Anyone else dreading Android 4.5 rather than anticipating it?

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mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
18,051
10,234
136
My Nexus 5 is smoother than my wife's iPhone... Never seen a stutter at all. This is with encryption enabled and it still blazes. I have had this phone for many months if you were wondering if it was a fresh device.

+1

I have a few nice things to say about my N5, and this is one of them.
 

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
lol

So, you'd then prefer to move to a platform that has:

flat design
no MicroSD
cloud integration
low storage on affordable phones


Why did you want to switch, again?

Oh, right, you hate the card interface!


lol yeah that was really odd, he lists all the things he hates and says that he's gonna go to an OS that does all of those same things, perhaps even more so.
 

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
My Android complaint:

Since Google seems determined to keep SD card support crippled, I'd like to see the phone makers work around them, and agree on their own unified support and APIs that they all patch in to 4.5+

An "Open SD card access API" and run-from-SD extension that you can look for in a phone's feature list, instead of having different levels of support phone-by-phone.
 

Raduque

Lifer
Aug 22, 2004
13,141
138
106
lol

So, you'd then prefer to move to a platform that has:

flat design
no MicroSD
cloud integration
low storage on affordable phones


Why did you want to switch, again?

Oh, right, you hate the card interface!


Tiles > cards. lol

Honestly, I probably wouldn't switch to anything. I simply may not upgrade past my Note 3.

For the record, I've never used Windows Phone. I really don't know what it's like. I do have a Surface though.
 

lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
13,211
597
126
My Android complaint:

Since Google seems determined to keep SD card support crippled, I'd like to see the phone makers work around them, and agree on their own unified support and APIs that they all patch in to 4.5+
I am carefully optimistic that this battle will turn out in consumers' favor. A few years ago my non-techie friends and family members were fine with 8 GB phones. Fast forward today, 16 GB seems like a bare minimum for apps/games and temporary photo storage even for them. It's worse on tablets because they want to play heavier games on tablets. Once they get addicted to all those "free" apps, they just download everything.

As consumer demands keep increasing and the quality of contents improve, OEMs may have to increase the bottom line storage capacity AND provide SD card option. I don't think 16 GB (with or without SD slot) will stay much longer in mid-to-high end smartphones.
 

Dribble

Platinum Member
Aug 9, 2005
2,076
611
136
I agree, and I've also noticed that despite the TRIM fix, my Nexus 7 (2012) with Kit Kat is a lot slower than it used to be.

It's sad but even our 2010 iPad 2 with iOS 7.1 runs circles around the thing in OS responsiveness.

I'm pretty sure that's the flash memory used. The latest versions of android attempt to be more efficient on machines with less memory (like 1Gb N7), and I think they cache more stuff on the 16GB of flash. However N7 has cheap n nasty flash that is very slow so the attempts to be more memory efficient actually slow the N7 down.

Incidentally none of this has anything to do with nvidia who only provided the Soc which is still fast enough for most things.
 

podspi

Golden Member
Jan 11, 2011
1,982
102
106
I still run lagfix on my N5. I know Android has trim capability but it seemsma bit lacking tbh.
 

ControlD

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2005
5,440
44
91
I just put 4.4.2 on my note 2 what a difference from 4.3, much faster

What ROM are you running? I have been thinking about installing a 4.4.2 ROM on my Note 2 as well but haven't decided on a winner yet.
 

Roland00Address

Platinum Member
Dec 17, 2008
2,196
260
126
So I put cyanogenmod 11 on my recently found us sprint s3, I also have a stock s4. I then transfer my active telephone plan to my s3. I am doing this just to play, but so far I am very impressed. It seems my phone is much faster and more responsive than the stock touchwiz in anything that actually deals with the android instead of the browser, even with a slower older krait dual core vs faster newer krait quad core.
 

v-600

Senior member
Nov 1, 2010
488
3
76
In response to the OP. No, I'm not dreading it. I just finished reading the huge ars android through the ages article and it rekindled in me the slight hope that the next version might be the last one.

I used to run PCLinuxOS and then dabbled with Mint, ending up with LMDE. I like the rolling release idea. I want that whatever phone I buy, I just update everything from a repository (play store) and have the most uptodate version of everything.

Maybe android 4.5 (or 5 as seems more likely now) will be that. The play store (and google play services) becomes capable of dealing with kernel updates, UI updates, API updates....but it won't happen.
 

sweenish

Diamond Member
May 21, 2013
3,656
60
91
In response to the OP. No, I'm not dreading it. I just finished reading the huge ars android through the ages article and it rekindled in me the slight hope that the next version might be the last one.

