Be Excellent To Each Other

I cleverly left my G1 at my parents house after Christmas*, so I've been using one of Mrs Grim...'s many iPhones while I wait for my G1 to arrive in the post (which it has).

I now present a 'things these phones could learn from each other' list.
iPhone first (3G specifically):

• Dear God, iTunes. It needs to lose its reliance on software to work, especially software that is so fucking picky about letting you do things ("Want to plug that phone into this computer? Are you mad?").
• It needs something like the notification bar Android phones have. Little numbers on the icons are neat, but not all the icons are on the first page.
• When you download a new application on Android, you get a quick 'heads-up' page (like this) listing all the things an app can do to your phone. This is A Good Thing.
• Put the date on text messages.
• Let me remove applications I don't want, stocks, for instance, or email.
• Let the phone update itself over the air, without needing to be plugged in.
• Background applications. Now, I know all the theory about why they can be bad, and I know they slow the phone down, but give me the choice, at least. Background apps allow my G1 to become a fantastically clever device; take Locale, for instance - it's location and time aware (and some other things), so it knows that if I'm on the move it should turn the ringer right up, and if I'm at work during work hours and plugged in it can switch on the wireless, and if I'm at home at nighttime it turns off new email notifications and only rings for certain people. It's fantastic, and it's just one of many excellent applications that plug away quietly and let me have my phone working the way I want it to, rather than the way someone wants me to. Getting push notifications has helped, but it's a long way off being any good.
• Once you've got background apps, you can have Widgets. Widgets are lovely - there's not one 'normal' button on the main screen of my G1 - at the top I've got a news ticker, below that a Twitter ticker, a 'battery left' indicator, a clock, some sticky notes and my calendar for today. It's set up like this because, at work, I want to glance at it to see the stuff I'm interested in. If I want to call someone I switch to another home screen. I cannot overstate just how good they are.
• Considering it doesn't run many background applications, sometimes it gets sluggish for no reason I can see. I understand that the 3GS is much improved, however.
• Safari isn't that good. Everyone harps on about how it's just as good as browsing on a PC, but these people are either idiots or liars. Yes, most of the things it does wrong are as a result of bad website programming, but if it stopped trying to be a 'real' browser and went back to being a phone one, it wouldn't have as many problems. And it needs Flash.
• I miss having a physical keyboard, but I think that's something I'd get used to.
• The Android unlock feature is neat. It needs something like that.
• Ditch the iPod cable and use a mini-USB instead. I believe this is going to become standard on all phones, though?
• Be cheaper. Jesus, but this phone is expensive. My G1 costs me £20 a month for a plan I can't possibly hope to use all of, and it was free. I understand why it should cost more than a normal 'non-smart' phone but it simply isn't worth the money carriers want for it (Tesco are having a good go, though).
• Where's the radio?

And Android (G1 specifically)

• It needs more balls. Newer Android phones are coming out that are fast, but they need to be fast. It's pretty good at stopping applications to free up processing power, but sometimes you get a few seconds (maybe up to five on a really bad day) of lag between you pressing something and it doing something, and that's not good enough.
• I want more than three screens to put all my stuff on. The iPhone can have kabillions, why can't I? Gah, it never occurred to me that I can just download an app to change that. Now I have 11. Scratch this one, then, although it would be nice if the phone OS gave me the choice.
• I want a fucking headphone jack, separate to the one I use to charge the phone.
• I also want multitouch. The G1 is capable of it, but Google pussied out and didn't enable it because Apple asked them not to. Rooted Android phones can just change a flag to allow pinching to zoom and stuff. I want this.
• I like the physical 'silent' switch on the iPhone. However, I note that because of Locale I've not had to switch the G1 to silent manually yet.
• Let me install applications to my SD card, and not just the internal flash memory.
• It really, really needs an 'update all' button for applications.
• Sometimes the touch detection at the very edge of the screen is ropey when I'm using my thumb. It works fine with my finger, though, so I suspect it's actually just me.
• Why won't the default browser let me upload files? Rubbish.
• Where is the Flash in the browser? We know it can do it. Release it already!
• The fact that it doesn't come out of the box with a video player is head-slappingly stupid.
• There's no decent out of the box backup solution. Silly.
• This goes for both phones - have better phone to computer 'things'. My zillion-year-old N95 had superb integration with my PC either wired or over bluetooth. As I left my house in the morning the N95 would realise it was out of communication range with my PC, start playing whatever media (music or video) my PC was playing as I left from the same point (it would also pause the PC), log into a mobile version of messenger and lock my PC. When I got to work it would realise it could communicate with my work PC, unlock it and log me into the PC version of messenger (admittedly using a batch file that I wrote), switching itself to silent in the process. This is excellent, and the way all things should work.
• Visual voicemail is lovely. All phones should have it. [Update: There's an app for that. It's an improvement over the Apple one too, so kudos)
• Where's the radio?

I invite your comments.

* An application called InstaMapper saved me here - I'd actually left it outside on my Tomcat, but sending a text message to my G1 with a magic code in fired up the GPS, got a fix and sent a message back with a link to a map of its exact position, updated in realtime. I almost want it to get stolen one day.

