yikes.. the iOS experience

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QueBert

Lifer
Jan 6, 2002
22,553
834
126
To see what I mean, just do a google image search on iPhone screenshots... and then do the same thing with Android. The results... every iPhone screenshot is essentially the same... whereas you will probably struggle to find 2 different Android screenshots that look the same.

The only reason you'll see more varition when it comes to Android screen shots is there are a lot of different makers of Android handsets. Sense looks inherently different than Moto Blur. But Mos people who have stock Android devices will take screen shots that look pretty much identical. The same thing with iPhones, but that chances once you get into the modding scene. I'd argue honestly that iPhones are even more customizable, and can be done so much easier. For example I want to change the color of the notification bubble in my Droid dock telling me how many SMS's or Emails I got. Guess what? I can't do it without a lot of decompiling and recompiling of system files. I chatted with Black Droid, the guy who makes the Ultimate Droid rom, and he said it would be a lot of work, and quite hard for me. On my iPhone I could have done it with a few clicks. And while my Droid is very moddable I'm still trying to figure out how to get it to look like my iPhone did. Here's some SS's of the theme I ran on my iPhone.

iNav_Stretch_by_avaldiviesomx.png


I flick left and right and the menu on the left changes to what page I'm on and the image in the middle changes. I know it should be possible with Desktop Visualizer and a few other apps on my Droid, but it's not easy to reproduce so far. Your argument that iPhones all look the same is pretty lame. Almost eeryone who saw mine back when I had one said the same thing "wow what kind of phone is this??"
 
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Doboji

Diamond Member
May 18, 2001
7,912
0
76
The only reason you'll see more varition when it comes to Android screen shots is there are a lot of different makers of Android handsets. Sense looks inherently different than Moto Blur. Most people who have stock Android devices will take screen shots that look pretty much identical.

This is exactly my point... look at the variety out there for handsets with Android... look at the variety of Launchers/Skins out there for Android. Off the top of my head... Stock, Launcherpro, HTC Sense, Touchwiz, Motoblur and there are more...

The same thing with iPhones, once you get into the modding scene. I'd argue honestly that iPhones are much more customizable in how the home screens look, and can be done much easier. For example I want to change the color of the notification bubble in my Droid dock telling me how many SMS's or Emails I got. Guess what? I can't do it without a lot of decompiling and recompiling of system files. I chatted with Black Droid, who made the Ultimate Droid rom and he said it would be a lot of work, and quite hard for me. On my iPhone I could have done it with a few clicks. And while my Droid is very moddable I'm still trying to figure out how to get it to look like my iPhone did. Here's some SS's of the theme I ran on my iPhone.

iNav_Stretch_by_avaldiviesomx.png

Well it's true you can't customize everything on an Android easily... but I still submit you can change ALOT more than you can on an iPhone... I can't get your image to load because that website is blocked here at work... but personally I have NEVER seen an iPhone where the overall look and feel of the phone changes much at all. Everything looks and behaves about the same. I'll try to load that image when I get home... but I can't imagine it's all that different... Unlike Android where I can drastically change the look of the phone without rooting it.

I flick left and right and the menu on the left changes to what page I'm on and the image in the middle changes. I know it should be possible with Desktop Visualizer and a few other apps on my Droid, but it's not easy to reproduce so far. Your argument that iPhones all look the same is pretty lame. Almost eeryone who saw mine back when I had one said the same thing "wow what kind of phone is this??"

Well like I said.. I need to look at the images you show...but it sounds to me like you loved the interface of the iOS... shown by the fact that you're trying to customize your Android to behave similarly. To each their own... but if you're discussing which OS offers greater ability to customize and differentiate your experience. It's a very difficult argument to say that the iPhone is anywhere close.
 

AMDZen

Lifer
Apr 15, 2004
12,589
0
76
Why I even wasted my time I'll never know. Typical phandroid know it all with no clue.
 

