Rant Smartphones - iPhone/Android/WinMo Why..?

It's not meant to be a bashing thread. It seems that way, but I'm trying to expresse my opinion from the info I have. I may be wrong on some finer point, feel free to corect them, as I can't find links either way.


anyway.

I'm a windows mobile guy.
I've been using it for 4 years and know it reasonably well.
I've got my favourite apps and it does everything I want, the way I want it.

I have alot of flexability to program and tweak my own rom which can give masses of flexability.
And as it's able to run .net, +c, Java, Flash and others it has sassive flexability over apps.
Who makes them, Who can distribute them, how to set it up.
Basically a totaly open system.

As a PC geek and Custom PC builder it's what I'm used to.
Getting my hands dirty with setups and the workings.



Now apple is the oposite.
A closed system with locked rom.
Only apple approved apps allowed through the apple store (didn't the jiggle tits program get pulled by apple? ).
And, correct me if I'm wrong, don't all apps have to pay a fee to APple to be allowed on the istore, even if they were a super-musthave-freebie
Not able to run even flash as that would allow "other" programs to be run on an Iphone.

A system so closed I find objectionable, if only on a philosphical standpoint.


I understand why the Iphone is so popular.
It's basicaly setup and go.
You get all your apps for the Istore. If it 'aint there, it don't exist, so getting stuff is a simple point look buy.


I just can't see it as a better system.
I know more people like it.
And it seems to be a must have.
But I just cant get my head around the way folks flock to such a restricted system



I see android as the best of both.
An open system with an app store front.
But I don't know if they have the same tight system as apple.
How do andoid do apps?


I know Paml and Symbian are in the list to, but I see them as only bit players at the mo.
I know symbian is on more phones than the others, but most nokias are Phones 1st and tools second.
Iphone-Android-Winmo Are phones with apps and are used that way.



Windows mobile cant seem to get it's act together.
It's not as popular as I think it should be.
In fact, unless Microsoft do something pretty special, I expect it to not only become a very distant 5th in the phone handset OS (Iphone-android-Palm-Symbian-Winmo), but to disapear altogether.


I'm due a new phone next year and I'm not confident it's going to be a winmo phone.
Not due to the lack of products, but the lack of userbase and therfore support.


IS it really better to have a massively sucseful "closed" system.
Or a more open but unsucsesful system.



I'd go Iphone if it was the best option out there.
I'd just resent buying such a restricted system
I'd jail braek it on principle.


What do you guys think.

 

Is this supposed to be a poem?

 

Android phones are just taking off. The app 'market' is only going to get better and better

 

Nah, just a rant (hence heading)

Is a closed system the best system?

How do think Phones and os's will develop?

IS there a "true" best system?
Is a restriced apps system best-Where by all software is aproved and only aproved software allowed, but you know it's going to be as described.
Is an open system Best-Anyone can create and distribute any app they want but you lose the "vetting" of a closed system.


Feel free to enlighten me.

I prefer open.
But can be purseauded

 

this seems to be more on point of open or closed app system rather than different platforms (there's more to it than app approval process)

Andriod system, from my understanding, is to approve all except those are blatantly phishing/spyware apps. and i consider that process to be the best at the moment.

Apple's closed system is totally crap without any real innovation behind the thousand fart apps, however, if you jailbreak your device, it can rival any open system, but with ease of use from Cydia's package install system.

 

I think the best system would be a mix of both. a closed app store with everything approved, where you can go for an app, that works, and doesn't screw the device up. but the ability to go an install apps from elsewhere if I want to.
but its not going to happen as the people who have apps for sale on the approved store would find their programs pirated/copied and put up else where for less/free.

 

It could be a mix, a store with apps that have a star ( apps that are useful, good, functional, etc...) and apps that have nothing (install at your own risk).

 

I like Windows Mobile.
I've used it for 3+ years and know it well.
I've used cooked roms and even OC'd my phone

But I feel I've "backed the wrong horse"
Kinda like a betamax user in the 80's.

I thought as a system it was supirior to Apple/Itunes, mostly due to the flexability.
But it seems the masses want Apple/iphone.


The only way I see Microsoft Recovering the situation is to go Whole-hog down the App-store route.
Which in a way would lead it away from the system it is now.
MS have got the "market place" for windows phones, but it no better than any other Windows Mobile apps site.
And as such is pointless.