I used to run PCLinuxOS and then dabbled with Mint, ending up with LMDE. I like the rolling release idea. I want that whatever phone I buy, I just update everything from a repository (play store) and have the most uptodate version of everything.

Maybe android 4.5 (or 5 as seems more likely now) will be that. The play store (and google play services) becomes capable of dealing with kernel updates, UI updates, API updates....but it won't happen.

You're describing a more encompassing and smoother update process routed through Google Play, not a "last" version of anything.
 

v-600

Senior member
Nov 1, 2010
488
3
76
You're describing a more encompassing and smoother update process routed through Google Play, not a "last" version of anything.

True, but it would do away with the need for version numbers entirely. I could buy a phone with android and always know that it was up to date.
 

sweenish

Diamond Member
May 21, 2013
3,656
60
91
True, but it would do away with the need for version numbers entirely. I could buy a phone with android and always know that it was up to date.

No, it wouldn't. Maybe the need for you to keep track of version numbers, but version numbers wouldn't go anywhere.
 

antef

Senior member
Dec 29, 2010
337
0
71
I've posted about my recent dissatisfaction with Android before. I've rooted, used ROMs, Xposed, the whole spectrum. I kept chasing the "ideal" scenario, being able to customize what I want while still maintaining stability and security. I realized ROMs were never going to be that, too transient, too beta, so I gave them up for good. Xposed + stock is pretty close to what I was shooting for all that time, but it's still far from ideal. There is very little security with Xposed modules and root apps in general...you're running a risk every time you install something new. It requires effort to do simple things, like control your privacy (XPrivacy/AppOps) or keep battery life in line (Greenify). Why at this point in Android's maturity do we still need to hack such basic functionality? The lock screen is still a mess. No one wants widgets there, they simply want to see their notifications. App quality is still not where it needs to be especially on tablets.

I can agree fully with the OP that I also dread new updates. This pattern has played out over and over recently with app updates. They tweak the design for no reason, no improvement in user experience, and features only stay the same or get worse. I thought we were finally settled in a good UI paradigm with 4.0/4.1, but they want to continually reinvent the wheel. Their priorities aren't in order...they're more worried about fitness tracking and making a dumb watch or glasses than fixing core incompetencies in their bread and butter mobile OS. They aren't focusing on the things I and many others care about and instead just keep making new unpolished things, never finishing or perfecting their past projects. The bugs never end and new ones are always cropping up. Do they think anyone is actually using new features in G+ and Google Now, when they show up out of nowhere and without announcement? No one even knows about them. The Hangouts/Voice integration is still not done, what an insult to their users.

There were a lot of issues with the Nexus 5, and there isn't enough compelling reason to spend the same price on an Android phone as an iPhone - you're simply getting worse hardware and user experience, almost without question. Battery life, camera quality, durability, you name it, a high-end Android phone just isn't worth the same price as an iPhone (not that an iPhone is necessarily worth that price either). The average user is only using Android because it's cheaper or has a bigger screen, not because it's better - this should worry Google. Now that my frustration has reached this point, and that the iPhone will finally be released in bigger sizes this fall, I've determined that the extra money will be worth the better experience and saving myself the time and frustration, and will probably switch. I'll still pay attention to I/O next week, but I expect nothing that will excite me. Even the good news will come with caveats, questions, delays, and bugs.
 

ultimatebob

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
25,135
2,445
126
I look forward to Android upgrades on my Nexus 7, but loathe them on my Verizon/Samsung Galaxy S3. It seems like every new Samsung Android "upgrade" is buggier and more bloatware ridden than the one before it.

That said, I'm not planning on installing iOS 8 on my iPad 2. I really doubt that hardware will be powerful enough to run it properly.
 

VashHT

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2007
3,077
884
136
I've posted about my recent dissatisfaction with Android before. I've rooted, used ROMs, Xposed, the whole spectrum. I kept chasing the "ideal" scenario, being able to customize what I want while still maintaining stability and security. I realized ROMs were never going to be that, too transient, too beta, so I gave them up for good. Xposed + stock is pretty close to what I was shooting for all that time, but it's still far from ideal. There is very little security with Xposed modules and root apps in general...you're running a risk every time you install something new. It requires effort to do simple things, like control your privacy (XPrivacy/AppOps) or keep battery life in line (Greenify). Why at this point in Android's maturity do we still need to hack such basic functionality? The lock screen is still a mess. No one wants widgets there, they simply want to see their notifications. App quality is still not where it needs to be especially on tablets.

