I went to the Android Promise Land and came back Running

[Daniel Pauna]

Hi everyone,

I just want to share with everyone my recent experience I had with the "best" OS out there...

Let me start by saying that I've been using Windows powered devices since WP7, back then I changed my Samsung Galaxy S1 (an Android flagship at that time) for an Omnia 7. The decision was made based on pure curiosity regarding the Windows platform and what I found was a solid OS but with huge lacking in apps department...let me rephrase that HUGE LACKING. But what made me keep the phone was the fact that it worked compared with the android one, specifically Active Sync which I needed for work. More than that regardless of apps installed (few I admit) the phone lasted more than a day on a charge and didn't had slowdowns or choppy frame rate in home screen/start menu.

After some years I decided to try again Android (this was 3 years ago) and what I found was more of the same: poor battery, bad optimization, sluggish performance. And this was coming from another Flagship Android phone - HTC One S (S4 Pro model).

But what I want to relate happened just a few weeks back, when my Lumia 1520 started to have problems with the screen so I had to take it for repairs. So I thought to myself that this would be a good moment to try Android again, at least until my phone comes back from repairs.
What could go wrong..... right...

So I bought an LG G3, not the best phone out there but definitely not the worst....it was a flagship not more than 8 months ago... It had an Snapdragon 801 with 2 GB of RAM memory.

My firs couple of days went well, mostly because I was just adjusting with it and using it a lot mostly configuring it to my need rather than having the phone get used to my needs
But by the time passed by I started to observe the same problems I had with the android platform 3-5 years ago, more than that I found the Store lacking in the software department....precisely software that I wanted. Don't get me wrong I had multiple options but none of it was able to fulfill my needs.

Problem No1 - Customization
You do have A LOT of option when it comes to customizing your Android experience, especially when it comes to Home screen but nothing I've tried offered a solid frame rate or smooth feeling that I found in iOS and WP8. So my question is why on Earth someone would customize his phone when it makes it work so atrocious...?
So I settled on using the Google Home screen which had the best performance. Oh did I mentioned that all of those custom Home Launchers also installs random apps on your phone, unless you want to give them money. I get that's how they're making a living but I would prefer to test the product without being forced with other apps without me knowing.

Problem No2 - Keyboard
The stock keyboard that LG provided was good at some extent, but still crappy for my taste...it had a small delay with each key stroke, and when some random app synced in the backround it had a half a second delay or more if GP was updating my apps in the background. But overall it felt lagging...so I changed for swift key (which I bought a long time ago because of the same issues...). Surprisingly this one was better but not by a lot, so I went and installed the Google Keyboard, which was good 80% of the time, until a random app sync-ed something in the background.

Problem No3 - Android
Everything about it felt lagging, sluggish, dragging....I'm not sure how to explain it really. From the lock screen where I had to insert my PIN no. that was taking me a fraction of a second more that I was used to to the overall usage of the OS. Pressing home button was taking 1-2 sec. to bring me back to the home screen (this was some how depending on the application - and I'm not referring to a game here - something like FB or Twitter). App switching was some times a pain. The default Launcher crashed on me multiple times. And the fact that the OS asked me every single time "with which app would you like to open this link", and I'm more than positive that sometimes it did for the same file/link even if I always check the "use this as default".

Lack of Apps
I MISSED SO MUCH NEXT GEN READER. I couldn't find an app that could replace it, really...All I wanted was an app that could sync with feedly, do background downloads, cache articles with pictures and all and have readability support. I couldn't find one and I didn't want to pay money for something that I could not try before buying...so I used feedly's official app which is so bad I will have write another post only for that..
Outlook sucks on Android - I don't know how that app syncs the folders...it has something to do based on usage...definitely not comparable with the one currently present on WP8.

After 4 weeks of usage I ended up hating it so much that I sold the phone and bought a Lumia 640 until I get my other Lumia phone back.
But before I bought it, I had to use my girlfriend's phone, to contact the seller, which happened to be a Lumia 930...at that moment I realized how much I was missing my WP...it worked so well...it felt like silk in my hands, every single tap registered exactly when I pressed it....it just worked.
So I went and bought it an I was grinning the entire time since I finished setting it up, and not because of the familiarity of it, but because I spent 1/3 of the money I spent on the LG but some how it performed better and felt better than the LG.

