How is Android the most popular mobile OS ? Honestly ?

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Nakazul

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Google functionality across the globe kicks Nokia and everybody's **** im afraid. Nokia Drive have horrible outdated maps. More language support, more apps, more of a lot of stuff. I think they should stop selling Windows Phone outside U.S. because there Microsoft focuses and gives more quality across the board. Most Microsoft products fail as soon as they leave U.S. and,that's why there loosing ground also. Competition is giving more quality on services then Microsoft. Either they make Windows Phone,or they don't. Stop giving away exclusives, stop leaving services like Xbox Music hanging there with bugs. Basically start getting serious and stop relying on your only two good products, Windows and Office....i like my Lumia 920 but WP owners for to be the most forgiving users in the world to a company that screwed them over more then twice. You may justify what ever you want, but were basically very diehard fans and that is blocking the view. Or maybe we,just like to,feel special with being the 3%...
 

z33dev33l

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Google functionality across the globe kicks Nokia and everybody's **** im afraid. Nokia Drive have horrible outdated maps. More language support, more apps, more of a lot of stuff. I think they should stop selling Windows Phone outside U.S. because there Microsoft focuses and gives more quality across the board. Most Microsoft products fail as soon as they leave U.S. and,that's why there loosing ground also. Competition is giving more quality on services then Microsoft. Either they make Windows Phone,or they don't. Stop giving away exclusives, stop leaving services like Xbox Music hanging there with bugs. Basically start getting serious and stop relying on your only two good products, Windows and Office....i like my Lumia 920 but WP owners for to be the most forgiving users in the world to a company that screwed them over more then twice. You may justify what ever you want, but were basically very diehard fans and that is blocking the view. Or maybe we,just like to,feel special with being the 3%...
Not sure I could be more wrong in one post if I tried...
 

Nakazul

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Not sure I could be more wrong in one post if I tried...

you could not try to elaborate? I mention language support, do you dispute that WP is behind on this? Is Xbox music a bug free experience? Map services is more up to date on Google Maps, more advanced search is still leaving Bing in dust. Gmail still have functions Outlook is missing, and don't mention W8 mail app. Is not Microsoft giving away exclusives? Smartglass, Office. Skype is way better on Android. I can go on. If you think I am wrong, your wrong.
 

WPmunkey

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you could not try to elaborate? I mention language support, do you dispute that WP is behind on this? Is Xbox music a bug free experience? (Yes)

Map services is more up to date on Google Maps (I've never had issue)

more advanced search is still leaving Bing in dust (lol, what???)

Gmail still have functions Outlook is missing (like what? No features I noticed)

and don't mention W8 mail app (then don't, this is about WP8)

Is not Microsoft giving away exclusives? Smartglass, Office. Skype is way better on Android. I can go on. If you think I am wrong, your wrong.


My responses in parentheses. Can Skype run in the background? Well I know it can but you have to kill all processes on Android to have acceptable performance and battery life. And this is exactly the reason you will fail to convince anyone who likes their WP to go anything Android. Barking up the wrong tree
 

bilzkh

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Android is the most popular because it is what OEMs prefer pushing against the iPhone and other Android competitors. The openness of Android gives OEMs the capability to customize the OS to include their services (e.g. Sony) as well as differentiate from other Android competitors. The problem with Windows Phone is that it is too limited for that sort of customization.

1. Right away I think Microsoft should open it up to the OEMs, at least the APIs so that OEMs can integrate their key services and innovations more deeply into the OS. If Nokia wants to integrate some brand new thingamajig into the OS, it should be able to do so easily.

2. It wouldn't be a bad idea to open up more of Windows Phone to the end-user and developers. As small as the so-called 'power user' or 'geek' market might be, it seems they cast a much bigger shadow on perception and reputation. Its geeks who frolic around on forums and message boards, its geeks who sit on podcasts and write reviews, etc. It's high time that Windows Phone (which is based off the NT-kernel no less) take Android on function-for-function. Microsoft can maintain the simplicity of the OS UI by simply relegating all the advanced functions to some "Advanced" tab out-of-way and out-of-sight, thereby ensuring only the power-users/geeks use it, but that normal users aren't overwhelmed.
 

thed

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Android is the most popular because it is what OEMs prefer pushing against the iPhone and other Android competitors. The openness of Android gives OEMs the capability to customize the OS to include their services (e.g. Sony) as well as differentiate from other Android competitors. The problem with Windows Phone is that it is too limited for that sort of customization.

