So I've been using android for about 2 months now and I wanted to post my thoughts about it, the good and the bad.
Let's start with the good things. I really like the Google Now functionality. It is a great tool that keeps you well informed. It basically is your personal assistant, it will tell you each morning how long it will take you to get to work in traffic, it will calculate your time home from any location. In addition, it'll inform you of the weather, your favorite sport teams' scores, and the last day of the month it will compare how active you were for the last 2 months. It will also remind you when to leave to reach an appointment on time. Google Now has a lot more functionality compared to Siri (the iPhone personal assistant).
I also enjoy the fact that I'm able to download apps from websites and not have to go through the Google Play store. It makes it easier to find apps and install them.
I'm also able to stream movies and pictures to my WD Live TV set top box. This feature is similar to Apple's streaming feature but the big perk is that it is not limited to just Apple TV.
One of my biggest pain points with Android, is that I have to wait for software updates to be tested by Samsung before they are released. Android 4.3 was released about 3-4 months ago yet my S4 does not have the update, and there is no official release date. Also Samsung will not release all Android updates to the S4. For example, if Google releases Android 4.5 next December 2014 or January 2015 the S4 may not receive the update. This is very different compared to Apple, all software updates are released to the phones on the release day and the software updates are released to devices even if they are 2 years old or older.
Another gripe I have, there is no consistency with certain menus within the phone. If I want to change a setting on my S4 and change the same setting in the Note 2, chances are they are in two different locations. In Apple, there is complete consistency which means it is easier to use.
I understand, Apple manufacturers it's own devices and Google doesn't. But if they want to have greater use adoption, consistency is key.
Let me know you're thoughts.
iDenkilla
P.S. Google Now has more functionality which I have not mentioned. It is also available on the iPhone but it is not as great due to system limitations.
Let's start with the good things. I really like the Google Now functionality. It is a great tool that keeps you well informed. It basically is your personal assistant, it will tell you each morning how long it will take you to get to work in traffic, it will calculate your time home from any location. In addition, it'll inform you of the weather, your favorite sport teams' scores, and the last day of the month it will compare how active you were for the last 2 months. It will also remind you when to leave to reach an appointment on time. Google Now has a lot more functionality compared to Siri (the iPhone personal assistant).
I also enjoy the fact that I'm able to download apps from websites and not have to go through the Google Play store. It makes it easier to find apps and install them.
I'm also able to stream movies and pictures to my WD Live TV set top box. This feature is similar to Apple's streaming feature but the big perk is that it is not limited to just Apple TV.
One of my biggest pain points with Android, is that I have to wait for software updates to be tested by Samsung before they are released. Android 4.3 was released about 3-4 months ago yet my S4 does not have the update, and there is no official release date. Also Samsung will not release all Android updates to the S4. For example, if Google releases Android 4.5 next December 2014 or January 2015 the S4 may not receive the update. This is very different compared to Apple, all software updates are released to the phones on the release day and the software updates are released to devices even if they are 2 years old or older.
Another gripe I have, there is no consistency with certain menus within the phone. If I want to change a setting on my S4 and change the same setting in the Note 2, chances are they are in two different locations. In Apple, there is complete consistency which means it is easier to use.
I understand, Apple manufacturers it's own devices and Google doesn't. But if they want to have greater use adoption, consistency is key.
Let me know you're thoughts.
iDenkilla
P.S. Google Now has more functionality which I have not mentioned. It is also available on the iPhone but it is not as great due to system limitations.
