Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

I've been using Maemo for a number of years now, but I'm just a regular user, not a developer. I know very little about using Linux of any flavor, and while I appreciate open source software, I'm in no ways a purist. So the following post for me is all about the usability and interaction with the device.

I've used Android a fair amount too. My wife has had an Android for a couple of years now that I use frequently, and I've bought 3 Android phones myself over the years (only to return two of them later because I found them to frustrating to use daily). I mention this just to say that this isn't just a matter of the OS being new to me.

My N800 generally feels like a laptop replacement. It is slow at a lot of tasks these days, and it frequently turns off on its own, but when it is working I generally don't feel the need to go to the laptop to do something since almost everything can be done almost as easily with the NIT.

I have had a Galaxy Note 2 for about a month now, and I distinctly don't feel that way when using it. The phone works great for playing Angry Birds, it works pretty well for internet browsing and/or watching YouTube videos, but actual work like things, like replying to an email are so painful that I postpone almost all of them until I'm at my laptop.

The thing is, I can't really point to any single reason why. There are somethings for sure, like being unable to find a keyboard that really works well, and the fact that copy and paste is awkward and doesn't seem to be universally supported/applied. But it seems more than the sum of these small parts, there is just an overarching feel that you are not using something that was conceptualized as a full featured desktop replacement, and I'm having trouble accepting that.

So any others feel the same way? Any tips from other Maemo users on how to adjust?

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

I simply buy android for their screen size. They are superior in that area. And soon we can hopefully install ubuntu phone OS on other Android devices than galaxy nexus. Hopefully you like that better.


Dolphin, SwiftKey are great. The only application I use :D nothing more is needed or wanted.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

I've had two android phones and I agree to a point, I just can't keep my sim in them. i'm not a dev, just a passionate user. Android is to me really bloated and inefficient, tons of bad UI desicions, (tool bars on top navigation on bottom?, app tray in slow moving pages, only folders on the home screens, such waste of homescreen.) that causes you to do magical tricks wtih your hands to use it with any ease. Then is the hardware, there isn't a single android phone with a nokia quality camera, speaker, or sound quality. I do also go back to symbian, n8 after my n900 and 808 after my n9 (now back on n9) and get frustrated with the glitches of symbian.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

I think part of the reason is that Android is designed as a single-task OS. Sure, there's multitasking now, but it wasn't built in from the start, so each app behaves as though it were the only one, rather than recognizing that there are others. This means that if you are trying to do something with multitasking you have to more completely switch contexts, which is harder to do - whereas on Maemo you have applications based on desktop libraries that are designed to cooperate with each other.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

This definitely feels like a big part of it. This morning I was trying to look up something on my Note. I started typing in the phrase I was searching for into the search field in Dolphin, but I had to look up a model number in another app, so I briefly switched away, looked up the number and switched back only to find that I had to retype the first part of the string again. Did the OS decide to shut down the browser that I'd just been using to save system resources, or was there something else going on? I don't even know the answer, but I know that little things like that seem to happen all the time, and so the devices just don't seem to lend themselves well to easy multitasking.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

I recently got a Nexus 7. I like the big screen size and the smoothness of the device, but when I go back to my N9, it makes the N7 feel like crap. When I was about to get my N9, someone told me that if I started to use the N9, I would not be able to use any other operating system. They are right. Android feels just too plain and boring for me. I know it has a lot of apps with a ton of stuff I can do with it, but the OS itself is just too blah.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

i agree to this point..i just cant see myself with an android..they seem to lack somthing..ive got an ipad...my twin went back to a 4s after using a galaxy s3... even when i boot into ics4 on my n9 to play temple run...i feel weird

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

I constantly have issues like that in multitasking, games restarting, browser, downloads stopped, etc..... Its year behind symbian, not even starting with meego or maemo. Its multitasking is horrible. I might of had better on my silly nokia 3650. when I try to explain this to people on engadget/the verge they dismiss me and just say those are dead stupid platforms, but those people were using razrs when I had symbian smartphones, I don't think they are capable of understanding what a snartphone should be capable of. That includes mobile editors on these sites.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

