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View Full Version : It all makes sense now that I have a new phone



Harold Mansfield
04-11-2012, 01:03 PM
For the last year or so, even though I'm pretty versed on new technology when it comes to a lot of things, I've been stuck with a really low tech phone which was only supposed to be a temporary replacement when I lost my Blackberry.

So recently, when it came time to get my rebate for an upgrade from my service provider and jumped on it, and after a few weeks of contemplation of the whole iPhone/Android thing, choose my side (everyone has to pick a side) and got an Android phone that I am very happy with.

Up until now, so many things never made any sense. How Facebook was set up. What was so great about Google+. Cloud storage. All of it. But now, it all makes perfect sense.
How all of your accounts can be synced so that your contacts are easily accessible. Video Calling. Adding your phone to Facebook and why you would want to do that.
I didn't even know that I had people's phone numbers, because I never looked that deeply into thier profile to see that it was available to friends.

And so many other things that I couldn't see the benefit of because I wasn't truly taking advantage of the possibilities. And even Blackberry at the time only had Outlook integration. Not all of the synching that you can do now.

Some of it is a little too much. It really is an easily accessible investigation of your life if you don't temper it. But overall, I can see the entire social and information aspect now and can totally see that Google really is only a few steps away from implants that jack straight into your cerebral cortex to connect everyone and every aspect of the world into one stream of consciousness like some real life Outer Limits episode.

I was wondering if anyone else had the same epiphany after upgrading their phones in the past year or two?

KristineS
04-11-2012, 01:14 PM
I need to upgrade my phone right now. I have a Palm Pre which is what a techy friend of mine talked me into before everyone else promptly went Droid. I'm thinking my next phone will be a Droid because it seems to do things so much more easily than my current phone does. Even with the Pre, though, I understand more about why QR codes are useful and why using Facebook and Twitter online happens. Each successive generation of phone allows you to do more and more.

Business Attorney
04-12-2012, 10:06 AM
I saw something of the same thing when I finally retired my Palm Treo about a year ago. I just didn't "get" apps when I could already surf to a website on my phone. Once I got my Android phone (a Samsung Galaxy), it is easy to see why now computers represent less than 50% of the devices accessing the Internet.

I still spend a lot more hours on my computers, both at home and at work, than I do on my phone, but some things are actually easier to do on my phone even if I have the computer in front of me. QR codes, apps, GPS, photo gallery, looking up phone numbers, etc...

I'm not sorry I waited, because what I got works perfectly and a lot of the technology was not there yet when my kids got their smart phones, but I'm certainly happy I took the leap.

MyITGuy
04-12-2012, 05:23 PM
I had the same experience myself about a year and a half ago after moving from my BlackBerry Curve to a Droid X. I was always poking fun at the "There's an App for that" commercials thinking/commenting on why do I need an app when I can just go to the website itself?

Once I upgraded to the Droid I started wondering to myself why I waited so long...

vangogh
04-13-2012, 01:12 AM
Harold some of what you're experiencing has as much to do with you as the phone. For example the Facebook thing with the phone number is one reason why I've never entered a phone number to my Facebook profile. Quite honestly if you need to get my number through Facebook then I probably don't want you to have my phone number.

Smartphones are absolutely making it easy to connect all these various services and as a result get a lot of information from one source that's tied to another. The usefulness of that depends on the people involved. For me it's not such a big deal. For you it clearly was.

That doesn't mean I don't like my phone though. It's an iPhone, which means I think you and I have to duel it out. Pistols at dawn work for you? I don't know if this came as epiphany, but for me the connection is more between the phone and other devices I own. I take a picture and it's instantly on my laptop, iPad, and tv. I purchase something on the iPad and it's there for me on the phone. Contacts, calendars etc are synched without me having to do anything (for the most part). For me it's less about connecting services online and more about connecting different devices I own. Similar concept though.

I often think back to when I was growing up and how much different the world we live in is now thanks to all this technology. I think it's great that you and I might find a different value in our phones, yet still both find great value. Of course we still have this duel ahead of us. :)

Harold Mansfield
04-13-2012, 09:32 AM
Ah yes. I knew it would come down to this one day. The Android vs. The iPhone duel. Google vs. Apple. The clash of the Titans.

Of course all of that stuff you named can also be done with an Android phone. But what it came down to for me was, I already own an iPod Touch, and I LOVE iTunes. But, I knew I was also going to buy a tablet. So what ever phone platform I bought, was going to dictate what kind of tablet I was going to buy. I didn't want to have devices spread across the spectrum.

I've always said that I would get an iPhone, but have been intrigued with Android since the Galaxy Tab came out.

Did I want an iPod, iPhone AND iPad and I still don't have a Mac and probably won't be getting one soon? How many more Apple products do I want to buy? Apple TV? And so on? Probably not. I'm a PC guy. I know that's not a prerequisit and that you can operate and manage Apple products from a PC just fine, but, did I really want all of the other Apple stuff? Not really?

