My negative experience with Android 4.0 Galaxy Nexus s2

[jshalaby]

Well, after spending 2 days with the Galaxy Nexus S2 (Ice Cream Sandwich... aka android 4) I was very disappointed. I was on a pre 3 and had decided to switch over to something that's supported but what a mistake:

Critical issues:
1. There's no way to sync to outlook tasks or notes. This is a show stopper for me.
2. gmail and regular pop emails can't be received in the same email client. There's one for gmail and another for all other clients. you can sort of fool it into receiving everything in one box but it's extremely slow and buggy.
3. Integration to exchange servers is very difficult compared to my old pre 3.
4. Poor calendar integration outside of google (same exchange issue).


Less critical but enough to leave android:
The navigation and feel is just not as easy as with webos. I found that I took that for granted but it became painfully obvious when I tried to and and launch things. Maybe if I got used to the touch keyboard but even then it's not as user friendly as webos.

Generally webos seems to integrate apps and the os much more gracefully than anything else out there (even IOS). Too bad the webos is dead. I'll hang on to it for another 2-3 years as maybe by then Android and Apple will have reached that point (or even Microsoft).

Hopefully this will save a few folks the trouble of going through this conversion experience. I'm now back on my pre 3 and very content (for now).

[deesugar]

I don't think you spent much time researching this because it only took me 2 minutes to find this:
https://market.android.com/details?i....nitroid&hl=en

You also should have looked at this page in regards to webOS like navigation and other stuff:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/gen...e-android.html

You're not gonna get exactly the same experience but that also means you won't have the memory issues and the are so many more apps it's ridiculous. I have great VNC and RDP apps plus the apps on Android are more fully functional then on webOS. Tabbed browsing and being able to switch user agents on the fly along with syncing my bookmarks, there are just so many benefits to using Android over webOS.

And don't even get me started on how fast Maps opens on my Epic Touch as well as how much more accurate and better it is.

[johnj2803]

As much as I love webOS, 2 days on ICS isnt really enough.

[bevcraw]

<<thread moved>>

[greenoyster]

In summary, out of the box Android works best if you use *exclusively* Google services. Go figure.

[milominderbinder]

You just needed a $9 app for Microsoft Exchange. Exchange Touchdown or RoadSync would have solved this. Both are $9 on the Amazon Appstore.

It is too bad you did not know about the Palm webOS User's Guide to Android.

I wrote the Palm webOS Getting Started Guides years ago because people thought that they would just switch phones and instantly find everything. They didn't. Users really needed to give webOS a week or more to settle in. A new phone is like getting a new car. Everything is there but in a little different spot.

Matias Duarte did a great job designing the webOS User Interface. Ice Cream Sandwich is his next step.

Take care.

[Courousant]

I got the Galaxy Nexus on launch day and was planning to wait just a bit longer to give my webOS v ICS impressions but just wanted to give a brief 2 cents. For background, pre+ user, to a pre2, back to pre+ ( so I was making a pretty big jump from most recently using about a 3 year old phone, to the newest thing out there). Also have had a touchpad for a while (bought when it dropped to about $299). Unlike the OP, can't compare the the pre3 as I wasn't willing to spring for it at the price that the vz ones were going for.

Anyway, I actually didn't try to sync my exchange accounts. I am gonna give a few weeks not having my work be able to email me on my phone. Since I bring my TP with me most often, i will still have access to all of that when I need it. The phone is buttery smooth and powerful. If you are a google docs user, there is absolutely no comparison.

But I must agree with the OP's impression. VERY annoying that I have to go into the task switcher menu to kill apps. I know that I am supposed to be okay letting apps continue to run after i am done with them because the phone is a beast, but I am not.

Additionally, the "multitasking debate" is just silly. I am sure that the phone can multitask just fine behind the scenes, and it can play music while doing other things. However, webOS helps me multitask. I was trying to look at a spreadsheet with phone numbers while dialing and making calls, and switching back and forth was a PITA.

Bottom line, if an OEM makes competitive hardware for webOS; I'll be back... until then, I'll be living on my tp webOS style.

[Mikey47]

Originally Posted by Courousant

I know that I am supposed to be okay letting apps continue to run after i am done with them because the phone is a beast, but I am not.

Curious as to why not? Here's a question you've probably never pondered: When you swipe sway a card in webOS are you absolutely sure that appears is killed and not just running in the background waiting for you to possibly open it again? Open a terminal window and run the command "ps -ef" to see just what exactly is still running even with no cards open.

[sketch42]

Originally Posted by Mikey47

Curious as to why not? Here's a question you've probably never pondered: When you swipe sway a card in webOS are you absolutely sure that appears is killed and not just running in the background waiting for you to possibly open it again? Open a terminal window and run the command "ps -ef" to see just what exactly is still running even with no cards open.

That's sorta taking his post out of context.. Since he continues

Additionally, the "multitasking debate" is just silly. I am sure that the phone can multitask just fine behind the scenes, and it can play music while doing other things. However, webOS helps me multitask. I was trying to look at a spreadsheet with phone numbers while dialing and making calls, and switching back and forth was a PITA.

So between Having to manually kill apps (which btw is debatable) in android, (most advanced users of android will tell you not to use task killers as they slow the phone down. While OEMs are now adding task killers & managers to the system) and lack of Efficient multi tasking vs No Task killers and a helpful multi tasking interface (I know Milo is going to correct me but lets call it that).. Compounded by everything else from the OP and there's no comparison.

