Phones Off to the Dark Side

[pandamonia]

After 5 generations of iPhone im selling up and moving to a GS3 for a few months. (at least)

Now is a good time to get top £££ for this 4S. The S3 comes tomorrow and its only costing me £120 over 24 months to get this S3. So its a great time to give it a go before any new iPhone comes in October time.

I really need a break from iOS. I just wish they would modernise it a little bit.. its just getting a little bit boring to look at every day.

I still have my iPad so i can use all my apps that i have collected over the years.

But i am really looking forward to Cyanogenmod 10 and the nice 4.1 Jelly Bean OS. It will be good to see both sides and then i can decide which one i like best!

 

[Nightarchaon]

I did this 18 months ago, went from a 3GS to a Galaxy SII,

Now I cant WAIT to get back to an iPhone in 6 months, (i may even buy out my contract early if the new iPhone 5ish is released soon)

Android is so clunky, buggy and unstable compared to the IOS experience.

Things i miss the most, the iPhone SMS app, the iPhone mail app, Mobile Safari (even chrome on IOS is more stable than chrome on SII under ICS which crashes and locks up all the time), the iPhone Contacts list, and, most of all, the Apple app store, the android store is just a minefield of buggy, shovelware.

 

[mattopotamus]

I did this 18 months ago, went from a 3GS to a Galaxy SII,

Now I cant WAIT to get back to an iPhone in 6 months, (i may even buy out my contract early if the new iPhone 5ish is released soon)

Android is so clunky, buggy and unstable compared to the IOS experience.

Things i miss the most, the iPhone SMS app, the iPhone mail app, Mobile Safari (even chrome on IOS is more stable than chrome on SII under ICS which crashes and locks up all the time), the iPhone Contacts list, and, most of all, the Apple app store, the android store is just a minefield of buggy, shovelware.

The things you miss are the same things I miss

 

[maflynn]

I was generally impressed with android, I will say the phone/carrier you choose will dictate your experience.

I owned the nexus one, and it was a great phone, the updates came and were solid. I then went over to Moto droid-x and was greatly disappointed because of the slow updates which were very buggy.

One of the things that help draw me back to iOS is the apple ecosystem. I'm more or less ingrained in the ecosystem, i.e., icloud, music, calendars, etc. and so it was a bit more work to get these components to work, it was never as seemless as with the iPhone. I also loved apple's mail app, I never really had great luck with the various offerings available for android.

I may go back to android when the nexus gets upgraded, but by then, i may already be on the iPhone 5. My point here is, they're leap frogging each other in hardware and to some extent software though I still give the edge for seamless integration to apple

 

[The iGentleman]

I was generally impressed with android, I will say the phone/carrier you choose will dictate your experience.

I owned the nexus one, and it was a great phone, the updates came and were solid. I then went over to Moto droid-x and was greatly disappointed because of the slow updates which were very buggy.

One of the things that help draw me back to iOS is the apple ecosystem. I'm more or less ingrained in the ecosystem, i.e., icloud, music, calendars, etc. and so it was a bit more work to get these components to work, it was never as seemless as with the iPhone. I also loved apple's mail app, I never really had great luck with the various offerings available for android.

I may go back to android when the nexus gets upgraded, but by then, i may already be on the iPhone 5. My point here is, they're leap frogging each other in hardware and to some extent software though I still give the edge for seamless integration to apple

Really I don't think Apple's solutions are any more seamless than Google's. Both platforms work well in their respective ecosystems. I think they are on par there. I do have to disagree about the leapfrogging thing though. I think from a software standpoint, there really hasn't been any leapfrogging at all. I think Android has had the edge in software for quite some time. For example, cloud connectivity has been a part of Android for years now. They have since expanded upon it making it more robust than it was previously. Updates have always been OTA, contacts had always been backed up to the cloud, wifi settings backed up to the cloud, etc. Now they have Google Music, Google +, etc. Of course Apple has the iCloud offering, but I still think it falls short in certain aspects. For example, iCloud syncs pictures, music, etc, across connected iDevices, but it doesn't truly take advantage of the cloud. Video can't actually reside in the cloud and be streamed straight from there. It's like they are taking partial advantage of the cloud, instead of using it to its full potential. Hardware wise, I don't think Apple has been doing any leapfrogging for a while now either. The last time they really leapfrogged anyone was with the retina display. Since then, hardware has long surpassed the hardware in the iPhone. I think Apple currently is playing a bit of catch up, and really needs to do something innovative. For example, I like what Google has done with Google Now, that is a very innovative feature, adding something we have yet to see in smartphones. Apple needs to do something like that, give us something innovative, new, and useful (not something gimmicky).

