A few questions regarding Android

[LightsFX]

Hello.

I have been using an iPhone for far too long and I?m getting tired of the same UI and the restrictions and thinking of jumping over to Android. But there are certain features that are on iOS that I really like and was wondering if such features do exist on Android.

• PhotoStream, automatically uploads photos you?ve taken and easily access them on a computer.
• Find my iPhone. To locate lost phones and remote wiping
• Cloud backup. This gives me a peace of mind knowing that I can restore everything if I do lose my phone
• Do I have to install Antivirus on Android?
• Can I record videos/take pictures and directly store on the SD card?
• Can we install apps on the SD card?
• Does gmail offer push notification on android devices?

 

[zorak950]

Yes to all that stuff except automatic cloud backup (possible to varying extents with third-party apps, but not by default), antivirus (you can do it if you want, but they don't do a whole lot for you that Android's built-in scanner doesn't), and the SD card stuff: you may, but that situation is complicated and varies by device and version. Google has been restricting SD card functionality on Android for several versions now for security and other reasons in favor of the cloud and internal storage, but some manufacturers have retained or re-enabled that functionality for user convenience.

 

[Vsweety]

Hello.

I have been using an iPhone for far too long and I?m getting tired of the same UI and the restrictions and thinking of jumping over to Android. But there are certain features that are on iOS that I really like and was wondering if such features do exist on Android.

[*] PhotoStream, automatically uploads photos you?ve taken and easily access them on a computer.

Yes

[*] Find my iPhone. To locate lost phones and remote wiping

Yes

[*] Cloud backup. This gives me a peace of mind knowing that I can restore everything if I do lose my phone

Yes

[*] Do I have to install Antivirus on Android?

As much or as little as you need to on iOS

[*] Can I record videos/take pictures and directly store on the SD card?

Yes, and to your cloud/PC or Mac

[*] Can we install apps on the SD card?

Yes

[*] Does gmail offer push notification on android devices?

Yes

 

[sting7k]

Hello.

I have been using an iPhone for far too long and I’m getting tired of the same UI and the restrictions and thinking of jumping over to Android. But there are certain features that are on iOS that I really like and was wondering if such features do exist on Android.

• PhotoStream, automatically uploads photos you’ve taken and easily access them on a computer.
• Find my iPhone. To locate lost phones and remote wiping
• Cloud backup. This gives me a peace of mind knowing that I can restore everything if I do lose my phone
• Do I have to install Antivirus on Android?
• Can I record videos/take pictures and directly store on the SD card?
• Can we install apps on the SD card?
• Does gmail offer push notification on android devices?

1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. No, not the same or as easy as iTunes back ups.
4. No.
5. Yes, but not all Android devices have SD card slots.
6. It is not recommended.
7. Yes.

 

[JeffDenver]

PhotoStream, automatically uploads photos you’ve taken and easily access them on a computer.

Lots of options. Google+ has native services that will do this, but Box and Dropbox also do this. I personally prefer using 3rd party services...I am a huge fan of Google but I dislike Google+ a lot.

Find my iPhone. To locate lost phones and remote wiping

Google has a native service that does this now.

https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager

Will track it, lock it, wipe it, or ring it. Note that you DO have to set this up in advance though. So I'd do this right after buying your phone.

Cloud backup. This gives me a peace of mind knowing that I can restore everything if I do lose my phone

If you mean a system backup, Android has a built in service that will automatically restore your apps after a factory reset. There is probably a way to auto-save your other data as well, but I have always done this manually. I am in the habit of saving stuff to my box.com account by reflex.

Many google apps are now cloud based, so there is no need for a backup. Google music, Google Keep, and Google Maps are examples. I have my own MP3 library that I keep on Box.com.

Do I have to install Antivirus on Android?

The malware issue on Android has been greatly exaggerated, even by some Android users. I have had Android phones since 2009 and have never gotten a virus. Don't know anyone else who has either. I never run anti-virus.

The chances of getting a virus without disabling security on your phone is less than 1/10th of 1%. - Android Accounted for 97% of All Mobile Malware in 2013 - Even if you completely disabled security and started sideloading stuff randomly, the chances are still less than 5% in the US. Security is on by default and you have to manually disable it in "settings" in order to install anything that is not on the official google market.

Can I record videos/take pictures and directly store on the SD card?

Don't know if you can record directly to SD, but you can always move it to SD right after. Android allows you to access files directly just like on a PC or Mac. You just need to install a file manager, and there are many good ones that are free.

Can we install apps on the SD card?

Not without rooting. Nowadays this is not really necessary anymore...even dirt cheap phones have lots of internal memory for apps.

 

[LeoRex]

Lots of options. Google+ has native services that will do this, but Box and Dropbox also do this. I personally prefer using 3rd party services...I am a huge fan of Google but I dislike Google+ a lot.

You can use other apps, but the photo and video backup to Google (via Photos... which is really just a sub-app to Google+) is completely seamless to the user. Take a pic or video, it shows up. And it's easily accessible from a computer... just log into Google, go to the Photos page on Google+ and you're done.

Works great.... plus you occasionally get Auto-Awesome movies. Some are actually pretty cool.