Switching from Apple to Android, Help?

Oct 24, 2014
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Hey everyone!

I'm kinda new to the whole Android thing, but I know pretty much the basics, Lollipop, Nexus 6, Android One, etc. but the thing is that there is so much Android I'm felling pretty much lost.

Like the tittle says I'm considering pretty strongly to switch from Apple to Android. I mean, I love Apple, but lately with the overpricing of their new iPhones and the new Android weareables I'm feeling like going another way. I have made some research on some Android phones like the Nexus 5 & 6 and HTC One M8, but I have some questions.

Some of the questions that have been bugging me; I know that Nexus 6 has just been anounced, but the "6" means that it is the next generation of the Nexus 5, and if it isn't when is the next gen of the Nexus 5 (and HTC) is likely to be announced? (I really loved the Nexus 5, but it is a year old). Also, when is the next Keynote of Android? I really don't know if there are different Keynotes from Google, Motorola, HTC, etc. and even if they are called "Keynotes".

I think that's all I can think of, but if there is something you would think I should be considering when changing from iOS to Android or choosing a new Android smartphone over an iPhone, please do not hesitate.

Which phone do you think is best for me considering I'm switching from Apple, take everything into consideration, Galaxy, HTC, Nexus, etc.
Thanks in advance!
 

vannylugo

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First almost all android devices are for budget user. The nexus 6 is the 3 generation nexus phone its a pretty hardcore device for heavy user like gaming, movies and streaming. Also google always have their devices updated within 3 to 4 days of the software release and they only take from 25-150 Mb.

With android you can use sd cards to move apps and free space and if you decide to root(jailbreak) you device you can do a lot more.

But also search this devices that are cheaper and even better they are the competition of google phone which are the Oneplus one, the blu life 8 , blu life vivo IV (both blu have octa-core 1.7 Ghz) and the xiaomi m3 and m4 all phones have the latest android update for now but are still great search them and decide all are different in many ways so choose wisely on yor preference and if you have any doubt send me a pm or quote me.
 

vannylugo

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I have the blu life 8 and the score its just a 50 point difference between the nexus 5 and s4.

768b07ccdcec52b0e6834479d67efb2b.jpg
 

Malteasers1

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Well as for what phone, it depends on what you want in a phone. DO you want screen size, camera, or build quality? DO you care for the skins or do you prefer stock android? New android releases come out in october/november. HTC generally shows their flagships around March, Samsung too. THe nexus 6 IS the next Nexus 5, but you cna still but the N5.
 

B. Diddy

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First almost all android devices are for budget user. The nexus 6 is the 3 generation nexus phone its a pretty hardcore device for heavy user like gaming, movies and streaming. Also google always have their devices updated within 3 to 4 days of the software release and they only take from 25-150 Mb.

Although there are many budget phones out there, I wouldn't say that almost all Android devices are budget. There are quite a few high-end flagship phones out there, and the Note 4 seems to be knocking it out of the park in terms of sales.

Nexus devices do get system updates faster than other devices, but the updates can sometimes take upwards of a few weeks to fully roll out across the globe. The system updates can be anywhere from around 50 MB to over 300 MB, depending on how major the update is.


I know that Nexus 6 has just been anounced, but the "6" means that it is the next generation of the Nexus 5, and if it isn't when is the next gen of the Nexus 5 (and HTC) is likely to be announced?

The 6 refers more to the screen size, rather than the generation. Remember that the Nexus 7 was released in 2012--the 7 referring to the 7" screen size. There has been no word on any possible refresh of the Nexus 5 (I was hoping that Google would surprise us and give us a new Nexus 5 based on the Droid Turbo). But it seems like they've decided to continue selling the Nexus 5 alongside the Nexus 6, which isn't a bad idea. The N5 is still a great phone, and will still be able to hold its own for at least another year or two.

You should base your decision on the strengths of each platform, and what's important to you. In my mind, these are some of the main strengths of Android and iOS:

Android
Wide variety of hardware to choose from.
High level of customizability out of the box--even more if you root.
Huge app selection in Google Play Store, Amazon Appstore, and other sources.
More robust ability of apps to function together.

iOS
Minimal hardware selection means iOS can be completely optimized, making performance smoother.
Apps tend to be more polished, since developers don't have to take into account different hardware.
Excellent multimedia functionality.
More accessories designed specifically for iPhones.

Good luck with your decision!
 

Rukbat

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First almost all android devices are for budget user.
Except those that aren't, and there are a lot of them. Unless you have a budget that allows you to buy $700 toys.

Also google always have their devices updated within 3 to 4 days of the software release
Except for the times that a carrier has released before Google has.

With android you can use sd cards to move apps
Some parts of some apps. Always buy a phone that has enough internal app storage for your needs. Don't count on any app you use being runnable from the SD card.

and free space
But not much of it. Every piece moved to the SD card has to have a link stored in internal storage. (And sometimes - due to the fact that app "developers" range from terrible to brilliant, sometimes the piece moved is smaller than the link - meaning that putting it on the SD card actually costs you internal storage.)