Kanalua

Diamond Member
Jun 14, 2001
4,860
2
81
No you look, you have no idea what you are talking about. You obviously have no clue about the iPhone modding scene and are completely clueless on the topic to which you are speaking about. So just stop.

No the iphone is not any more or less static then Android and you can mod it up as much as you want. I can search screen shots too, are you telling me that this lockscreen looks the same as this lockscreen? Or that this homescreen looks anything like this one? This took me litterally 2 minutes of just randomly getting screenshots.

You can add widgets to your home screen or lock screen, and move icons around or off the home page in any manner that you want. Can get apps like foldersinfolders that offer even more complex modding. How bout the android unlock screen for your iphone

Try spending a few minutes going through threads like this that is clearly modeled after HTC in this fourm to educate yourself.

I could make my iPhone look and act almost exactly like an android device if I wanted to. Sounds, colors, widgets, even the notifications.

Wow...you would think Apple would encourage and promote modding like this on the iPhone. I wonder why iPhone modding isn't as "big" as modding on Android devices (besides the usual fanboi responses - "ip is so great on it's own, no need to mod" & "ip users are too stupid to mod and ruin their perfect little locked in worlds", etc).

Q: How easy is it to mod your iPhone? How easy to brick? Recover? Could it be something a non-techie would be able to do?
 

Doboji

Diamond Member
May 18, 2001
7,912
0
76
Why I even wasted my time I'll never know. Typical phandroid know it all with no clue.

Seriously? Did your daddy not love you enough as a child, or is your life so empty that thread crapping is all you have to offer the world?
 

vshah

Lifer
Sep 20, 2003
19,003
24
81
Seriously? Did your daddy not love you enough as a child, or is your life so empty that thread crapping is all you have to offer the world?

have you taken a look at the pics he posted? i had no idea that level of customization was available on jailbroken iphones
 

AMDZen

Lifer
Apr 15, 2004
12,589
0
76
Seriously? Did your daddy not love you enough as a child, or is your life so empty that thread crapping is all you have to offer the world?

Right ... because I'm the one who is thread crapping while spouting off when I have no clue what I'm talking about. When I am in android threads - the difference is that I will usually say "I am not entirely sure", you instead have this vast amount of knowledge about the iPhone - the fact that its wrong makes no difference to you. So what is your deal? Are you a politician or do you have stock in HTC?
 

Doboji

Diamond Member
May 18, 2001
7,912
0
76
have you taken a look at the pics he posted? i had no idea that level of customization was available on jailbroken iphones

Yeah just looked through them.... pretty impressive. Watch some videos of the phones in action though...
 

QueBert

Lifer
Jan 6, 2002
22,553
834
126
have you taken a look at the pics he posted? i had no idea that level of customization was available on jailbroken iphones

I just started on reproducing iNav (the iPhone screenshot I posted) for the Android. Love or hate iPhones nobody can look at iNav and say it doesn't look 100% different than the stock iPhone UI.
 

Doboji

Diamond Member
May 18, 2001
7,912
0
76
Right ... because I'm the one who is thread crapping while spouting off when I have no clue what I'm talking about. When I am in android threads - the difference is that I will usually say "I am not entirely sure", you instead have this vast amount of knowledge about the iPhone - the fact that its wrong makes no difference to you. So what is your deal? Are you a politician or do you have stock in HTC?

Last I checked... my posts were usually something like... iPhone is cool, but I prefer some of the features of Android.... whereas your posts are usually like... WAAAAH WAAAAH You're all stupid Android fanbois... wahhha waaaahhh look how cool I am.

I don't nor have I ever owned an HTC phone... you do realize that Sony, Samsung, Motorola, Dell, and more all make Android phones right?

Proceed with your childish whining and crying... I kind of enjoy it. It makes me giggle.
 

