Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 4th Jan 2013 21:28 UTC
Ralf Rottmann is CTO and co-founder of the largest mobile application developer in Germany, Grandcentrix. He has more Apple devices than an Apple Store and thinks he's a fanboy - yet, he's switched to the Nexus 4 completely, stating that "the latest version of Android outshines the latest version of iOS in almost every single aspect". This line in particular rings true for me as a Windows Phone 8 and Android user: "whenever I grab my iPhone for testing purposes, iOS feels pretty old, outdated and less user friendly". This will most likely be dismissed as a troll by some, but it has to be said: iOS has become stale, bordering on being outdated, and lacks several crucial pieces of functionality, neatly detailed in Rottman's article. Apple has a lot of catching up to do, or it will be Mac OS all over again.
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Member since:2007-03-26
Problem is that people seem to give the OS priority over the applications. Visit an Android forum and everyone is talking about rooting, flashing custom ROMS, customizing, etc, but there are so few threads/discussions dedicated to using apps to get actual stuff done. Makes you wonder what the "power" users are actually doing with their devices in real world scenarios.
Firstly, Apple effectively silence any forums from advocate jailbreaking. Which massively skews the figures for iOS hacking vs app chit-chat. So you lose the ability to form any balanced comparisons between Android and iOS in that regard to begin with.
However you do raise an interesting point in regards to Android. But even there, I think you're observations are biased (not deliberately, but due to the nature of such discussions and the forums people like us frequent). Let me explain why better:
You can't so heavily customise apps, so discussions on apps are usually briefer (eg how many pages will a "what music player do you use?" thread generate? A: much less than "can anyone talk me through installing Debian on my phone").
However step away from Android specialist forums and onto more general purpose forums (music forums with a slightly nerdy visitor base, or some less hacker-orientated technology sites like consumer sites or gamer sites) and there's definitely a more even balance between rooting and general app recommendations / chit-chat.
Edited 2013-01-05 12:41 UTC
Member since:2005-07-06
Both platforms are fundamentally flawed, imho. Google needs to re-write Android's UI-prioritization from the ground-up (currently they're just depending on overpowered hardware to mask the deficiencies)
The hardware will likely only get more "overpowered"...
Android [...] Problem is that people seem to give the OS priority over the applications. [...] there are so few threads/discussions dedicated to using apps to get actual stuff done. Makes you wonder what the "power" users are actually doing with their devices in real world scenarios.
Hm, maybe people are happy mostly with core functions provided by the OS, Google apps, and web pages? (how many iOS apps are glorified RSS readers?)
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
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Member since:
2008-06-03
My 2 cents as a current owner of an iPhone5 and a Nexus 7;
What the author describes as Android's biggest strength - the ability for apps to communicate with each other - is also it's biggest weakness from a security perspective. The reverse could just as well be applied to iOS (not that Apple is perfect on the security front either). Android's model might win out in the long run, but the way Google curates its Play Store makes it very difficult for many developers to take the platform seriously.
Both platforms are fundamentally flawed, imho. Google needs to re-write Android's UI-prioritization from the ground-up (currently they're just depending on overpowered hardware to mask the deficiencies), just like Apple needs to re-write multitasking and inter-app communication. How they're going to achieve this without causing major disruption to their ecosystems, I don't know.
iOS is just plain dull to interact with. All the OS menus are just uninspired, the gummy embossed gradients are so "last decade", and a lot of the aesthetic choices are just plain naff (that fabric notification background). Thing is, iOS users seldom perform any actual interaction with the OS. They seem to concentrate on using the apps. In that sense - making the OS almost transparent - Apple have done a better job. It feels like an appliance more than a computing device, which might not appeal to OSnews people, but it's what the average Joe/Jane is more comfortable with.
Android as an OS feels better to interact with (though it does have it's own set of annoyances), plus it's just more customizable. There's a better sense of consistency between the OS and core (Google/Holo) applications. Problem is that people seem to give the OS priority over the applications. Visit an Android forum and everyone is talking about rooting, flashing custom ROMS, customizing, etc, but there are so few threads/discussions dedicated to using apps to get actual stuff done. Makes you wonder what the "power" users are actually doing with their devices in real world scenarios.
TL;DR - Both suck balls.
Edited 2013-01-05 12:07 UTC