And yes, keyboard is an important feature. I don't care how good camera is, or how many game apps you can play (Android has just as many games), if one cannot efficiently use it as input device it's a deal breaker for me. Android allows complete customization of keyboards and input methods - there are hundreds if not thousands of custom keyboard apps you will no doubt find one that suit your liking. Mind you, I hate Samsung default keyboard too - they copy apple. If you are serious Smartphone user, get one of the swype keyboard, it will save you tons of time trying to tap each key.
Apple going down the drain?
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The swipe KB is a standard feature on the Z10.
I was a tactile KB user forever, I needed buttons! But, I needed a new phone, and I tried my daughter's iphone touch screen which was horrible, and my son's S3... and decided to wait for the Q10. Then my buddy got a Z-10, so I decided to give it a whirl. Easiest touch screen keyboard I've ever used.
Just sayin... :thumb:
So did you type this on an iPhone, AJ?
LMAO! Seriously, if I had typed that in on my Z10, it would have auto-corrected my typo properly...
Keep dreaming fanboy.... The line of idiots starts to my left. Kindly take your place in line...
Which is all well and good except 'that' doesn't make the phone crap, just a phone that stays on focus with respect to whomever makes the decisions on direction that they want to go.
Apple is simply trying to protect developers the same way as they protect their users - remove freedom of choice. For me I remember the 1984 super bowl when Apple girl ran into a big brother room of clones all using whatever big brother (Microsoft) gave them. Flash to now where a room full of Apple clones are all restricted to Apple software. Ironically you could run the same ad but now the girl would be Android and the face on the big screen would be Steve Jobs.
I have a Galaxy S3 and I hated my keyboard and switched out for Swype + Dragon which for under $2 is awesome. My friend has an S4 and I tried her keyboard and to their credit - instead of copying Apple, they have a better keyboard with swipe technology. I still prefer my keyboard but at least we can choose.
**iPhone** users - I was trapped by my Apple iPhone restrictions (before I changed to Galaxy) and I got around them by Jailbreaking my iPhone. There are a lot of cool Cydia apps including keyboard apps. The only caveat is that Apple hates Jailbreaker and every iO/S update will try to remove the Jailbreak.
The Swype keyboard is actually not a standard feature on the Z10. You still have to press individual keys to type. It does have an auto correct feature where it predicts the word you're trying to type and you can move your finger up to select it. That's different from Swype.
Swype is a keyboard app that allows you to keep your finger on the screen and just draw a line to the letters you want to spell a word. Also known as gesture typing. Swype is found mostly on Samsung phones that come with it pre-installed. If you're not lucky enough to have a Samsung phone, you can still get a free trial or buy it from the Google Play Store. You can also download the official Google Keyboard that gives the same gesture typing feature.
No silly, since the phone does what consumers want it to do the supposed restrictions aren't wrong.
For me, this sums up the Apple vs Android debate perfectly. Apple gives you a much smaller selection of tablets and smartphones than any Android device. Your only choices basically are how much memory is built in to the device and a few colour choices. There are two versions of the iPad, but again you only have a few choices in memory and colour. This lack of choice extends to Apple computers too.
Contrast that with the Android world and there a million choices you can make: plastic or metal, 4, 5, or 6 inch screen, different colours, upgradeable memory, FM radio, pressure sensitive styli, removable keyboards, batteries, etc. The OS itself is infinitely customizable with widgets, themes, icons, alternate keyboard, etc. etc.
Is one better than another? It all depends on what you value in a device. Choice is generally good, but has caused some big problems for Android. Fragmentation is still Android's biggest Achilles heel and it's a hassle waiting around for your phone manufacturer or carrier to push out the latest Android update assuming they actually do it. Some manufacturers don't even bother updating older phones. You could say this is a problem for iOS devices too because the older versions (iPad 1, iPhone 3GS, etc. will never get the latest operating system.
I don't develop mobile apps, but anecdotally it should be easier to do it for iOS than for Android. The simple reason is that you do not have so many hardware (specifically screen size) and software combinations to deal with. That could result in more stable applications and is easier to built accessories for. It's still a fact that mobile apps usually get released on iOS first, then Android second. Game selection is far superior on iOS than Android too.
Apple accessories (specifically phone docks) are much easier to find simply because all iOS devices are identical and have either the 30 pin or Lightning plug and always in the same place. The charging port on Android devices are generally on the bottom, but sometimes found on the top or the side, covered up with a flap or use a proprietary connector, which are even harder to find accessories for.
Phone cases is another problem area where Android phones fall a bit short. Since there are such a huge selection of devices, it can be difficult to find a case if you have an older phone or a less popular one or the retailer just doesn't stock enough. I'm still holding onto a Google Nexus S and had such a pain in the ass trying to find a case for it. I'm sure that Huawei phones have the same problem.
So Android is definitely superior to iOS when it comes to customizing your experience, but sometimes that choice causes problems.
Apple's industrial design is definitely superior and standardized so you can find accessories a lot easier. The downside is that you are far more limited in customizing your experience.
Consumers like myself want customizable features such as swype keyboard. Apple does not provide that. It can if it wanted to. it is not a terribly difficult feature. it just costs them maybe 2- engineer / 3 months time. But why would they? there is enough consumers who just want an Apple logo to be their wealthy show-off uniform, for as long as it can marginally support basic functions with stability.
'Some' consumers like you, not all, want a swipe keyboards. Maybe there are enough consumers who just like the iPhone because it does what they want it to do. I've never heard anyone in my circle swear about their iPhone not having a swipe kb. If any of them say they'd like larger keys when texting, as they have fat fingers or tremors, I suggest they turn the phone sideways, at which time they exclaim wow, never knew that, nice. As for the Apple logo, all of mine are covered by protective shells, or carried in nondescript briefcases. When your phone's in your pocket, no one knows what you own, until you dig into your pocket or purse take it out to see what time it is. I even get past that by just glancing quickly at my watch. As most of my phone use is filed under 'speaking directly to people', the key board isn't a big thing. I actually have had some people say they don't call people as they don't like to actually talk to someone, a side effect to the 21st century. People have lost the ability to carry on a face to face conversation,
iPhone 5s slaughters quad-core rivals in performance tests despite dual-core CPU and just 1GB of RAM
http://bgr.com/2013/09/19/iphone-5s-benchmarks-performance-tests/
As is my current phone. It is too valuable to keep out of the skin. It is the reason that the 'mm' wars never really interested me.
As with BlackBerry (RIM), I am not relishing the demise of Apple but more frustrated with it. I would love to get in and run Apple as I figure they still have enough money and momentum to pull out of the dive they seem so content to put themselves into. No investor (or Apple executive) should be interested into chasing a niche market - they should be chasing new markets.
1) If Apple wants a logo that reflects only high end, then fund a new subsidiary with their own logo and identity that targets low end markets with high quality inexpensive phones running iO/S software and purchasing their content through iTunes.
2) Open a specific licencing and/or product option for opening applications so that at least some innovation can come from around the world not just Apple.
Considering that Apple basically offers one phone, the iPhoneX, where the 'android' phones offer dozens, and Apple still sells millions of each version, this 5c and 5s is the first time there have been two at once, both with their usual keypad, it's clear there are enough people happy with the single type of keypad. Remember Volkswagen? They basically made millions of Beatles for ~50+ years, other models came and went, but the Beatle sold like hotcakes. It wasn't pretty it was noisy, it had no heater to speak and road a tad rough but people loved because it ran and ran cheaply. If you do one thing and do it well, it will be a hit.
