new iPhone 4s

[J. Landman Gay]

What the heck, I'll add to this. I have both an iPad 2 and a cheapo 
Archos 7" Android tablet.

As a long-time computer user, I found iOS extremely frustrating. The 
beauty of Mac was always its consistency -- you always knew where the 
menus and other bits were. iOS is more like early Windows in that every 
app decides on its own what controls you have and where they are placed. 
I can't find anything on the iPad, and half the time that's because the 
developer just didn't put what I want in there. To me, iOS seems so 
dumbed down I can barely use it. I also don't like Apple's iron control 
of the device but on the other hand I appreciate the security.

I like Android OS a lot. There is more consistency, every app has menus, 
most have common interface elements, you can browse the file system and 
you have far more control over the device. You can install what you want 
and you are responsible for your decisions. That doesn't bother me. Most 
Android malware comes from non-authorized sources, so I stick to Market 
and Amazon for apps.

My iPad is far more stable than my Android tablet, though. That may be 
because I use the Android more and have installed a lot of buggy test 
apps on it. I do need to reboot the device more often. I prefer the way 
the iBook software on iOS looks, but in practice I use Aldiko on Android 
because it has more features and is more adjustable. I find that most 
major Android apps offer more features than iOS apps. It's the dumb-down 
thing again.

I don't watch many movies or play much music on either one, but when I 
have, I find the experience to be fairly comparable. My Archos, in spite 
of its lowly specs, is a very good media machine and can play more types 
of content than iOS (and not just Flash.)

For me, iOS seems good for non-computer users who have specific uses in 
mind and few requirements. Android is good for people who actually want 
to have some control over their device and its content.

Google announced yesterday that new Android activations have tripled in 
the last three months and within a few weeks there will be 1 million new 
activations per day. iOS has 80% of the tablet market, but Android holds 
most of the phone market. Adobe is releasing its mobile version of 
Photoshop for Android first, to be followed later by an iOS version. 
That's what I plan to do for the app I'm working on too. It's much 
easier to release for Android.

I have to agree that any developer who is ignoring Android is cutting 
themselves off from a huge chunk of market share.

-- 
Jacqueline Landman Gay         |     jacque at hyperactivesw.com
HyperActive Software           |     http://www.hyperactivesw.com