new so not sure where to post this...i have a few ?s about android

[moonlite13]

im 18 and about to get my first smartphone, i have an ipod touch (3rd gen) and an ipad 2. i was petty sure i was going to get the iphone 5 but i have been reading up on the note2 and its sounding pretty good but here are my concerns:

1 android vs ios
1.a i have to admit ios is getting a tad stale after using it on my ipod touch for 3 years. i love the stability of ios and always thought android lagged but jelly bean seems to have almost erased it.
1.b i know you can customize a ton on android but what does the mean exactly?

2 Apps
i love playing games in my ipod touch and the app store always seems to have a ton of them is that also true with the google app store?

3. size
im a pretty big guy 6.1 big hands so im not really worried about not being able to hold it well. but how portable is the note 1 will it fit in jeans well?

conclusion i love ios ill prolly always buy ipad but for my phone im still open on it is going from ios to android a really radical change?

Thanks for responding.

 

[Digital Controller]

Welcome moonlite13, glad to have you apart of the growing community

Let me try and answer your questions about android!

First here is a site that compares Android to iOS: iOS 6 vs. Android Jelly Bean - IGN

Secondly there are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of games on the Google Play store, unfortunately you will have to redownload the apps, or purchase them again on the Google Play store.

Lastly, here is a guy awkwardly telling us about the jeans test for a note: Samsung Galaxy Note Size: The Jeans Pocket Test - YouTube


Hopefully i have answered your questions as best as i can

Thanks for joining and enjoy your stay!

 

[chrlswltrs]

Welcome to the forum! I have merged the 2 threads.

1. The best way to describe the customization is that almost any stock app/feature can be replaced with an app off Google Play. For example:
-Want a more customizable lock screen, just install WidgetLocker
-Want a different look to the SMS app that can be customized basically however you want, just download GoSMS from Google Play.
-Don't want a 4x4 grid on your home screen (maybe you want 6x9), want 2,3,7 home screens, want a scrolling dock that you can also place widgets in? Download Nova Launcher.
-Don't like the stock keyboard, download a different one (I use SwiftKey)
-Don't like the text to speech voice, download SVOX

Those are just a few examples of apps I use to customize my phone, there are dozens to hundreds of more ways. The possibilities are almost endless.


2. There are tons of games. Some that I have:
-Words, Scramble with friends
-The Dark Knight Rises
-Grand Theft Auto III
-Call of Duty Black Ops... Zombies
-Angry birds / Bad Piggies
-plus a few others

One thing with gaming I can do is play games on my phones using a Wii or PS3 controller, try doing that on iOS.


3. Personally I think the Note is too big and couldn't fit comfortably in a pocket. I really like having a 4.5-4.7 inch screen. But this is just another great thing about Android, we have a choice in what we like best.



BTW, you can always check out Google Play and browse the apps and games available even if you don't have an Android phone yet. And after you do, you can install apps from any browser using the online store without even touching your phone.

 

[chanchan05]

1. You can change the lockscreen, the homescreen layout, heck even the apps. I do not changed my dialer, my contacts app, my sms app and my web browser as well as the icons for the apps on my homescreen to achieve a certain theme. You can check these threads out for some cutomizations based on how your phone looks:
http://androidforums.com/android-themes/348050-screenshots.html

2. Games usually are released on iOS before Android, but the trend nowadays is to release simultaneously

3. I have a female friend who is just 5'2 and she likes her Note well enough. Not sure if she puts it in her jeans but as far as handling goes its ok. The Galaxy SIII is a tad smaller, as well as the SII, which are great devices if you do not like the Note's size.

One thing that may be of concern is paid apps. Apps you bought on Apple will not be useable on Android and you will have to buy them again.

 

[moonlite13]

Thanks for the warm welcome yeah those customization things sound great. good to know about the gaming, dont really mind paying again for the good games (angry birds, PvZ etc).

im pretty sick of the 3.5in screen its the perfect size to hold....but thats about it lol

my dad has the iphone 5, i messed around with it for awhile trying to fall in love with it but it felt....lackluster.

thanks for the detailed responses ill prolly wait for the note 2 maybe the new nex if i some news gets leaked on it.

 

[Metroid Prime]

Welcome to the Forums, moonlite. Hope you enjoy the community.

 

[Stuntman]

There are also alternate launchers for Android. I just got Nova Launcher and it has some cool features. You can have up to 7 rows and 7 columns on your home screens. I'm set it to 6 x 4 right now.

 

[xmr405o]

Welcome to the forums, moonlite13!

All have been said already about the many ways to customize your Android. These fine folks haven't even mentioned what you can do if you root (jailbreak) an android device. . So yeah, you can do a ton of stuff with Android.

Have a good one!

 

[chrlswltrs]

There are also alternate launchers for Android. I just got Nova Launcher and it has some cool features. You can have up to 7 rows and 7 columns on your home screens. I'm set it to 6 x 4 right now.

Best Launcher IMO, and one of the best devs for android (also makes the best lock screen by far).

BTW in Nova Settings -> labs -> you can remove the limit and go higher than 7x7 if you want

 

[chrlswltrs]

Welcome to the forums, moonlite13!

All have been said already about the many ways to customize your Android. These fine folks haven't even mentioned what you can do if you root (jailbreak) an android device. . So yeah, you can do a ton of stuff with Android.

Have a good one!

Didn't want to go down that road, although I did mention 1 thing that requires root (play games on the phone using PS3 controller). But yes, root will open up even more things you probably didn't even think possible.

 

[Stuntman]

Best Launcher IMO, and one of the best devs for android (also makes the best lock screen by far).

BTW in Nova Settings -> labs -> you can remove the limit and go higher than 7x7 if you want

That's way more than I need. I went back to 5 x 4 as having 6 rows cuts off one of my widgets a bit.

I personally just use the pattern lock.

Root access is required to view the widgets as they would appear on the home screen. Without root, it just lists the widgets and you have to drag them onto a home screen to see what they really look like. I'm not into rooting my phone and I can live with this minor inconvenience so far.

 

[moonlite13]

i never bother to root my touch and ipad because it was to much hassle to keep them that way always wiping and restoring would i have that inconvinece with android?

 

[chrlswltrs]

i never bother to root my touch and ipad because it was to much hassle to keep them that way always wiping and restoring would i have that inconvinece with android?

Most methods of rooting do initially wipe the phone the same as with jailbreaking on iOS. After the initial root it is pretty easy to maintain. You don't have anything wiped after that unless you decide to flash a new ROM, or there is an OTA update that requires you to reroot.

After you are rooted however it is extremely easy to back up all of your apps including their settings and data.