Any major iOs apps that doesn't exist/are poorer on Android?

[Dan1113]

So one of the major things that I was taking into consideration when thinking of whether to buy an iPhone or a Nexus S was what I kept reading everywhere: that the apps for the iOs are superior, but that they are improving all the time on Android.

I can't seem to get something really updated though saying exactly how improved the Android apps are though. I don't really any have Android experience but have used my partner's and friends' iPhones a bit so am a bit familiar with the cooler/better apps available on there.

So I was just wondering if anyone can just give me a general idea as to how it is these days? Are there any really good iPhone ipps not yet available on Android? And how about others that are available, are they still poorer? (I heard for example that the Facebook and PayPal apps are rubbish.)

Thanks!

 

[PSkeptic]

Noterizer...

It's a PDF viewer that also allows annotations to be "written" onto it. Not found an equal on Android.

Facebook on Android is top-notch, as far as I'm concerned. Paypal, not found much need for a mobile app.

 

[Stuntman]

The Facebook app on Android is good. It's just the widget is poor compared to other widgets. On the iPhone, there are no widgets at all.

What I find is that there are not very many bank apps available on Android. Most of the major banks in Canada have apps for iOS and BlackBerry, but few for Android. These are the only apps that I personally want for Android. There is an ING Banking app for Android. It's OK, but just doesn't have a landscape mode, even when I open the keyboard. ING is the only bank that I know of in Canada that has an Android app. I have to use the browser to do banking over the phone for the other banks.

I would recommend you check out the Android market yourself to see if there are apps you want for Android phones. Here is the link: https://market.android.com/

 

[Dan1113]

Thanks!

Sorry for the super noob question, but, what exactly is a widget compared to an app?

 

[PSkeptic]

Thanks!

Sorry for the super noob question, but, what exactly is a widget compared to an app?

A widget just gives some updated info that you would want to see, without actually opening the app.

For example, let's say you want to see the latest 2 feeds from Facebook. A widget will let you see that right when you wake your phone, and can be placed on your home screen. Or, you can put a calendar with your agenda right on your home screen.

The app usually offers more information (You can move around your calendar, or see specific friend feeds, etc).

Many apps offer "widgets" to put information that's "important" right on your home screen, so you don't need to always go into the app.

So, the Facebook widget is kinda sad, but the app itself is pretty good.

 

[mrsbelpit]

If you play words with friends, the android version is frustrating, to say the least, however they are steadily trying to improve it. It's still playable.

 

[Dan1113]

Oh, nice!

 

[snapper.fishes]

I am still waiting for Cut the Rope and Plants VS Zombies. GUh~!

 

[Dan1113]

Is there a Ticketmaster app?

Seems like there is one for other devices but I could not find one on the market!

 

[sonofaresiii]

If you play words with friends, the android version is frustrating, to say the least, however they are steadily trying to improve it. It's still playable.

I got wordsmith from the amazon free app a day... much, much better! Except all my friends missed it, which kind of defeats the purpose. D'oh!

In response to the OP, this is a very generalized response but it's been my experience that android is so popular these days, MOST apps that are popular on iOS have made it to android, and the few that aren't are generally in development to be moved over.

Though I'm still waiting on a good, legitimate way to stream movies/tv to my phone. Hulu Plus is on its way (and if mobile streaming works, just may be enough to convince me to pay for it), no word on anything from netflix... no idea if there's anything coparable for ios.

 

[Dan1113]

Did VLC ever release their Android app?

 

[Ngo93]

I'm surprised to see people actually saying the facebook app is good. Most of the time people are saying it's complete garbage, and I'd have to say it is. The app is no where close to the iphone's facebook app.

 

[UKCatFan]

I'm surprised to see people actually saying the facebook app is good. Most of the time people are saying it's complete garbage, and I'd have to say it is. The app is no where close to the iphone's facebook app.

It does most of what you typically do on Facebook. Then if you do need to do something it cannot handle, it is not exactly difficult to load the browser and bring up the actual website. I use Facebook a lot and usually only need to go to the browser for something a couple times a week or so. The app is a space hog though.

One of the big things I see as an advantage of Android is how many things are stored in the cloud. So, if you happen to misplace your phone, it is extremely easy to get everything back. Backing up on an iPhone is possible, but I still see people I know on Facebook complaining how they lost their iPhone and lost everything. I guess it involves active intervention to back things up and people are typically too lazy to do it often.

 

[aysiu]

Are there any really good iPhone ipps not yet available on Android? And how about others that are available, are they still poorer? (I heard for example that the Facebook and PayPal apps are rubbish.)

Netflix streaming.

 

[quantumrand]

I was wondering, what iPhone apps are there that have no Android counterpart, and conversely, what Android apps are there that the iPhone has no answer to?

Just to make it interesting, these have to be relatively popular and/or useful apps.

 

[coos lick]

I was wondering, what iPhone apps are there that have no Android counterpart, and conversely, what Android apps are there that the iPhone has no answer to?

Just to make it interesting, these have to be relatively popular and/or useful apps.

At the risk of sounding like I wear a black turtle neck sweater - there is an app for that!

Well not quite. There is one on the Market - iPhone top 100 apps. This lists out the current top apps on the appstore, then notes if it is also on the market (or close equivalent).

Haven't looked at it in a while, but it was interesting to see that a lot of the most popular iPhone apps were actually pretty rubbish. I know there is a lot of quality on there, but people are downloading a lot of dross. I'm sure its the same on the market though!

 

[Deleted User]

Most applications are in both appstores, but if you think about games, then iOS has a big advantage

 

[quantumrand]

Seems Tom's Hardware was thinking about this recently: Exclusive Apps: iOS Versus Android : Introduction

Fun read, especially that second to last page