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Thread: Android has finally disappointed me

  1. #1
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    Default Android has finally disappointed me

    I Just got my Galaxy S5. Already did the water test by dumping it in a bowl of water for a few minutes. That was fun and shocked coworkers. I love the phone except.....

    My S4 was running Jelly Bean and the new phone is running KitKat. I am very disappointed.

    I'll start with the UI and other aesthetics. Google has decided to, not only copy Apple, but Microsoft as well. In copying Apple, the icons have moved from having depth and color to flat and featureless icons that are more cartoon-like. I can't stand that. It makes it look way less sophisticated. It feels like something you would hand to a child. In copying Microsoft, almost every menu has a two-tone basic flat color scheme with moron-friendly icons, just like the failure that is Windows 8. Change is inevitable but if there is one thing I can't stand it is when a company changes simple things without giving the customer the option of selecting what THEY want on the product THEY purchased. This is simple aesthetics that don't affect operation, why shouldn't this be customizable?

    The UI change has also rendered the power-saving idea behind the AMOLED display useless. LCD: At full brightness, if the screen is on, even displaying black, it is using 100% power. AMOLED: If the screen is on, displaying black, it is using <1% power. White text/black background on AMOLED means the only power being used is by the pixels that are on. Google's brilliant idea is to have black text/white background. This uses way more battery and also heats up the phone. Not to mention the fact that AMOLED still suffers degradation over time. Some people may like the new menus and brightly colored UI. I don't and I'm sure I am not alone. Why not give the user the control of customization. Android used to be known for its open-source-like customization. Slowly, it has become more locked down. It has become more like iOS. Sure, I could root the phone but in all my years of using Android, I have never had to, whereas most of the iOS users that I know have had to jailbreak their phones to get it on par with the customization prowess of Android.

    There is a myriad of other things that bug me but I am too tired to get into it.

    Not trying to start a holy war of iOS vs. Android, I am mainly just venting my disappointment in Google's choices.

    BTW, what is up with all the new UIs looking like cartoons??? Do the software companies think we are too stupid to understand things all of a sudden? This is why I love Linux, 23 years and still the same UI... command line! (and yes, I know, Android is built off Linux). As far as the new UIs, quoting Crow T. Robot "Just because it's futuristic doesn't mean it's practical".

    [/RANT]
    If you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room.

  2. #2
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    It could also be Samsung that made it look like that. Each company can customize it. I should have done some research and found out what the latest update was for my phone before clicking update. It went from 4.2.1 to 4.3. I've had all kinds of issues with my phone since then. All I've got to say is **** you Verizon.

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    Very true and yes, I am also on Verizon. I have been all over though and none of the cell phone companies are much better than the next. I only stick with Verizon because I drop fewer calls than anyone else. I also get coverage out in the desert where I ride so, I am able to work from there on occasion.
    If you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room.

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    That is true about none of the companies being great. Sometimes having government regulations are good. Most of the time it is bad though. BTW, I have a Galaxy S3. I'm looking into jailbreaking it just to get rid of the bloatware garbage and hopefully fix the problems I've been having. I want to get a newer phone but none of them are appealing. The S3 is on the verge of being too big. That's what's keeping me from getting the S4 or 5 even though I like most everything else about them. First phones got smaller. Now they are getting bigger...

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    Yeah, That is one thing I miss about my Incredible. It was nice and small. I do some RDP connections to servers from my phone so, I don't mind the larger size for the bigger screen.
    If you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room.

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    Thanks for the heads up. I'll stick to Jellybean on my S3. All of my iPhones, iPads and iPods are jailbroken but I have not had to root my android phone or android TV box. Don't they do any market surveys before changing UI's? It's like when Windows 8 came out and everyone hated the UI and wanted to make it look like XP or 7. So often it seems like they are taking a step backwards. The users should at least have the option to make it look like they want.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Photonbeam View Post
    Thanks for the heads up. I'll stick to Jellybean on my S3. All of my iPhones, iPads and iPods are jailbroken but I have not had to root my android phone or android TV box. Don't they do any market surveys before changing UI's? It's like when Windows 8 came out and everyone hated the UI and wanted to make it look like XP or 7. So often it seems like they are taking a step backwards. The users should at least have the option to make it look like they want.
    Yes! I wish they would do a little more marketing before releasing these products. The other thing that bugs me about the new phones running kitkat is, there is no "Menu" button at the bottom of the phone. There is a "Back" button, the "Home" button and now, a button the shows which apps are running, in a tiled screen. The "Menu" button is now on the main display. I don't like it!