How can so many people accept Android as their daily drivers....the OS is un-optimized, you don't get the latest updates for your phone because the next one just launched; you can customize it as much as you want but not recommended unless you want a slideshow instead of a home screen.
Apparently Now you need 3GB of RAM on your phone if you want it to work butter smooth, oh and you have to go on XDA-dev read a lot of articles, root your phone, put some custom firmware on it, and then you'll have a functional Phone....
Meanwhile I have a 80$ that just works and I'm not looking back ....

 

[Laura Knotek]

What issues do you have with the official Feedly app? I had used Nextgen Reader for Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 8.1.

Since I've been using Android, I don't even bother looking at the apps on Windows 8.1. Nextgen is there but unused, since I've had much better results with official Feedly.

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk

 

[Daniel Pauna]

Can't use Readability unless you pay a subscription and it works really slow...at least in my eyes. This happened especially when the article contained a lot of info in it with pictures and clips in it.
I found another rss reader, Palabre, which looked nice had all that...but it only synced a limited no of articles and somehow it didn't synced well with feedly. Articles that I read on it sowed as unread on feedly and vice versa, other than that an excellent app.

 

[eusty]

4 weeks away to be repaired and you are still thinking of another phone before yours cones back!

Where are you? Took my 930 to be repaired the other day (retailer not a MS store) and they said it would be 10 days, but usually they are back in 5

 

[hiya15]

I'd been on android for 4-5 years,i left it for WP and Man do i love it ? I dont think i can make the switch to any other OS anytime soon.

 

[Daniel Pauna]

eusty - I live in a strange land where I if I make a fuss about my warranty I might just get it rejected and then I have to go the painful and long legal way...so I just sit and wait. I picked another phone because I couldn't stand one day using an Android phone, especially when there were cheaper options.

 

[Angry_Mushroom]

Funny. I currently have G3 and have no problems at all. It's quite fluid, I enjoy the customization options I have, and I enjoy having a phone popular enough to justify continued updates for it. 2 months later I've had no crashes, reasonable battery life, and no notable lag at all. The high res screen is excellent, and the app selection is truly a sight to behold. Personally, Microsoft has their work cut out for them if they want to win me back. I went to android, and am quite pleased with that choice. If they betray em, I might try Apple. Who knows. Life is too short to lock myself into one mobile OS.

Only real complaints are the fact myTube isn't on there, and Weave is absent. Then again Weave is dead period. My only gripe disappeared when I finally got around to installing a different keyboard as I found the LG stock to be unsatisfactory.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

I could never go to Android. I find it to be such a Crap OS and a lot of your complaints are things that bother me as well about it, among others.

 

[MDMcAtee]

Wow

Seems to me that you really didn't want to use your g3. There is a great forum on Android Central dedicated to it that could have been a great help to you, and mostly could have assisted you to make your experience many many many times better, had you utilized it.

Well, where to really start without upsetting anyone here?

First you really don't need 3 or 4 gigs of ram to have a good experience with a Android device. That is just not always the case, and will entirely depend on your usage of it.

Secondly, finding the applications you need may require some sideloading to get them. Not all are available on just the play store.

Third, not all launchers are the same as what you experienced.

Yes, you should optomize your Android device. Between the Oem and carrier bloat most come with it is indeed something that is needed, however you can get some without all of it as well. This is the nature of the beast, and the biggest part of the problem for many people like yourself. Disabling or freezing factory apps can turn a lagging stuttering phone into a excellent device. Yes...I know many people prefer having everything ready to go and never take control of their devices, but Android isn't WP nor IOS. To be upset about your recent Android experience because you didn't do some basic housekeeping, shows me that it isn't the best choice for what you need in a OS.

Most launchers aren't going to install additional apps, and some have upgrades that you have to pay for to unlock all the features or be add free. My favorite is Nova Prime, and and it's companion SMS app Tesla Unread . It's basically the Swiss army knife of Android launchers and has thousands of different icon and themes for it, many free, but just as many costing a few dollars,and can be set up to take care of many issues with the stock launchers.