1. Right away I think Microsoft should open it up to the OEMs, at least the APIs so that OEMs can integrate their key services and innovations more deeply into the OS. If Nokia wants to integrate some brand new thingamajig into the OS, it should be able to do so easily.

2. It wouldn't be a bad idea to open up more of Windows Phone to the end-user and developers. As small as the so-called 'power user' or 'geek' market might be, it seems they cast a much bigger shadow on perception and reputation. Its geeks who frolic around on forums and message boards, its geeks who sit on podcasts and write reviews, etc. It's high time that Windows Phone (which is based off the NT-kernel no less) take Android on function-for-function. Microsoft can maintain the simplicity of the OS UI by simply relegating all the advanced functions to some "Advanced" tab out-of-way and out-of-sight, thereby ensuring only the power-users/geeks use it, but that normal users aren't overwhelmed.

I agree with this 100%. That's a big strength for Android. I really think that MS would benefit by opening things up a little so devs can fill some missing features that people may want but currently aren't possible to implement. Does that make it possible for rogue apps to screw up your phone? Sure, but that's why app submissions are monitored and tested.
 

bilzkh

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I agree with this 100%. That's a big strength for Android. I really think that MS would benefit by opening things up a little so devs can fill some missing features that people may want but currently aren't possible to implement. Does that make it possible for rogue apps to screw up your phone? Sure, but that's why app submissions are monitored and tested.
Precisely! Microsoft is just too damn slow to keep up with the pace of the mobile market, it's rarely ever ahead and mostly behind (e.g. Notification Center, wtf!?).

Just open up the phone and QA the app submissions. Right now Windows Phone has some of the best 3rd party developers I've seen (MetroTube, Instance, Liquid Daffodil apps, WPCentral, etc). Imagine these people putting their energies behind filling in functional gaps as they emerge, and perhaps even pushing WP ahead of the competition!? If MS was as open with WP we'd see an amazing notifications center, crazy NFC-enabled switches/functions, possibly interactive live (or smart?) tiles, wild indie games, new tile themes and colours, etc. This is what WP needs in order to compete in a fast-moving space.
 

z33dev33l

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Some of the "open windows phone up" people fail to grasp why we're not on android. We don't want a slow, inconsistent OS that stutters and requires constant tuning to keep functional. That's what most of us Windows Phone fans escaped coming to the platform and let me tell you, it was a breath of fresh air to have a complete OS. Something I didn't have to modify daily and still have it feel half-assed.
 

davebolton

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I'm confused. How did Microsoft screw their WP customers? Aren't you confusing what Microsoft did (no real upgrade path from WP7 to WP8) versus what the carriers did not do (push updates that Microsoft did create out to early adopters for fear it would compete with new phone sales/upgrades)?
 

sarlo100

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How did Android become the most popular mobile OS? Easy. When Microsoft released WP7, Google was already releasing *Gingerbread*. No matter how good your product is, if you give another guy an 18 month head start as the only alternative in town, he's going to make inroads. In this case, inroads that are going to be really difficult to overcome. Had WP7 come out in 2009, you'd be looking at a completely different marketplace, likely with Apple still dominating the high end, WP in the middle range, and Android confined to the low end - with WP and Android fighting for top market share. Instead, with an 18 month head start, Android and Google, in a sense, Microsofted Microsoft.

Gates' plan with Windows 3 through 2000 was to get his software running on any PC he could, any way he could. Google returned the favor when they did everything they could to get Android on every conceivable smartphone they could lay hands on. Just as Gates philosophy built the Windows dynasty, Google's has turned the trick with Android.
 

Ridemyscooter86

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Android basically got big because they got there first. Truthfully, no, they didn't get there first as that was really the iphone, but since it was exclusive to att, the only choice for people getting a good smartphone at the time was to switch to ATT and pay the 599$ starting price for the 1st gen iphone or pay the 199$ contract price for the 2nd gen. Either way, it still required you to either go with ATT(if you didn't have it) which would mean most of the time to pay the 400$ fee to abandon your contract. After about I think it was like 6-month to a year, android was out on tmobile, and while it wasn't necessarily a great OS, it was a modern smartphone on a different carrier that could be had for around 200$. Then verizon and then sprint got android phones and it took apple like 4 years to release the iphone on android and then sprint, eventually. It was simply a numbers game, android got on all 4 carriers relatively quickly where apple stayed exclusive to ATT, so they reached a broader audience faster.

