General Comparison of ecosystems

[Truefan31]

I'd like to compare android vs ios, I'm undecided as to how I wanna proceed. I currently have iPhones in the family, was planning on getting iPads, Apple TV, iMac to have everything together, synced for things like AirPlay, mirroring, etc.

But the latest android offerings are tempting as well. Can someone explain how their ecosystem can provide the same seamlessness? Mirroring? The new nexus 7 looks to be a great start if I go android instead

 

[Sensamic]

Again: all you people asking about Android should just do research yourselves!!

Whenever I buy a new product I always do research. Watch videos in YouTube.


We cannot do the same thing over and over again.

 

[F123D]

was planning on getting iPads, Apple TV, iMac to have everything together, synced for things like AirPlay, mirroring, etc.

Glad I'm not bogged down to one ecosystem to feel the need to purchase all these products.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

With Android I feel I can customize my own ecosystem. With iOS I don't have any choice but to deal with what Apple gives. Not saying Apple's ecosystem is bad.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Again: all you people asking about Android should just do research yourselves!!

Whenever I buy a new product I always do research. Watch videos in YouTube.


We cannot do the same thing over and over again.

Isn't asking at a forum doing research?

 

[Peterg2]

Isn't asking at a forum doing research?

No it is not. Using the search function to see if one's situation has been dealt with adequately before is research. Asking the same question which has been answered in a myriad ways and is easily accessible is, more accurately, slothfulness.

 

[Sensamic]

Isn't asking at a forum doing research?

What I mean is that we cannot list every single feature of every ecosystem every time anyone opens a new thread asking for it. There are many web pages for it.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Guys, it's an open forum. You can choose not to read threads that don't interest you.

You're also free to post about how people shouldn't post about certain things, too, of course.

 

[Truefan31]

So what's the android equivalent of mirroring to a tv besides Dlna? Can tablets mirror to computers and vice versa?

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Please don't answer if you don't want to, but I'd appreciate information. Is there a google iMessage function that works like the former?

 

[jrswizzle]

Guys, it's an open forum. You can choose not to read threads that don't interest you.

You're also free to post about how people shouldn't post about certain things, too, of course.

Here here....lol. "OMG I can't believe I chose to click on a thread I don't care about!! Why did you have to post this thread!!".....

OP - there's a lot that goes into each ecosystem. There's also plenty of ways to utilize both and work on various platforms that are both in and out of each ecosystem.

Personally, I like having everything in one place, or connected. That's why I prefer iOS. But I also, very easily, have most all my iCloud/Apple stuff synced through my HTC One as well.

Here's my one suggestion: don't feel like you need to purchase an iMac, AppleTVs etc...to "get the most" out of the Apple ecosystem. If your use case provides reasons to buy those products, great! The combination makes for a seamless and easy multimedia and syncing experience throughout your home and on the go.

I'm one of those people who's super interested and into gadgets, but at the same time hates dealing with multiple services, platforms. I'm kind of OCD about having multiple apps for the same purpose. iOS suits me.

However there are those who feel "trapped" in the iOS ecosystem. Generally, the benefits all come if your family and friends have iOS devices and the more Apple services you use, the more products you buy the greater the benefits (provided you actually use them).

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So what's the android equivalent of mirroring to a tv besides Dlna? Can tablets mirror to computers and vice versa?

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Please don't answer if you don't want to, but I'd appreciate information. Is there a google iMessage function that works like the former?

Yes and no on the iMessage counterpart. There are plenty of options as far as messaging across multiple devices, but the one feature I find most useful about iMessage - messaging over wifi - is absent, or at least the seamless integration with my existing SMS app.

Like I said, I HATE having multiple apps for the same thing.....I want ONE messaging app. ONE mail app. Too often on Android I find multiple apps that each have a cool feature, but none that has ALL the features.

 

[Truefan31]

Good info. Yeah my daughter has a iPod touch 5th gen, love that I can iMessage her, it's not that I feel trapped in one ecosystem, just don't wanna buy 2 of the same apps for diff ecosystems.

I think having an iMac or a Mac mini, iPads along with us having iPhones/iPod touch would make home media easy, streaming content would be seamless, right? But I'm open to google too if they provide a superior experience.

 

[skratch77]

Good info. Yeah my daughter has a iPod touch 5th gen, love that I can iMessage her, it's not that I feel trapped in one ecosystem, just don't wanna buy 2 of the same apps for diff ecosystems.

I think having an iMac or a Mac mini, iPads along with us having iPhones/iPod touch would make home media easy, streaming content would be seamless, right? But I'm open to google too if they provide a superior experience.

Google is on another level and I honestly think its way over your head to start using android if your using apple for your whole ecosystem.

Look what this guy did with his android phone and I don't see siri doing this any time soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjTj0ymhbBw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[tech4all]

No it is not. Using the search function to see if one's situation has been dealt with adequately before is research. Asking the same question which has been answered in a myriad ways and is easily accessible is, more accurately, slothfulness.

Then forums are not for you! People ask questions on forums. Go figure!!!