I am truly sorry that you didn't have a great experience, but you have to make a effort to get a great experience, and rooting and custom roms aren't the only way to make sure that it happens....

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[Rijald Drace]

Hi everyone,

I just want to share with everyone my recent experience I had with the "best" OS out there...

Let me start by saying that I've been using Windows powered devices since WP7, back then I changed my Samsung Galaxy S1 (an Android flagship at that time) for an Omnia 7. The decision was made based on pure curiosity regarding the Windows platform and what I found was a solid OS but with huge lacking in apps department...let me rephrase that HUGE LACKING. But what made me keep the phone was the fact that it worked compared with the android one, specifically Active Sync which I needed for work. More than that regardless of apps installed (few I admit) the phone lasted more than a day on a charge and didn't had slowdowns or choppy frame rate in home screen/start menu.

After some years I decided to try again Android (this was 3 years ago) and what I found was more of the same: poor battery, bad optimization, sluggish performance. And this was coming from another Flagship Android phone - HTC One S (S4 Pro model).

But what I want to relate happened just a few weeks back, when my Lumia 1520 started to have problems with the screen so I had to take it for repairs. So I thought to myself that this would be a good moment to try Android again, at least until my phone comes back from repairs.
What could go wrong..... right...

So I bought an LG G3, not the best phone out there but definitely not the worst....it was a flagship not more than 8 months ago... It had an Snapdragon 801 with 2 GB of RAM memory.

My firs couple of days went well, mostly because I was just adjusting with it and using it a lot mostly configuring it to my need rather than having the phone get used to my needs
But by the time passed by I started to observe the same problems I had with the android platform 3-5 years ago, more than that I found the Store lacking in the software department....precisely software that I wanted. Don't get me wrong I had multiple options but none of it was able to fulfill my needs.

Problem No1 - Customization
You do have A LOT of option when it comes to customizing your Android experience, especially when it comes to Home screen but nothing I've tried offered a solid frame rate or smooth feeling that I found in iOS and WP8. So my question is why on Earth someone would customize his phone when it makes it work so atrocious...?
So I settled on using the Google Home screen which had the best performance. Oh did I mentioned that all of those custom Home Launchers also installs random apps on your phone, unless you want to give them money. I get that's how they're making a living but I would prefer to test the product without being forced with other apps without me knowing.

Problem No2 - Keyboard
The stock keyboard that LG provided was good at some extent, but still crappy for my taste...it had a small delay with each key stroke, and when some random app synced in the backround it had a half a second delay or more if GP was updating my apps in the background. But overall it felt lagging...so I changed for swift key (which I bought a long time ago because of the same issues...). Surprisingly this one was better but not by a lot, so I went and installed the Google Keyboard, which was good 80% of the time, until a random app sync-ed something in the background.

Problem No3 - Android
Everything about it felt lagging, sluggish, dragging....I'm not sure how to explain it really. From the lock screen where I had to insert my PIN no. that was taking me a fraction of a second more that I was used to to the overall usage of the OS. Pressing home button was taking 1-2 sec. to bring me back to the home screen (this was some how depending on the application - and I'm not referring to a game here - something like FB or Twitter). App switching was some times a pain. The default Launcher crashed on me multiple times. And the fact that the OS asked me every single time "with which app would you like to open this link", and I'm more than positive that sometimes it did for the same file/link even if I always check the "use this as default".

Lack of Apps
I MISSED SO MUCH NEXT GEN READER. I couldn't find an app that could replace it, really...All I wanted was an app that could sync with feedly, do background downloads, cache articles with pictures and all and have readability support. I couldn't find one and I didn't want to pay money for something that I could not try before buying...so I used feedly's official app which is so bad I will have write another post only for that..
Outlook sucks on Android - I don't know how that app syncs the folders...it has something to do based on usage...definitely not comparable with the one currently present on WP8.

