1st post- Possibly 1st Android and looking seriously at the One

[Allen_B]

Have been a long-time iPhone user, still on a 4 and looking to jump-ship for Android. I am seriously considering the HTC One, but my questions may be more general to so if this would be better suited to a general forum, I apologize...

First, some disclaimers. I actually have no real beef with iOS, I was hoping for a comparable screen from Apple and that just isn't going to happen. I like the interface with iOS but it does seem to be designed by Fisher-Price and I tinker with everything (with the obvious exception of my jail-broken iPhone). I am a partial adopter of the Apple eco-system in that I am typing this on a Macbook Air, running Chrome as my browser and still use Win7 Pro via VMWare, a collection of iPods and an iPad for the wife. Lots of music in iTunes...

I was actually looking at the Motorola Razr HD MAXX but I have AT&T so that was a no-go and no complaints with their service. Add to that, an improved shared data plan with ATT would actually be cheaper than Verizon so the introduction of the HTC One looks like a real winner for me. Add to that, I have never cared for the Samsung Galaxy S3 because it feels cheap and actually larger than I prefer. I don't care about a removable battery or SD support (obviously missing in an iPhone) but I am concerned about battery life...

Again, I really do like the very tight integration with iOS and I use the hell out of the various accessories not the least of which is the direct integration with my vehicles (GM and Nissan). The vehicle integration is almost a deal-breaker. My biggest concern is adjusting to a totally new paradigm. I don't know how to explain this clearly, but Android seems "scattered" and "dis-jointed" from the few friends' devices I have played with where iOS seems to clearly flow and everything feels well integrated.

I have read about the shift with the HTC One to "two buttons" vice the traditional 3 but since I know zero about Android, trying hard to care about the reported complaints .

So I guess I should stop wasting your valuable time and get to the questions. These are geared I guess toward a general iOS to Android shift more than questions specific to the One, but I would greatly appreciate observations from those that are familiar with iOS and the HTC One:

- What are some general impressions of shifting from an iPhone to the One; pros and cons? I realize this is a loaded question since I do realize this is an Android community, but I am one of those folks that believes both iOS and Android do things very well, just differently. I am really curious about any unintended consequences (again pro and con) to shifting.

- How is the general "flow" of the interface with JB on the HTC One as it relates to iOS? I realize Android is infinitely more customizable and seems to be limited only by ones imagination but the "shot-gun" pattern of apps and screens are all I have seen in my limited Android exposure which I think is why I have stuck with iOS for so long.

- I am not a huge cell data user at present (possible due to the slow 3G speeds) but I am curious on real-world battery use? I ask because I have been under the impression that Androids are more of a battery-hog compared to iPhones without constantly switching things off. With heavy use for me (streaming Tunein while riding a motorcycle for the day) I can make it nearly a full day on a charge on my iPhone 4. In "normal" use, I use less than 50% of the battery in a day and I never turn off anything (BT, WiFi, GPS) or adjust the display. My iPhone has been a set it and forget it and really don't want to have to screw with widgets or remember to toggle stuff to conserve battery power if I can avoid it.

- Is there any solution on the horizon for legacy vehicle (and device) integration? I realize Apple uses a proprietary communications protocol for device control (AAP) but are there any functional hacks or interface modules or emulators that would allow a stock head unit that was designed for Apple to function with an Android device?

- Music options? The iPhone started like as an iPod and it works well as a media player from my view. What are the best options to pull iTunes libraries/playlists over and what are some preferred media players that would ease the transition? What media players come with the One?

Again, I am in the decision phase and input would be appreciated...


/r

Allen

 

[indomie]

Allen... I am unfortunately not going to be able to really answer many (any?) of your questions as I am not an apple product user in any form. The last time I used iTunes was probably well over five years ago. I do, however, have several friends who are contemplating the same jump as you. My excitement about the HTC One has them leaning in that direction, so I'm hopeful that you get some good replies on this which I can use myself as I try to help my friends make an educated decision one way or the other.

I will say on the battery side of things that you probably will not get the same results as you have had with your iPhone. I'm actually kind of amazed at your iPhone battery life. I hardly ever use BT, so that stays off. Pretty much everything else stays on all the time for me unless it's one of those rare times when I'm running really low & know I won't be able to charge soon. I'm usually ok because I can top up at work toward the end of the day if I'm running low or will be out late. I also have a portable battery pack, but I really only use that if I'm traveling. Everyone uses battery differently, so it ultimately ends up being something you have to discover for yourself... but I would say that you will likely not get as good battery life from the One as with your iPhone.