This is not actually true. Android has supported activity based multi-tasking since API level 1, or the version before the first commercially released version of the OS. Some apps run completely as services (eg. VX Connectbox SSH) and only shut down on an explicit exit, which is analogous to the way it's handled on the linux desktop (for example).
http://developer.android.com/referen.../Activity.html

It is certainly more complex than process exclusive multi-tasking, but it also has the advantage of allowing the OS to determine how best to manage limited resources, and gives the app control based on a number of states. This is a big deal on mobile devices with limited memory and battery capacity. I also suspect would be very valuable addition on the desktop as well. It even simplifies user-management, as it is generally not required to actually exit out of apps. (I say 'generally' because some stubborn apps stay in memory and do not allow the OS to clean them up.)

And I agree that some apps do not cache well, or otherwise re-start when selected from the task manager. Of course, this is avoidable through better code, and the developer should be contacted.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

Yep. But under Android one can use:

Hacker's Keyboard
CalDAV-Sync
CardDAV-Sync
aCalendar+
Aqua Mail

which, plus some other bits, more than make it acceptable.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

It certainly isn't anymore with today's multi-GiB devices. But even back then, was it? Symbian managed quite nicely with even less memory (and Epoch32 before).

Android might have been supporting multitasking since day 1, but to this day it feels as if that feature is meant for "very special" apps only, and the developers have to jump through hoops to achieve it.

I rarely use an Android device, but I too am constant wondering which app still is runing and which one have been killed. And usually it's the other way around than what I'd expected, with the browser redownloading pages AGAIN etc.

They've dumbed it down too much.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

My old n8 multitasks much better and more reliable than my one x

n8 has 680 MHz single core and 256mb ram
One X has 1.5 GHz dual core and 1gb ram

This doesn't make sense

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

A big difference for me is the keyboard shortcuts and other things that work as leftovers from the desktop on our NIT's, which do not exist on android because it's made from scratch.
Ctrl+A works everywhere on maemo, ctrl+z works on Microb, copy + paste fully supported. The OS is file-centric so you have control, as every app saves and loads from disk.

I was trying to delete the inline quoted text from a gmail forward on android the other day, and I had to do it by keeping backspace pressed until it was all gone the other day, just to forward the attachment.

Slowly though it gains features and it's becoming more and more usable, it's just the story of pc's from the begining

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

Well, I've been using an Xperia Mini Pro for about a month now and to be quite honest, it's getting harder for me to go back to my n900 each time. I keep it charged and still use it, but it just feels slow and clunky in comparison. Even the default browser on the mini pro was pretty impressive as it's a competitor to microB and I wasn't expecting it to be. Long story short, I didn't expect to like android as much, and I'm generally impressed with it. If only it had CuteTube ;)

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

N8 uses that single core directly on native code.
Android runs on that shitty Dalvik virtual machine. I know I'm being harsh saying shitty it is impressive but it will NEVER EVER EVER be as quick or efficient as native code.

I am moving all my java android code to native C. The forums and Android SDK say that native C will not be faster in all cases, from what I seen the perforce went from 2fps to 19fps by moving only 30% code to native C.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

yeah but imagine the n900 on the specs of the mini.... The problem using the n900 today is the hardware is so outdated.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

Should I borrow my Psion Revo+ to you ? It has Psion EPOC 32 OS from 13 years ago, a full multi-tasking OS, where you could leave dozen of softwares open for months, with great battery life (some days), very stable.. I've used my Revo+ to edit and compile OPL softwares on-device (e.g., Smuggers), and it lasted 2 years without reboot, rock-solid.

Worse than the lack of real multitasking in Android, iOS, WP, etc, is the damage to the mentality and expectations of normal users.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

With Android all the apps are written in Java and the JVM that runs those apps only becomes efficient when when a task is repeated a very large number of times. Otherwise it will probably always be slow even if smartphone processors were to catch up in performance with desktop processors. So Android is kinda permanently crippled.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

huh? How about the NDK?

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this post!

I can't believe how painful my Android experience was. I used a nexus 4 for a few weeks and it drove me up a wall. Too damn complicated.

Then I went to the Note 2 and managed to crash it 20 times in 2 days. The note 2 was completely stock.

Android is way too complicated for me.