 

[daveathall]

TBH, I think that "eco system" is overblown, people use it as an excuse not to try different devices, in this day and age, phones of all different makes will talk to computers of all different makes quite easily. "Wont change because of eco system" is just naivety or laziness (Well, TBH, it's not even laziness because it is so simple to mix and match). (IMHO)

 

[tbayrgs]

Google is on another level and I honestly think its way over your head to start using android if your using apple for your whole ecosystem.

Look what this guy did with his android phone and I don't see siri doing this any time soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjTj0ymhbBw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

What does this have to do at all with the OP's inquiry? He's asking about everyday functionality and you offer this troll bait?

And just to prove you're also in way over your head, try this video.

 

[ugahairydawgs]

Glad I'm not bogged down to one ecosystem to feel the need to purchase all these products.

To the people who either a.) are not technologically advanced or b.) don't care to spend their time putting together a hodge podge of systems, the ecosystem offered by Apple is very appealing. The people Apple are targeting with their systems generally don't feel "bogged down" in the slightest because Apple has taken the guess work out of home networking, media streaming, content sharing, and syncing.

The "nerds" (guys and gals that like to tinker and want things to function in a certain way) was never Apple's target audience....especially for anything running iOS.

 

[skratch77]

What does this have to do at all with the OP's inquiry? He's asking about everyday functionality and you offer this troll bait?

And just to prove you're also in way over your head, try this video.

He asked about dlna and mirroring and talked about airplay with his ecosystem.

What I showed him is the power of android and open sourse dlna and xbmc as a media streamer and media center.all that video streaming was played off the cellphone and every new TV from the past 2-3 years supports dlna and some sort of media networking that can be used on android without needing to buy apple TV to connect to it.

You can also use mirracast that just came out and that is the newest open media standard that apple will never have or use also.

How the **** is my post troll bait when it shows exactly what the op is looking for?

Op you can also mirror an android cell to your TV wiresesly and use a ps3 controller connected to your android cell through Bluetooth and play games with an emulator on the big screen also.

In my video he was also using Google now and you can see how that takes a huge **** on siri also.

And this is the alternative section to iOS so get used to people that are fandroids or go make a stupid post about it on apple insider as you clearly are asking a question that has been beating to death and it seems you just want to get an up rise from android users trying to waste there time when we all know you won't get an android phone anyway.

 

[sectime]

Again: all you people asking about Android should just do research yourselves!!

Whenever I buy a new product I always do research. Watch videos in YouTube.


We cannot do the same thing over and over again.

Isn't asking a question on a forum to start a discussion research? Have cartoons melted your brain so video is the only way you can learn?

 

[sk1wbw]

With Android I feel I can customize my own ecosystem. With iOS I don't have any choice but to deal with what Apple gives. Not saying Apple's ecosystem is bad.

I like Apple's way better. You have an actual place to do proper backups and restores from/to. There's no where to properly backup and restore an Android device and Google's implementation of that just plain sucks balls.

 

[skratch77]

I like Apple's way better. You have an actual place to do proper backups and restores from/to. There's no where to properly backup and restore an Android device and Google's implementation of that just plain sucks balls.

Oh please show us why android has no proper way to backup your cell.I'm actually excited for your results also !

PS we can do full image backup and restores off a SD card or an image saved on the phone without needing a computer! Contact,music,pictures all on the cloud(that's free) and a **** load of 3rd party back up options also.you sound like Tim cook man and actually never backed up a android device but I'm waiting for you to show me how you can't properly back up an android device like you can on apple.

I can do a factory reset on my gs4 and within10 min be back to exactly the way I had it.

 

[sectime]

He asked about dlna and mirroring and talked about airplay with his ecosystem.

What I showed him is the power of android and open sourse dlna and xbmc as a media streamer and media center.all that video streaming was played off the cellphone and every new TV from the past 2-3 years supports dlna and some sort of media networking that can be used on android without needing to buy apple TV to connect to it.

You can also use mirracast that just came out and that is the newest open media standard that apple will never have or use also.

How the **** is my post troll bait when it shows exactly what the op is looking for?

Op you can also mirror an android cell to your TV wiresesly and use a ps3 controller connected to your android cell through Bluetooth and play games with an emulator on the big screen also.

In my video he was also using Google now and you can see how that takes a huge **** on siri also.

And this is the alternative section to iOS so get used to people that are fandroids or go make a stupid post about it on apple insider as you clearly are asking a question that has been beating to death and it seems you just want to get an up rise from android users trying to waste there time when we all know you won't get an android phone anyway.

Look at it this way, how many posters have the knowledge and time to create the system on the video? Is it commercially available as a complete system off the shelf, plug and play in Android, Windows, Blackberry? That is the difference between the Eco systems. Android users can tinker and come up with cool stuff. Apple users buy it and use it for what it does. Add Itunes, App Store, Apple customer service, Apple brick and mortar stores etc. it is clear which Eco system works better for many consumers. The put downs and snark from both sides were amusing to read but have become repetitive and boring.