Good luck with "real" answers & making the decision one way or another...

 

[JRDroid]

Im not sure what gm vehicle you have, which makes it hard to answer. I can connect via Bluetooth and see song info, play, pause, skip forward/back, use voice commands, and download my phonebook. The only thing really missing is browsing my music catalogue, but as i listen to long podcast this isn't really an issue for me because i rarely need to change tracks while driving. That said, my Chevy is a 2013.

 

[bosshaug12]

I can't help much with 1-4 but on 5 I'd suggest downloading Google Music if it doesn't come pre-installed as i'm not sure which one is on there to start. To get your iTunes music on the One you'll first need Android File Transfer for Mac. Once it's ready to use open Finder and go to Music>iTunes>iTunes Media>Music and just drag and drop into whatever folder you want on the One. Simple enough. As far as playlists though you might just have to remake them on the One.
One other music player i'd suggest, although a little harder to use, is PowerAmp. What's cool about that is it will play almost any music file, at least any music file i've thrown at it.

 

[anon(847090)]

1. Android pros-- tons!! lots of customization and feature you use in iphone jailbreak can be easily done with android with no jailbreak.
for example you can lock individual app by password by using apps which is never possible on iphone without jailbreak.
this is just a drop in the ocean. although you will find some features(like notification on lock screen,no of message on app icon) that you are used to in iphone but you wont find in android by default but I guarantee you that those features can be enabled by downloading some app.

2. Android separates Home screen and all Installed apps while iphone dont. iphone home screen will have all installed app and there is no way of removed them.
Android on the other hand has more freedom. you can do whatever you want on the home screen. add/remove apps from app drawer.

3. tasker- automation app, greenify- battery saver app by hibernation apps.

4.

5. google music. it can import itunes music

 

[grumpycompuprof]

I'm going to subscribe to this string of posts as I amin the same boat as the OP. I am thinking of leaving the iPhone for Android because of the bigger screens. Apple tried to bring a larger screen to market, but taller and not wider is not appealing to me. My wife and I are heavily invested into the Apple ecosystem and the sharing of calendar and iMessage withFaceTime are things that I will probably miss. Or is there an equivalent to FaceTime for iOS and Android? Skype does not count, since it cannot activate itself on an iOS device.

 

[chrgnthru]

I think you'll have a fairly easy transition. i just recently got rid of my iPhone 5 and I have several iDevice's laying around. I find that the iPhone's build quality is second to none, they are incredibly well built where as Android devices have been nothing but plastic. Now that HTC is about to release the one i'm very excited, finally a android device with great build quality. I find that iOs is boring where as Android does everything you need it to do and more. Its really like having a mini PC in your pocket and you can customize it to your hearts delight.

Battery life is generally good so long as the phones screen isn't on a huge amount of time. On day's of light usage my charge will get me through the day easily, however if you own a Android device it's best to carry around a spare charger, battery etc... As far as music goes I use a app called "easy sync phone tunes" or something like that. You'll need a app on your device and on your PC. The app will actually let you choose a playlist from your itunes library and sync it. The only real downside to the app is it won't let you sync music with DRM.

 

[ToneSoul]

I would also say to use Google Music for your ITunes collection. Download it to your comp, it lifts it straight off your comp into the cloud. 20,000 songs for free. Then you can later choose what music you want permanently on your phone, the rest you can just stream.

Good luck!

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

 

[adriandb]

I would also say to use Google Music for your ITunes collection. Download it to your comp, it lifts it straight off your comp into the cloud. 20,000 songs for free

With absolutely no option to purchase more space. 20k isn't enough for many of us. It would be nice if there was an option to put my entire collection up like Apple offers me.

 

[ToneSoul]

Very true, it may not be enough for some people. But that's around 1,600 albums.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

 

[Hush Martin]

I'm jumping ship from the iPhone 4s to the One. I'm a bit nervous about my reminders and calendar. I'm also fairly heavily invested in Apple, but I'm keeping my 4s to use as an iPod Touch. I use those things heavily, but I am guessing that Android has suitable substitutes. I have grown to like iTunes... screwed up, I know. Does anyone know if there's an iTunes-like program FOR MAC that will manage my music library and sync stuff to the One?

