") you may as well express a preference that he not wear turtlenecks. Steve wants to decide everything for you so you will dress to the right, gentlemen.

It is interesting to speculate on how many of the really annoying things wrt The Loop would change if the whole show was handed on to some Dear Leader in waiting.

Whether Google has enough clues to establish an ecosystem where hardware and software developers collaborate to produce products that don't frustrate end users is another question.

[spaceman]

Having just realised that my current iphone contract runs for 24 and not 18 months, it looks increasingly likely that my next phone will be an Android phone.

Having said that.. almost a year and a half with a modern smartphone has made me realise that most of a smartphone's functionality is pure hype and unnecessary features. I just need a phone that has a good browser, has a good email client, a decent Twitter ad Facebook client and good map software.. and maybe make a decent call as well. All the rest, including music making software, has proved to be crap to use on a phone.

So I'm actually seriously taking Windows Phone 7 as an option as well.

[spaceman]

Many Android apps sharing your data it seems:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11443111