    About Windows 8, the first thing I did when I got my new MSI GS70 was uninstall it and install Windows 7! Even after trying Classic Shell and a few other apps, the hidden or removed functions were causing enough inconvenience that I said, "Screw it!" and uninstalled. Actually, I think the final straw was when I tried to go to Netflix in a browser and got a message saying that I needed to download Netflix from the Microsoft app store. Uh, yeah....
    If you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room.

  8. #8
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    Default design and aesthetics

    I can't stand that. It makes it look way less sophisticated. It feels like something you would hand to a child.
    Yeah, thats the point.

    While I was at going to school at Berkeley, I worked a conference centered around "The Cloud". One thing that I found very interesting was during one of the panels, a speaker from Google (IIRC) mentioned that on average every house hold had about 2 devices that connected to the cloud and the goal was to increase that number to 5 in the next couple years. This was 2 years ago. I have a 9 year old brother who asked for an iPad for Christmas. We didn't get him one, but we did buy him an Android tablet (because it was cheaper). My question was, "why does a 9 year old need a tablet?" He wanted it for games.

    Here is another example... We bought my grandmother an iPad for Christmas. She doesn't need a computer because all she does is check email and play solitaire (we stopped playing cards with her because she decimates us). Those "moronic" icons make it easy to use. The more customization that is added to the UI the more complex things can get.

    Cloud capable devices for the entire family is not an accident. Don't get me wrong, I love the command line (#BestUIEver), but I would not enjoy teaching my grandma how to use it. My brother is learning how to write Python, so he doesn't need the moron factor, but the fun "cartoon" factor still appeals.

    Google has decided to, not only copy Apple, but Microsoft as well.
    Apple has made lots of money with iOS devices and others want in, so it only seems natural for others to follow suit.

    -Sal

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by discothefunkyhippo View Post
    Yeah, thats the point.

    While I was at going to school at Berkeley, I worked a conference centered around "The Cloud". One thing that I found very interesting was during one of the panels, a speaker from Google (IIRC) mentioned that on average every house hold had about 2 devices that connected to the cloud and the goal was to increase that number to 5 in the next couple years. This was 2 years ago. I have a 9 year old brother who asked for an iPad for Christmas. We didn't get him one, but we did buy him an Android tablet (because it was cheaper). My question was, "why does a 9 year old need a tablet?" He wanted it for games.

    Here is another example... We bought my grandmother an iPad for Christmas. She doesn't need a computer because all she does is check email and play solitaire (we stopped playing cards with her because she decimates us). Those "moronic" icons make it easy to use. The more customization that is added to the UI the more complex things can get.

    Cloud capable devices for the entire family is not an accident. Don't get me wrong, I love the command line (#BestUIEver), but I would not enjoy teaching my grandma how to use it. My brother is learning how to write Python, so he doesn't need the moron factor, but the fun "cartoon" factor still appeals.
    I would buy that if the market were driven by these users. It's not though. My point isn't so much that these changes shouldn't be there. It's more that these should be options. Same thing with Linux, if you want to use command line, you can. You can run it locally or shell in from another terminal but if someone isn't familiar with command line, they can use Gnome or KDE... options!



    Apple has made lots of money with iOS devices and others want in, so it only seems natural for others to follow suit.
    Yes, they have but Android is making far more: e.g. http://sourcedigit.com/1913-smartpho...are-data-2014/

    Same with Microsoft. PCs sales dropped with Windows 8: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3055157.html
    If you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by absolom7691 View Post
    I would buy that if the market were driven by these users. It's not though.
    I agree with you. The market is driven by manufactures who are in the business of creating new users. I didn't know I wanted a smart phone until I got one. Now I need one... I am only kinda kidding (sad, huh?).

    My point isn't so much that these changes shouldn't be there. It's more that these should be options.
    I guess my point was, if Android device manufacturers thought that giving users more options would sell more devices wouldn't they continue to do that?

    Yes, they have but Android is making far more
    There are over 20 different device manufactures that together have shipped hundreds of Android devices (I stopped counting after a while and made an estimate)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compari...ndroid_devices. Apple has shipped 23 devices (I always forget about Apple TV). I would expect more people to be using Android.

    I found your experience with the new Android interesting because I had a similar experience when I switch to iOS. Also, I thought that you might find the industry's plan to create demand interesting. I am usually disappointed when I find out that the motivation behind product choices is merely about money rather than making quality products.

    If you want more options you can always rock one of these bad boys http://blog.gsmarena.com/man-makes-r...-pi-phone-150/

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