 

[mcpricex]

If you like to tinker and tweek under the hood then you will find Android to be as different from ios as Windows 8 is from msdos. There is not a single aspect of the ui that you can not alter, change or customise. Icons, wallpapers and sounds are just the tip of the iceberg, don't like the stock interface? Fine change it. Manufacturers like HTC and Samsung put their own finishing touches to Android (HTC Sense and Samsung Touchwiz respectively) which control things like homescreens and the app drawer and how you move and interact with them, but the beauty is that you are not tied to these interfaces (known in Androidland as Launchers). Don't like the way the lock screen works? Change it, simple. The Google Play store (Android app store) can be accessed in a web browser so take a look through at some of the options to get an idea of what is available.

As for music, well the stock music app is usually pretty good in Android and the HTC One version is about the norm, very good sound quality but not overflowing with options. Of particular note is the lack of eq. Again there are lots of options in the Play Store. Getting music onto an Android device is a breeze and can be as simple as dragging and dropping, either by a cable connection or even wirelessly if you wish. Most of my media is stored on a network drive at home so if I want to take anything with me I just use a file browser and copy it into my phones music folder, the music app reads the tags and pulls the rest of the info and album art from Gracenote and away I go. The same method also works for video and indeed any type of file, to the point where you can even use your phone as a makeshift usb drive if you need to.

My wife is still commited to ios and has an iPhone 4 (soon to be 5) and an iPad mini, for her needs they are sufficient, but for me they are too constricting. There is no way, for example, to get any (non-itunes, such as your personal cd collection) content onto an ios device without going through iTunes or equivelent pc/mac based program. In Android, such limitations simply do not exisist.

The best endorsement that I can give Android is that I went from an iPhone to Android several years ago and am now on my third phone. Last year when the need for a new laptop suddenly presented itself I took the bold and somewhat nervous step of replacing it with an Android tablet. My trepidation was misplaced and I quickly found that for my needs (web, movies, communication etc) the tablet could do everything and more that a modern laptop could do but in a more ergonomic and efficient package. So I am 100% Android, not touched a PC for personal use in almost a year and so far I haven't had a single issue, failure or loss of data.

 

[Russ Smith]

Re battery life, thing is apple don't allow widgets, extra launchers or feck loads of background tasks etc etc. Add as many as you want but know there may be a battery trade off for some

Also investing in accessories is worth while, micro usb should be here to stay and work with any other phone you get in future (except apple)

Sent from my HTC One

 

[xtn]

The reason for the "shotgun" scattering is precisely because of customization. Your friends' phones have all looked different and unorganized to you because that's how they have set them up.

I have my phone organized to suit my usage. I know where everything is. All my most used stuff is never more than one swipe away, and grouped in a way that makes sense to me. If I pick up my wife's phone I am lost for a minute.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[SeanBlader]

Don't let the battery life naysayers get to you. There are things that will kill your battery, and there are things you can do to keep it powering all day. You'll figure it out with experience like you did for the iPhone when you first got 3g and the battery life tanked. Now, on my Evo LTE, I leave all the radios on all the time. Mosty I'm on wifi at the office and at home, but I've found that while I ride my bike I can leave the screen on with Strava running and pulling maps over 3g with constant GPS use, and keep it fully active like that for more than a 3 hour bike ride.

As long as you aren't side loading lots of apps off overseas warez sites, don't bother with any kind of anti-virus. Stick to Google Play or Amazon's App Store and only get titles with decent reviews or decent publishers and you'll be fine. And speaking of Amazon's App Store, that's one of the biggest assets of Android, there's competition in the application space. For a while I had a dedicated browser tab open to Amazon's Free App of the Day, and I have a big list of them that I own and could get to if I felt the need. Very handy at building your library and experience with Android.

The last thing I'm going to say about saving your battery life is, while they are awesome and fun, don't run a Live Wallpaper. Or maybe try it for a day or two and see if you can deal with the battery cost... I couldn't. There are some that aren't just animations, but are full on math algorithms and have a fairly heavy processor demand. They're pretty, but expensive. I have near constant access to power and I don't bother.

And first thing you have to try is HTC's rapid fire camera, OMG that's so bad ***. Got this on the skater's first try:

I'll look forward to trying out HTC's Zoe's too. And with the amount of internal storage available, I just shoot and shoot and shoot. Also hook yourself up with Google Play, then your images will auto sync to Google, I don't worry about losing pictures, I worry more about having too many to sort through.

 

[So Cold]

I made the switch last year and the biggest thing I can tell you is to be open minded. The people who are stuck in their iPhone ways don't do well with android. Quote of the day

iphone will always be better at being an iPhone than any Android ever will.

And there will be growing pains but imo it's worth it.