AMDZen

Lifer
Apr 15, 2004
12,589
0
76
Wow...you would think Apple would encourage and promote modding like this on the iPhone. I wonder why iPhone modding isn't as "big" as modding on Android devices (besides the usual fanboi responses - "ip is so great on it's own, no need to mod" & "ip users are too stupid to mod and ruin their perfect little locked in worlds", etc).

Q: How easy is it to mod your iPhone? How easy to brick? Recover? Could it be something a non-techie would be able to do?

The truth is that it is "as big", roughly speaking. There are many forums that are dedicated to this kind of customization.

This information is freely available for anyone who looks. A lot of iPhone owners have been around since day 1 and before android. The G1 was right after but customization on the iPhone started right away. As soon as the first jailbreak was released the first mods and themes came out.

I know this sounds like a conspiracy, but from my experience it is mostly the misinformation flying out of the mouths of android fans that makes so many believe the iPhone doesn't do the same things.

iPhone has been doing them for longer.

Why apple doesn't promote these things is a good question. One that iPhone modders have been asking themselves since the beginning.

I am often on these forums though - giving out this information and providing links and proof. I sound like a broken record even "the iphone does the same things, the iphone does the same things" but it seems like people would rather call me a troll or insinuate that my dad rapes me or something rather then do some actual research.

In answer to your last question, it is impossible to brick the iPhone - yes impossible. Unless something is wrong with the phone hardware wise, you can always restore it to its original factory settings. You have to use iTunes to restore but its very easy, you put it into DFU mode and restore the phone - done.

Customization on the iPhone is easy as pie. Most of the work is done by other people and put on Cydia, if you get comfortable it is very easy to change things for yourself. If you know XML or HTML, it is VERY EASY

for example

Code:
<key>CalendarIconDateStyle</key>
	<string> color: black; font-size: 32px; position: absolute; top: 2px; left: 0px;</string>
	<key>CalendarIconDayStyle</key>
	<string> color: white; font-size: 8px; position:absolute;
margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 4px;</string>

Changing some of the things above like the key will change to a different calendar in that folder.

You have to remember, iOS and OSX are based off of unix, debian actually. Android is based off nearly the same thing. The coding for apps on either OS is very similar.

Most of the best apps out there on android started on the iPhone - why? Because the appstore was a source of revenue for these developers before android was viable and now they do it for both. Its easy to do it for both because the coding is similar.
 

AMDZen

Lifer
Apr 15, 2004
12,589
0
76
Last I checked... my posts were usually something like... iPhone is cool, but I prefer some of the features of Android.... whereas your posts are usually like... WAAAAH WAAAAH You're all stupid Android fanbois... wahhha waaaahhh look how cool I am.

I don't nor have I ever owned an HTC phone... you do realize that Sony, Samsung, Motorola, Dell, and more all make Android phones right?

Proceed with your childish whining and crying... I kind of enjoy it. It makes me giggle.

Except that you wouldn't know the iPhone is cool - and the features that you prefer are available on the iPhone as well - making your opinion irrelevant when stated as if its a fact and not opinion. Again, you have no idea what you are talking about, at all. If you think that insinuating my dad raped me or something is any less childish then you are as ignorant in life matters as you are in the knowledge of what the iPhone can do.
 

Doboji

Diamond Member
May 18, 2001
7,912
0
76
The truth is that it is "as big", roughly speaking. There are many forums that are dedicated to this kind of customization.

This information is freely available for anyone who looks. A lot of iPhone owners have been around since day 1 and before android. The G1 was right after but customization on the iPhone started right away. As soon as the first jailbreak was released the first mods and themes came out.

I know this sounds like a conspiracy, but from my experience it is mostly the misinformation flying out of the mouths of android fans that makes so many believe the iPhone doesn't do the same things.

iPhone has been doing them for longer.

Why apple doesn't promote these things is a good question. One that iPhone modders have been asking themselves since the beginning.

