I have an iPad 1 and I just got an android phone (Virgin Mobile - super cheap). Here’s my initial complaints after using Android OS for 4 weeks. My reference is iOS on the iPad, which is obviously different from using it on the smaller phone interface, but I try to not penalize Android for the smaller screen.
1. Phone storage vs. SD card storage. Why? It’s confusing and frustrating. Today my phone said I was out of space, but it turns out I have plenty of space, but just not in the right place. Oh, and all those apps that I use regularly, but can’t be moved to the SD card? Too bad sucker. Yeah, I know there’s an app for moving other applications (how does anyone at Google thing that makes sense?) but do I really expect someone like my mother to understand this and use it?
2. The epic list of applications (ELOP). When I install an application it gets buried in a huge list of every application I’ve ever installed. If I happen to forget the name (or the first letter) then I have to scroll through the entire list to find it - sometimes several times if I don’t remember what the icon looked liked.
iOS has a nice visual indication of where an app goes. There’s only one step between me installing an app, and iOS shifting to the pane it’s on and plopping it down. Easy.
3. I have to manually move apps from the ELOP to the home pane where I want them. This is a pain, and most of the time I don’t bother.
4. Inconsistent interaction: Do I click the “menu” hard button, or do I press and hold on an item? You never know. It’s like a fun game. “Oh, I wonder how I get something done here.”
5. If I have the power to run multiple apps, then give me the power to close them. While it’s nice to be able to “multitask”, it’s frustrating that I have to install a 3rd party software in order to be able to close what I just opened.
If one of the top apps in your app store is a “app killer” application, then I think you have a problem. Obviously users want that power, but the OS doesn’t give it to them natively.
Conclusion: The phone/plan is cheap and way better than the flip phone I had previously. All things equal though, I think I’d rather be in iOS.