After 4 weeks of usage I ended up hating it so much that I sold the phone and bought a Lumia 640 until I get my other Lumia phone back.
But before I bought it, I had to use my girlfriend's phone, to contact the seller, which happened to be a Lumia 930...at that moment I realized how much I was missing my WP...it worked so well...it felt like silk in my hands, every single tap registered exactly when I pressed it....it just worked.
So I went and bought it an I was grinning the entire time since I finished setting it up, and not because of the familiarity of it, but because I spent 1/3 of the money I spent on the LG but some how it performed better and felt better than the LG.

How can so many people accept Android as their daily drivers....the OS is un-optimized, you don't get the latest updates for your phone because the next one just launched; you can customize it as much as you want but not recommended unless you want a slideshow instead of a home screen.
Apparently Now you need 3GB of RAM on your phone if you want it to work butter smooth, oh and you have to go on XDA-dev read a lot of articles, root your phone, put some custom firmware on it, and then you'll have a functional Phone....
Meanwhile I have a 80$ that just works and I'm not looking back ....

Lg g3 was a wrong phone too start with. You should tried a nexus device

Skickat fr?n min Nexus 6 via Tapatalk

 

[fatclue_98]

Lg g3 was a wrong phone too start with. You should tried a nexus device

Skickat fr?n min Nexus 6 via Tapatalk

What's so wrong about a G3? Please tell me first-hand accounts because I use a G3 as my daily driver. Don't quote any articles, give me your experiences with a G3.

 

[Rijald Drace]

What's so wrong about a G3? Please tell me first-hand accounts because I use a G3 as my daily driver. Don't quote any articles, give me your experiences with a G3.

My own experiences . tried lg,samsung,htc and none of them was smoot or lag fre like my n4,n5 and n6

Skickat fr?n min Nexus 6 via Tapatalk

 

[fatclue_98]

My own experiences . tried lg,samsung,htc and none of them was smoot or lag fre like my n4,n5 and n6

Skickat fr?n min Nexus 6 via Tapatalk

I'm not interested in HTC or Samsung. For that matter, any other LG. You do know that the Nexus 4 & 5 were LG devices, right?

 

[Rijald Drace]

I'm not interested in HTC or Samsung. For that matter, any other LG. You do know that the Nexus 4 & 5 were LG devices, right?

I am not talking about hardware, i am talking about lg software and the launcher and ui. Stock android is still the smoothest android experience,everybody knowd that

Skickat fr?n min Nexus 6 via Tapatalk

 

[MDMcAtee]

I am not talking about hardware, i am talking about lg software and the launcher and ui. Stock android is still the smoothest android experience,everybody knowd that

Skickat fr?n min Nexus 6 via Tapatalk

Sorry that just isn't completely accurate. The launcher or the UI isn't what causes the lag, it's the memory allocation that does, and I know of plenty of Nexus devices that really lag with Lolipop on it. Most people don't even know the difference between lag and scrolling issues and say the later is the former. Heck Chrome can be a lag fest in it's own right,and I have seen many n6 do the same thing with other apps as well as Chrome and those folks swore it was lag. ...

My whole point is that you have to make a effort to make the phone work properly, and in this case the op is smart enough to choose a OS that he doesn't have to do this.It can be very frustrating if you don't understand what needs to be done.

The g3 is a great phone when it is set up to run,and while their launcher /skins aren't my favorite they aren't the worst of what is available..As to Samsung Touch Wiz, it's miles ahead of where it was at when the g3 came out, but I can do things with it to make it fly now on my S6 Active.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[Rijald Drace]

Sorry that just isn't completely accurate. The launcher or the UI isn't what causes the lag, it's the memory allocation that does, and I know of plenty of Nexus devices that really lag. Most people don't even know the difference between lag and scrolling issues and say the later is the former. Heck Chrome can be a lag fest in it's own right,and I have seen many n6 do the same thing with other apps as well as Chrome and those folks swore it was lag. ...

My whole point is that you have to make a effort to make the phone work properly, and in this case the op is smart enough to choose a OS that he doesn't have to do this.