I can agree fully with the OP that I also dread new updates. This pattern has played out over and over recently with app updates. They tweak the design for no reason, no improvement in user experience, and features only stay the same or get worse. I thought we were finally settled in a good UI paradigm with 4.0/4.1, but they want to continually reinvent the wheel. Their priorities aren't in order...they're more worried about fitness tracking and making a dumb watch or glasses than fixing core incompetencies in their bread and butter mobile OS. They aren't focusing on the things I and many others care about and instead just keep making new unpolished things, never finishing or perfecting their past projects. The bugs never end and new ones are always cropping up. Do they think anyone is actually using new features in G+ and Google Now, when they show up out of nowhere and without announcement? No one even knows about them. The Hangouts/Voice integration is still not done, what an insult to their users.

There were a lot of issues with the Nexus 5, and there isn't enough compelling reason to spend the same price on an Android phone as an iPhone - you're simply getting worse hardware and user experience, almost without question. Battery life, camera quality, durability, you name it, a high-end Android phone just isn't worth the same price as an iPhone (not that an iPhone is necessarily worth that price either). The average user is only using Android because it's cheaper or has a bigger screen, not because it's better - this should worry Google. Now that my frustration has reached this point, and that the iPhone will finally be released in bigger sizes this fall, I've determined that the extra money will be worth the better experience and saving myself the time and frustration, and will probably switch. I'll still pay attention to I/O next week, but I expect nothing that will excite me. Even the good news will come with caveats, questions, delays, and bugs.

Can't really agree with much you say here, but rather than argue and whine about it why don't you just buy an iphone? I could never understand people like you, talking about how much the iphone does right and how screwed up google and android phones are yet forcing yourself to use android for some weird reason.
 

sweenish

Diamond Member
May 21, 2013
3,656
60
91
I've posted about my recent dissatisfaction with Android before. I've rooted, used ROMs, Xposed, the whole spectrum. I kept chasing the "ideal" scenario, being able to customize what I want while still maintaining stability and security. I realized ROMs were never going to be that, too transient, too beta, so I gave them up for good. Xposed + stock is pretty close to what I was shooting for all that time, but it's still far from ideal. There is very little security with Xposed modules and root apps in general...you're running a risk every time you install something new. It requires effort to do simple things, like control your privacy (XPrivacy/AppOps) or keep battery life in line (Greenify). Why at this point in Android's maturity do we still need to hack such basic functionality? The lock screen is still a mess. No one wants widgets there, they simply want to see their notifications. App quality is still not where it needs to be especially on tablets.

I can agree fully with the OP that I also dread new updates. This pattern has played out over and over recently with app updates. They tweak the design for no reason, no improvement in user experience, and features only stay the same or get worse. I thought we were finally settled in a good UI paradigm with 4.0/4.1, but they want to continually reinvent the wheel. Their priorities aren't in order...they're more worried about fitness tracking and making a dumb watch or glasses than fixing core incompetencies in their bread and butter mobile OS. They aren't focusing on the things I and many others care about and instead just keep making new unpolished things, never finishing or perfecting their past projects. The bugs never end and new ones are always cropping up. Do they think anyone is actually using new features in G+ and Google Now, when they show up out of nowhere and without announcement? No one even knows about them. The Hangouts/Voice integration is still not done, what an insult to their users.

There were a lot of issues with the Nexus 5, and there isn't enough compelling reason to spend the same price on an Android phone as an iPhone - you're simply getting worse hardware and user experience, almost without question. Battery life, camera quality, durability, you name it, a high-end Android phone just isn't worth the same price as an iPhone (not that an iPhone is necessarily worth that price either). The average user is only using Android because it's cheaper or has a bigger screen, not because it's better - this should worry Google. Now that my frustration has reached this point, and that the iPhone will finally be released in bigger sizes this fall, I've determined that the extra money will be worth the better experience and saving myself the time and frustration, and will probably switch. I'll still pay attention to I/O next week, but I expect nothing that will excite me. Even the good news will come with caveats, questions, delays, and bugs.

I enjoy my lockscreen widgets. I have Dashclock, a flashlight, and Google's sound search.

