Long time Apple user ... first Android

**Bokehman** · 03-01-2013, 12:47 PM

I've been using Apple products for 23 years, desktops, iMacs, iPods, iBooks, iPhones, Apple TV ...

The one product I held off on was an iPad. I finally caved last fall and bought an iPad 3. The mini's were in stock at that point, but I just couldn't get past the non-retina screen. This was mainly going to be a browsing/reading device for the sofa. After a few weeks it actually started to get heavy and I started to enjoy using it less. I'd always look at a Nexus 7 when I was in Staples and liked the form factor but was concerned about moving outside the Apple eco-system. As my GF was using the iPad more and more, and me using it less and less, I finally caved and bought a Nexus 7. I thought it would be a good "experiment" to see if I could live with a non-Apple product.

I have to say ... I'm impressed.

First off the size of the Nexus 7 is perfect. The padded back is super comfortable and the build is good. It did not look or feel cheap to me.

Being a graphic designer, the layout of JB was a refreshing change. No more skeuomorphism, canvas backgrounds, faux leather or cute bubbles. Clean. Simple. I think Apple has seriously regressed with the recent OSX offerings. The idea of bringing over the look of iOS to OSX is a mistake, IMO. I hope that Ivy can turn that around. I purchased 3rd party apps for Contacts and Calendar for Mountain Lion because I couldn't look at the Apple offerings without cringing. Apple new feels old, and Android feels refreshing.

Customization: Um. Wow. This may be the most fun I have with the Nexus. I can make my icons look the way I want, smaller, larger, place them where I want, put widgets on the screen, make my own custom screens. When I look at my iPad now it feels ... boring. And the notifications menu? Love it.

I purchased the SmoothSync apps and so far it's work pretty well. Anything I update on my Apple products shows up on my Nexus, and vice versa.

I will say I find apps still look better overall in iOS. I'm not sure if that's because I'm looking at Android apps that aren't tablet ready. The Weather Network, for example, looks beautiful on iPad but is really messed up on my Nexus.

Nice that I can buy a sub $5 OTG cable and not have to spend $30 on an Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit.

I will leave any technical questions for other forums. I just wanted to post this here for others who may be looking in from the Apple world. At this point my next phone may well be an Android.

**xlDeMoNiClx** · 03-01-2013, 12:50 PM

Welcome to the dark side of mobiles. I think you'll enjoy your time with us.

This is from me, on my EVO 3D.

**Patrick Schroedl** · 03-01-2013, 02:46 PM

Welcome, indeed. When it comes time to look for a new phone, definitely take a look at the Nexus 4. It's superb.

Android apps can be hit-or-miss. Some are very, very well designed; others, not so much. I'd keep an eye on the AndroidCentral Editor's Picks and Apps of the Week for the ones that stand out.

**Golfdriver97** · 03-01-2013, 11:06 PM

To reiterate, Welcome to Android. I think you hit the best points of Android already. One tip I have for you, since you are new, rooting and flashing may sound fun, (and believe me it is), but it is very important to read all steps before doing so. If you can, download an official build of your device to your computer so you have a solid re-starting point. I would suggest against rooting and flashing roms for a while. The next piece of advice, just for kicks, and you can be totally stock for this, get a launcher from Play. I kind of dislike my stock TouchWiz for my Galaxy S3, but I LOVE Nova Launcher. A launcher acts as a different User Interface. Nova is very accommodating for personalization. It allows you to pick a color theme, how many pages you can have on your dock, (The section on the bottom of your screen generally reserved for phone, messaging and internet), you can change the grid layout of home pages, even how your UI scrolls on home screens and in the app drawer.
By the way, which device would you look at getting for a phone?
And to address a statement in your post, some app developers focus more on Apple than Android, so apps do look a lot cleaner on iOS. And you are right, while some apps are compatible for tablets, they just work better on phones.

Again, welcome, and I am glad you are keeping an open mind to different devices.

**gnr_2** · 03-01-2013, 11:59 PM

Nothing Android will ever come close to the uniformity of the iOS app. They all look the same, have the same functions, move forward or back using the keys at the top, etc. I miss that in Android. Menu keys are all over the place, some in the top corner, some down below. Some use the phone back button to go back "one level", while on others the back key exits you out of the app, while on others you can only exit using the home key and even others have navigation at the top for moving around. Makes it very confusing, even if colorful.

Sent from my totally awesome Sprint Galaxy Nexus, even if I don't know all its secrets yet.

**Patrick Schroedl** · 03-02-2013, 04:03 AM

Originally Posted by gnr_2

Nothing Android will ever come close to the uniformity of the iOS app. They all look the same, have the same functions, move forward or back using the keys at the top, etc. I miss that in Android. Menu keys are all over the place, some in the top corner, some down below. Some use the phone back button to go back "one level", while on others the back key exits you out of the app, while on others you can only exit using the home key and even others have navigation at the top for moving around. Makes it very confusing, even if colorful.

Sent from my totally awesome Sprint Galaxy Nexus, even if I don't know all its secrets yet.

Android's UI and UX principles are very clearly outlined in the . Developers are highly encouraged to follow the guidelines as closely as possible, and most of the top-used Android applications are pretty close now. These guidelines aren't rules, however, they are after all guidelines. Developers are free to make their applications as they see fit, which is part of the "open" standard of Android as a platform.

It has downsides, but it certainly has upsides as well. I speak from personal experience as a developer.