I'd kill to have Locale on the iPhone.

Radio is dead, man.

It's a lovely application, in a sea of lovely applications. Apps that can run in the background are a necessity these days, I think.


Then why do I use iPlayer to listen to it on the way to work?

Video killed the radio star.

I can't really comment on the Android stuff as I haven't used one extensively, but your criticisms of the iPhone seem fair. On balance I'm still very happy with it, though. Interface is king for me.

A lot of what you said about the iPhone are reasons why I wouldn't want one. The iTunes thing is ridiculous, why on earth should a phone try to decide what software I install on my PC? I get why people like Apple products, but sometimes they are so fucking arrogant by design.

From the sounds of things, most of the problems you have with android are either fixable with a bit of user hackery or whatever (isn't Dolphin the browser to go for these days?), or to do with the G1 specifically.

I'm never buying another phone without a 3.5mm jack and miniUSB (and will charge off miniUSB).

Definitely going to be interested in the results of Google's press conference for the Nexus One tomorrow.

I thought it was microUSB that was going to be the standard.

Yes, this is certainly it's biggest advantage over other phones of the same type, although I couldn't stop feeling rage at the way they forced me to have it the way they wanted it. I missed my widgets a lot, to the extent that I now can't see myself buying an iPhone 4 (which I was seriously considering) unless they do something about it.

The iPhone does display the date with text messages, but other than that I agree with pretty much all you have said there regarding the iPhone. The 3GS does sort out a lot of the lag though - I often reboot my 3G and it lags like a bitch whereas Lady Z's 3GS has probably never been switched off since she bought it 6 months ago and it runs silky-smooth. Pisses me right off, it does.

I really, really need to check out Android as there's a lot about it I think I'd like. Lack of multitouch could grate on me though, as I've learned to type quite fast on my iPhone's keyboard (though I'm only presuming the lack of multitouch would hamper my typing speed as I type with both thumbs, maybe it would make no difference). I'm going to be very torn when it comes time to upgrade between getting whatever the latest iPhone is and going Android.

listen a lot to the radio on my se810, always great to have one that is always with you, listened to 3g radios at first on my iphone, works okay in most parts (but always of course just not when you need it), main problem was the battery drainage it took, taking 15% of my phone just cycling to work, listen mainly to podcasts now, which is actually nicer in the long run now i have set up itunes to subscribe to the interesting ones.. *

i thought there were some locale imitators for the iphone now, or is that just jailbreak
* but why can't i update podcast subscriptions from my iphone....brrr

Sometimes you have to force users to accept things - take the conversation grouping on Gmail, for example, it works very well. In an ideal world, though, the end user should always have the option.


This is the advantage of letting apps take over more of your phone. If you wanted to, you could delete the 'call someone' application from your G1, and replace it with a new one. Dolphin is indeed the browser of choice, but I tried to stay away from specific applications (as we'd be here all day) and comment more on phone hardware and out of the box software.


Whoops, durr.

Why would a lack of multitouch hamper your typing speed, Zio?

Only on old ones, though. I want it on all of them (or, of course, the ability to run a third-party SMS program. Nearly all of the iPhone's faults could be fixed by allowing applications more access to the phone itself).


It has multitouch, it just doesn't let you do anything useful with it (like the zooming gestures). Typing is fine on both (I think the Android slightly edges the iPhone on the on-screen keyboard mainly due to it's choice of words to use).
[edit]And, of course, the physical keyboard on the G1 is far better than both.

My big spacky thumbs & the iphone's virtual keyboard* didn't get on either, even after a few days playing with my cousin's while he was abroad. Only way I could use it reasonably well was holding the phone in one hand while typing like a pianist with the other.

That was the deal breaker for me (well that & the fact the iphone's expensive, I drown phones like crazy & I don't think you get a lifejacket/oilskin app).

*Oddly I get on well with the teeny tiny Blackberry & Nokia keyboards.

I can never get on with the physical keyboard, with it being massively recessed and slightly horizontally offset. This is my main gripe about the G1: the physical feel, and that surely wouldn't be difficult to sort out given half a thought.

I agree with most of your points on the iPhone, Grim... but haven't used the G1/Android enough to know about those. I'm still incredibly happy with mine, but it certainly has its shortfalls.

I was this* close to getting a G1 back in march, but lack of stock led me to the nokia 5800. I like it, even if it is more of a phone than a smartphone.

* imagine my fingers, very close together.

I like a lot about the 5800, and it helped that I got a great deal on it, but I am pretty sick of symbian as an OS. The hardware is pretty nice though.

How do you mean 'horizontally offset'? I can type ever so fast on mine. The newer Android phones have different keyboards (and some don't have physical keyboards at all).


I've not had a go with one of them. I do love my N95 greatly, though. Does it still have the Nokia PC software?

I can't hear of Symbian without thinking of Sybian (NSFW).

So... what's a good Android phone to get anyway? Sony Ericsson are meant to be launching a fairly sexy one at some point aren't they?

