Yet, Android sucks. It's come a long way and it sucks way less than it did before Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) was releases. But, it still sucks.
Android sucks mainly because it wants to be everywhere and do everything. While the latter isn't necessarily a bad thing, the former is. There don't seem to be any minimum hardware requirements. If there are, they're not nearly high enough. This has resulted in fragmentation. You'll be hard-pressed to read about Android and not hear about fragmentation. Fragmentation is what has driven many users away from Windows PCs to Mac PCs over the last few years. The old adage "you get what you pay for" still holds true. A high-end Windows box will run almost problem-free, and so will a high-end Android smartphone. But, this article isn't about any particular Android phone. It's about Android in general and entry-level devices cannot be ignored. My wife's Nokia 700 (Symbian Belle) offers comparable performance to an HTC One V or a Samsung Galaxy Ace. There's a reason behind Symbian's demise and having comparable performance to a Symbian device is hardly a compliment.
Do you like the latest and greatest OS version? If you don't buy high-end hardware, then you can forget about it. In some cases, you can forget about it even when you buy high-end hardware. Anyone who's owned a high-end LG Android phone over the past couple of years will attest to that. I'm not blaming Google here, as Google rolls out Android updates in a timely fashion. Each manufacturer then has to work with each mobile operator to bring the update to a particular handset, with the exception of the Nexus line. If you want undiluted, cutting-edge pure-Google experience the Nexi are your only choice. The problem with these devices has traditionally been their price. The latest Nexus 4 by LG has been "released" in
Canada at "$309" for the 8 GB model. I'm being sarcastic with "released" and "309" because it's still nearly impossible to get and shipping isn't included in the price. Still, it's the best outright price for a phone of its caliber. Unfortunately, most people will be signing contracts anyways and getting better phones for "less" so the Nexus remains a niche phone.
I've mentioned that mobile operators are involved in the OS update process which brings me to another reason why Android sucks: bloatware. Bloatware is a term used for software that ships with a particular computer (think various HP assistants and trial programs on a budget HP machine at your local Best Buy). Bloatware applies to the world of smartphones, because they are also computers albeit in a different form factor. There are two types of bloatware: operator bloatware and manufacturer bloatware. Neither can be removed from your phone. Bloatware takes up unnecessary storage space on your phone and can significantly slow down your overall performance.
Do you like to back-up your device? While Android generally makes content transfer easy, backing up your system can be a nightmare. You can keep your device in-sync with Google's servers, so your data will be preserved. There's no selecting which particular backup Google uses so you're limited to the latest. Also, your shortcuts and widgets will not automatically be arranged on your home screen, so you'll need anywhere between 5 minutes to over an hour to arrange everything back the way it was. Some manufacturers offer PC backup software for their particular device and my experience with such software has been less than positive, to put it mildly.
A minor reason why Android sucks is the inability to alter DNS settings over a mobile data connection, but I must mention that no competing system offers this option either.
I'm sure I'm missing a few reasons, but there you have it. I must point out that there are ways around certain above-mentioned limitations, but those require gaining superuser privileges (rooting), which void all warranty. Of course, rooting is reversible but I cannot recommend it to anyone who isn't tech savvy. Despite its limitations, I can't advise against using an Android phone, but I must stress the importance of good hardware.
No comments:
Post a Comment