The g3 is a great phone when it is set up to run,and while their launcher /skins aren't my favorite they aren't the worst of what is available..As to Samsung Touch Wiz, it's miles ahead of where it was at when the g3 came out, but I can do things with it to make it fly now on my S6 Active.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

I understand what you mean, all I mean is that most Android is like that but what I have noticed the nexus is a little better than the others. You asked for my experiences and my toughts. I have a wp too and the os is good.would change android for wp anyday if they get all the apps i need

Skickat fr?n min Nexus 6 via Tapatalk

 

[Ian Too]

Wow

Indeed.

Seems to me that you really didn't want to use your g3. There is a great forum on Android Central dedicated to it that could have been a great help to you, and mostly could have assisted you to make your experience many many many times better, had you utilized it.

Well, where to really start without upsetting anyone here?

First you really don't need 3 or 4 gigs of ram to have a good experience with a Android device. That is just not always the case, and will entirely depend on your usage of it.

I took it that the OP was trying to get as good an experience under the same usage patterns, so if WP gives a better experience, then for him it's the best OS. More importantly, a good experience on Android seems closely related to how much bloatware is preinstalled by the manufacturer. I am forever reading Android apologists tell those who complain that they bought the wrong phone. The consensus seeming to be: Nexus and Moto good, Samsung bad. Which is the best selling brand, again?

On a more technical note: as I understand it, all current Qualcomm processors are 32 bit architectures, if so then they cannot address any more than 3 gigs of RAM and that as it stands Android cannot run on 64 bit systems. So we are stuck on a max of 3 gigs.

Secondly, finding the applications you need may require some sideloading to get them. Not all are available on just the play store.

Again, as I understand it, side-loading apps from outside the Play store is the single biggest source of Malware on Android, Surely it's bad enough donating all your private information to Google without adding a (say) Russian con artist to the equation?

Third, not all launchers are the same as what you experienced.

To paraphrase Slartibartfast: I... know little of these launchers of which you speak.

Yes, you should optomize your Android device. Between the Oem and carrier bloat most come with it is indeed something that is needed, however you can get some without all of it as well. This is the nature of the beast, and the biggest part of the problem for many people like yourself. Disabling or freezing factory apps can turn a lagging stuttering phone into a excellent device. Yes...I know many people prefer having everything ready to go and never take control of their devices, but Android isn't WP nor IOS. To be upset about your recent Android experience because you didn't do some basic housekeeping, shows me that it isn't the best choice for what you need in a OS.

You do realise you are talking about the OS holding 80% of the world market, don't you? It seems like the vast majority of people are running the wrong OS. That they simply don't have the technical know-how to 'optimise' their device, results in dreadful experiences and that the best people like you can do is blame them for not buying the right device.

Personally, I'm forced to concur. Clearly they have been very poorly served by carriers, staff in the high street, manufacturers and of course Google. Clearly, the Vast majority of Android users should be using Windows Phone. Whereas you have to recommend just a few good Android handsets out of an ocean of crud, I only have to steer them away from 2 or 3 WP duds like the HTC 8s and the LG SosnivellinglypatheticIcantbebotheredtorecallitsname.

Most launchers aren't going to install additional apps, and some have upgrades that you have to pay for to unlock all the features or be add free. My favorite is Nova Prime, and and it's companion SMS app Tesla Unread . It's basically the Swiss army knife of Android launchers and has thousands of different icon and themes for it, many free, but just as many costing a few dollars,and can be set up to take care of many issues with the stock launchers.

Thanks for mentioning Nova Prime, because I now know what you're talking about and I'm glad I don't have to bother with all this crud. Haven't you got better things to do than endlessly tinker with settings and all just to arrange static icons and widgets?

I am truly sorry that you didn't have a great experience, but you have to make a effort to get a great experience, and rooting and custom roms aren't the only way to make sure that it happens....

Well, thank you for posting. I have actually learned something, which isn't the norm when reading Android apologists' comments. It seems that there's a trade-off between usability and customisability, and I find myself thinking that less is more. It makes me appreciate the elegance of the Live Tile approach all the more and appreciate how not burdening the device with trivialities leads to a more efficient solution.

Like most people, I want something that works well out of the box. I have neither the time or the energy to continually fuss with layouts and I want something which will work consistently well with minimal maintenance. I also don't like the sound of having to worry too much about what I do and do not get when I buy an app. I'm not a huge fan of caveat emptor.

