Leaving iPhone

[Faeryan]

Originally Posted by x999x

I've got 2 android tablets to see if it was worth making the switch on my phone based on software alone. I actually use my phone more for entertainment than I do for calls or texting. I know any phone can perform those functions well enough, so my deciding factor was the software available.

2 months into this and I have to say, although Android does have an easier time with emulators, they are dead last on everything else. Games are slower to come out, if at all due to the high rate of piracy. Its dead simple to pirate on Android, open up a browser on the phone, search gamename.apk and bam, you'll find it on countless sites. Tap the download button and it will install right on the phone, no need for rooting (jailbreaking), its just that easy. I can see why some devs just avoid the platform entirely.

Not counting games, the utilities to be found for productivity are also slim when it comes to quality, unless you're searching for tools that compliment a tech based industry like IT. There are plenty of apps suited for issuing remote terminal commands.

I enjoy my android devices, they were cheap and I take them with me when I don't want to risk losing my iPad because the trip involves leaving my bag somewhere for hours unattended. Would I recommend it to anyone? If they can't pony up for an idevice, then yes, most definitely. To me, the iOS ecosystem is just much more developed, its always first to the punch, and gets software and plenty of exclusives. Android on the other hand is like a cable TV channel that only plays reruns and has a few original shows of its own, kinda like TBS, its not Primetime TV.

This message is a total letdown. That's beause this is the most believable reason not to go Android, and trust me, I've read a LOT of those reasons lately.

Today when ordering my Note 2 in the store I also fiddled around with iPhone 5. It looks horribly misshapen being narrow and long, yet it feels really good in hand and also works blazing fast.
Almost changed my mind but then I went back to the other side of the room and pulled out my iPhone 4 and pressed it against Note 1's screen (they didn't have Note 2 available yet) and realized how tiny it is. That and the closed OS.

The thing about games might be very true, but like always, I'm trying to find a silver lining in the cloud. Less games and worse games means less playing and more time to do something productive - which, knowing I pre-ordered Dishonored for PS3, most likely means more gaming.

Anyways, I'll post my impressions on the device as soon as I get my hands on it.

[Faeryan]

Instead of writing it all over again I'mma just quote Breakbeat on his thread here: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?p=2484955

I can pretty much agree with what he said.

On the hardware side the device is awesome. I can barely hold my old iPhone 4 in my hand without laughing at the size, that's how accustomed I am already.

The size is big, but due to the weight and the slimness of the phone it doesn't feel all that big. It fits nicely in my jeans pocket although climbing the stairs without adjusting the phone is awkward at times.

The features of this phone are so plentiful I can't even name half of them nor can I use them yet. All I can say this is an impressive piece of hardware.

I'll just sum up the things worth mentioning here:
+ The S Pen is a nice gadget, especially good for show off and for artistic people. Other than that I don't usually use it for regular surfing and stuff.

- The back cover is plastic which makes it feel cheap. It doesn't show unless you take the cover off and the cover fits in place really tight. Heck, even better than my iPhone back cover did from day one when it already slid a bit in either direction.

+ The processing power and the memory. No freezing or hiccups whatsoever that I sometimes experienced with iPhone. Sure, that amount isn't overkill since Android does use more resources that iOS does.

- The weight of the phone could be concentrated more towards the bottom so it would be more comfortable in portrait mode. Of course this might hamper the landscape usability but a little weighting might not hurt the balance.

- The size once more, while good for the screen estate, it's actually a bit hard in the beginning to type in landscape mode even with two thumbs. With iPhone when I did that I used to have most mistypes with the buttons in the center. With Note 2 I can barely reach them, even though my hands are medium/big. Adjusting the grip fixes this if only I ever get accustomed to this after so many years of iPhone.

On the software side I like the customizability of Android. The power consumption and memory management are worse than in iOS but due to a lot of resources it doesn't hiccup cause of this, only use more battery. Still going through some memory management apps to ease things up.

Finally the issue TouchArcaders are interested in, the gaming. The amount of AAA titles on Android is inferior to iOS. Sure I found Wild Blood, Six Gun, Bad Piggies, Inotia 4, Zenonia 4 and stuff but that was pretty much it.
I really hoped there would be more good games but no. Maybe in the future.
Also most of the games are optimized for the mid power range of Android devices so not many games use the maximum resolution of the device and thus look a bit uglier than a regular iOS game.
So, if you're really into gaming and want to get a big screen phone for it I gotta tell you there's a flipside.

That's pretty much what I can tell you out of my head. Feel free to ask questions about the device and I will answer them the best I can.

[Royce]

Sorry to say, if you're seriously into gaming on your phone, I think you'll be disappointed. I love my Android phone, and I've been on the platform for years (along with my iPad, iPod Touch, and business iPhone), but other than emulators the market is basically a wasteland IMO. I don't even bother looking much any more at new Android game releases. Anyway, enjoy your device, despite the lack of good games, I'm still jealous

[Teknikal]

Originally Posted by Royce

Sorry to say, if you're seriously into gaming on your phone, I think you'll be disappointed. I love my Android phone, and I've been on the platform for years (along with my iPad, iPod Touch, and business iPhone), but other than emulators the market is basically a wasteland IMO. I don't even bother looking much any more at new Android game releases. Anyway, enjoy your device, despite the lack of good games, I'm still jealous

Honestly I've actually found games to work better on my Android phone than my iPod Touch some examples being Grand theft Auto 3, tons of Kairosoft games, Reckless Racing 2, Critical Strike Portable, riptide GP and Max Payne.
Those are just the ones I own of course.

Then there's the emulators which I've found to also be very good, I've toyed with Gameboid and Snesoid.

edit: Forgot about Onlive but it works well too.

[LuisKey]

Samsung galaxy note is excellent,I own an iPHONE4S,I am now considering whether to update it to iPhone5 .....I also love the Android,but,the iPhone5 still attract me a little more..............