Now, a lot can be said about the Android platform as an operating system.  Android fan boys will say ” It’s the best thing around, miles better than iOS.”

Of course, the natural retort from iOS fan boys would be to the contrasting end of the spectrum “Android is miles inferior due to it’s abundance of problems and bugs out of the box.”

The reality of BOTH of them as a whole is…… they are both flawed and incomplete.

• Android’s flaw comes from it’s open-sourced nature and the fact that, yes there are bugs to be worked out, even on the finished product that’s released to the public.

Cons— Keeping the system open and free for others to change to their liking or for others’ benefits, can allow for some not so nice things to enter into the system (Windows with malware and viruses- not to say they’re open source.   Just example of what can get in) or onto the Marketplace.

Pros— Keeping the system open and free for the end-user to change to their will/liking gives a much greater sense of control and empowerment to the customer.  Happy customer= Healthy bottom line.

That’s where its open-sourced nature plays its key-role. Yes it has flaws and bugs, yes it can be difficult at times to learn what everything does, especially if you’re coming from a dumb-phone to smart phone or jumping from iOS to Android– there is a bit of a curve to it. The beauty of open-source is…. anyone can make it better and anyone can contribute to its growth.

• iOS’s flaw comes in it’s complete lock-down approach of it’s ecosystem and the ideal that Apple has towards it’s customers that they are mindless and know nothing of technology and need their hands held at all times.

Cons— Locking down the entire system and thinking you’re much better than the general public, is not a good way to do business, nor a good way to promote your product.
Updates that only come once a year, and even when they do come, what’s the progress of it? Putting an “S” on the end or changing the icons to look flat and have the look of a 4th graders art project?

Pros— In turn, locking the system down and forcing developers to pass thru stringent check points before an app or program is allowed onto the system is a good way to keep the end-user safe from unwanted malware/viruses.

The beauty of iOS is that it just works. Full stop. Right out of the box, it’s simpler to use, learning curve is much smaller, and there is no shortage of after-market accessories for them. Anyone can pick one up and figure it out within 10 minutes, but if growth is to happen, you need to include the masses you are so arrogantly dismissing as fools and “have no idea how to make things better”.

• Android could do with a little more quality control before things head out the door.

• iOS could be a bit better with it’s willingness to let it’s customer base have more of a hand in the overall design and function of the operating system and the ability to make actual changes to for the benefit of its customers.

Now myself as a consumer, I prefer Android. Yes it can be dodgy at times and if you don’t use AOSP, skins that manufacturers throw into the mix can be heavy and pointless.

I prefer not to use AOSP for its stripped down nature, there are some things that Samsung adds in that I like ( from contacts menu, you can swipe left on a contact to text them or right to call them) and the S-pen is quite nice on the Note series of devices.

If Apple would just open up a bit, I feel they could have a serious effect on Android’s market share and start to make a play again at being a competitor, but for now…. Android wins out with its open-minded approach to letting the end-user have the choice of what to do with THEIR device and not be restricted as to what you can and can’t do.

These are my personal views and are open for debate

The post A mumblers opinion : Android -vs- iOS appeared first on Android Fan Network.

A fake add claiming that iOS 7 makes the iPhone waterproof has fooled a few iPhone owners resulting in water damaged iPhones. The add says that “In an emergency, a smart-switch will shut off the phone’s power supply and corresponding components to prevent any damage to your iPhone’s delicate circuitry.” It also says that the update to iOS 7 allows the iPhone “to instantly detect sudden changes in thermodistribution.” and that “Waterproofing covered by Apples’s warranty policy”. LOL. Yes, that was my first reaction but apparently a few iPhone owners didn’t understand the lulz and maybe tried it. What did they get, maybe a dead iPhone.

Rumor has it that the fake add originated at 4chan boards and a lot of peeps have been tweeting about  it.

Come on Apple users I guess now that you have a water damaged iPhone Tim Cook will bring in this as a feature is iOS 8. Let’s hope Apple replaces your bricked iPhone under warranty (if you have it) because the water indicator inside the iPhone would have definitely changed.

Image credit – metro.co.uk

The post PSA:iOS 7 Does NOT Make your iPhone Waterproof appeared first on Android Fan Network.

Ever since Nokia has been bought by Microsoft they have been taking digs at other manufacturers, just last week they took a dig at Samsung and Android and now they take a dig at Apple.

Thanks, #Apple pic.twitter.com/x4w3r8Ghcy

— Nokia UK (@nokia_uk) September 10, 2013

Whatever you are trying to do Nokia, I am pretty sure neither Samsung nor Apple will respond to these silly tweets.

The post Nokia UK Takes a Dig at Apple appeared first on Android Fan Network.

Its a known fact that Samsung won the import ( into the United States)  ban on Apple products like iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS  and iPad 2 3G variant from the ITC in the month of June . However Obama Administration have issued a veto on this import ban Yesterday.

The Obama administration rejected the ITC decision on the ban citing ” effect on competitive conditions in the U.S. economy and the effect on U.S. consumers.”   This means that Apple can continue selling iPad4 and iPad2 3G in the United States. You can hit the source link for the complete statement from the President Office of the United States.

Samsung is disappointed with this decision and here is the official statement from Samsung

“We are disappointed that the U.S. Trade Representative has decided to set aside the exclusion order issued by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). The ITC’s decision correctly recognized that Samsung has been negotiating in good faith and that Apple remains unwilling to take a license.”

Apple seems to be quite happy and issued below statement on this decision

“We applaud the Administration for standing up for innovation in this landmark case. Samsung was wrong to abuse the patent system in this way.”

Source : The President Office of the United States via The Verge

The post Obama administration vetoes Samsung patent ban on iPhone 4 and select iPads appeared first on Android Fan Network.

A report by App Annie Blog, who collects & reviews download and revenue data of various App Stores across countries and various other categories reveals that total app downloads in Q2 2013 from Google’s Android Play Store were 10% higher than those from Apple’s iOS App Store.

Though Google Play excels in total app downloads, total app revenue generated out of iOS App Store way higher (2.3x) than the revenue generated out of Android Play Store.

The report also reveals several interesting facts like emerging markets ( India & Brazil ) are in the list of top 5 countries by downloads. This reiterates the fact that Google holds strong grip in emerging markets.

Unites States, South Korea, India, Russia & Brazil tops the list of countries by total downloads in Play Store where asJapan,South Korea, United States, Germany & United kingdom tops the list of countries by total revenue.

Games category holds dominance in both Android and iOS App stores followed by Communication in Android Play store and Social Networking in iOS App Store.

Source : AppAnnie

The post Google Play Store downloads exceeds iOS App Store by 10% in Q2 2013 appeared first on Android Fan Network.

I’m not sure how I feel about this, but it’s news. For iPhone and iPad owners the Google Search app has been updated to bring the Google Now cards we have all come to love on our Jelly Bean devices. Good news is it’s still better on Android. We get all those nifty cards with a swipe of a finger. iOS users have to take a few extra steps to get the same information. iOS is known for it’s creative animations on it’s apps and their Google Now app is no exception. For me? Give me a better user experience rather than the animations. That’s just me!

iOS, you may have gotten Google Now but ours is better!

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