well bottom line android is the worst of any OS just because it is the most fragmented and the youngest...... you can give me 20 thousand pros for android in it's current stage it is a big pile of tasteless crap.... even though i'm a big supporter of the idea right from a realistic point of view it is what it is..... eye candy and apps aside in pure geek terms wp7 us better.... now it's like people say at the end of the day it's a matter of personal taste or need.... but fact is android is plain ugly right now a little like a fucked up baby.... we can just hope it gets better while it grows...

Personally im stuck. I can't stand Android but my phone screen is cracked and I refuse to buy the exact same phone, nor will I buy so close to the major updates of both Windows Phone 8 and iPhone 5.

In my experience the games, multimedia and camera as well as epeen are best on iPhone. The price and geekiness is best on Android and the useability for everyday tasks is best on WP7.

Where I live they have slightly used or even new in box WP7 first gen devices for sale for 120-150 dollars. LG Optimus 7 and Samsung Focus were both excellent devices and are a steal for under 150 bucks. I had both for 6 months each...

I don't know if this is the same where you are but those phone sure beat the Androids sold at that price.

I can buy a new phone identical for about the same money really. They seem to be dumping the HTC Trophy 7's etc. However outside of the U.S. I would need to go for Nokia as their drive app will actually work unlike the GPS on my WP7. At least in the sense that it'd give verbal directions!

Check lumina 900. Apparently its praised aroung the web. 

I love the negative common statements regarding Android and how in almost every case the issues are due to users and their choice of apps.

Battery life and speediness (or lack there of) for Android will 98% of the time be traced right back to the apps you have on your phone.

1) NEVER install task killer apps. They don't need to exist on a Linux based system. All they do is prevent phone sleeping and simply add another constant task running in the background.

Instead look at the apps you have chosen to install and especially look at their settings for notifications. Do you really need to be notified every 5mins that your words with friends game is ready? Leave crap like that turned off and just run the app when you are ready to actually look at it. Only notifications you should really need/have are for messaging and emails.

2) Anti-virus programs are also useless. Don't give me that crap about the open market causing issues and so much mal-ware. For fuck's sake read what the app does and the permissions YOU ARE AGREEING TO. A widget that is supposed to toggle 3g/4g should not need SMS and address book access. A dynamic wall paper app does not need network access, etc. Also, quit trying to rip people off. Stick to Android Play store or Amazon Market, i.e. legitimate sources.

3) I can't stress how much you really need to look at your new apps settings. Especially sync and notification intervals. This stuff causes you to use data, keeps phone from sleeping, and gravely affects battery life as well as CPU since all these services will be running in the background. Android has the best notification system there is, reason why Apple copied it. So app makers utilize it freely. But, you have control over all of it, thanks to Android, so use that control to really only have things you want running.... running.

4) Yes, upgrades take time and that is especially more complicated due to OEMs various UI tweaks over vanilla Android. Guess what? There's an easy fix for that. BUY A DAMN NEXUS PHONE! Not only are these typically the best or nearly best hardware out anyways, but they get upgrades in timely manner. (especially if its a GSM based Nexus) If we all start doing that in mass, guess what will happen? OEMs will quite making their stupid tweaks and instead focus on packaged apps. A win-win for everyone.

5) The Display high % in battery is not a bug. Its a freaking large ass display that clearly is eating up the juice. It is the primary culprit and the main reason iOS is better at battery than Android. Take an Android with a 3" screen and is battery life is very similar. Sure you are doing something while the screen is on, but the Draw Something app is not a cpu killer. However the large white backed canvas that the screen is displaying is. Thus the display is always the biggest killer. That leads me to another simple option... utilize the auto brightness feature. Don't force it to be always its brightest. Its easy to have a nice widget on your home screen that allows you to easily change brightness. So there is no reason to force it to max all the time.

6) The Play store is fine. Its easy to navigate and best of all you can even shop and add stuff to your phone from ANY computer while the phone is just in your pocket. It does have a two list options for your apps. The first and default is ONLY the apps installed on your phone and that list is alphabetical. The second is a full list of any app you've used. That second app comes in handy if you delete an app and want it back. However, I am also perplexed as to why its not alphabetically ordered.


I'd like to close this with... if you're having issues with your Android phone there are really only two possibilities.
1) Its actually defective and you need to get it replaced.
2) Its an app or a set of apps causing your issues. Check the settings for new apps and simply delete the crap like soundboards, live wallpapers, task killers, anti-virus, etc. If you try out a few different apps, uninstall the losers.

Android's flexibility and extreme personalization is its best feature and for those who are lazy or don't time to read what they are doing, its also its greatest defect.

