All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

Agree, touchwiz is definitely the best android skin. Touchwiz 4.0 looks to be an improvement as well.

I really wish samsung continued with the design they had with the Omnia 7. I really think that is the perfect looking phone, and am disappointed that it seemed to be a one off device, and not a new design direction for Samsung.

 

+1 to touchwiz over the rest. Other than the lockscreens though, i prefer no UI overlay. Definetly a plus of a nexus

 

That's a ridiculous comment.


I completely disagree with the three of you, TouchWiz is one of the worst launchers IMO.
And I empathise with Apple as it's a total rip-off of their UI, unlike Sense or most other Android launchers.

That said, it would serve Apple right if Samsung turned round and announced they were going to stop supplying them with components.

 

I agree that the launcher supplied with touchwiz is horrible, but using touchwiz+ launcher pro is a pretty nice combination. I like the touchwiz music player, lockscreen and notification bar. The UI also has a nice iPhone like bounce to it, which makes it feel more fluid. When using launcher pro, it is a pretty unobtrusive skin, and pretty usefull IMO

 

Well that's the same with all of them - if you install a third-party launcher then most of the manufacturer customisation is hidden.

 

Installing a 3rd party launcher still leaves a huge amount of the manufacturer customization in tact. Customized apps, alterations to scrolling physics, lock screen layout and functionality, notification bar, camera UI etc. all remain with the custom skin. I don't know about you, but I still consider that a lot.

 

Your statement there implies that all TouchWiz is, is a launcher. The launcher is the smallest part of it.

Hardware switches in the notification drawer, launcher, music, camera, lockscreen, dialer, calendar, remote security features... and some more smaller things.

Replace the launcher and that's all that really looks iOS alike in the software. And actually TouchWiz is, by FARRR, smaller than Blur or Sense. Sense adds like 13 or 14 -more- UI frameworks to Android.

Now, hardware design wise... blatant xerox. I can't figure out why Apple waits this long to move on that though. Seems like they should have like maybe last August or September?

 

My point exactly on touchwiz.

 

Customised apps aren't really part of the UI, they're just apps.

I'll have to take your word on the scrolling physics, it's not something I've noticed.

Apart from Sense and TouchWiz, I'm not sure any of the manufacturers really do anything much to the lockscreen - at least not in my experience. Also, personally, I'm using WidgetLocker...

As for the notification bar, merely changing the colour isn't exactly a big thing - again, not every manufacturer does as much to it as Samsung or HTC.
Certainly not as big a change to the UI as, say, the homescreen, dock and app drawer changes that TouchWiz incorporates.

Each to their own.
But I'd disagree that the launcher is the smallest part of a custom UI, it's the main part and features some of Samsung's biggest adaptations.

 

Lol @ biting the hand that feeds them.

 

This. I want this.

Same thing i was thinking

 

Sooo... What's better : the upcoming iPhone 5 with A5 CPU vs iPhone 4 vs Xperia Arc?

 

Why are you asking this is the Android thread?
Wait for Samsung Galaxy II

 

The GS II is too expensive, and after my exp with the samsung S7750, I don't want more samsungs.

I seriously think that the Arc is perfect for me : big, fast, well designed, good camera...

 

Xperia Arc.

 

Alrighty then!

If I needed to choose between the GS II and the Arc in design, I would TOTALLY choose the arc...

 

Pretty sure thats the regular Galaxy S Captivate

 

Really? I typed Galaxy S II and it appeared this...

 

This one? Even if it's this one, I would still TOTALLY choose the Arc...

 

Yes the one above is the right one

More pics: Samsung Galaxy S II first hands-on! - Engadget Galleries

Inside, the Galaxy S 2 is much better

 

I know, the DC CPU is pretty awesome and the SUPER AMOLED is almost the same as the Reality Display in the Arc, but I can't say that it's awesome when it comes to price

 

The iPhone5 - it brings your pet back from the dead

 

And don't forget that "If you don't have an iPhone, well, you don't have an iPhone."