Ernesto, if by "Keynote" you're talking about the system at keynote.com, they're ready now. If you mean "version", Lollipop (version 5.0) should be out within the next few weeks to the next few months, depending on the manufacturer. (Google writes it, then the manufacturer modifies it to work on their hardware, then the carrier modifies it to work the way that want [take out tethering, add in wifi calling, etc.], then it's sent to the phones in batches (so the system isn't overloaded sending out thousands of updates per tower at once). And you might not even want some particular update. For instance, from 4.3 to 4.4, there was a "security" change that prevents one app from writing to another app's folder on the SD card. Not nice if you're using the SD card to hold your local copy of a file on the cloud (so the cloud app owns the folder) and you want another app to change the file. That messed up a lot of password programs.

Nexus 6 is the successor to the Nexus 5. Is it the next generation, or is it just a few changes with a new number? You have to decide what the difference in the definitions are. What's a cosmetic change to one person makes the phone a lot more (or less, in some cases) usable to another.

When is a new version of any particular manufacturer's phone going to come out? We can guess based on past releases, but no one can predict that accurately. (Even the people at the company who know aren't allowed to tell the public - which includes their brother-in-law, their next door neighbor, etc.)

iOS vs. Android? With iOS, Apple controls everything - where the pieces of the hardware get made and by which factory, how they're put together, how the firmware gets written, which apps can be sold in the app store ... everything. But there's not too much you can do to change the phone. (You can jailbreak it, but even then you're fairly limited.) The advantage? Everything works together and you don't have to figure many things out, make many decisions, etc. It's the phone, as an old Apple commercial said, "for the rest of us". IOW, those who don't want to know how a computer works, they just want to use it.

Android lets you do almost anything to the phone. (Some of which can cause it to stop working, but some of which can make it work a lot better.) Anyone can write Android apps (if they know how, of course, but that's been made pretty simple if the app isn't too complex, and the "developer" doesn't care about elegance), and can release them anywhere, not just in the Google Play Store. But you also have to accept that some apps are pretty poor quality, some don't work well with others, some won't work on your phone, or with your version of Android. And there are a lot of decisions to be made.

If you just want to turn the phone on, run the "official" apps, make and take phone calls and text messages and access the internet, an iPhone's only disadvantage is that it's a lot more expensive than the equivalent Android phone. (Competition usually brings lower prices, and only Apple makes real iPhones. [There are Chinese "iPhones", but they have as much iPhone in them as a turtleneck sweater has a turtle's neck in it.]) If you want a computer you can carry in your pocket and run the way you want to run it - oh, and also use it for phone calls and texting - an Android phone is a lot easier to live with. (Windows phones aren't that bad either, except that the number of apps is pretty low right now.)
 
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colyn1353

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Some parts of some apps. Always buy a phone that has enough internal app storage for your needs. Don't count on any app you use being runnable from the SD card.

A number of apps have been modified by the developer to run fine from the SD card..

But not much of it. Every piece moved to the SD card has to have a link stored in internal storage. (And sometimes - due to the fact that app "developers" range from terrible to brilliant, sometimes the piece moved is smaller than the link - meaning that putting it on the SD card actually costs you internal storage.))

Interesting.... I have moved all of my photo apps to the SD card and have been unable to find any trace of them on the internal storage. The only photo app not movable was the stock camera app which is in fact found on the internal storage..
 

Rukbat

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A number of apps have been modified by the developer to run fine from the SD card..
I said don't count on it, as a general rule. If you have enough internal storage, you can move those apps that can be moved and keep more free internal storage (because apps will get larger over time).

Interesting.... I have moved all of my photo apps to the SD card and have been unable to find any trace of them on the internal storage. The only photo app not movable was the stock camera app which is in fact found on the internal storage..
Unless you used an app (or are running a ROM) that flips internal and external storage, an app on the SD card needs a symlink in internal storage. It's like installing a program to the C drive, moving the entire folder to the D drive and expecting the icon that's still pointing to the C drive to run the program. The icon on the homescreen or app drawer points to internal storage. (There are ways of changing that, but I haven't seen any apps that do it.)
 

colyn1353

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If you have enough internal storage, you can move those apps that can be moved and keep more free internal storage (because apps will get larger over time).

I agree.
They will most likely get larger in the future..

Unless you used an app (or are running a ROM) that flips internal and external storage, an app on the SD card needs a symlink in internal storage. It's like installing a program to the C drive, moving the entire folder to the D drive and expecting the icon that's still pointing to the C drive to run the program. The icon on the homescreen or app drawer points to internal storage. (There are ways of changing that, but I haven't seen any apps that do it.)

My phone is completely stock..
There are folders on the internal storage but all are empty except the shutters folder for Camera Zoom FX and it only has a single shutter sound in it. Hidden files don't show anything either..
I think this Kitkat "crippleware" idea is more hype than fact..
I do agree however that not all apps are movable.
 

