I just bought a Nexus 4 as my second smartphone (the first being a Palm Pre 2). Android is nice in the sense that it's more open and you (I assume, at least, having never owned an iPhone) have more choices to use open-source software. There are other bits and pieces that I also like, like the the modular nature of the software (you can use a different launcher, etc.).
But I disagree with a lot of the pluses in this article. I find the back button eminently confusing. I can never reliably predict what will happen when I go back. Sometimes if I go back from within Firefox, it'll go to the last app I used and close Firefox. Other times it'll go to the last page, or to the home screen. Sometimes in my now-playing screen of PowerAmp back will go to the album list, other times to the home screen. I can never reliably predict where back will go.
The UI theme is also shockingly utilitarian. I've got one of the nicest screens ever produced, 320 ppi, in my hand, and I'm using it to render a #000000 background, #ffffff text, and the occasional solid blue line? Really? Maybe I just don't like the whole "flat UI" paradigm that's becoming the new hotness.
Things also get more difficult when you try to leave the Google ecosystem. There's no CalDAV or CardDAV sync built in (though it's available with flaky and inconsistent addons), and removing all of the Google branding (like the search box at top) doesn't seem to be possible. The Google apps, while functional for the most part, are all very inconsistent in their themeing and UI.
Overall I get the impression that Android will, just like Linux, be eternally "almost there". The version that fixes all the little niggles will be forever just over the horizon. Google's had six years and its unbelievable muscle to polish it, and it still feels kind of half-baked to me. Having come to Android straight from WebOS, I find myself missing the overall polish, consistency, and thoughtfulness that WebOS had. (Despite its own problems, of course.)
> Overall I get the impression that Android will, just like Linux, be eternally "almost there". The version that fixes all the little niggles will be forever just over the horizon.
Except in the opposite direction it seems. Android is very much already there for consumers, which this blog perfectly highlights. Your complaints, however, are centered around not normal consumers but power linux users.
Linux: Caters to power users, never quite there for consumers
Android: Caters to consumers, never quite there for Linux users
Also FYI it's quite easy to remove the search box from the home screen. You can either disable Google Search entirely, or you can just install one of the half a billion or so alternative launchers in the Play Store. You can even have it look like WebOS if you want: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gau.go.lau...
> Your complaints, however, are centered around not normal consumers but power linux users.
I don't think they are; unpredictable back button behavior and inconsistent/plain UI aren't Linuxy complaints.
> Also FYI it's quite easy to remove the search box from the home screen.
I couldn't figure it out. If you disable Google Search, the box doesn't work any more, but it stays on your home screen. It just becomes a blank useless box. Not the same as removing it.
But I disagree with a lot of the pluses in this article. I find the back button eminently confusing. I can never reliably predict what will happen when I go back. Sometimes if I go back from within Firefox, it'll go to the last app I used and close Firefox. Other times it'll go to the last page, or to the home screen. Sometimes in my now-playing screen of PowerAmp back will go to the album list, other times to the home screen. I can never reliably predict where back will go.
The UI theme is also shockingly utilitarian. I've got one of the nicest screens ever produced, 320 ppi, in my hand, and I'm using it to render a #000000 background, #ffffff text, and the occasional solid blue line? Really? Maybe I just don't like the whole "flat UI" paradigm that's becoming the new hotness.
Things also get more difficult when you try to leave the Google ecosystem. There's no CalDAV or CardDAV sync built in (though it's available with flaky and inconsistent addons), and removing all of the Google branding (like the search box at top) doesn't seem to be possible. The Google apps, while functional for the most part, are all very inconsistent in their themeing and UI.
Overall I get the impression that Android will, just like Linux, be eternally "almost there". The version that fixes all the little niggles will be forever just over the horizon. Google's had six years and its unbelievable muscle to polish it, and it still feels kind of half-baked to me. Having come to Android straight from WebOS, I find myself missing the overall polish, consistency, and thoughtfulness that WebOS had. (Despite its own problems, of course.)