 

[maflynn]

You misunderstood my post. I meant because I am using apple products, the integration of music, iCal, mall.app photos are not as seamless with OSX->android.

Yes, android is well integrated with google's products/services but in general i don't use googe products/services. I don't like gmail, but instead use iCloud, I use iTunes for my music, iCal for my appointments, etc.

Bottom line: If you want to live with the google ecosystem, android is well integrated. If you want to live with apple's ecosystem, then iOS is well integrated. If you're crossing platforms (google->iOS or vice versa) then there's more work for you. Its possible but it requires work

 

[The iGentleman]

You misunderstood my post. I meant because I am using apple products, the integration of music, iCal, mall.app photos are not as seamless with OSX->android.

Yes, android is well integrated with google's products/services but in general i don't use googe products/services. I don't like gmail, but instead use iCloud, I use iTunes for my music, iCal for my appointments, etc.

Bottom line: If you want to live with the google ecosystem, android is well integrated. If you want to live with apple's ecosystem, then iOS is well integrated. If you're crossing platforms (google->iOS or vice versa) then there's more work for you. Its possible but it requires work

Oh I see what you're saying. You're right, I misinterpreted you. I totally agree with you, nothing is going to integrate into Apples ecosystem as well as Apple. If you're a person that prefers Apples ecosystem, then an iPhone is most certainly the way to go. An Android device just isn't going to integrate nearly as easily as an iDevice. On another note, I'm very curious to see what Apple's response will be to Google Now. Of course it won't be in iOS 6, but looking down the line, I am anxious to see what they do. I love competition as it makes all products better.

 

[nataliamck]

After 5 generations of iPhone im selling up and moving to a GS3 for a few months. (at least)

Now is a good time to get top £££ for this 4S. The S3 comes tomorrow and its only costing me £120 over 24 months to get this S3. So its a great time to give it a go before any new iPhone comes in October time.

I really need a break from iOS. I just wish they would modernise it a little bit.. its just getting a little bit boring to look at every day.

I still have my iPad so i can use all my apps that i have collected over the years.

This is exactly the same situation I am in.

My SGS3 is waiting at home for me right now (stupid work!)

I will probably be back for the next iPhone but really do need a break from iOS. Just for a bit of a change. I did the same thing last year with the S2 and I really didn't like it. But I've heard great things about the S3 so I'll give it a go for a few months. Got good money for my 4S so the new phone, which I bought outright, didn't cost me too much.

 

[Sensamic]

I did this 18 months ago, went from a 3GS to a Galaxy SII,

Now I cant WAIT to get back to an iPhone in 6 months, (i may even buy out my contract early if the new iPhone 5ish is released soon)

Android is so clunky, buggy and unstable compared to the IOS experience.

Things i miss the most, the iPhone SMS app, the iPhone mail app, Mobile Safari (even chrome on IOS is more stable than chrome on SII under ICS which crashes and locks up all the time), the iPhone Contacts list, and, most of all, the Apple app store, the android store is just a minefield of buggy, shovelware.

Yes... Jelly Bean is very unstable and clunky and... what else? Oh, yeah, buggy...

If you are talking about previous android version then why don't we also talk about previous iOS versions where there was no multitasking and no copy and paste and no MMS and the notifications system was... clunky?

Stop talking about the past. We are now in iOS 6 and Android 4.1.

Get real.

 

[The iGentleman]

I did this 18 months ago, went from a 3GS to a Galaxy SII,

Now I cant WAIT to get back to an iPhone in 6 months, (i may even buy out my contract early if the new iPhone 5ish is released soon)

Android is so clunky, buggy and unstable compared to the IOS experience.

