An iPhone User’s Experience with Android

Things can get a little heated when iPhone and Android users start arguing over who has the better phone. The Android/iPhone debate is king of the smartphone rivalries, and iPhone fanatics swear by their platform just as much as Android users.

Few people actually use both an Android and iPhone device for any extended period of time. Usually, the fights occur between people that are sitting on opposite sides of the smartphone fence. It’s always interesting to hear the experience of someone that’s thoroughly used both platforms…

ReadWriteWeb has posted a that details the experience of an iPhone user that switched over to Android for a few days. Mike Melanson has some interesting things to say,

“It’s been a little over a year now that I’ve had my iPhone and I’ve become so used to the simple way that it works, I’ve begun complaining. “There’s little to no customization,” I might rattle off one day. “I can’t stand Apple’s App Store policies,” I’ll muse the next. But there’s one thing I will admit, nonetheless – the iPhone just works.”

Before you assume that Mr. Melanson is just an Apple “fanboy,” he actually offers some appealing arguments as to why he favors the iPhone over Android,

“I’ve bemoaned the state of iOS increasingly over the past year as closed but, if two days into the open world of Android, this is the state of things, then I might be tempted to agree that quality can quickly be sacrificed with openness.
Just days ago, I got my hands on an HTC Thunderbolt and, while I’m not here to talk about the device itself, I find myself unsure. I know, any user getting into something new has a growth period, so I’m not ready to nit pick the finer usability issues of iOS or Android. I am, however, ready to talk about two points that seem like big ones for the state of Android – finding apps and then downloading apps that don’t lock your phone and send it into epileptic-like fits.”

Finding Apps

“On the first point, I’ve searched for app after app only to find that I hadn’t put in the exact correct name. It’s not “Color” it’s “Color Beta.” Really? This has been the case time and time again as I search for apps only to have someone tell me the exact name I need to enter. No partial search? For an OS put out by a company that builds, primarily, the world’s most popular search engine this just seems ridiculous.”

Stability

“Now, for the second point. Today, I found myself in a situation where I wanted to use my Android (because it admittedly has a better camera than my iPhone 3GS) to take pictures. I opened the Android Market, searched for Flickr and quickly clicked on the app named Flickr that had the Flickr icon. Great. Once the download completed, I tapped on the icon and suddenly a website opened up to a phishing warning. I tried to exit, but it just reopened. Again and again. No matter what combination of buttons I tried, the phone re-entered this unusable state of trying to reload this prohibited website and randomly rebooting.”

The lack of partial search in the Android Market is definitely an issue. Stability and crashing are always something to consider when operating in an uncurated app ecosystem.
Mike Melanson’s closing thoughts,

“I’m certainly not about to abandon my Android. I love the potential for customization and as someone heavily involved in the Google ecosystem, I’m excited to see the deeper integration afforded by Android. But is this the cost of “open”? Unfindable apps and apps that, once they are found, nearly brick your device?
If so, I might argue that Google either needs to close things down just a little bit or find a way to quickly and easily surface more reliable, trustworthy apps for its users.”

Do you agree? Especially if you use both Android and iOS, we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Military wants advaced encryption for iOS and Android ASAP

The U.S. military is currently in the process of deploying smartphones within its ranks.
However, the Defense Department isn't skimping on security, as a serious lapse could place the lives of U.S. soldiers in danger.
As such, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has kicked off an initiative to develop new technology that supports full system and disk encryption for commercial smartphones.
Understandably, DARPA seems to be focusing its efforts on smartphone running Google’s Android and Apple’s IOS platforms - with encryption envisaged in the form of a custom pre-boot system that loads a secure version of the phone’s operating system.

In compliance with the federal security standard FIPS 140-2, DARPA has emphasized that any such system must - at the minimum - employ the AES-256 encryption algorithm.
To realize its encryption goal, DARPA has tapped universities and industry players to develop and submit a concept paper that details an innovative approach based on existing technology that can realistically be deployed within 90 days.

This is not the first announcement that points to the military’s interest in securing smartphones.
Just a few months ago, the US Air Force was weighing whether commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) smartphones
could be used to securely ransmit sensitive voice and data.

Virtual Zippo app hits Android!

I can remember when I was a kid and we would go to the movies, the Bic lighter commercial would come on and everyone would hold up their lighters and flick them. You can’t do that today, but if you are the sort that finds the need to flick a lighter and you don’t smoke Zippo has a new Android app for you called Virtual Zippo Lighter.


The app has been on the iPhone before and has been downloaded about 14 million times. The app is now on the Android Market and it is free. It is optimized for the Droid, Evo 4G, and HTC G2 according to Zippo. It’s doesn’t seem overly complex so I would think it will run on any Android device.
The app has 28 different designs that you can put on your virtual lighter. As you move your Android device around the flam will move with you and when you blow on your phone the flame will go out. It’s an interesting app, even if it has no real purpose.

Windows Phone 7 Coming Of Age, Skype, Angry Birds, Spotify On The Way

The introduction of multitasking and background processes to Windows Phone 7 in the upcoming ‘Mango‘ update have clearly caught the eye of some big players in the mobile app space, with some new apps being announced today by Microsoft.

The big announcement is the impending release of the platform’s first Angry Birds title with a drop-date of May 25th. Already a huge hit with Android and iOS users, Angry Birds coming to Windows Phone 7 goes some way to legitimizing the handsets in a market where phones can live or die by their apps. Regular users know the brand, and judging by sales numbers they seem to like it!
Also announced were new WP7 apps from Skype, Spotify and Layer with the multitasking enhancements of ‘Mango’ sure to have been key in the decision for the respective companies to bring their apps to the platform.
Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore said:

“We will soon deliver a new set of Windows Phone Developer Tools that will enable developers to create a new generation of apps that are even faster, more capable and better integrated with Windows Phone.”

With updates bringing features such as multitasking and copy & paste to Windows Phone 7 it’s clear Microsoft has listened to the complaints of users and pundits alike. Bringing their OS up to the high standards already set by Android and iOS must be Microsoft’s main priority along with getting key apps to its Marketplace.