Am I the only one that shudders when they hear that commercial?

 

Nope me too

Lol yeah price overcomes the rest sometimes

 

Yeah, the Galaxy S2 would cost me infinitely more than the Arc

 

Lol @ display comment. The reality display is very good for LCD quality, and with Bravia Engine, that only makes it better. BUT its not in the same ball field S-AMOLED+.

About the CPU, if you're not doing anything super CPU intensive the Snapdragon will be fine.

 

As someone who went straight from a Nexus S to the Arc, I'd say it's a match for sAMOLED screens for day-to-day use.

Of course the Galaxy S2's sAMOLED+ display is an improvement over the panels used in the Galaxy S and Nexus S but to say the 'reality display' is nowhere near is an exaggeration.

 

I have to disagree on that one. While it is nice for an LCD panel, it is nowhere near a match for even the original SAMOLED. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say it is not in the same league. It isn't.

 

Fight Fight Fight!

Ive never seen both together so i cant comment. But the regular S-AMOLED on the Galaxy S 1's whites can be easily beaten. Colors and blacks no, but the LG Optimus S's regular old LCD had white quite a bit brighter than my S-AMOLED

 

Side-by-side, I think you'd change your mind.

 

I watched a video with the Arc vs GS1 vs Nexus One vs something else. If I find it, I will share.

Watched it again, but too tired and lazy to embed the vid. The galaxy S is only a tad better in white, but overall, I think the Arc is a good one, and better than the GS1.

 

I have seen the captivate and the Arc side by side. Did not change my mind.

 

A video can't give you the impression of seeing the screens in person, as you are limited by the screen tech in your LCD monitor.

 

If thats @ me, i did i was unpleasantly surprised D:

QFT

 

It wasn't really, no.
I'm curious though - what do you mean by 'unpleasantly surprised'?

 

Oh ok well just checking

Because i couldnt believe the Optimus S had something better than my phone

 

Same, the Omnia 7 was a great looking phone. If a Galaxy S variant looked like that..I'd probably be off my Droid 1 by now.

It's hard to describe what I mean hah. I just feel like TouchWiz's launcher + customizations to apps like contacts...is more of a woman with maybe a bit of blush and lipgloss on...something that complements her already decent looks (decent looks = the standard android UX), compared to Sense which, to me at least, is more analogous to someone going completely overboard with rouge, bright eyeshadows and thick bright red lipstick. This woman looks ok no doubt, (in no way is Sense ugly...not at all) but would look so much better if she toned it down just a bit.

And yes, me a 21 year old male compared UI Skins to cosmetics...whatever..it's the first analogy that came up in my head.

Xperia Arc, although for some reason there's something about the look I cant wrap my head around... I'd wait for Galaxy S II though.

This, you need to see the screens in person. I plan to look at handsets in person when I upgrade then order online to avoid hassles. I can't accept just getting all my info via the web for a purchase that vital.

 

^ As I said, I'm not even thinking about getting a GS2, it's too expensive. The Arc fits perfectly in size and in budget, but I would also like to know other good alternatives in the same quality and performance level as te Arc, that fits in my budget ( 450€ max ).

 

The performance level will be pretty much any high-end Android phone out now. The current Galaxy S will technically game better, but SE does have the SE Play with the PS1 ports. The Tegra 2 devices have a superior CPU, but GPU wise they're not all that great. Apple's A5 mops the floor with Tegra 2. For similarly spec'd phones as the Arc...

SE Play
HTC Desire HD
HTC Desire Z
Samsung Galaxy S <-- Also comes with a bit of NAND storage (8GB or 16GB)
Nexus S

 

The Arc has just been rooted, all of an hour or two ago.

 

Sweet!

I see the Arc selling very well, if SE can meet demand in the coming weeks...

 

Who here thinks Amazon is trying to send subliminal messages with their free app today?