Things i miss the most, the iPhone SMS app, the iPhone mail app, Mobile Safari (even chrome on IOS is more stable than chrome on SII under ICS which crashes and locks up all the time), the iPhone Contacts list, and, most of all, the Apple app store, the android store is just a minefield of buggy, shovelware.

How did you switch to the GS2 18 months ago when the phone hasn't been out for 18 months?

 

[pandamonia]

Im going to give it a go until the new iphone comes out..

but tbh iOS 6 looks BORING and apple maps is worrying.

Plus the rumours of that iphone screen worries me.

HTC has a killer screen and tbh iphone is way behind HTC with their S-LCD

Apple needs to bring some "wow" back to the iPhone because today im feeling "meh"

i have the worry that Android catch up not because that Samsung has got much better but because Apple isnt as good as it was... and the rumours of the iPhone 5 arent looking good.

 

[daveathall]

I too am in the same situation, I used my wires upgrade to try out the SGS3 until the new iPhone comes out in a couple of months where I will use my upgrade. (My wife won't swap her Nokia phone that she just uses for text and speak for love nor money, so I benefit from her upgrade). I must say that my original thought would be that I would hate the SGS3, sell it and revert back to my 4S, that never happened, I will be selling my 4S. I am really hoping that Apple will bring out a phone that isn't just stretched, I myself think that they will surprise us all with a newly redesigned phone with wow features.

 

[pandamonia]

I too am in the same situation, I used my wires upgrade to try out the SGS3 until the new iPhone comes out in a couple of months where I will use my upgrade. (My wife won't swap her Nokia phone that she just uses for text and speak for love nor money, so I benefit from her upgrade). I must say that my original thought would be that I would hate the SGS3, sell it and revert back to my 4S, that never happened, I will be selling my 4S. I am really hoping that Apple will bring out a phone that isn't just stretched, I myself think that they will surprise us all with a newly redesigned phone with wow features.

Time will tell.

Due to the UK carrier Three mobile i can get a killer deal. basically im getting a S3 for £120 over 24 months... how cheap is that! unlimited data and 2000 mins.

Great time to take a chance

 

[Nightarchaon]

How did you switch to the GS2 18 months ago when the phone hasn't been out for 18 months?

Has in the UK, Got it in Feb last year, so 17months, 18 in a few days maths brain not good poop

----------

Yes... Jelly Bean is very unstable and clunky and... what else? Oh, yeah, buggy...

If you are talking about previous android version then why don't we also talk about previous iOS versions where there was no multitasking and no copy and paste and no MMS and the notifications system was... clunky?

Stop talking about the past. We are now in iOS 6 and Android 4.1.

Get real.

thats the problem though, iOS has been, light years ahead of each android equivalent, Google seem happy to churn out a bare bones OS, as don't care about the core apps, leaving it up to the user to trawl through the god awful, mall ware ridden dross that is the android market place in search of a usable SMS client, Mail Client, Dialer etc, only HTC seem to have had the brains to write their own usable variants of these core apps, and even then, they are not a patch on the iOS equivalents.

iOS has the polish, the "feel" and apps that work well because someone has sat down and designed them to be used, iOS has been built by software developers, to be "functional", i see it all the time, the difference between software geared at users, and software written by someone who sees the code.

anyway, Your welcome to your opinion, but IMO , having sampled both worlds, Android, like linux on desktop PCs, is just not ready for prime time, and i shall be moving back to iOS as soon as they get around to releasing the new iPhone

on the flip side, i will be getting a Microsoft Windows 8 tablet when they release that, and hopefully Hackintoshing it, because IMO the iPad (or iPhone jumbo as i call it) has too many limitations, its a shame the Macbook Air hadn't gone like the Asus Transformer.

 

[daveathall]

Time will tell.

Due to the UK carrier Three mobile i can get a killer deal. basically im getting a S3 for £120 over 24 months... how cheap is that! unlimited data and 2000 mins.

Great time to take a chance

How much a month please? Or is that total or the phone and monthly charge?

 

[Nightarchaon]

Im going to give it a go until the new iphone comes out..

but tbh iOS 6 looks BORING and apple maps is worrying.