 

[skratch77]

Look at it this way, how many posters have the knowledge and time to create the system on the video? Is it commercially available as a complete system off the shelf, plug and play in Android, Windows, Blackberry? That is the difference between the Eco systems. Android users can tinker and come up with cool stuff. Apple users buy it and use it for what it does. Add Itunes, App Store, Apple customer service, Apple brick and mortar stores etc. it is clear which Eco system works better for many consumers. The put downs and snark from both sides were amusing to read but have become repetitive and boring.

Yeah its actually very simple to hook up.I connected to my home WiFi network and my smart TV is already on that same WiFi and on my cell in the video player when watching a movie has a button saying to share and wham my plasma shows up and its on the TV in seconds without buying anything or configuring anything.

Same goes on my windows computer,you right click on any media and click share and a list of TVs and devices show up that are scanned without you even knowing and you can blast media with ease that way also

 

[Truefan31]

well just to inform people, I'm actually a nerd w/tech, at least that's what my friends/family call me lol, I'm not a guru, but I've always had android in the past, rooted them, custom roms, etc, when i got the iphone 4s about a year ago, i did feel it was constricted, so i jailbroke mine, while my wife & son also got 4s, and my daughter a touch.

But while it's about me, it's also about my family. I know android has ways of doing things similar to ios, really my thing is does it do it better, in a more seamless way than ios. I have learned that while Apple can be constrictive, it's very fluid/seamless in how their products interact w/each other. Can Google be better than that, while relatively simple for my family to adopt? Last I researched Google's airplay version only supported youtube, however, obviously theres ways to do this. Also, my hdtv is not a smart tv, and is about 4 years old, not dlna compatible. It's why I looked at apple tv to add to my tv. I wish the 3rd gen could be jailbroken, is that the only way xbmc can be done on ios?

I can easily go either way in terms of going with one ecosystem, again I don't wanna buy the same apps for really no reason. I'm not endorsing either side, just trying to get up to speed on what Android features are there, and how complicated it is to get there.

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Yeah its actually very simple to hook up.I connected to my home WiFi network and my smart TV is already on that same WiFi and on my cell in the video player when watching a movie has a button saying to share and wham my plasma shows up and its on the TV in seconds without buying anything or configuring anything.

Same goes on my windows computer,you right click on any media and click share and a list of TVs and devices show up that are scanned without you even knowing and you can blast media with ease that way also

that's pretty easy, if you don't have a smart tv, what are some good options for an addon then to get smart tv capabilities? I do really like the fact though that the google cloud is free vs. the limited icloud space apple offers. And all google content on the cloud can be accessed/mirrored between phones/tablets/computers? I do love the fact you can have different user accounts on the same profile too. Wish Apple would allow this.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I like Apple's way better. You have an actual place to do proper backups and restores from/to. There's no where to properly backup and restore an Android device and Google's implementation of that just plain sucks balls.

There is plenty of ways to backup Android. You can use several apps like Titanium and Carbon even when not rooted. You can root and use TWRP or Clockwork and basically backup the entire image of your phone. Then you have specific manufacturer's tools to backup with, like Kies for Samsung and HTC backup for HTC. With Google you can backup contacts, app data, calendar, photos, settings, and etc, just like iCloud. You can even restore from multiple accounts, unlike iCloud.

I can combine backups if I want. I can save backups to my SD card or PC. I can physically do a complete backup from anywhere, any desktop, or even with just the phone itself without a desktop or cloud. This is what I mean when I state Android has a more customizable ecosystem. Your stuck with doing backups from one desktop using iTunes and one iCloud account. And if something gets screwed up, your just out of luck.

 

[sk1wbw]

There is plenty of ways to backup Android. You can use several apps like Titanium and Carbon even when not rooted. You can root and use TWRP or Clockwork and basically backup the entire image of your phone. Then you have specific manufacturer's tools to backup with, like Kies for Samsung and HTC backup for HTC. With Google you can backup contacts, app data, calendar, photos, settings, and etc, just like iCloud. You can even restore from multiple accounts, unlike iCloud.

I can combine backups if I want. I can save backups to my SD card or PC. I can physically do a complete backup from anywhere, any desktop, or even with just the phone itself without a desktop or cloud. This is what I mean when I state Android has a more customizable ecosystem. Your stuck with doing backups from one desktop using iTunes and one iCloud account. And if something gets screwed up, your just out of luck.

I said ANDROID and NOT APPS. Android itself does a ****** job at it. Backups are something that's inherent in iOS and iTunes and is not there in Android. Plus, in the iOS system, you do not have to purchase apps and/or be jailbroken to this.

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Oh please show us why android has no proper way to backup your cell.I'm actually excited for your results also !

PS we can do full image backup and restores off a SD card or an image saved on the phone without needing a computer! Contact,music,pictures all on the cloud(that's free) and a **** load of 3rd party back up options also.you sound like Tim cook man and actually never backed up a android device but I'm waiting for you to show me how you can't properly back up an android device like you can on apple.

I can do a factory reset on my gs4 and within10 min be back to exactly the way I had it.

So every single password in the apps is backed up as well, plus every single app too? I've done this on my Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7 and trust me, it's a big pain in the ass. Half the apps got restored and not one single solitary password on any app is backed up.