Why do (Android) phones need so many cores?

[Haalcyon]

I remember how iOS apps force close by just sending you back to the home screen no dialog box. On android there was a dialog box so people made the assumption that android apps force close all the time. Apple hides a lot of stuff well, its what they do.

Posted via Moto X or Droid RAZR M on the Android Central App

I have had errant iOS apps force close, gently laying me back down on the desktop. The way it's done is certainly gentle seeming. I wrangled my old G pad 8.3 away from my son so I get to do some android work and beat it into usable submission. Should keep me busy for a few. ...I missed playing on that side of the fence.


via the phone

 

[JeffDenver]

In this context, we are dealing with elementary school children. I would rather they not have to create one account after another, so any solution we use should ideally tap on what resources they already have (like the school blog) to avoid extra work on anyone's part.

Well, good luck explaining to every parent that they need to buy Apple stuff so that you are able to share photos with them. It is going to be easier and cheaper for them to just set up box.com accounts. It takes me about 90 seconds to fully set up a new account.

For me, I really couldn't care less whether a platform is open or closed, but whether it meets my needs or not.

If you had limited money, you might care. Closed systems are typically not cheap.

Google docs has its own strengths ( just yesterday, I discovered how to use it to create self-grading quizzes). However, it still has a long way to go towards letting me create documents that look as good or are as functional as those I can create with the iWork's suite.

I agree. They are making progress, but web-based solutions are not yet at the level of dedicated suites. I work in an office environment though, and so far they do everything we need, which is the basic stuff.

If you need support for a dedicated suite, Microsoft Office is still a better solution because far more people are likely to have it. And there is a cheap alternative (Open Office) for the people who don't.

So what if I can share documents more easily? That benefit is irrelevant in this context, and I would actually be worse off because I can't create the documents I want anywhere nearly as easily; how am I benefiting from google docs being more open in this context?

Because anyone can view them or edit them. You do not need to have a specific platform installed or any buy any software package. They can also be modified remotely by anyone.

What is the benefit of a closed system in this context? How is it better if fewer people can access it?

Which is why I use both iWork's and google docs. The best tool for the job and all. I see no point in artificially limiting myself solely to google docs just to uphold some arbitrary crusade of open vs closed.

For me it has nothing to do with artificially limiting myself. Google docs already does what I would have used a dedicated suite for anyway...so what would be the point of spending money on the suite?

 

[garublador]

Notice I wrote 'decent' and not 'better'.

Yeah, I quoted your post but challenged the general idea that iPhones are "smoother" than Android phones. Just trying to get on board with bringing the conversation back to multi-core phones.

 

[garublador]

The first reason Android phones need more cores than the iPhone is that Android is less hardware optemized than iOS. Because Apple is a single integrated company, their OS is fine tuned to run only on their hardware. Android however does not get this optemization because it needs to run on a large variety of hardware specs.

I don't agree with that. There's nothing stopping Android OEM's from optimizing the OS to their hardware. Motorola did just that with the X8 and off loading sensor data to dedicated processor "cores." Each version of Android is tailored to the specific hardware. It's why you have to use a ROM made specifically for your phone. A different version of Android almost certainly won't work on your hardware.

The issue is that most OEM's don't go to the trouble of getting super optimized and customized with their version of Android. They buy off the shelf hardware, add a compatibility layer to Android for their hardware (at least that's how I assume they do it, they might tweak Android itself, I'm not really sure), tack on their GUI and features and away they go. If the processors are powerful enough there isn't a need to get super optimized. It's a lot of work and money for minimal benefit and that cost is passed on to consumers.

The question still is, why does it matter if they optimize rather than choosing more powerful hardware if the end result is similar?

 

[A895]

I don't agree with that. There's nothing stopping Android OEM's from optimizing the OS to their hardware. Motorola did just that with the X8 and off loading sensor data to dedicated processor "cores." Each version of Android is tailored to the specific hardware. It's why you have to use a ROM made specifically for your phone. A different version of Android almost certainly won't work on your hardware.

The issue is that most OEM's don't go to the trouble of getting super optimized and customized with their version of Android. They buy off the shelf hardware, add a compatibility layer to Android for their hardware (at least that's how I assume they do it, they might tweak Android itself, I'm not really sure), tack on their GUI and features and away they go. If the processors are powerful enough there isn't a need to get super optimized. It's a lot of work and money for minimal benefit and that cost is passed on to consumers.

The question still is, why does it matter if they optimize rather than choosing more powerful hardware if the end result is similar?

Well said.

Posted via Moto X or Droid RAZR M on the Android Central App

 

[JeffDenver]

Yeah, I quoted your post but challenged the general idea that iPhones are "smoother" than Android phones. Just trying to get on board with bringing the conversation back to multi-core phones.

I think the video I posted earlier clearly demonstrates that Android phones (at least in 2014) are every bit as smooth as iOS devices. That was a side-by-side comparison using the very latest iPhone.

Faster CPUs are definitely a big reason for that. Android phones need them more because the UI is not given priority like with iOS, and they are actually doing more (not just multi-tasking in the background, but also stuff like moving widgets on the home screens).

 

[Haalcyon]

I think if anything it may be that iOS devices are doing less in the background. That can be bad or good depending on how you look at it. Using this G Pad 8.3 I get the feeling the CPU/OS is multi-taking time-slicing as there's this...for lack of a better word...lag.

via one of the t@blets

 

[JeffDenver]

I think if anything it may be that iOS devices are doing less in the background.

I agree they are. That was my point as to why Android is more dependent on faster CPUs.

That is changing even on iOS...which is why iOS7 lags so much on older iPhones. iPhones are not designed with upgrading in mind...Apple expects you to just buy a new phone when it is time to upgrade.