Same story about windows too, microsoft released windows and (IF I remember my history correctly as I was a little kid when this all happened, correct me if I'm wrong), windows didn't start getting really big until windows 3.1 / windows 95, but apples had been out much longer. The difference is MS went with the OEM model which has still been extremely successful to this day: apple made a couple of machines in house with their own OS, where MS let other companies, compaq, IBM, HP, Dell, all sorts of other companies make windows machines and it was simply a numbers game. when you have 10 or more different OEMs making a product vs 1 hardware/software manufacture, you can flood the market with your product. Android is no different, OEM companies like samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola, Sony, all just started making smartphones with android and when they got to all the carriers faster than the iphone did, they just took up the marketshare.

Unfortunately in the tech world, most widely used != the best product. Most of it comes down to marketing, production, and distribution. Unfortunately, I do like Microsoft's model better than android simply because Open source software leads to natural fragmentation. Android is getting better with it, but the reason windows phone runs so much better is that OEMS can't modify the software, which is a good thing because I have pretty much never seen a hardware company do software better than a software company, the only exception to that might be HTC sense in the beginning of its life, now I wouldn't say that it actually adds to the android user experience, not does any other skin IMHO.
 

jmshub

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Android got the market share they did because the iphone was released in 2007 in the US as an exclusive to the then Cingular Wireless, now at&t wireless. By 2009, Verizon was still on the outside looking in at the first big rush of consumer smart phones. They threw the full weight of their advertising behind "Droid Does". For the next two years, you bought a smart phone at Verizon, it was Android. That gave them the critical mass in the early stages.

Hardcore fan support is one thing, but a smartphone isn't going to get critical mass until the uneducated or uninterested casual smartphone buyer stops into the mobile store in the mall and starts asking for the phone by name.
 

Trehanx12

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Android is the most popular because it's the perfect choice for most manufacturers, carriers and users as well. It's open source and fully customizable, this benefits all the three parties I mentioned. Manufacturers can personalize the OS completely and give it their personal stamp to make it different to other phones, carriers can also make some changes and add their own apps in order to differentiate as well, and the users can also customize it and they can also bring unofficial updates to phones that aren't updated by their manufacturers. Another strong point is the apps, it has all the apps and games a user could want and most of them are free, with the option to pay for additional features or removing ads. The OS is available in all kinds of devices: Smartphones, tablets, cameras, music players, etc. at every price point, which makes it the most accessible platform. iOS doesn't have this and Windows Phone is only recently starting to follow this strategy.

I personally think Android is a good OS, it's not perfect and it has the popular issues like lack of updates from manufacturers, deficient performance in low-end devices and to a lesser extent it also has malware and viruses, but in general it's good and has improved a lot during the last 2 years. If you have Android 4.0 or higher, you can notice that it's a solid OS. It's the most popular mobile OS because even if it's not the best, it has the key point: ACCESSIBILITY. iOS is not accessible at all, it's only designed for high-end purposes, and Windows Phone followed the same route as iOS until recently. I personally think people should give it a break, it gets a lot of hate but it truly is a good OS, I can understand the criticism for low-end devices and have experienced it myself, but it's wonderful in high-end devices like Nexus, Galaxy, etc.
 

Ridemyscooter86

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Android is the most popular because it's the perfect choice for most manufacturers, carriers and users as well. It's open source and fully customizable, this benefits all the three parties I mentioned. Manufacturers can personalize the OS completely and give it their personal stamp to make it different to other phones, carriers can also make some changes and add their own apps in order to differentiate as well, and the users can also customize it and they can also bring unofficial updates to phones that aren't updated by their manufacturers. Another strong point is the apps, it has all the apps and games a user could want and most of them are free, with the option to pay for additional features or removing ads. The OS is available in all kinds of devices: Smartphones, tablets, cameras, music players, etc. at every price point, which makes it the most accessible platform. iOS doesn't have this and Windows Phone is only recently starting to follow this strategy.

I personally think Android is a good OS, it's not perfect and it has the popular issues like lack of updates from manufacturers, deficient performance in low-end devices and to a lesser extent it also has malware and viruses, but in general it's good and has improved a lot during the last 2 years. If you have Android 4.0 or higher, you can notice that it's a solid OS. It's the most popular mobile OS because even if it's not the best, it has the key point: ACCESSIBILITY. iOS is not accessible at all, it's only designed for high-end purposes, and Windows Phone followed the same route as iOS until recently. I personally think people should give it a break, it gets a lot of hate but it truly is a good OS, I can understand the criticism for low-end devices and have experienced it myself, but it's wonderful in high-end devices like Nexus, Galaxy, etc.