Plus the rumours of that iphone screen worries me.

HTC has a killer screen and tbh iphone is way behind HTC with their S-LCD

Apple needs to bring some "wow" back to the iPhone because today im feeling "meh"

i have the worry that Android catch up not because that Samsung has got much better but because Apple isnt as good as it was... and the rumours of the iPhone 5 arent looking good.

i felt Meh about the iPhone when the announced the 4, which is why i went with the S2 at the time, Stunning Screen on the SII, however, the rest of the OS i had taken for granted, the stuff i was feeling MEH about, i really really miss.

 

[pandamonia]

How much a month please? Or is that total or the phone and monthly charge?

i was paying £25 for a One Plan sim only which i cancelled

It cost me £33 a month x 24 months for the Galaxy S3

£8 difference x 24 + £29 phone cost = £221

I bought it via Quidco.co.uk and i get £97 cashback which means im only paying £124 to get the new phone.

----------

i felt Meh about the iPhone when the announced the 4, which is why i went with the S2 at the time, Stunning Screen on the SII, however, the rest of the OS i had taken for granted, the stuff i was feeling MEH about, i really really miss.

4.1 looks promising and there are a ton of things i can see already that id like to see on iOS.

Going back to a 3.5" screen would suck... and i dont like the look of the thin 4" screen which looks certain from the leaks.

Also iOS is so bland id say its become boring and even dull..

5 years... 5 years... looking at the home screen.... ugghh....

 

[daveathall]

i was paying £25 for a One Plan sim only which i cancelled

It cost me £33 a month x 24 months for the Galaxy S3

£8 difference x 24 + £29 phone cost = £221

I bought it via Quidco.co.uk and i get £97 cashback which means im only paying £124 to get the new phone.

Nice one.

 

[Renzatic]

Also iOS is so bland id say its become boring and even dull..

5 years... 5 years... looking at the home screen.... ugghh....

I've only been in the iOS environment for a little over a year now, so it's all pretty new to me.

But yeah, I could probably see it getting a little boring after awhile. There's tons to like about the iDevices. The consistency, the stability, the attention to detail. Like Apple or not, you have to admit they know how to make a good UI.

Well, except for the springboard, anyway. It isn't bad, exactly. I mean it does it's job. But it's just kinda...bleh. A bunch of icons and a dock, and nothing more. It wouldn't hurt Apple to spice it up a little bit, specially after 5 freaking years of it without any real changes. Throwing in something as relatively low effort as widgets wouldn't make it any more difficult for the mom 'n pop types to use, and would make it far more useful and interesting to look at.

 

[pandamonia]

I've only been in the iOS environment for a little over a year now, so it's all pretty new to me.

But yeah, I could probably see it getting a little boring after awhile. There's tons to like about the iDevices. The consistency, the stability, the attention to detail. Like Apple or not, you have to admit they know how to make a good UI.

Well, except for the springboard, anyway. It isn't bad, exactly. I mean it does it's job. But it's just kinda...bleh. A bunch of icons and a dock, and nothing more. It wouldn't hurt Apple to spice it up a little bit, specially after 5 freaking years of it without any real changes. Throwing in something as relatively low effort as widgets wouldn't make it any more difficult for the mom 'n pop types to use, and would make it far more useful and interesting to look at.

There is a myth that iOS is stable and works.

Its better than it was... but it used to be horrible.

Its stable mostly because its so locked down that nothing can be done that apple wont want you to do.

Right now iOS is the volvo of the mobile phone world... just runs and run and runs... its beige and boring... its a volvo.

Time to trade it in for something a little more exciting.. if it crashes who cares.

 

[batting1000]

Im going to give it a go until the new iphone comes out..

but tbh iOS 6 looks BORING and apple maps is worrying.

Plus the rumours of that iphone screen worries me.

HTC has a killer screen and tbh iphone is way behind HTC with their S-LCD

Apple needs to bring some "wow" back to the iPhone because today im feeling "meh"

i have the worry that Android catch up not because that Samsung has got much better but because Apple isnt as good as it was... and the rumours of the iPhone 5 arent looking good.

What's so "worrying" about the maps? Why is iOS 6 so "boring"? How is the iPhone screen way behind HTC? Why isn't Apple "as good as it was"?