Android is like the PC of mobile software. Interchageable. Available on 1000's of devices from 100's of product makers. And open source.

The other thing was that Google pretty much owns Mobile. If it wasn't for Facebook, Google would have complete and total world domination of the internet right now. I'm not boasting about that, it's actually pretty scary, but it is what it is. And they do make good stuff.

Also, the services that we ( or at least I) use the most are already integrated into the world openly, and freely. In cars, phones and other devices like TV's. Maps, Navigation, Gmail, You Tube, Search, Shopping, Geo location, Voice, and a host of other areas and free services. Apple doesn't own these things. They use them. But the iPhone and every other device is just a phone if not for the Google mobile services and products that tie it ALL together.

And their aversion to flash just bewilders me.
Sure, there's an app for everything. But even when I used search on my iPod, I used Google. Navigation? Google. Video? Google.

So, I decided, at least for me, that I wanted to go with the platform that already owned the services that I use the most.

Then when it came to devices, I used the same logic. Google owns Motorola. Motorola is the king of all of this new communications technology. Starting back with military communications in WWII and beyond, through pagers, GPS and Navigation, Communications Satellites, and eventually cell phones which brought us to where we are today with digital. They hold tens of 1000's of wireless communications and phone patents going back 100 years.

So if Google makes the software that runs the services AND makes the devices that run the software that utilizes these services. The decision was clear. Motorola Android Phone.
I went 100% Google.

vangogh
04-13-2012, 12:01 PM
I was waiting for you this morning with the pistols, but you never showed up. What happened? I thought the duel was on. :)

I'm not one of those people who thinks your phone, tablet, computer choices are bad because they aren't the same as mine. I'm pretty sure they all work and do what they're supposed to. Each appeals to different people sometimes for real reasons and sometimes for perceived reasons. They still work. I'm happy with my choices and I think you're happy with yours. My biggest concern with both of our phones is if we call each other does the call go through.

I agree that once you start buying some products it makes sense to buy more from the same company since they're more likely to play nice together. Odds are if you like one you'd like their other products anyway.


And their aversion to flash just bewilders me.

It's not that hard to understand. Flash does not deliver a great performance on mobile devices. It eats into battery life and processing. Design is about compromise. You can't design a system to be everything. Apple decided that battery life and performance were more important to them than having Flash. I think it was the right decision. In the 3 or so years I've been using iOS devices there's never been a time when I thought I wished they had Flash. On my Mac Flash is often a culprit when the system slows down and it was the same when I was running Windows. I'm very happy that Flash isn't part of iOS.

Even Adobe is moving away from Flash. They dropped support for Flash on mobile a few months ago and are developing new tools that will move toward an html5 future. Flash's days are numbered. I think Apple got it right when they decided not to support Flash.

Harold Mansfield
04-13-2012, 12:12 PM
I know it's days are numbered, but we are still using it now. Most things flash, I don't care about seeing, but there are a few things, like Videos (I know they play You Tube now) and The Fantasy Football live that I just couldn't live without being able to access on my mobile device.

Fantasy Football is probably the biggest one and what made me realize that I couldn't live without that. Even if I was leaning towards iPhone and iPad, not being able to access ESPN Fantasy Football while I'm at the bar watching the games next season, would have been the deal breaker. That was really important to me.

vangogh
04-16-2012, 11:21 AM
Depends on who you mean by we. I certainly come across websites that still use Flash, but I would say because of that I specifically use it. If Flash were to suddenly stop working everywhere I can't think of anything I wouldn't be able to access that I couldn't live without. I realize others couldn't say the same thing. It depends on what you visit online and what dependence those places have on Flash.

By the way there are ways to access and use Flash based sites on iOS devices. There's a service that acts as a proxy. You visit the Flash based site through the service's site and it's converted into something that works fine on your iPad or iPhone.

Harold Mansfield
04-16-2012, 12:31 PM
You know, a lot of my decision to go Android is also that spirit of trying new things. Like I said, I know it's not exactly the same, but I do have an iPod touch which I enjoy very much.
But I really wanted something different. And considering that Motorola and Google are 2 of my favorite companies, the combination of the 2 was just too good to pass up.

billbenson
04-16-2012, 06:48 PM
But, boy, the poor suckers that built expensive Flash sites!!

vangogh
04-17-2012, 01:35 AM
a lot of my decision to go Android is also that spirit of trying new things

I hope I'm not coming across like you have to buy the same phone I do. I don't think that at all. I'm happy with my purchase and I'm pretty sure your happy with yours. Competition in the industry is good since it drives all competitors to do better. I get wanting to try something different just for difference sake and it makes sense if you like Google and Motorola. I don't feel the same about either so they aren't a pull to me.