If I cared more about all my notifications (not just what Dashclock can show me), I'd install something like AcDisplay. Privacy is funny, on a Google platform. I don't have any weirdly high expectations on what's happening with my information, but I also don't install crapware that is obviously selling my details. Google uses my information, they don't sell it to third parties. I don't need to keep the battery in line, 4.4 does that just fine.

And then there's the fact that you believe the iPhone costs more money. It doesn't. Sure, compared to the Nexus 5, but nearly all flagship phones do. But your argument that the extra money isn't worth it due to inferior hardware is wrong. The hardware in an M8 or S5 or Z2 is, in fact, superior. That's the SoC, GPU and camera. Saying it's inferior is simply not a true statement. Cameras in phones like the Z2 and S5 rival and even surpass that of the iPhone, and it was true with last year's models as well. You're also conveniently forgetting that software isn't an issue if you buy GPe, or Silver when it becomes available.

The fact that you would just switch to iPhone puts your statements about ROM flashing and complete customization in a weird position. How much do you actually care about making things the way you want them? Or is it simply that you just want more switches and toggles? If the former, enjoy ripping your hair out within 2 weeks of owning an iPhone. If the latter, it's quite likely you'll find the lack of freedom liberating in the sense that you don't have to care about every facet of your device now that you've given control to Apple.

Which raises other interesting questions like how are you okay with handing all control over to Apple, but you never stated that you tried that with Google? Even with iOS 8 looming, Android is still a far more flexible OS, and that's without dealing with root.

I rooted and ROM'd the crap out of my GNex. Firstly because Verizon sucks. Secondly, there were a lot of genuinely nice features that required a custom ROM. These days, almost every one of those features I crack flashed for is available as an app, and you don't even need root. My Nexus 5 is still stock, I haven't even unlocked it. I still run a ton of apps to customize my phone, and I'm satisfied. Action Launcher, Link Bubble, Dashclock, Tasker, etc. They give me what I want.

Which leads to the last beef with your statements. You assumed that your tastes applied to everyone, or at least the vast majority of users. They don't. Not in the least. I love my lockscreen widgets, I am eagerly awaiting the next evolution of Android, and I feel like it's never been in a better place both from a design and functionality standpoint. There have been other people in this thread that are excited for the direction Android is going.

It's fine that you're not excited. Just don't use false and out-dated arguments to support your opinion. Especially the iPhone costing more one. With the amount of M7's, M8's, S4's and S5's I see every day, it's not because of cost. It's a genuine preference.
 

dawheat

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2000
3,132
93
91
I've posted about my recent dissatisfaction with Android before. I've rooted, used ROMs, Xposed, the whole spectrum. I kept chasing the "ideal" scenario, being able to customize what I want while still maintaining stability and security. I realized ROMs were never going to be that, too transient, too beta, so I gave them up for good. Xposed + stock is pretty close to what I was shooting for all that time, but it's still far from ideal. There is very little security with Xposed modules and root apps in general...you're running a risk every time you install something new. It requires effort to do simple things, like control your privacy (XPrivacy/AppOps) or keep battery life in line (Greenify). Why at this point in Android's maturity do we still need to hack such basic functionality? The lock screen is still a mess. No one wants widgets there, they simply want to see their notifications. App quality is still not where it needs to be especially on tablets.

I can agree fully with the OP that I also dread new updates. This pattern has played out over and over recently with app updates. They tweak the design for no reason, no improvement in user experience, and features only stay the same or get worse. I thought we were finally settled in a good UI paradigm with 4.0/4.1, but they want to continually reinvent the wheel. Their priorities aren't in order...they're more worried about fitness tracking and making a dumb watch or glasses than fixing core incompetencies in their bread and butter mobile OS. They aren't focusing on the things I and many others care about and instead just keep making new unpolished things, never finishing or perfecting their past projects. The bugs never end and new ones are always cropping up. Do they think anyone is actually using new features in G+ and Google Now, when they show up out of nowhere and without announcement? No one even knows about them. The Hangouts/Voice integration is still not done, what an insult to their users.

There were a lot of issues with the Nexus 5, and there isn't enough compelling reason to spend the same price on an Android phone as an iPhone - you're simply getting worse hardware and user experience, almost without question. Battery life, camera quality, durability, you name it, a high-end Android phone just isn't worth the same price as an iPhone (not that an iPhone is necessarily worth that price either). The average user is only using Android because it's cheaper or has a bigger screen, not because it's better - this should worry Google. Now that my frustration has reached this point, and that the iPhone will finally be released in bigger sizes this fall, I've determined that the extra money will be worth the better experience and saving myself the time and frustration, and will probably switch. I'll still pay attention to I/O next week, but I expect nothing that will excite me. Even the good news will come with caveats, questions, delays, and bugs.