My friend that loves google tells me that android is better than iOS and just works, but god it was the worst week of my life. I prefer the Nokia Asha 311 to any android machine. I don't use bluestacks and if I can stay away from android I will at any cost.

It took me 10 or so clicks to save a contact and I used it for work. It was so bad I returned it in 2 weeks and currently use an Asha. Coming from android the Asha is a dream.

I wanted to write a post explaining why I dislike android, but can't really put it into words, its counter intuitive to me and I'm a Maemo/Harmattan guy at heart.

Just my humble 2 cents.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

awww damn Arie, I was going to get the Nexus 4. Tbh using Android on my N9 hasn't been at all bad?? But maybe that's because it's never on a long term basis.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

when a friend of mine introduced me to the N900 back in late 2011, i was amazed and said to myself that _this_ is what a smartphone should be like.
coming from an android phone that used an ARMv6 procie (Samsung i5510), the N900 runs circles around it! i mean, real multitasking and a hardware keyboard! though the i5510 had fairly limited hardware to begin with...

funny though that it was android that taught me how not to be afraid of the shell and use linux.
i do have some mising apps that i use daily with android that aren't available on maemo (Pleco, for example). i don't play games anyway so having no games is not a big loss for me; playing with aircrack and wireshark (and messing with my friend's wifi and school's WEP-encrypted network) is already fun enough.

but if there's there's one thing that i truly find lacking in android (okay, maybe not really platform specific, but you get the idea) is the lack of phones with physical keyboards being produced. i know that there are a lot of keyboards with autocorrect and predictive text, it just doesn't feel right and when you speak a language that it isn't well-supported, well...
also, i'm not really a fan of on-screen keyboards. there's no tactility and vibrations do not count. with a physical keyboard, i can text while walking around without looking at the phone!

sorry about the long post/rant.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

Hate to break the circlejerk with facts, but ctrl+A and ctrl+Z works in all textboxes (and other selectable areas) in Android. Many other keyboard shortcuts work as well (alt-tab, etc).

Source: I'm owning a Transformer Prime with a keyboard dock.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

I wonder how many of you are comparing apples & peaches. That is, comparing stock Android ROMs / vendor UIs / default applications with the Maemo-side of things. Up to my knowledge, many shortcomings are fixed by 3rd party stuff.

When i had a Galaxy Tab 10.1 (3.0.x) for some weeks, i didn't like it. When i had a Galaxy Nexus (4.2.x) for a week, i didn't like it too. Both were bland, boring, and feeling very restricted. But being corporate devices, i couldn't play around with them that much (that is, installing software, much customizing etc).

Now that my Touchpad said 'good riddance' to the trainwreck webOS (or rather it's very under-supported software availability/lack of features), i could ("not", yes i could but) be happier with CyanogenMod 10 (4.1.2) but it is really good enough for me now.

Being able to choose applications / tools of your choice, from vast offers, really makes a difference. Of course, the task switching / process freezing / reloading still sucks hairy b*lls, even if i have installed that webCM mod.

(And i love the Hacker's keyboard. No Swype or similar dreck for me)

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

I've had the touchpad on CM9 nightlys since June and I'm on the current 12/30/12 nightly. It's just been "meh" to me. Nothing special, lacks real multitasking, uses more battery then webOS, and the list goes on... I do use it, for browsing, that's about it these days.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

...but try to browse with webOS. Rendering errors (page blanks out, like on /. comments), drop-down selections not working, random reloads, shitty bookmark "management", issues with downloading files, especially unknown MIME types, and so on. Btw with CM10 i definitely cannot confirm that current usage would be higher.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

You know what my problem is with you? You have stated this so many times, that I now miss the hackers keyboard, without ever having owned an Android device, let alone this hackers keyboard... :confused:

That's called mind hacking, and I consider it illegal :D

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

Yup, I'm not arguing that webOS is any better, just that Android isn't what it is cracked up to be, at least for me and my usage. BTW, speaking of drop-down selections, I cannot do a search from the drop-down search tool on the top to search within any forum thread in TMO on both CM9 and webOS on the touchpad

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

Lucky you! But we're talking about phones here and android qwerty phones don't even have ctrl.