Amazon.com: The Moron Test: Appstore for Android

 

What means "rooted"? What is it?

The SE play is more expensive, but has less RAM than the arc ( 320MB ).

Meh, my father has an HTC, and I deslike their design and overall perfromance... :/

After the Samsung S7550, no more Samsungs for me.

The Nexus S isn't available in Portugal...

I guess it leaves me with the Arc...?


WOOOW, the A5 that should come with the iPhone 5 should cost 75% MORE than the A4...
I think I will pass apple, when you can find superior quality at cheaper prices...

 

I'm not following your logic here. You absolutely cannot base comparisons of Samsung on a S7550. That's not even a basic smartphone... or feature phone for that matter. And it's absolutely no where near the "quality bracket" of the higher end phones.

And the iPhone 5 or whatever Apple intends on naming it will not cost anymore than the current models. On contract $199 and $299. I'm too lazy to convert that to euros. But unlocked or off-contract, they've always been north of $799.

Also, if you dislike HTC's general performance, you're not going to get any better performance out of any other single-core Snapdragon based phone. The Desire HD and the Arc share almost exactly the same basic components... A Qualcomm MSM8255. Both have the same CPU and GPU. Only thing is you're probably getting a better camera and LCD with the Xperia Arc.

All HTC Phones, All SE Phones = Qualcomm Snapdragon
Galaxy S, Nexus S, = Hummingbird
Motorola = Tegra 2 or OMAP.

 

Perhaps my father's phone isn't a Qualcomm CPU? It is a windows phone 6, so maybe that's why I don't like it much. The HTC look kinda... Weird... I don't know how to express... It's kind of "off"...


Also, Galacy S II > Arc > Galaxy S I believe? If so, then I should go with the arc?


UPDATE : My phone carrier ( TMN ), is selling tge iPhone for around 600€... ._.

My father's HTC is a HTC HD mini, and its CPU is 600MHz one... That's why I deslike its performance!

In durability, which one is the best, between the Samsung, Sony Ericsson and HTC?

 

Yea, Windows Mobile 6.5 is pretty much horrible. I can see why you dislike HTC... but HTC doesn't use Windows Mobile 6.x anymore... and most of their phones are now Snapdragon based phones. As far as power and capabilities wise, it's going to be Galaxy S II > Galaxy S > Arc. CPU wise the Arc has a slight upper hand, but the Galaxy S has a superior GPU and a lot of built in memory. You have 2GB of ROM on the Galaxy S phones, where with most Qualcomm based phones it's around 320-512Mb. Plus another 6-13GB of internal storage in addition to microSD storage on the Galaxy S.

The Arc won't be winning performance contests, but it's thin, it looks awesome, and it likely has pretty decent battery life. The second generation Snapdragon is very good on battery. The Galaxy S has issues there, because the S-AMOLED is a battery hog.

So it really comes down to if you value looks more or if you're going to be gaming, or if you're going to be toting a buttload of apps around. The Arc is a good all-around phone though.

Durability... I'm going to say it's a draw here. The Arc and the Galaxy S are about equally as fragile... get an Otterbox.

 

I just saw a bench and the Arc won vs the Galaxy S... Also, the CPU is pretty much the same, so if I have lots of apps running, it will be OK? How much better is the GPU on the Galaxy S? How many % over the arc? Is ROM important, or is RAM more important than ROM?

 

i) The CPU will be fine
ii) GPU performance is negligible when you are actually using it. (not benchmarking)
iii) Depends, though I must say the internal storage of the arc looks alittle lacking...but I don't see it being a problem.

FYI I am using roughly 200MB of ram on my Desire HD.

Stop worrying about it's performance like a computer (even though it basically is). Benchmarks are only going to get you so far.

 

I get too nit-picky.

Johnny T summed it up nicely.

 

Couldn't agree more, you'll find you can accomplish a lot more than you thought you could on a smartphone's comparatively limited internals. I'm just beginning to feel constrained on my Droid's 256 MB of RAM.