I also have a mac, use Chrome and use iTunes. Right now I use doubletwist to sync music and use Picasa to sync pictures. I'm still figuring out the best ways of doing everything but I'm enjoying that part of it. Htc also has their own sync program but the mac version at least is still in it's infancy and could use some work.

And the one should have no issues with speed and fluidity. Good luck!

Sent from my Note 2

 

[Aquila]

I'm not sure the HTC One is a good transition device. I think it's definitely a great device, but some of the reviews, including on this site, have said some of the Sense 5 operations are not intuitive and require additional steps over stock or even TouchWiz.

My most honest advice (as of April 10th) is to wait 5 weeks to see what is coming out from Google I/O. I *think* that an answer to the issue of losing iMessage is coming in the form of Babel with Android 5.0 which we're expecting to be announced May 15th. There are two devices that may or may not be contenders for the best devices around at that point: The Motorola X Phone (no solid spec's available yet, but all hints indicate a very close to stock Android experience and possibly will be on KLP) and the Nexus 4 (in my opinion better build material's from a look and feel perspective than the HTC One. The Nexus 4 is much less expensive, works on AT&T and will have a much longer upgrade cycle than the HTC One; plus it'll be the first of existing handsets to see Key Lime Pie.

If KLP doesn't answer many of your concerns then you're where you are now, stuck between iOS and Jelly Bean and it's only a little over a month away to get that information. Right now many of the solutions reside within Google+, although I've been reading today about Apple trying to edge Google out of iOS in favor of Yahoo services, which is like Volvo trying to edge Mercedes out of their engines in favor of engines made by GM. Aside from that, there are a multitude of threads in the forums here about switching to Android from iOS and, as others have stated here, there are growing pains to deal with, (mostly surrounding iMessage) but we're all very willing to help you acclimate if you do take the plunge.

Either way, good luck!

 

[adriandb]

I'm currently an iOS user and have been since I stood in line for the first iPhone. I'm jumping to the One and based on the research I've done it should be a pretty painless operation. I'm sure there will be some adjustment, but that's something I'm looking forward to. iOS, even when jailbroken, is stale. There are some jailbreak apps that I'll miss, I'm sure. The fact that a jailbroken iOS device allows for some customizations I can't do on Android may be slightly frustrating, but will easily be outweighed by the overall improvements in both customization and app interoperability. The ability to easily share data or documents is such a pain point with iOS. And that's just the software side. While Apple's build quality and cameras are second to none, I'm just not a fan of the iPhone 5 form factor or the "you have to be able to reach everything with one thumb" philosophy.

Just make the jump, don't look back.

 

[Lyelyash]

I bought my family HTC inspire phones 13 months ago. None of them are working. They were not dropped or harmed by water. The phone all had a hard case and then were kept in an additional zippered soft case when not in use. The screens just died - one after another. I felt the models were defective. I
contacted AT&T and HTC - both said the phones are "old" and there is nothing they can do. Although I love the features of the One, I am contemplating getting
either an I phone, the new Samsung when it comes out or a Nexus 4. My experience with HTC leads me to believe the phones are designed to cease working when the warrantee is up. I feel they are not well made. Since I own apple computers, an i pad, and an i pod and find apple's customer service to be excellent (they still
support my 7 year old mac book pro), I am leaning towards an iPhone, although I really liked the android phone. I would encourage you to explore whether other
people had similar issues with their HTC phones before purchasing.

 

[Aquila]

I'm currently an iOS user and have been since I stood in line for the first iPhone. I'm jumping to the One and based on the research I've done it should be a pretty painless operation. I'm sure there will be some adjustment, but that's something I'm looking forward to. iOS, even when jailbroken, is stale. There are some jailbreak apps that I'll miss, I'm sure. The fact that a jailbroken iOS device allows for some customizations I can't do on Android may be slightly frustrating, but will easily be outweighed by the overall improvements in both customization and app interoperability. The ability to easily share data or documents is such a pain point with iOS. And that's just the software side. While Apple's build quality and cameras are second to none, I'm just not a fan of the iPhone 5 form factor or the "you have to be able to reach everything with one thumb" philosophy.

Just make the jump, don't look back.

Specific to the "reach everything with your thumb", I have a Galaxy Nexus (4.65" screen) and I can reach the edges, if not onto the sides or midway across the back of the device, and everything between the edges easily with my thumb while holding it one handed. To me a device with a 5" screen should be no problem for the average person to operate one handed. I'm only 5'11", so pretty close to average size I would guess. Maybe Stevie was making iPhones for hobbits?