I guess I'm still a bit fed up with the MP3 player debacle.
I-river, creative and even acer make better quality MP3 players the the 1st few genrations of Ipod.
I didn't really fancy an I-pod, I don't like being forced to use proprietary software. I've used drag and drop to sort my MP3 players for years. Hell for audio quality the best MP3 player I've listened to in the past 5 years is a 5 year old HD based 10 GB acer. Big, Ugly and Cluncky, but sounds awsome.

But as my gym and car both use intergrated ipod docks, I ended up with an I-pod (but in true custom PC user style, I bought a broken one, took it apart and replaced the creeen £30 all in for a 120GB pod)

The net result was I spent several days resorting all my fecking music onto I-tunes to get it to work properly in the gym and car. And the number of mistakes it made was shocking.


I'm really not looking forward to having to do the same ball-ache find the best workaround and lose a weeekend seting up a new type of phone affair as I did with the MP3 players.


I'm just having a little vent.
And tying to get a feeling of how you folks see Mobile phones going.
I've spent 2 weeks with a Nokia N900 Linux based Phone (broke my screen so my winmo was away for repairs). But it was such a pig I didn't like it. The n900 is the ultimate open system in mobile phones, but it is a half finnished and unsupported mess, even nokia has kinda ditched it.


Meh.

I think I'll just get a walkie talkie.

 

Have to agree so far, WM is clunky but open. Have been using WM phones since day 1 (the orange SPV) until about a week ago (>Android)

Though regarding the openness, it is worth noting that MS was the first to try application locking and platform approval for apps, just that they originally failed and so had to abandon it*

Can't agree more.

Apple is the AOL of smartphones... If you only want to do what Apple allows you to it's fine, if you want to tinker, it'll do it's utmost to prevent it.

Sadly WM7 is looking to be a carbon-copy of Apple's version

Android seems to have much of the good points of the apple store with the minimum of the bad points.

Still a bit too restrictive IMHO, but leagues ahead of Apple/WM7

relegated to 'not perfect, but by far the best of whats available' in my opinion.

Having owned the probably current flagship Android phone for roughly a week now (HTC Desire) i'd highly reccomend it.

Android Market is very nice, not the volume of the app store but countered by the lack of apple nannying/censorship.

overall, i doubt i'll ever look back, microsoft seems to have shut the door in the face of all earlier WM users...

*windows smartphone apps for the the first windows mobile phone (Orange SPV) needed to be digitally signed from Microsoft to run, luckily there was a boot-up exploit you could do where whilst it was loading you could access the filesystem via USB before the security system loaded.
This was so popular, MS backed down and the concept was abandoned until apple tried it (and which MS are now doing again on WM7 following Apple's iOS success )

 

Too true. I was going to type quite a bit, but this article, in my opinion, covers all the points that many people are agreeing with right now: TrustedReviews - Why Android Will Overtake iPhone.

WinMo's problem is that we've outgrown it in terms of how we use a phone now. It needs a radical makeover if it is going to be competitive again. The interface, for example, really isn't up to par with the other major operating systems now; it's not a practical touchscreen interface now, not made for the new capacitive touchscreen era. The Windows Mobile Marketplace is poor in comparison to the App Store or Android Market. There's also a HUGE variation in the quality of the programs available for the platform.

The Android Market is open, meaning that you can submit any app and it will be published (unless it is REALLY inappropriate or disallowed, but it isn't limited anywhere near the App Store's level). All you need to do, as a developer, is pay a $25 fee. The quality of the apps on the whole is great, and you can create apps in Flash or Java, which means it appeals to a wider spread of developers. You can also install apps, like Windows Mobile, individually without using any repositories. So, the "mix-of-both" idea that some of you have mentioned, is there with Android.

It isn't perfect, of course. Android still needs a bit of refining in some people's eyes, and the UI is said to be inconsistent at times, but overall, it is a fantastic operating system. Mixed with the price of the phones that use it, it will compete closely, and maybe even overtake the iPhone soon. It's growing extremely fast.

The iPhone, well, it's closed, so tighter quality control and consistent quality between apps in general. But Apple's idea of customisation is, of course, bloody wallpapers and backgrounds...and whisperwolf, piracy of iPhone apps does exist. While not terrible, as you need to jailbreak your phone and most people not doing so, it's worse than you'd imagine.

I'll be honest, the whole jailbreaking thing for me was simply a way to get features that should have been there in the first place. What I ended up with was a slow, often annoying to use iPod touch. Of course, there are other reasons, but that was the main one for me.

