Does multitasking work correctly?

[neoenigma]

So basically, Phil and Jerry are saying "It's not broken, it's a feature." If we're going to spin it that way, then people aren't complaining that multitasking is broken... they're complaining that the phone has a DUMB feature and should be fixed.

The way I see it, the phone's multitasking doesn't work, therefore IT'S BROKEN. If they are always closing apps when you switch, that isn't multitasking. The only things I've seen run properly in the background are apps that are seemingly designed to run properly in the background. But I should be able to switch from my game to the browser and back to the game. If I can't, multitasking is broken.

If your customers all say the feature is broken and you say "no, no, see, that's how we designed it" do you really think they're going to get your next product? HTC needs to fix it if they expect people to want their next phone.

 

[GMJeff]

I think the whole complaint here is not that people want the device to multitask the way they want it to, but as others have said is that it should multitask the way it is supposed to.

Take for example, you are at your desktop and working on a important spreadsheet or entering data in some important corporate document. You need to copy and paste from other documents as well as a web site.

Now every time you change focus from one window to the next, your original document or whatever closes without saving its current state so that you have to re enter all of the data you already entered. Sounds rather annoying to me, and also a device that would find itself broken by my own hand.

So in summary people are not sounding out about this feature because they think they have been slighted due to a feature is not acting the way they want it to, but rather the feature is not working the way that it works on every computer made since Microsoft introduced one of its earliest Windows OSs.

Also, just because a large portion of users on this forum root their devices, why should anyone who doesn't care to tinker with their phones do it, or need to do it, to be able to use a core function straight from the box.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Android Central Forums

 

[sleekblackevo]

this sounds super annoying.. i want to upgrade for a more powerful phone capable of doing more multitasking than my previous phone, not less, right?

 

[gruppe3942#AC]

So I think the question is....Is 1 GB of ram becoming a number of the past? Are we now at a point in our cell phones that we need more than 1 GB of ram and if so should we suck a 2 year agreement for this device with it only having 1 GB of ram.

 

[olsonn]

Some international One X users are claiming that update 1.29.401.11 fixed this multi-tasking issue. Take it with a grain of salt. But let's hope that's good news for the E4GLTE.

 

[gruppe3942#AC]

Some international One X users are claiming that update 1.29.401.11 fixed this multi-tasking issue. Take it with a grain of salt. But let's hope that's good news for the E4GLTE.

Man, I sure hope so. This is definitly a downer for me. I feel like I would be taking one step backwards with this device.

 

[Crispy]

Official HTC response - HTC: Sense 4 multitasking and memory management working as designed | Android Central

I don't really know what to say. They basically admit they had to cripple Android because Sense is a pig and memory hog and this was the only way to make it run. This also explains the famous 'reloading Sense' when you hit home.

I find it ironic that Android on these phones now has the worst multitasking of any mobile OS.

 

[sleekblackevo]

imo i just wish the focus would be to optimize the software for the hardware and stop trying to make such fancy graphics and transitions and other useless stuff that just lessens the ability of the software to be productive and fast.

this would seem like a sense is using too much of the phones resources rather than a not enough ram issue if previous android phones have been able to keep programs running in the background and this is supposed to be such a big leap in cpu in the fastest evolving space in computing.

or i am missing something. so to the android central people basically saying htc has every right to do this.. when you are using these phones this really is a non-issue??

 

[gruppe3942#AC]

imo i just wish the focus would be to optimize the software for the hardware and stop trying to make such fancy graphics and transitions and other useless stuff that just lessens the ability of the software to be productive and fast.

this would seem like a sense is using too much of the phones resources rather than a not enough ram issue if previous android phones have been able to keep programs running in the background and this is supposed to be such a big leap in cpu in the fastest evolving space in computing.

or i am missing something. so to the android central people basically saying htc has every right to do this.. when you are using these phones this really is a non-issue??

Exactly, That is what I would like to know. How does this affect the end user? I understand that we can root but that doesnt seem like a valid answer. I was really looking forward to this divice but as of right now I feel that I will be downgrading. If this is not the case I wish/hope someone who has used the device would clarify this for me. Thanks

 

[Clocks]

Official HTC response - HTC: Sense 4 multitasking and memory management working as designed | Android Central

I don't really know what to say. They basically admit they had to cripple Android because Sense is a pig and memory hog and this was the only way to make it run. This also explains the famous 'reloading Sense' when you hit home.

I find it ironic that Android on these phones now has the worst multitasking of any mobile OS.

For me personally it probably wouldn't matter. I'm going to upgrade in a month or so (to this or the sg3) and I'd root and put CM9 on it and be done with sense (or tw).

