From iOS to Android – Week 2

My second week of Android usage is over, and it’s still a positive experience. Here are a few highlights.

I love the Share Menu! If you’ve never used Android, this is a global feature that allows you to share something from one app to another. It’s contextual, so only relevant apps show up in the menu. Selecting a link on a web page gives the option to share that link to my blog via the WordPress app, to Twitter using any of the Twitter apps I have installed, to my to do list in Remember the Milk, to email, Evernote or into a text message; and that’s just a few examples.

As a Google+ user, I like the fact that I can set that app to automatically upload all of my photos and videos as they’re taken. You can choose whether they’re automatically shared or not, and I’ve chosen the not option. This integration with Google’s services, like the interface differences between Android and iOS, is another topic that needs it’s own post to do it justice. I’ll cover them both when I get to the end of this four week experiment.

The biggest find of the last week for me has been Swype. It wouldn’t be exaggerating to say this has transformed the way I use a phone. Text input on mobile screens has always been painful, but Swype’s gesture recognition approach has completely changed that. I’m amazed by how quickly I can input big chunks of text, and suddenly my phone has become a useful note taking device! I did find that once you start to trust its ability to convert your gestures to text, you just relax and really pick up the pace. This was a similar experience to getting used to iOS’s automatic spell correction. Mind you, neither of them are perfect so proofreading is still required!

The most significant change in my own behaviour has been quite unexpected; I’ve almost completely stopped using my iPad. Previously, it was used daily for reading my RSS feeds, general surfing and anything internet related when I was sat on the couch after work. I’m now using the Nexus S instead. As I mentioned at the start of the four weeks, there is undoubtedly going to be some element of novelty and that may be a factor here, but there’s more to it than that. The large screen on the Nexus S and the easier input afforded by Swype make it, for me at least, a more usable all round device than the iPhone. It’s also fair to say that the iOS5 update seems to have made my iPad slower and buggy…

Regarding the phone itself – Battery life has been acceptable, but can’t compete with the iPhone 4. It does continue to outperform the iPhone in its ability to actually make and receive calls! I’ve also noticed that despite heavy usage, the screen on the Nexus S stays much cleaner than the iPhone. I probably wipe the Nexus screen one a day, whereas with the iPhone it was after almost every use. I don’t know if that’s to do with the quality of the screens or something to do with me!

7 thoughts on “From iOS to Android – Week 2”

  1. Thanks for these weekly updates, Barry. Extremely enlightening. I have shared with a number of colleagues and they all agree. Keep them coming!!!!

  2. Love the idea of Swype and note how much you rate it. Too bad it’s not available for HTC… yet 😉

    Nice article again Barry.

    1. Is it not something that you can install on any Android phone? It’s a Shane if that’s the case.

      I need to write a follow up post, but I’ve swapped back to iPhone and Swype is the one thing I miss.

      1. Is it not something that you can install on any Android phone? It’s a Shame if that’s the case.

        I need to write a follow up post, but I’ve swapped back to the iPhone and Swype is the one thing I miss.

    2. I only looked at the swyoe site quick, but it did say not availbale yet. Was quite keen to give it a go.

      Good articles though Barry! Who’d have thought all those years ago!?

  3. You should be able to get swype on pretty much any android device I think.

    Start here – http://beta.swype.com/android/create/

    Then follow the instructions here – https://beta.swype.com/android/welcome/detailed/

    It’s a bit convoluted, but you only have to do it once. 

    I don’t know what you mean…

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