True the hardware is there & there maybe 'an app for that', but head to head out of the box, webOS vs Android, OS wise .. webOS wins hands down everytime.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre3 using Forums

[Mikey47]

Originally Posted by sketch42

That's sorta taking his post out of context..

I don't think so, task killers and multitasking are two different things which is why I assumed he addressed them separately. I was curious for his need to have to kill apps after he exited out of them even though he's been told its unnecessary.

Also, as I pointed out when a card closes in webOS there is no guarantee that their still isn't something running in the background. Android makes the list of running apps and services easily viewable to users. If Android, like webOS, did not make this information easily available. most people wouldn't have a clue that things were still running.

[laingman]

Originally Posted by Courousant

Additionally, the "multitasking debate" is just silly. I am sure that the phone can multitask just fine behind the scenes, and it can play music while doing other things. However, webOS helps me multitask. I was trying to look at a spreadsheet with phone numbers while dialing and making calls, and switching back and forth was a PITA.

Bottom line, if an OEM makes competitive hardware for webOS; I'll be back... until then, I'll be living on my tp webOS style.

Totally agree, many times I am on a phone call and have to reference some account number or something in another app and I use advanced gestures to accomplish this very easily.

There are a lot of people with instructions how to do this and that in android but to me unless it can accomplish these tasks like webos there is no chance of me switching anytime soon. And I not giving up my stacks either.

[Mikey47]

Originally Posted by laingman

Totally agree, many times I am on a phone call and have to reference some account number or something in another app and I use advanced gestures to accomplish this very easily.

There are a lot of people with instructions how to do this and that in android but to me unless it can accomplish these tasks like webos there is no chance of me switching anytime soon. And I not giving up my stacks either.

So, unless Android is like webOS you won't switch, there's an open mind. You better take very, very good care of that Pre you have then....

Btw, I won't even bother telling you how ridiculously easy this is on Android...

[milominderbinder]

Originally Posted by Courousant

...But I must agree with the OP's impression. VERY annoying that I have to go into the task switcher menu to kill apps...

At the end of the Getting Started Guide, Multitasking section is Google's video asking users not to have Task Killers.

Google all but begs users not to use Task Killers.

But Google also gives you a new setting in Ice Cream Sandwich under Applications to automatically close all processes and the app when you swipe the app closed from the Recent Apps cards.

In webOS, not all processes are closed when you close an app. For instance, reboot the Pre and time how long it takes to open Facebook, Maps, etc. Close them all. Now time how long it take to open the apps again and it will take less time because they were not all fully closed earlier.

In ICS you can now know for a fact an app is totally closed out when you swipe it's card away.

[laingman]

Originally Posted by Mikey47

So, unless Android is like webOS you won't switch, there's an open mind. You better take very, very good care of that Pre you have then....

Btw, I won't even bother telling you how ridiculously easy this is on Android...

Yes, I would like to see how easy it is.. I test phones all the time to see if I could live with it. Of course I don't have an android phone so I would not have first hand knowledge of real world situations like that, not by playing with a friend's phone.

I have a sprint pre2 and another one in the box for backup, so I am good for a while.

[sketch42]

I don't think so, task killers and multitasking are two different things which is why I assumed he addressed them separately. I was curious for his need to have to kill apps after he exited out of them even though he's been told its unnecessary.

Also, as I pointed out when a card closes in webOS there is no guarantee that their still isn't something running in the background. Android makes the list of running apps and services easily viewable to users. If Android, like webOS, did not make this information easily available. most people wouldn't have a clue that things were still running.

but with OEMs now adding task killers to android , most users will be even more confused. When people hear from the misinformed about task killers and see one preinstalled on their phone they are less likely to believe its not needed . As opposed to webos' way of swiping the card away (no one is asking if its still running, most users don't know and don't care)


-- Sent from my TouchPad using Communities

[Mikey47]

Who is preinstalling task killers?

[Grabber5.0]

I have seen pre-installed task *managers*, not task killers (not claiming to have seen everything). They let you see running apps and kill them (normal processes) manually.

[sketch42]

Originally Posted by Mikey47

Who is preinstalling task killers?

Right now sammy...

-- Sent from my Palm Pre3 using Forums

[Grabber5.0]

The EVO 3D has one too.

[milominderbinder]

Originally Posted by laingman

Yes, I would like to see how easy it is...

I just updated the Palm webOS User's Guide to Android to show how to use the Android ICS cards to multitask...

Multitasking
Android Multitasking is automatic. Matias Duarte, the webOS UI designer, is now the Android UI designer. Say you are writing an Email and want to paste in a text. Before Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), long-press Home, and tap Messaging to copy the text. Then Long-press Home again, tap Email, and paste the text right where you left off in the email. With ICS, tap Recent Apps to switch to the Messaging card. Copy the text and tap Recent Apps again to switch back to Email and paste the text. Swipe up or down to move through the Recent Apps or swipe a card left or right to close it.

-------------------------------
Note: The old Android way is two taps every time. Cards are prettier but slower and more steps. For instance, say you have Email, Browser, Music, Facebook, Photos, and Messageing open and want to go from Email to Messaging. With cards it's almost identical to webOS: tap Recent Apps and swipe through until you get to Messaging.

For me it is like wanting to select all, copy and paste in Windows. It is so much faster to hit <Ctrl>-<A> <Ctrl>-<C> <Ctrl>-<V> but the average user would never want to use the shortcuts. That's why we have cards now.