Using this G Pad 8.3 I get the feeling the CPU/OS is multi-taking time-slicing as there's this...for lack of a better word...lag.

I see no lag at all on my Nexus. Even under load. It is every bit as fast and smooth as any iProduct I have seen so far. The only lag I see is on non-Nexus Android devices and even then, not on the current flagship ones.

I have KitKat on my ancient Galaxy Nexus, and it feels like a modern phone. The UI is very smooth. If not for it's awful camera (even compared to it's contemporaries), it'd make a very nice phone even in 2014.

 

[Haalcyon]

I agree they are. That was my point as to why Android is more dependent on faster CPUs.

That is changing even on iOS...which is why iOS7 lags so much on older iPhones. iPhones are not designed with upgrading in mind...Apple expects you to just buy a new phone when it is time to upgrade.


I see no lag at all on my Nexus. Even under load. It is every bit as fast and smooth as any iProduct I have seen so far. The only lag I see is on non-Nexus Android devices and even then, not on the current flagship ones.

I have KitKat on my ancient Galaxy Nexus, and it feels like a modern phone. The UI is very smooth. If not for it's awful camera (even compared to it's contemporaries), it'd make a very nice phone even in 2014.

It could be that my G Pad 8.3 just is weak. ...but its fine for what I'm planning to do with it. I'm not even gonna bother rooting and ROMing it.

via one of the t@blets

 

[JeffDenver]

It could be that my G Pad 8.3 just is weak. ...but its fine for what I'm planning to do with it. I'm not even gonna bother rooting and ROMing it.

I won't buy non-Nexus tablets anymore. I have an Asus Transformer tf300...it is Quad Core and still really slow. Even with the KitKat ROM on it I think it is slow. My friend's Nexus 7 is way better.

It does have SD, which I love and use a lot. But the Nexus 5 has spoiled me...I need a faster UI.

 

[Haalcyon]

Yeah. I may pick up a 16GB Nexus 5 when some extra money falls on me. It's good to have both platforms and the iPhone 5s and Nexus 5 both take nano SIMs, if I'm not mistaken.

via one of the t@blets

 

[TheStoryUp]

Can anyone explain QNX BMP (Bound Multiprocessing) ,it's advantages, and why it's going to affect the Android ecosystem.

I understand that once you move beyond 4 cores SMP (Symetric Multi Processing) begins to lose some of their efficacy and developers themselves are forced to learn how to developed multithreaded apps.

"Android developers may be forced to learn the C programming language (a longtime embedded favorite) for low-level native development on future many-core devices"

Does Android have something similar and how are they going to make the transition?

Posted via Android Central App

 

[pappy53]

.which is why iOS7 lags so much on older iPhones

7.1 took care of that, thank goodness.

 

[Haalcyon]

7.1 took care of that, thank goodness.

Good' ole optimization will do it most of the time.

via one of the t@blets

 

[pappy53]

.which is why iOS7 lags so much on older iPhones

7.1 took care of that, thank goodness.

The only lag I see is on non-Nexus Android devices and even then, not on the current flagship ones.

Have you checked out the S4? I had one, and it had some lag, and forums are full of people with the same issue.

 

[_X_]

Pray tell me how airplay mirroring was available in 2012, because when I was researching on options, only the Apple TV (to be replaced with a MacBook running airserver) turned up as a feasible option.

In your posr you did not say you where airplay mirroring, you just said airplay. And in my post i didn't say there was airplay mirroring before it was introduced.

What i said was technology like airplay has been around.

As in Android screen sharing has been a long time implemented feature of Android and so has DNLA so one can share video, imaged and audio (like airplay) has also been around.

 

[Haalcyon]

7.1 took care of that, thank goodness.


Have you checked out the S4? I had one, and it had some lag, and forums are full of people with the same issue.

Add to that that most people using Android are NOT using Nexus devices. I will say that even though this G Pad has some lag it's not nearly as annoying at it was this morning when I'd just come off my iPad. ...I got used to the lag pretty quick. On another note, even the Tapatalk Pro app (that I paid for, mind you) is better on the iPad. Why are devs so seemingly (I don't want to use the word 'lazy', it's negative)...challenged? I know Android apps have come a long way so I am appreciative.

via one of the t@blets

 

[JeffDenver]

7.1 took care of that, thank goodness.

Yes, thank goodness.

Users report freezing, lagging iPhones with Apple's iOS 7.1, but overall crashes are down

Among readers who have reached out to AppleInsider, as well as various threads (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) on Apple's support forums, the most common issues appear to be instances where apps or the iPhone touchscreen itself become non-responsive. Some users say they seem to more regularly experience freezes when notifications appear at the top of the screen. Still others say that freezes and system lock-ups with iOS 7.1 have caused their iPhone lock screen to be non-responsive. Some have said they were forced to restart their iPhone in order to prompt the system to return to normal. In addition, there are reports of users seeing the virtual onscreen keyboard in iOS 7.1 freeze and stop accepting inputs.

Users report freezing, lagging iPhones with Apple's iOS 7.1, but overall crashes are down

Hey, but fewer crashes! Progress!

 

[JeffDenver]

Good' ole optimization will do it most of the time.

It wasn't optimization...they just got rid of the animations that they were initially using to mask the lag. On Android, you can control these animations via launchers. On iOS, the animations cannot be removed or reduced or stopped prematurely (at least not without jailbreak).

 

[Haalcyon]

It wasn't optimization...they just got rid of the animations that they were initially using to mask the lag. On Android, you can control these animations via launchers. On iOS, the animations cannot be removed or reduced or stopped prematurely (at least not without jailbreak).

You can completely turn off animations in accessibility options in iOS. I have two 5s' an Air and a rMini so the animations were never slow for me, but I take others word for it.


via the phone