But I also "buy" for my fiance and her mom too. I'm not allowed near her phone once she has it "set up the way she likes it", and her mom is too far away for me to want to do remote tech support. So if the damn thing doesn't work out of the box (and losing your game every time you flip to a txt is "broken") it's a no-go for them and we'll all just get the sg3. I dont have any particular brand loyalty (and neither of them could tell you what brand or model of phone they have) why would htc make the decision so easy to buy someone else's product?

 

[gruppe3942#AC]

Is it really as bad as switching to tct causes the program you were using to close?

 

[VickMackey#AC]

I don't think you've dismissed anything, but the next valid questions are "why did HTC do this?" and "what impact does it have on the user?".

It sounds like the answers seem to be "because sense takes up the majority of the 1gb of ram leaving too little for the stock settings to be able to work" and "some users are really frustrated by not being able to keep multiple apps open that older phones had no problems with".

The answer is not the conclusion that I personally drew from Jerry's article which was 'it's a design choice by HTC (like color, or screen size), not a problem that needs correcting' (which I may have misinterpreted, but that's the feeling I got reading it).

Not being able to multitask the browser along side another app is an issue that should be called out as a "con" and highlighted as a potential significant annoyance, not an aesthetic choice open for various subjective feedback on. That's a pretty big step backwards and not what one might expect from a flagship powerhouse of a phone and would certainly impact my buying decision if this affects the evo 4g lte as well.

That makes perfect Sense, but the people that run this site seem to always choose to side with manufacturers/carriers over their readers in almost every case (unlimted data/carrier IQ) and now this. Nothing is ever a big deal. Users are always complaining and it's always buyer beware. It's quite pathetic actually. Jerry Hilderbrand makes poor arguments and backs them up by attacking his readers.

 

[icebike]

So say we all: Multitasking on the HTC One X isn't broken, it's customized | Android Central

But you dodged the question Phil.

We know you have both an international version HOX and the EvoLTE.
Can't you just tell us if they both behave the same way?

That way we can make informed decisions as to whether or not it is acceptable for each user.
Is there still an embargo on this phone?

 

[icebike]

So basically, Phil and Jerry are saying "It's not broken, it's a feature." If we're going to spin it that way, then people aren't complaining that multitasking is broken... they're complaining that the phone has a DUMB feature and should be fixed.

The way I see it, the phone's multitasking doesn't work, therefore IT'S BROKEN. If they are always closing apps when you switch, that isn't multitasking. The only things I've seen run properly in the background are apps that are seemingly designed to run properly in the background. But I should be able to switch from my game to the browser and back to the game. If I can't, multitasking is broken.

If your customers all say the feature is broken and you say "no, no, see, that's how we designed it" do you really think they're going to get your next product? HTC needs to fix it if they expect people to want their next phone.

Good points.

And if HTC wines and dines Phil in Seattle, and he then rushes to their defense in the face of the huge outcry on his own forums, you have to ask if you will trust AC reviews in the future?

Why isn't AC carrying our water to HTC on this issue instead of the other way around????

We really don't care if HTC is fully within their right to tweak ICS in this way. That's not the issue here.
Usability is the issue, and AC should be shouting this from the rooftops instead of running defense for HTC.

Simply getting the news out there in enough forums will force HTC to fix this, or see their flagship phone crash and burn. The carriers will insist on better performance. But as long as Jerry is willing to fall on his sword for HTC's right to screw up the usability of the phone in favor of bling, why should HTC bother fixing it?

 

[crs2265]

Are we really that bored where we can attack and dismiss a device before we even get our hands on it and see exactly how it works for us? This multi tasking issue is not an issue until you actually use the device and it doesn't actually do what you want.

I go back with HTC since Sprint had the PPC6700 years ago, that was my first smart phone and HTC showed me a new world. After that phone, i got my first touch screen and it was the Samsung Instinct and while i thought the touch features were cool, the phone was crap! cheap crap to be exact. Next up was the HTC Hero and my first Android phone... Wow! That thing in its day was amazing and again, HTC blew my mind. I was going to follow it with the EVO but my upgrade wasnt available till January so i waited and at the time the EVO Shift came out so i got that, it was impressive but after a couple months I realized i didnt need (or like for that matter) the keyboard and wanted the bigger screen of the OG EVO so i traded for it (cost me a bit but it was worth it). Again, the power and design of the HTC blew me away. Even with the few quirks and bugs, I kind of liked the Sense interface. After many months of use, i finally broke down rooted the phone and went with CyanogenMod 7 which was very impressive but I had mixed feelings and after screwing around with that for a month or two, i ended up back with a a Sense based mod. Lets just say, i missed a few features.