I've gotta say, I disagree with almost all of your points. First I should preface this by saying that I have thoroughly used android on many different devices and I have many issues with it. I will start off by saying that the nicest thing about android is that you can do the most with it: Since you can root it and the end user can modify it how they see fit, the most can be done with it. Now how you say that Windows Phone and especially iOS aren't accessible is beyond me.

First you start of saying that manufactures and carrier personalizing the OS is a good thing, and I highly disagree. I have only ever seen one instance where a manufacture had skinned android (sense 1.0-2.0) and it was better than stock android. Other than that, I think all of the other skins, for lack of a better word, are garbage. I mean, take touchwiz for example: I played with the new samsung galaxy note 8.0 recently. I noticed that once in a while it would lag, thats unacceptable for a brand new device running a fairly powerful quad-core exynos processor. Also, I though it was without a doubt the most hacked together user experience I've ever seen: There were 2 app launcher bars, seriously, one on the side and one on the bottom, also, when you hit the buttons on the bottom of the device, it does different things like if you double tap the back button, vs hitting it once, vs holding it down, essentially there were 9 different things you could do from the bottom tablet buttons...Kinda confusing to me. The point I'm trying to make is its the same deal with windows. I have never used a windows computer where I thought any OEM actually added value to the product, I feel whenever they load software, its crap trial versions of products that just get in the way. Thats why every time I buy a windows PC, I re install a fresh version of the OS so I don't have to have a norton window popping up every 5 seconds to remind me that I need to renew my subscription. If I were to every buy another android device, I would only get a nexus as I think stock android is far simpler, faster, and more intuitive than any skin placed on top of it.

You are right that android has come a long way, and I didn't think android got good, until 4.0, but I still feel it has a very long way to go to get to the same usability as iOS. My experience with android is that apps crashed frequently and even the OS itself crashed a couple of time on me. In the 2 years that I've owned my windows phone, only 1 app has crashed on me a couple of times (spotify for WP7) and the OS has literally NEVER crashed on me, ever. Same with iOS, I can only recall, maybe one time seeing iOS actually crash.

Now to the accessibility: How is iphone/ipad not accessible? If you're talking about price then I can understand what you're saying in terms of that iOS devices are premium products sold at a premium price, but the OS is dead simple to use, I mean it has one button! iOS is far simpler to use compared to android and is a little simpler to use compare to WP. In any case, both are much more fluid and fast than android is. iOS almost never lags, except for older devices, and I've never had wp lag. As for windows 8: It depends on the hardware..although even the atoms give a pretty smooth user experience.

Also, with regards to the free app comment: Yes android has many more free apps than WP and iOS, but that means developers also never make the same amount of money. Thats why all developers release for the iphone/ipad first. Yes, you can jailbreak an iphone, and its easy to do, same with rooting an android phone, but if you look at the numbers, people pirate more on android because its easier to do because its open. Yes iOS does have an issue with piracy, but more importantly, its a statistical fact that if you release an app on iOS, it will make more money than android (just google it). Also, its much easier to develop on iOS and WP than android simply because of standardized hardware. Every generation of wp use the same processors/gpus and theres only one current iphone and ipad out at a time vs android.

I'm not saying android is a bad system, but it does have a ton of issues that other OSes simply don't.
 

nube_android

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Some of the "open windows phone up" people fail to grasp why we're not on android. We don't want a slow, inconsistent OS that stutters and requires constant tuning to keep functional. That's what most of us Windows Phone fans escaped coming to the platform and let me tell you, it was a breath of fresh air to have a complete OS. Something I didn't have to modify daily and still have it feel half-assed.
I think MS could open it up a litttle more, but it doesn't have to be to the extent google does. And part of the reason Android is so inconsistent is that it runs Java.
 
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Well I know it can but you have to kill all processes on Android to have acceptable performance and battery life.
Which decade are you living in? This issue was almost eliminated from Android in Gingerbread and it's completely non-existant in Android 4 and above. A long time ago in a Galaxy far far away Android had these problems which are now long gone but people just won't stop bringing these up. If you wanna know what battery problems are, just sift through the Lumia 920/HTC 8X forums here.
 

a5cent

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I think MS could open it up a litttle more, but it doesn't have to be to the extent google does. And part of the reason Android is so inconsistent is that it runs Java.

If you aren't going to define what you mean with "open it up a little more", then that isn't a statement worth making. It means nothing.

Also, Android is not inconsistent because it uses Java, but because Android doesn't have a UI framework that encourages consistency. Android's UI paradigm is "anything goes", and that can be "achieved" in any programming language. It's actually the easiest kind of UI framework to make, because it passes all responsibility for consistency from the framework designer, to the devs making apps with that framework.
 
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