But, boy, the poor suckers that built expensive Flash sites

Sucks for them, but even early people like myself were suggesting they weren't a good choice to run an entire site in. Flash was a good thing when it first arrived. It was the only way to really get video playing easily. So many people had the plugin installed you could safely use a Flash player. Today html5 is making it just as easy to play video without Flash. The major stumbling block has been the fights over which codec to use. Google pushed for WebM in it's battle with Apple and Microsoft who backed mp4. Firefox joined with Google, but Google didn't follow through with the promise to drop support for mp4 and so recently Firefox decided to support mp4. Opera might be the only holdout now.

Harold Mansfield
04-17-2012, 12:00 PM
I hope I'm not coming across like you have to buy the same phone I do. I don't think that at all. I'm happy with my purchase and I'm pretty sure your happy with yours. Competition in the industry is good since it drives all competitors to do better. I get wanting to try something different just for difference sake and it makes sense if you like Google and Motorola. I don't feel the same about either so they aren't a pull to me.


No of course not. and I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to mobile devices, Apple is clearly the front runner and have made a superior product for years. I mean compared to the amount of music sites and services, portable MP3 players, and different models of phones that have come out over the last 5-7 years, and what they've done with just one. One MP3 player. One Music site. And One phone..is just astounding.

I still say NOTHING beats iTunes and it's hard for me to imagine anything in the near future invading their stranglehold on music downloads, radio station selection/streaming music, and podcasts. And I think many people have stopped trying. 2 years ago, I had to copy and export my music from iTunes into different folder on my computer, just to be able place that music on my phone, or use a track from iTunes as my ringtone. Every device maker had their own proprietary music player, and service, and it sucked.

Today, I plug my phone into my computer and it not only immediately recognized my iTunes, Amazon, WMP, and other music files for import or sync, but I can access them all from my phone, on my computer and play tracks without having to download them to the device. That is a far cry from a couple of years ago. Heck, I remember when iTunes was first available for PC's. That was huge!

It seems on both sides that the companies and device makers have stopped fighting against each other and opted for better integration, cross platform. Which in turn is a much better user experience. You aren't stuck with limitations anymore based on which company's device or software you use.

vangogh
04-20-2012, 12:46 AM
It gets even better. With the latest version of iOS I don't even have to plug into the computer. Whenever my iPhone (or iPad) is charging and iTunes is open I can do the same thing as when plugged into the computer. It's been awhile since I've plugged either into the computer.

Sometime this summer iTunes should be getting an overhaul. Rumor has it that Apple is working on a major new version. I think many of the complaints about it are that it's trying to do too much now, music, movies, apps, books, etc. Some are speculating that we might see it broken up into several applications. There should be an announcement if not a release about what's coming in iTunes at WDC in June.

One of the things I'd like to see Apple do and I think they're slowly working on is making iCould easier. Ideally I'd like to be able to simply move files from one device to another. I'd also like an interface to manage iCloud itself so I can decide one file shouldn't be stored in the cloud while another is. Right now it's still a lot of all or nothing.

Blessed
04-23-2012, 05:14 PM
Hey, remember me? :)

I've had my iPhone since last August and now I wonder what I ever did without it! I do really like the fact that my iPhone and iPad do sync so well with each other and my iMac.

I'll also agree with you vangogh about iCloud - I definitely want an interface to manage what is stored there.

vangogh
04-24-2012, 12:21 AM
Hey Jenn. I think I remember you. Hmm? Let's see…yes, yes I do remember you. :) How have you been? Well, I hope.

I love how all my devices sync. It's still not perfect, but it's been getting better. It's great that yesterday while walking around town I took a few pictures with my iPhone and when I got home they were already on my Mac. I haven't opened them on the iPad yet, but I know they're there too. I even know I can see them on my TV through the same system syncing them to all my other devices.

Blessed
04-26-2012, 09:56 AM
I'm doing well - I keep seeming to run out of time every day to get all the things I must do, then need to do, then want to do, done - but hey - I've got two kids under 5, a husband and a small freelance/virtual assistant one-woman-operation going. It's supposed to be crazy, right? :)

vangogh
04-27-2012, 02:03 AM
I keep seeming to run out of time every day to get all the things I must do, then need to do, then want to do, done

Don't we all. Don't we all.

MostHeather
05-23-2012, 03:05 PM
I have a Samsung something or other Smartphone running Droid. I like some of the apps, like Foursquare and Endomondo. It's also nice for playing Youtube videos when I'm in the mood. Oh yeah, and phone calls and texting.

vangogh
05-23-2012, 07:47 PM
What? You mean you can make phone calls on these things too? :)

Out of curiosity what made you decide to get a Droid? Were you specifically looking for one? Did it appeal to you while you were in the store? Was the price right? Just curiosity on my part.