I believe the Motorola Milestone is currently the best one.
Google are releasing their own phone very soon (probably) though.

It's now the Nokia Ovi Suite. I haven't done much other than backups with it. It's a bit Fisher Price, tbh

The downside with the physical silent switch is that you only have two sound profiles. I had about 5 that I used regularly in differing circumstances on my N95.

Ali got herself an N97 yesterday. I actually quite like it, and it has put me off rushing straight into a new iPhone.

Oh. If I'd known that it would have been on the list.

personally i hate that switch, it often switches in my trousers or bag..

i would like more dynamic profiles, not jsut as locale has, but just like a big button, be silent for the next hour, i'm in a meeting, and then resume normal service

the HTC Hero has multitouch (although I dont think it's supported by the Dolphin Browser) and also has seven home screens not 3.

my biggest annoyances are the previously mentioned slowdown. It's worse with certain apps running. Twidroid for example made the phone unusable. Also, and this will apply to the iphone, I hate the touch keyboard. I've tried to get used to it but I really miss my stylus/wm6 device.

as for apps - I can't find a decent site that updates daily and tells you what's out and what's good. the marketplace app is fucking shit.

also, is it just me or does Orange have shit 3G coverage?

If you're on t-mobile, their exclusive "Pulse" is very nice, and I believe it has the biggest screen of any Android phone currently on the market.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-ph ... rtphone/p1

Noo - you want it to look in your calander and see that your in a meeting, and make itself silent, or detect that you've moved away from your desk and it's not lunchtime, so it'd best shut up.

There's a neat app for the G1 that switches it to silent if you lay it face down, and switches it off it it's face up or moving. That's cute.

Bruce: Agree about Twidroid. Try Twidgit Lite. What's wrong with the marketplace app?

I really like the look for a lot of HTCs WM devices, but not their android ones (that are currently out anyway).

Edit: The Acer Liquid A1 looks neato too.

I passionately despise Windows Mobile. I appreciate there are some people that like it, but then there are also some people that like having women stamp on their knobs with stilletto heels and I choose not to socialise with those types either.

Yeah, I just meant the hardware.

The G1 looks uglier in photos than it actually is, I was pleasantly surprised. I still think it could do without the angled talky bit, though.

To be fair, the only WM device I've ever owned was the Qtek 8500, which was a lovely looking phone turned torture device by the choice of OS running on it. I lasted less than six months before buying something else.

Is there anything like this but for the iPhone:

http://www.memory-map.co.uk/pda_mobile.htm

That's the only thing I really dislike about it.

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=15631526 (so not yet, but maybe soon).

There is an Android version, sort of: http://www.4winmobile.com/forums/old-ne ... -free.html

Yeah I've pretty much drawn a blank too and the Android one seems to need an internet connection to work, so it's not really any good anywhere hilly. Someone seems to be missing an opportunity there.

the 5800 is poor at best. It could be better, but it is entirley unsupported by Nokia and 3rd party apps devs. The PC application software is woeful. The only real advantage it has over the iphone is it has expandable memory using micro SD, and it costs me £15 a month, not £35.

I don't understand why the maps can't be cached. Probably something to do with copyright. Comes in handy for finding green lanes, though.

Oh, and the nokia maps thing doesn't require a net connection once you have looked at it, and you can d/l countries. That bit is good.

Gah, I forgot about visual voicemail. It's ace.

I'm seriously considering keeping my G1 when my contract is up and just renegotiating my deal instead. The only thing it could do with is a new case. *ebays* Oh, and I wish I'd had a black one, the keys can be a devil to see on the white.

Excellent, there's an app for that^TM. I love Android

What's Android like at replicating the iPhone's iPod functions? Only I do actually use mine as a portable music/video player.

It's not as good. The music player is fine, but it hasn't had the years of refinement that the iPod has. As for videos, it's rubbish.

That could potentially be a dealbreaker as using it for music is occasionally essential in maintaining personal sanity in my job and I sometimes catch up on telly programmes I've missed in my lunchbreaks on it.

Working Lunch?

It has iPlayer.
I must confess that I've never actually watched a video on it, I'm just assuming it's rubbish.

Musically it's fine, it's just not as good.

iPlayer (or rather, beebPlayer) for Android works pretty well, so long as you're on a Wifi connection. I've had issues with it arbitrarily just freezing or not playing some stuff on occasion, but not much. The quality is... ok, ish. The developer guy seems to update it pretty often, too.

And yeah, I'd describe the music player as "fine". It's not as slick as an iPhone, but it's certainly not terrible. Plus, you can use last.fm and Spotify fine and they'll run as background apps and everything.

My iPhones iPod is being a twat at the moment mind. It hasn't pulled some purchases over properly (they list but won't play) and there is often terrible lag moving from screen to screen, especially when downloading new episodes of podcasts. Memory is nowhere near full either, which was my first thought.

I will, once again, bang on about how annoying it is how you can't subscribe to a podcast through iPhone, you have to download each episode individually, and if you have multiple podcasts that you want one episode of each, this is a long drawn out process.

The iPhone plays the beebPlayer very well.