Android Flexibility
iOS is a very good operating system. It has been very well designed to be secure and easy to use, with a few graphical exceptions in the latest version. I have been really impressed with how well it functions and how reliable it can be. My sister had a roommate whose iPhone power button broke and the phone continued working without a reboot for several more years. Very impressive.
That being said, I am an Android aficionado. I love the flexibility of the platform. You can make it work however you need it to.
When people talk about Android customization they usually are talking about changing the icons or the background. I don't care about that. I use the standard Android interface without any modifications. What I am talking about is more automation of the system instead of the look and feel.
I am going to talk about four apps, one built into Android and three from third parties.
The first third party app I want to talk about is called LastPass. I have used this service for years to store my passwords for me. The advantage to this is I can use a long secure password without having to remember it. In my web browser it will simply insert the password for me. Keeps my accounts much more secure.
The most recent version of the Android app does this for me as well. When I open the Facebook app it will pop up a message with my Facebook password. I don't have to remember my password or copy and paste it from one app to another. I can configure it to ask for my LastPass password if I want, but I don't do that because I rarely let anybody else use my phone. Makes logging into any app very easy.
Wifi Web Login will remember the steps you took to login and then repeat those steps for you when needed. I used it at work for years and actually forgot there was a login for the wifi. This was possible because of the access Android allows apps to have to the system.
But Tasker can do much more than this. You can set it to turn your wifi off when you are not at home and on again when you get to work. You can set it to send a text message to your spouse when you leave work. You can get very complex with the actions it can do, and there are a host of plugins that adds more functionality to Tasker, things I don't even know about. Tasker is the ultimate is phone automation.
These three apps are examples of things that cannot be done on iOS. I have researched Wifi Web Login from a developer standpoint and the hooks needed to do what it does are not there in iOS. Tasker as well for many of features it has. LastPass has an iOS app, but it isn't automatic, you have to open the app and find the site you want then copy it to the clipboard.
Apple's whole idea for the iPhone is making it easy to use. Simple interface. No clutter. Apps that just work they way they were meant to. But from my experience, and the experience of many people I know with extensive Android and iOS experience, Android has more options out of the box.
Now many of you, if you still reading this, are going to tell me that jail breaking an iPhone will give you many of these capabilities. While this is true, you void your warranty in jail breaking. And don't tell me you can reverse the jail break without Apple ever knowing. This may be true, but the point is the warranty is still broken, you just didn't get caught. All of these functions can be done on a phone without jail breaking (called "rooting" on Android) the device. Warranty intact. My point? Android is designed for these kinds of customizations. iOS is designed to PREVENT these kinds of customizations without hacking the device.
There are other things I love about Android over iOS as well. Widgets on the desktop. The way it handles notifications. Larger, higher resolution screens available. The Moto X will respond to your questions without you having to touch it. The way it handles logging into an app via Google+. But those are topics for another day.
That being said, I am an Android aficionado. I love the flexibility of the platform. You can make it work however you need it to.
When people talk about Android customization they usually are talking about changing the icons or the background. I don't care about that. I use the standard Android interface without any modifications. What I am talking about is more automation of the system instead of the look and feel.
I am going to talk about four apps, one built into Android and three from third parties.
Google Now
Google Now is a part of Android. It looks at all the data Google has about you and figures out what you may need. For example, I visited some family in Idaho and Google Now asked me if I wanted directions to the cabin we had stayed in at Yellowstone the year before. It gives me traffic information about my regular commutes, tells me if there is traffic between me and my events in my calendar, lets me know when a TV show that I have searched for is on, etc. All without me asking for it. Very handy. It will also answer questions you ask it.LastPass
The first third party app I want to talk about is called LastPass. I have used this service for years to store my passwords for me. The advantage to this is I can use a long secure password without having to remember it. In my web browser it will simply insert the password for me. Keeps my accounts much more secure.The most recent version of the Android app does this for me as well. When I open the Facebook app it will pop up a message with my Facebook password. I don't have to remember my password or copy and paste it from one app to another. I can configure it to ask for my LastPass password if I want, but I don't do that because I rarely let anybody else use my phone. Makes logging into any app very easy.
Wifi Web Login
The second app is called Wifi Web Login. Many of you have seen a wifi that requires you to log in or accept some terms before you use the Internet. Many of the times you have to re-login everyday. Some, like a place I used to work, requires it every few hours. This makes things like email unreliable as a way to communicate.Wifi Web Login will remember the steps you took to login and then repeat those steps for you when needed. I used it at work for years and actually forgot there was a login for the wifi. This was possible because of the access Android allows apps to have to the system.
Tasker
The third app is called Tasker. This one is much more complex, and therefore more powerful. Tasker gives you a set of conditions, such "when the device boots" or "when a particular wifi hotspot is visible" and then tasks that can be performed. I mostly use this app to control my ringer volume. I have it set up to turn my ringer off if I am on campus and there is an event in my School calendar. These to conditions combined mean I am probably in class. This app is very reliable. I have been using it for years. As long as I have set up the profiles correctly I trust it to turn off my ringer when it would be bad for it to be on.
But Tasker can do much more than this. You can set it to turn your wifi off when you are not at home and on again when you get to work. You can set it to send a text message to your spouse when you leave work. You can get very complex with the actions it can do, and there are a host of plugins that adds more functionality to Tasker, things I don't even know about. Tasker is the ultimate is phone automation.
These three apps are examples of things that cannot be done on iOS. I have researched Wifi Web Login from a developer standpoint and the hooks needed to do what it does are not there in iOS. Tasker as well for many of features it has. LastPass has an iOS app, but it isn't automatic, you have to open the app and find the site you want then copy it to the clipboard.
Apple's whole idea for the iPhone is making it easy to use. Simple interface. No clutter. Apps that just work they way they were meant to. But from my experience, and the experience of many people I know with extensive Android and iOS experience, Android has more options out of the box.
Now many of you, if you still reading this, are going to tell me that jail breaking an iPhone will give you many of these capabilities. While this is true, you void your warranty in jail breaking. And don't tell me you can reverse the jail break without Apple ever knowing. This may be true, but the point is the warranty is still broken, you just didn't get caught. All of these functions can be done on a phone without jail breaking (called "rooting" on Android) the device. Warranty intact. My point? Android is designed for these kinds of customizations. iOS is designed to PREVENT these kinds of customizations without hacking the device.
There are other things I love about Android over iOS as well. Widgets on the desktop. The way it handles notifications. Larger, higher resolution screens available. The Moto X will respond to your questions without you having to touch it. The way it handles logging into an app via Google+. But those are topics for another day.
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