Seems like another person just spewing out the default Apple hate messages without actually explaining his or herself.

 

[Renzatic]

There is a myth that iOS is stable and works.

Its better than it was... but it used to be horrible.

Its stable mostly because its so locked down that nothing can be done that apple wont want you to do.

Right now iOS is the volvo of the mobile phone world... just runs and run and runs... its beige and boring... its a volvo.

Time to trade it in for something a little more exciting.. if it crashes who cares.

Hey now. Don't badmouth Volvos. They used to be boxy and ugly back in the 80's and 90's, but they make some pretty swanky cars these days.

Back on topic. Yeah, there is some truth to that. The locked down nature of iOS is one of the things I really, really don't like about it. It's safer, sure. And it guarantees a (most of the time) smooth experience, but it also sacrifices a little too much utility to insure that stability. Having a few extra options never hurt anybody.

That said, even if it were a little more open, I doubt a well programmed app would crash the entire system. Underneath the simplicity is a thoroughly modern OS. It's up there with Windows, OSX, and the rest as far as base stability goes. Crashing an OS these days is a hard thing to do, and you rarely ever see it unless you're suffering from catastrophic hardware failure.

Now apps...yeah...I have apps crash on me all the time. Specially freaking Pages, which seems to go down on me (and not in the good way) at least twice a session. I'll be all typing along, moving pictures with my fingers, when...BAM...springboard. At least I've never lost any of my stuff, and it is quick to get back to. But still, it's annoying.

Seems like another person just spewing out the default Apple hate messages without actually explaining his or herself.

Eh. If I were to make a complaint, it seems Apple has gone incremental with their big updates when everyone else looks like they're trying to trailblaze in a new market. You could easily argue that Apple is a bit ahead of everyone else in the game, but you still can't help but feel a little left out when Android and MS come out with some neat new feature.

 

[fox10078]

What's so "worrying" about the maps? Why is iOS 6 so "boring"? How is the iPhone screen way behind HTC? Why isn't Apple "as good as it was"?

Seems like another person just spewing out the default Apple hate messages without actually explaining his or herself.

Dude we get it, you love Apple, this is Alternatives forum you know.

iOS 6 is pretty damn boring, if you have been using it you'd know that it's pretty much the same thing as iOS5 there is no massive shift in the way you use the phone like 5.0 had with the new notification center, or 4.0 had with multitasking.

Onto maps, The maps in iOS6 are woefully under detailed compared to iOS5's maps, theres quite a few threads on it already, the results from yelp are very unhelpful and business's are limited by if someone has reviewed them on yelp. No more street view, and no satellite view isn't the same thing.

And the Screen on the One X has been called one of the best screens on a mobile device today, even better than an iPhone by most reviewers.

But what do I know, I bet you'll just call me an Apple hater.

 

[batting1000]

Dude we get it, you love Apple, this is Alternatives forum you know.

iOS 6 is pretty damn boring, if you have been using it you'd know that it's pretty much the same thing as iOS5 there is no massive shift in the way you use the phone like 5.0 had with the new notification center, or 4.0 had with multitasking.

Onto maps, The maps in iOS6 are woefully under detailed compared to iOS5's maps, theres quite a few threads on it already, the results from yelp are very unhelpful and business's are limited by if someone has reviewed them on yelp. No more street view, and no satellite view isn't the same thing.

And the Screen on the One X has been called one of the best screens on a mobile device today, even better than an iPhone by most reviewers.

But what do I know, I bet you'll just call me an Apple hater.

Another one who assumes. I was essentially asking that the OP elaborate as he was just bashing Apple without an explanation.

 

[Ddyracer]

There is a myth that iOS is stable and works.

Its better than it was... but it used to be horrible.

Its stable mostly because its so locked down that nothing can be done that apple wont want you to do.

Right now iOS is the volvo of the mobile phone world... just runs and run and runs... its beige and boring... its a volvo.

Time to trade it in for something a little more exciting.. if it crashes who cares.

ROFL, HILARIOUS. It is a little dull but it's fluid and fast something i wish android was. That and the practicality of ios apps.