I won't say that you've driven another nail in the coffin of me buying Android, because that had been done so thoroughly that there's a danger of splitting the lid, but I will say that blaming the user is a low way of covering up for poor product.

 

[Daniel Pauna]

Wow

Seems to me that you really didn't want to use your g3. There is a great forum on Android Central dedicated to it that could have been a great help to you, and mostly could have assisted you to make your experience many many many times better, had you utilized it.

Well, where to really start without upsetting anyone here?

First you really don't need 3 or 4 gigs of ram to have a good experience with a Android device. That is just not always the case, and will entirely depend on your usage of it.

Secondly, finding the applications you need may require some sideloading to get them. Not all are available on just the play store.

Third, not all launchers are the same as what you experienced.

Yes, you should optomize your Android device. Between the Oem and carrier bloat most come with it is indeed something that is needed, however you can get some without all of it as well. This is the nature of the beast, and the biggest part of the problem for many people like yourself. Disabling or freezing factory apps can turn a lagging stuttering phone into a excellent device. Yes...I know many people prefer having everything ready to go and never take control of their devices, but Android isn't WP nor IOS. To be upset about your recent Android experience because you didn't do some basic housekeeping, shows me that it isn't the best choice for what you need in a OS.

Most launchers aren't going to install additional apps, and some have upgrades that you have to pay for to unlock all the features or be add free. My favorite is Nova Prime, and and it's companion SMS app Tesla Unread . It's basically the Swiss army knife of Android launchers and has thousands of different icon and themes for it, many free, but just as many costing a few dollars,and can be set up to take care of many issues with the stock launchers.

I am truly sorry that you didn't have a great experience, but you have to make a effort to get a great experience, and rooting and custom roms aren't the only way to make sure that it happens....

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

I get what you are saying, I used to play around with Window 6.5 a long time ago to get everything out of it. I've played with android as well at some point... But my beef is that I have to do that and it baffles me how come this is widely accepted because that's how the platform is . I truly believe that this should be unacceptable, for Google to allow this and manufacturers to produce such unoptimized devices full of software that slows down the device that they are selling.

I'm all pro when it comes to user freedom to do whatever they want with their device, but to force said "freedom" in order to get a decent experience from that product is annoying to say the least.
I shouldn't spend time on forums in order to make my phone work like it was promised, I shouldn't have to put effort in order to have a great experience but to enhance it...if that makes any sense?!
What I'm trying to say is that you are referring to a situation where I just need to find the right combination of apps/launcher/setup in order to fit my needs, but what Android platform promises is endless possibility but how can I achieve that when in fact all I do is to cut corners in order to have a functional device.

 

[Daniel Pauna]

Rijald Drace - What's wrong with LG...I should have the option to buy whatever I want....the OS shouldn't have a problem with a specific brand. Regardless of the device I bought that ran Windows Phone I haven't had any problems in terms of App availability (exception being Lumia spceific software which is to say having Knox on LG). The decision in buying a device should be based on what hardware feature like camera, screen size, resolution form factor,battery etc not because the OS doesn't perform well on that device.
What if I don't have money for a nexus device and I want a Hwawei, more than that one with a dual core 1GB RAM?!

 

[Ian Too]

Rijald Drace - What's wrong with LG...I should have the option to buy whatever I want....the OS shouldn't have a problem with a specific brand. Regardless of the device I bought that ran Windows Phone I haven't had any problems in terms of App availability (exception being Lumia spceific software which is to say having Knox on LG). The decision in buying a device should be based on what hardware feature like camera, screen size, resolution form factor,battery etc not because the OS doesn't perform well on that device.
What if I don't have money for a nexus device and I want a Hwawei, more than that one with a dual core 1GB RAM?!

I can't but draw a parallel with PCs at this point, because you and I know to get a Signature PC, while the masses struggle with Superfish etc.

One of my pet peeves in the noughties was that ordinary people were being sold PCs that were too technical for them and bloated with dubious software. In fleeing the Scylla of Windows they seem to have run straight into the Charybdis of Android. History is recapitulating itself and Google had Windows as a counter-example, before stumbling straight in to the same traps. Fantastic.