Rukbat

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There are folders on the internal storage but all are empty except the shutters folder for Camera Zoom FX and it only has a single shutter sound in it. Hidden files don't show anything either..
The symlink is in the directory for the folder, it's not a file in the folder (which is a concept, not a structure).

I think this Kitkat "crippleware" idea is more hype than fact..
If you mean the "can't write to the SD card" thing, it's fact. Only the owner or root can write to or modify files in a folder. The FAT32 (or exFAT) SD partition becomes more of a Linux-type of partition, with Linux-type permissions. (Only the root of the card is writeable by everyone.)
 

colyn1353

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The symlink is in the directory for the folder, it's not a file in the folder (which is a concept, not a structure).

I think you have the wrong idea what a symlink really is.
If you install a program onto "C" drive the installer then creates a symlink on the desktop and/or program folders in the form of a launcher. Likewise if you download a file onto "C" drive it is linked to the "C" drive. If you move that file to the "D" drive it is now linked to the "D" drive. You did not have to create a symlink because it is automatically linked to the new location.
With Android you install an app it is automatically installed to the internal memory and creates a symlink to the launcher. You tap the launcher and the app opens. If you want to move that app to the SD card you then go to settings-application manager. You then pick whichever app you want to move to the SD card and tap force stop then tap move to the SD card. During the move a symlink is modified to direct the launcher to the app which is now on the SD card instead of the internal memory. No symlink is needed pointing back to where it was originally located..
I've been involved off and on since 1994 with Linux developement and as you may know Android is Linux. Same concept here. With Linux you may have to create a symlink if you modify certain components of that application.

If you mean the "can't write to the SD card" thing, it's fact. Only the owner or root can write to or modify files in a folder. The FAT32 (or exFAT) SD partition becomes more of a Linux-type of partition, with Linux-type permissions. (Only the root of the card is writeable by everyone.)

Not totally true. You can write to the SD card..
I'm not talking about modifiying files. I moved apps to the SD card then created folders and gave each app permission to write to those folders. For example when I take a photo with say Camera Zoom FX it writes the image file to the Camera Zoom folder I created beforehand..
One of the reasons I left iPhone is since it does not use the SD card all of my photos were saved to internal memory which would eat up storage space which meant I had to move images to the cloud which can be a hassle since I have a lot of images. Android solved that problem..
Granted, I have a lot more knowledge of how Linux works than the average Android user so I know more about how to get around the issue.. Linux is very customizable...
 

FredAndroide

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Hi Ernesto, i take the desition to change mi Iphone 4 for a nexus 5 and i can tell you that it was a great desition. I don't know if use brands out of Nexus is the best as an Android user. Ussually Google keeps more Software upgrade version for news Android versions for his Nexus devices. For example if you have a Nexus 4 today, you will can upgrade your divice to lollypop soon.
If you want a big screen you can use a nexus 6, it have a bigger screen than iphone 6 plus but is smallest.
I will post a graphic that i found to show why is a good option to change to Android. ;)

-iphone6vsnexus6.jpg
 

Rukbat

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I think you have the wrong idea what a symlink really is.
If you install a program onto "C" drive the installer then creates a symlink on the desktop and/or program folders in the form of a launcher.
In Linux? Or are we talking about some OS that has nothing to do with an ext4 filesystem?

Likewise if you download a file onto "C" drive it is linked to the "C" drive. If you move that file to the "D" drive it is now linked to the "D" drive.
Which is why programs were written to rewrite all links when moving programs?

With Android you install an app it is automatically installed to the internal memory and creates a symlink to the launcher.
It creates an icon in the launcher.

We're talking on completely different levels - you're looking at what a user sees, I'm talking about how an OS operates. (At least the ones I've written code for.)
 

colyn1353

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I try to communicate on a level where those who may read the forum can understand..

Writing code is easy. I did not grow up with the computer and I can write code. I am completely self taught. Been doing it since the Unix days..
 

LazarX

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Some things to consisder..

How invested are you in the Apple eco system, your hardware, your media, your apps? You may be able to download and move your music over, your video is probably another issue.

Apps are another story. apps are the big reason that I'm going to be switching back to IOS after using several Android phones over the last year ranging from the Optimus, to the Evo and currently the Samsung G3. Android remains terrible at memory management, making manual use of an app like Cleanmaster a required regular routine to keep the phone (which is running 4.4 KitKat) running at optimum. Although the gap is starting to narrow, a lot of IOS apps aren't represented in Android and those that are frequently have inferior implementations. If you have a Macintosh, there is no Android phone which will make use of Handoff and Continuity features of Yosemite. One of the reasons that affects me personally, is the tremendous success I've had in building a Hackintosh for myself so that Mac OS is going to be my main operating system, at least for this next chapter.

The other thing to keep in mind is what space you actually have for apps. If you get a phone with 8 gigs of core memory and expand it with a 32 gig microsd card. That core memory still remains the limit on apps you can install. Even apps moved to the SD card still have a core memory component. And if you don't keep a decent amount of that space free, your performance is going straight to the toilet.

There is a lot of nice hardware in the Android field and a lot of good phones with good functionality. The software however is still trying to live up to them.
 
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