Also, show me any WP tile and I can show you a widget that blows it away in every way.

Just reading this is already more effort than I am willing to invest in a smartphone. Read premissions for every app, check settings, verify running apps all the time... not something I want to do on a daily basis. You seem to think people need to spend some serious time with their smartphones and buy it dinner on a weekly basis

Also, your suggestion to buy a Nexus device kinda fired back since it took close to 5 months for Nexus 1 to get a working ICS. The first release was pulled after a week since it was killing the battery and a working update just started rolling out few weeks back. Some Nexus devices like CDMA ones on Verizon will never get official ICS.

Your battery suggestion too is very naive if you think that will solve people battery woes with android. Android is just not as battery efficient as the other 2 platforms in terms of battery consumption and there is no way to spin that. On top of that was established few weeks back that ad supported apps are major battery hogs on Android.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/android-app-ads-account-for-up-to-75-percent-of-battery-drain/19168

The thing is, I understand why Android appeals to people. Open source, freedom to do whatever is a nice thing if that is what you are in to. Also harware support is becoming very impressive. HTC one X looks astonishing.

However the other 2 platforms offer distinct advantages over Android to users that want their smartphone to work for them efficiently, out of the box with minimal to no tweaking.

I think its an absolute shame that Meego or Palm OS couldn't become this massive open source OS that everyone adopted as back in 2010 they were both a lot more elegant and efficient than Android 2.2. Imagine where they would have been if they got the hardware and software attention Android got since.

Permissions are very simple to read and they are bolded and right there when you download an app. You have to view and approve them. Its not an extra step or something you do daily.

I agree that settings are an extra step... but really, how often do you install new apps? I takes all of a minute extra. Not an issue. Frankly, I prefer the customization this allows me. Difference is Apple or MS force these settings whereas I have my personal choice.

Nexus device get updates very quickly, well before any other type of device. I have a CDMA Galaxy Nexus (on verizon and the only NExus device on verizon) and I have ICS from day one as it was the phone to launch with it. (this proves you really have no clue)

The Nexus S 4G (sprint's CDMA nexus) just few days ago received ICS. Fact is, if you want to ensure you get updates in a timely manner, get a Nexus device. Will a two year old one get the update on the same day as the brand new device launching with it? No, but it will get it within a short time thereafter. Whereas your Droid XYZ or Sensation 15, will take 3 to 6 months if ever due to OEMs tweaks to the UI.

My suggestions apps are proven to fix the battery and performance issues. ANY time I've notice a battery issue, I've looked at anything I recently installed and every time a change in that apps settings have removed the issue. Problem is, and its the same on home PCs with Windows, people are lazy and just install anything and everything and want to set it all up to the max. Then they cry and whine when everything slows down or in phones, it dies by lunch time.

You have a choice. Live free with any personalization or preference you like, or live in a dictated box. I choose personalization and freedom.

RE: ad-supported apps = more battry use, yeah and? Dont' be cheap and buy the app vs get the free ad-supported model. Also, that only means when the app is actually running as well as it would affect all phone bases... not just Android.

As for hardware... I don't understand you. Android hardware is always above Apple or any MS phone. Are you referring to general looks (subjective) or power (easily Android leading)?

I agree that it all comes down to personal preference. Do you want a model where you can make it ideally YOU? Or do you want a model that is forced upon you. I like personalization. I like uniqueness. I like to be able to have the level of computing I get on my PC in my hand. Neither WP or iOS offers you any of that.

I can't wait for the Nexus $200 tablet.

Regarding Nexus S update - http://www.androidcentral.com/nexus-s-ics-update-reportedly-restarting-few-weeks

Like I said initial update was unstable and was pulled. AT&T and Sprint got the update few weeks ago only. I don't know what you side loaded on to your Verizon Nexus S but official update is nowhere in sight. This is 5 months after release of ICS. Not sure I'd call that timely... Google really needs to step up and lead by example here. There should have been an ICS update ready for all Nexus phones in 2 weeks after ICS release.

As far as hardware, I said that Android has the best hardware so there is no disagreement there.

And finally about personalization...Android sure has a lot of customization and personalization available, but you most likely don't realize (and majority of the populationas well)  how personal WP7 device becomes after you use it for a while and how effortlessly it does it. All of the tiles are related to you in some way and diplay information and images that aren't just cosmetic. So much so that iOS looks dead and boring to me when I use it.

In any case, I am not saying Android doesn't have great qualities. The 23 year old in me would get an Android device for sure. But at this day and age I can't see its appeal as it seems more work than its worth.

I think its safe to say that WebOS = Dreamcast of smartphone OS's :)