**gnr_2** · 03-02-2013, 09:44 AM

Originally Posted by Patrick Schroedl

Android's UI and UX principles are very clearly outlined in the . Developers are highly encouraged to follow the guidelines as closely as possible, and most of the top-used Android applications are pretty close now. These guidelines aren't rules, however, they are after all guidelines. Developers are free to make their applications as they see fit, which is part of the "open" standard of Android as a platform.

It has downsides, but it certainly has upsides as well. I speak from personal experience as a developer.

I get that but it is nice swiping something and getting delete or in Android's case, knowing if you long press something it will have a menu for you to delete the item. I don't see why basic functionality would interfere with app development. Software developers do it. I mean what if you opened software and clicked the file menu and it had random information in it, not save, open, save as or the view menu didn't have zoom options. Or to save a file you clicked on a picture of a CD instead of a diskette. How long would it take to learn that you have to click the CD? And then imagine it was different in each software application you opened. It takes away from use of the application if you are constantly having to figure out each time how to do basic things. There is nothing wrong with some uniformity. I'm beginning to think Android developers don't follow the guidelines simply because they don't have to. (Based on other things I've read, not your comment alone.)

Sent from my totally awesome Sprint Galaxy Nexus, even if I don't know all its secrets yet.

**Bokehman** · 03-02-2013, 10:13 AM

I actually did get Nova. Love it. I don't feel the need to root, given the degree of customization I can do now.

I'm a bit fuzzy on the back up thing coming over from iOS. I like that I can drag and drop files easily (iTunes sync is rather tedious). Not sure yet how I go about backing up everything on my tablet.

Someone asked which phone I may consider next. Right now it's the Nexus 4 but the contract on my iPhone isn't up for another year. I'n sure there'll be something else out there by then. One thing's for sure, iOS 7 will have to be amazing.

Written while streaming my iTunes library via Remote for iTunes from my Nexus 7.

**li2327** · 03-02-2013, 10:26 AM

Welcome to the android family! I'm sure you're going to love it.

via Samsung Epic Touch

**xlDeMoNiClx** · 03-02-2013, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by gnr_2

Nothing Android will ever come close to the uniformity of the iOS app. They all look the same, have the same functions, move forward or back using the keys at the top, etc. I miss that in Android. Menu keys are all over the place, some in the top corner, some down below. Some use the phone back button to go back "one level", while on others the back key exits you out of the app, while on others you can only exit using the home key and even others have navigation at the top for moving around. Makes it very confusing, even if colorful.

Sent from my totally awesome Sprint Galaxy Nexus, even if I don't know all its secrets yet.

That's your preference, but I find Android apps to be at least as good as iOS apps.

This is from me, on my EVO 3D.

**Patrick Schroedl** · 03-02-2013, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by Bokehman

I actually did get Nova. Love it. I don't feel the need to root, given the degree of customization I can do now.

I'm a bit fuzzy on the back up thing coming over from iOS. I like that I can drag and drop files easily (iTunes sync is rather tedious). Not sure yet how I go about backing up everything on my tablet.

Someone asked which phone I may consider next. Right now it's the Nexus 4 but the contract on my iPhone isn't up for another year. I'n sure there'll be something else out there by then. One thing's for sure, iOS 7 will have to be amazing.

Written while streaming my iTunes library via Remote for iTunes from my Nexus 7.

The secret to Android's backup abilities is in the cloud synchronization. If you tie your data in with your Google account, and then lose your phone and get a replacement, all you have to do is sign in and everything will return within seconds or minutes.

The Google Contacts service is one of the best examples of this.

**gnr_2** · 03-02-2013, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by Patrick Schroedl

The secret to Android's backup abilities is in the cloud synchronization. If you tie your data in with your Google account, and then lose your phone and get a replacement, all you have to do is sign in and everything will return within seconds or minutes.

The Google Contacts service is one of the best examples of this.

Not just any Google account though. It has to be a gmail account.

Sent from my totally awesome Sprint Galaxy Nexus, even if I don't know all its secrets yet.

**OprahWinfrie** · 03-03-2013, 12:15 PM

So how long ya been with the company? Don't forget, every friday is casual dress optional. I'll have Beth down in H.R. get ya set up with some more anti-IOS forum leads after lunch.

**Alex trebek** · 03-03-2013, 02:16 PM

Welcome to the family. I to transferred from the drones, although that was long ago. I'm sure you will love it.

**Golfdriver97** · 03-12-2013, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by Bokehman

I actually did get Nova. Love it. I don't feel the need to root, given the degree of customization I can do now.

I'm a bit fuzzy on the back up thing coming over from iOS. I like that I can drag and drop files easily (iTunes sync is rather tedious). Not sure yet how I go about backing up everything on my tablet.

Someone asked which phone I may consider next. Right now it's the Nexus 4 but the contract on my iPhone isn't up for another year. I'n sure there'll be something else out there by then. One thing's for sure, iOS 7 will have to be amazing.

Written while streaming my iTunes library via Remote for iTunes from my Nexus 7.

Backing up as in there is a back up option located in Settings. It's about halfway down (for me on my Galaxy S3)....It has probably already been done with set up and entering in your Gmail account.

I like the Nexus 4's specs. I haven't looked at the phone, mainly because I just got my S3, so looking at phones right now is not at the top of my agenda. The S4 is rumored to be a really good phone, along with HTC One. And who knows what the next year has in store? A faster Galaxy Note? An HTC that will shock the world? The next Nexus device? Sony is doing well in Europe with the Xperia Z, that may eventually come to the US. In the next year Google will probably have more say over what Motorola will release.

Again, welcome to Android. Any trouble with the device feel free to ask. Someone here will help you out.