Source: http://images.google.gr/search?hl=el...IGoDQ&tbm=isch

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

A bit off topic here. You mention android not having cute tube, which obviously it doesn't, but if it's the video downloading feature that is the main part that you are missing, you might want to check out tubemate. Search for tubemate apk on Google and you can download it from a choice of third party android stores. Obviously Google wouldn't be hosting a YouTube downloader in it's own play store. Just thought I would point this out.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

Let's not forget that the N900's key shortcuts support zooming in and out (everywhere you are), they also take screenshots instantly, rotate the screen, open programs (i.e. xterminal , opera), they open the multitasking view and do many many usefull things.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

For those of you concerned about multitasking on android you might consider watching the following...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1ZSr...ature=youtu.be

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

yeah a long video of apps being resized does not equal great multitasking. I have a friend with a galaxy tab 10.1 I think, with that feature. Here is the problem, those apps are not running at the same time. You use one, while you can look at the other, then touch the other.........lag as android switches resorces........failure. On my n900 the apps that were in the background are not frozen, they are active, if you had a n900 with a screen that size you could do way more. Its cool for glancealbe info, kinda, but not well implemented and missing the functionality that makes it worth doing it.

and yes videos can play while you use another app, thats one thing that they wrote code for, not universal for real true multitasking, like i can in my desktop.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

I much prefer Sony's "small apps" solution. They even released a SDK for it, but developers don't seem to support these ideas...

If Android had multi-task I would have switched to it years ago, right at the start.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

This is the thing that I'm trying to get accross to my brother, but I'm just smacking my head against a brick wall.

I am now sitting and watching my N900 "MULTITASK", that is having 2 apps on screen at the same time both "DOING SOMETHING" in unison.
I have Open Mediaplayer playing a music video and I also have Stellarium running, which is running through an accelerated day/night cycle. Both apps are minimized and I can see both thumbnails with the video still playing and Stellarium is smoothly transiting between its day/night cycles. I go back to the homescreen and the video is still playing. I then open the keypad and press "Ctrl+ the left and right arrow keys" (Taskswitcher) and it switches smoothly between OMP and Stellarium (still doing it's day/night thing) with no pauses in either app. Oh and while I was at my homescreen Desktop Photo Applet was smoothly going through it's transitions and one of the images that came up was the video that was playing.

Has anyone ever seen an Android device do that?

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

I have had my time with Android. I have used SE Xperia Arc, Samsung Galaxy S2. And currently having an N9 (Wonderful Experience)

But it just doesn't feel right. My room-mate has a SGS 2 and in spite of having a Dual-Core processor, feels like lagging :/ . Powerful processors aren't used effectively I reckon. Might as well provide a reactor to Android, I doubt it will be effective.
Apps and ecosystem are exceptions.

Bottomline, just doesn't feel right.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

I know the feeling...

I miss both my n900 and my 808 capabilities on Android. I have an Android tablet, but it is frustrating having to reload pages, videos, documents if you switch between apps....

WHY THE HELL DO I HAVE A GIG OF RAM IF NOT TO LET THINGS STAY ON IT WHILE I DO OTHER THINGS, DAMMIT!

It makes things sluggish, I think it spends MORE battery (having to access the internet/process everything again), and it just feel stupid and wrong.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

Buying an Android device to do laptop things would be a waste of money it's be better to buy a N9/N900 and dualboot Nitdroid into it to do Android stuff.
If you don't like advertising on your cellphone just buy John's phone.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

Aside from the multi tasking, the thing that i keep putting my android down for is the UI seems to be made for using 2 handed, the holo themed apps everyone is raving about are horribly designed. Here is why, android phones keep getting bigger, google knows this since their own nexus devices are 4.7". You have your android controls on bottom, and toolbars on top....... Why, every other mobile platform puts toolbars on bottom. so you can use it all one handed. On my one x in pocket for example, if i want to mark something as read I have to reach the top of the screen, then to go back reach all the way to the bottom to go back. Similar things in the music player, etc, app tray, etc..... Its all over. And that is the new "great" design language that all the tech sites keep saying is so great and amazing. i think its designed to make the phone harder to use, making something harder to use is not better, its worse.

Re: Why does Android feel so lacking?
 

Waldo,

quit using alcohol...