I've noticed nobody has mentioned Palm here. I'm not really going to comment, it's a great operating system that's refined, but I'd rather wait and see what it's future holds.

 

I've owned 2 iPhones, 1 WinMo 6.5 device, and 3 Android devices.

I've gotta say, Android is by far my favorite, I'm on a NexusOne running 2.2 now and love it. The App Market isn't quite as full as Apple's, but it's getting there, they recently breached 100k apps and there's been a near-exponential growth rate from month-to-month so it's looking quite promising.

Plus there's so many custom ROMs out there that if you feel you need to try something new, you just load up a new ROM.

 

Yes, that's correct. It's not so bad having to pay the developer fee, however - both iPhone and Android have one, and it stops people from simply submitting garbage to waste time. Apple gives you a lot in return, and most freebies do have some monetary tools - adverts usually.

To be honest, it only really affects you if you want to massively customize it. I personally wouldn't find a closed system too bad - all the people I've talked to about jailbreaking have only done it so they can pirate their apps, a much more morally objectionable behaviour.

It's simple. You get something, you install it, it works. Even better, because Apple have tested it, it works well on your device, which is better than can be said for some Android apps.

I know about Android applications, being an Android Developer. Anyone can upload Android Applications to the store, provided they have an Android Developer Account. This costs $25, and gives you nothing except for the privilege to publish on the Market (unlike Apple, who at least give you access to developer resources for your money). Following this, you can simply upload an app, look at a couple of things and click publish, upon which it is published to the market.

Android never see your source code, and only ever see your finished product. This means that the Android Market is theoretically insecure, as it means that you could very easily make a password-stealing application.

You've forgotten Blackberry

Depends. If 'unsuccessful' = sold horribly (ie Kin), then no, closed is the one you want. If 'unsuccessful' = small fish in a big pond (ie Linux), then you want the unsuccessful one.

I'd tend towards a closed platform if the open one was a volunteer project.

 

I've been using Android since the original Google G1 first came out (contract ends next month, Galaxy S here I come), it's come leaps and bounds over that time and if anything the momentum is still building, Froyo is said to bring massive speed boosts and with Flash it's much more appealing than iOS4 for me.

 

IMO.

Apple / iOS became so popular because it's Apple and it was the first one to get the touch screen malarkey into the main stream. In general people just don't CARE if the platform is closed or open, they don't even know what it means. They've had the early lead and the Apple-factor, which alone have been enough to make the system hugely popular. Android only really took off after the iPhone was already more popular than God, so they've had insane amount of catching up to do.

Currently I think Android offers a great competitor to the iPhone.... If only the buyer is on the market for a great phone, and not specifically iPhone. In the future? Meh, dunno, all I know is my next phone is going to run on Android.

EDIT: and WinMo currently is so distant third I really haven't bothered even looking into it. Also you don't really need to hit Enter after every sentence, it's painful to read such a long post written like that.

 

I had a HTC p3300 which came out a year before the Iphone, and still had better features. It was the iphone riding the ipod hype wave that took it took 1st place.

I think it's a dead duck, it will need alot of work to fix it. Microsoft have got buckets of cash to fix the situation, and they must have noticed apple and google stealing a march.
I can't belive ms will lie down. But the fightback will stop the OS being what I currntly like.
Either way it's a fail for me

I guess I mentally bullet point my posts....

 

jailbroken iPhone? AppStore for safe apps and Cydia for install-at-your-own-risk apps.

even though HTC p3300 have came out before original iphone with more features, can you honestly pick up and use? more features doesn't mean all of them can be used. also, this is on the hardware side, not on OS.

i think it's personal preference, unknowngamer obviously prefers WinMo where he knows everything. i prefers jailbroken iOS because i know my way round it. someone else prefers Android because it's completely open. and may be other people prefers Symbian 4.

 

Yeah and I Sony-Ericsson had a touch screen-only phone already back in 2002, but so what? Apple was the brand that could make people actually buy into that. And after Apple set the benchmark, others have had to adapt.

 

After my previous experience with Symbian i'd put it below even WinMo....

 

Meh, Symbian is fine, but it wasn't really ever an OS for the real smart phones. Lets hope Symbian 4 can change that as competition is always nice.

 

I loved my HTC Hero and Android, but i find myself on OSX more than i'm on Windows, hence i switched to the iPhone, as currently HTC don't support HTC Sync with OSX, but when they do, i could very well be returning to Andoird.

Sam