My only issue with the above is that your original problem seem to come from chasing after the customizations you want. How going to a phone that you can't customize at all is a solution is a puzzle to me.

The S5, M8, Z2, G3 stock experience is stable, fast, and gets better real-life battery life than the current iPhone. Their cameras arguably are better than the iPhone. The screen are larger and better. I'm not knocking the iPhone as I think it's a great all-round phone, but unlike tablets, I don't see much app quality difference (especially since most popular Android apps finally started having consistent 'back' options a year or two ago).
 

antef

Senior member
Dec 29, 2010
337
0
71
Can't really agree with much you say here, but rather than argue and whine about it why don't you just buy an iphone? I could never understand people like you, talking about how much the iphone does right and how screwed up google and android phones are yet forcing yourself to use android for some weird reason.
It's not like I had this opinion years ago but kept using Android anyway. I've used it for years and never considered an iPhone for a long time. My entire post describes how I tried to make it work but no longer can, and now I plan to do exactly what you're saying. I posted it because this thread is here.

I enjoy my lockscreen widgets. I have Dashclock, a flashlight, and Google's sound search.

If I cared more about all my notifications (not just what Dashclock can show me), I'd install something like AcDisplay. Privacy is funny, on a Google platform. I don't have any weirdly high expectations on what's happening with my information, but I also don't install crapware that is obviously selling my details.
...
The hardware in an M8 or S5 or Z2 is, in fact, superior. That's the SoC, GPU and camera. Saying it's inferior is simply not a true statement.

The fact that you would just switch to iPhone puts your statements about ROM flashing and complete customization in a weird position.
...
Which raises other interesting questions like how are you okay with handing all control over to Apple, but you never stated that you tried that with Google?
...
It's fine that you're not excited. Just don't use false and out-dated arguments to support your opinion. Especially the iPhone costing more one.

Privacy simply means user awareness and control. I'm tired of having to analyze the permissions of each app and discard the app entirely if I don't want just one of them. This is why people use XPrivacy, and I shouldn't have to mess with setting up a tool like that. I will give you that there is good high-end hardware out there right now, but the experience is still going to suffer, and it's mostly due to the software.

The customizing I did was not because I wanted ultimate control over every detail of the phone, it was because I wanted to fix basic shortcomings. I consider no access to notifications on my lock screen, no ability to deny an app access to my contacts short of not using the app entirely, and no ability to prevent an app from running endlessly in the background all major, basic shortcomings of the platform. On an iPhone all those things are already taken care of out of the box, so I won't need to tweak those things further. I was never messing with things like alternate launchers, themes, etc. in the first place. On Android, you either spend hours/days/weeks customizing and tweaking to get things right, or you can easily use it as is out of the box but you have to deal with those shortcomings.

My only issue with the above is that your original problem seem to come from chasing after the customizations you want. How going to a phone that you can't customize at all is a solution is a puzzle to me.

The S5, M8, Z2, G3 stock experience is stable, fast, and gets better real-life battery life than the current iPhone. Their cameras arguably are better than the iPhone. The screen are larger and better.
...

As I mentioned above, the tweaks I was pursuing were not random or personal customizations, they were all things that attempted to emulate how it is on iPhone out of the box. DashClock, XPrivacy, Greenify, all of them are trying to create behavior exactly as it is on iPhone. It's amazing how certain people defend Android so staunchly while using so many tweaks and tools to make it work like an iPhone. What is Android really offering me above and beyond? Widgets, file system access? Sharing intents and default apps have been two of the biggest. iOS 8 is rectifying at least one of those.

iPhone screen size has been a dealbreaker till now, that's why it's only now becoming a real option for me with the next one coming out. S5/G3 might get decent battery life, but once screen size is equal, I again question what the benefit is of spending the same money on Android as an iPhone. The platform has shortcomings, Google has been shown to lack in quality often, and industry support for iPhone is still superior. I also refuse to use the software/skin created by Samsung, HTC, etc. They're not software companies and don't get software well enough to own my OS. That leaves GPe, and soon Silver. GPe has been too niche to trust with support - we'll see about Silver.
 
May 13, 2009
12,333
612
126
Anyone else dreading Android 4.5 rather than anticipating it?

Yes. So much so it keeps me awake at night.
 
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