Fast forward to this past January, Update time again for me and HTC (my Fav) released the EVO 3D which i just couldnt embrace enough to buy. The camera is important to me, i use it a lot and the 3D seemed too gimmicky for my tastes. I hated my last run in with Samsung and swore "Never" especially after all the ugliness of their Epic slider and its lack of Android updates (yes, i know, they eventually did get it) so the reputation was already tarnished in my head but I got talked into the Galaxy S II (Epic Tocuh 4G whatever) Truth is, i kind of like it but it's missing something... Feels like a cheap piece of crap, and Touchwiz is not nearly as fluid as Sense was. Don't get me wrong, the phone is fast, memory is everything i need, got my 32 gig SD card and replaced my iPod... I'm happy but i know it could be better...

Those of us that know and buy HTC products, know we get a higher quality phone made of finer materials than whats else is out there. HTC only sells a fraction of what Samsung sells but most popular isn't always whats better. And if all else fails, we can root and make it work any way we want...

So, here we have our new EVO, not in our hands yet, and our best alternative will be the forthcoming Galaxy S3 which will probably be like every other Samsung phone, a little faster than the last one but a cheap feeling plastic like phone. Hmmm... Think i'll hold out for the EVO, and watch and see how the Multitaking issue plays out for a while before rendering my judgement. It's gotta be better than some more cheap plastic crap....


Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Epic Touch and Wiz wishing it was an EVO! God i can't wait till i give this to my kid phone....Jeez!

 

[tohio]

I originally posted this in the Pod Cast thread but thought it might apply here.
++++++

And so it continues. OK, here's my premise: multitasking should allow a user to multitask. An OS that shuts down APPs that a user would like to return to or use while running other APPs (i.e. music) is flawed.

Jerry can't seem to understand that the users aren't upset that HTC has modified Android for their own purposes. He seems to think that if only the users would understand that Sense is not pure Android all the complaining would go away. He couldn't be more mistaken. The affected users are upset that an operating system that they have used before has been modified (with no notification) in a way that makes it less useful and in some cases harmful (i.e loss of a document in progress). Any modification to an OS that makes multitasking not work as expected and wanted by the users is wrong. And please don't raise the canard of OPEN SOURCE. A company making a phone less desirable because they have a right to under open source has still made a phone that is less desirable. Jerry forgives them (who know why) because it is their right under open source to make multitasking a negative issues with some users.

Cory had a very insightful comment. He asked if a modified ROM could address the multitasking issues and make it work like users wanted why didn't HTC do the same? Why indeed. Jerry said something to the effect that they probably did it to balance other features or OS needs. If so then they designed a poor OS that limits a feature that works well on other phones but not on theirs.

A note to Jerry: the next time you want to defend a phone manufacturer why not try and do so in a less condescending manner. I think that is what some people found offensive in your article.

 

[TenshiNo]

From what I have read on the One X forum at XDA it is worse than just the browser. Going into text messages closes programs.

For example: My wife plays Sudoku at lunch, if i text message her and she checks it, then she tries to continue her game, she will have to start over.

If her Sudoku app "loses" her current game every time it closes, then it's not written properly. The Android framework has specific events and handlers designed to inform an app not only when it's going to "sleep", but also when it's about to be unloaded from memory. They even provide some simple objects for saving game state to disk so that it can be reloaded when the app re-opens. The problem you describe could happen on any phone, if there's enough things being done at once.

I play Sudoku as well, and the app I use will keep my active game across device reboots. It's called "Sudoku Free" from Genina. I would recommend she check out that one.

 

[kinster02]

I think what htc has done works well for the average consumer and not the 5% hard core users because everyone I know don't multi task on their phones. Even when I show them what their phones are capable of they continue to open and close one app at a time. So maybe they are pleasing the majority and not the minority and they can give a rat's @ss about multi tasking.

 

[icebike]

If her Sudoku app "loses" her current game every time it closes, then it's not written properly. The Android framework has specific events and handlers designed to inform an app not only when it's going to "sleep", but also when it's about to be unloaded from memory.

Do you have the HTC One or this EVOLTE?

Because if you did, you wouldn't be chirping up with information about event handlers and informing apps. These apps aren't being notified, they are being summarily killed somehow.

Using Firefox beta prevents a great deal of this, but anything that uses webkit is killing off apps.

 

[icebike]

I think what htc has done works well for the average consumer and not the 5% hard core users because everyone I know don't multi task on their phones. Even when I show them what their phones are capable of they continue to open and close one app at a time. So maybe they are pleasing the majority and not the minority and they can give a rat's @ss about multi tasking.

Ah, no.

Maybe the first week a new android user wouldn't multitask, but even iPhone users are aware that they can answer an text message while typing an email or filling in a web form without losing stuff and having to start over, or be in the middle of a game and check the web, and expect the game to carry on.

We are not talking about rocket science usage here. My non-techie wife does this without me having to show her how, and she expects it to work. Even her first cheesy captivate did this fine.