I am often on these forums though - giving out this information and providing links and proof. I sound like a broken record even "the iphone does the same things, the iphone does the same things" but it seems like people would rather call me a troll or insinuate that my dad rapes me or something rather then do some actual research.

In answer to your last question, it is impossible to brick the iPhone - yes impossible. Unless something is wrong with the phone hardware wise, you can always restore it to its original factory settings. You have to use iTunes to restore but its very easy, you put it into DFU mode and restore the phone - done.

Customization on the iPhone is easy as pie. Most of the work is done by other people and put on Cydia, if you get comfortable it is very easy to change things for yourself. If you know XML or HTML, it is VERY EASY

for example

Code:
<key>CalendarIconDateStyle</key>
	<string> color: black; font-size: 32px; position: absolute; top: 2px; left: 0px;</string>
	<key>CalendarIconDayStyle</key>
	<string> color: white; font-size: 8px; position:absolute;
margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 4px;</string>

Changing some of the things above like the key will change to a different calendar in that folder.

You have to remember, iOS and OSX are based off of unix, debian actually. Android is based off nearly the same thing. The coding for apps on either OS is very similar.

Most of the best apps out there on android started on the iPhone - why? Because the appstore was a source of revenue for these developers before android was viable and now they do it for both. Its easy to do it for both because the coding is similar.

Maybe you should take a second to examine the way you deliver your message. Calling people stupid idiots who don't know shit, generally speaking isn't a good way to open eyes.
 

AMDZen

Lifer
Apr 15, 2004
12,589
0
76
Maybe you should take a second to examine the way you deliver your message. Calling people stupid idiots who don't know shit, generally speaking isn't a good way to open eyes.

Stating you are ignorant or naive isn't the same thing as calling someone stupid. Stupid means you are incapable of learning, ignorant means you simply don't have the knowledge.

I don't care if you learn it or not - I will be there in more threads proving that you have no clue and don't know what you are talking about whenever I see the spread of misinformation.
 

Doboji

Diamond Member
May 18, 2001
7,912
0
76
Stating you are ignorant or naive isn't the same thing as calling someone stupid. Stupid means you are incapable of learning, ignorant means you simply don't have the knowledge.

I don't care if you learn it or not - I will be there in more threads proving that you have no clue and don't know what you are talking about whenever I see the spread of misinformation.

Whether you'd like to admit it or not... you come off as a total Jackass. If you're truly interested in spreading the message about the customizability of the iPhone... you should try a different avenue. Because your effect on people right now is just to piss them off. You're in one of the most open-minded forums from a technical perspective on the entire internet. Why don't you calm the fuck down... and figure out another way to state your case.

Or you can ignore what I'm saying and proceed to spout off like an insulant child, and drive everyone away from anything you have to say.
 

AMDZen

Lifer
Apr 15, 2004
12,589
0
76
Whether you'd like to admit it or not... you come off as a total Jackass.

I'm OK with that - because to me you sound like a know it all type person that is usually wrong. This forum is constantly stating flatly that you cannot customize the iPhone and I am tired of proving all of you wrong any way.

The conversation is always this:

phan: iPhone can't do that
me: Yes it can
phan: Prove it
me: proof
phan: oh well you have to jailbreak - it doesn't count
me: /facepalm

next thread, same person

phan: iphone can't do that
me: i've already proved it can in another thread
phan: yea but you have to jailbreak

You guys enjoy thinking the android is so vastly superior so that is fine, whatever. I think android is awesome, iOS needs competition and android provides that. I think both are fairly equal actually and I never state in any thread that android flatly can't do something because I wouldn't know. However you can and others will back you up, and even after all the proof is laid out it won't matter because jailbreaking doesn't count.

Its OK, I will be taking a break from all of that any way so you won't hear from me again anytime soon. Especially in regard to this conversation.
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
12,089
45
91
Both of you need to dial it back.

AMDZen, your delivery is hurting the message, regardless of intent. You are seen almost everywhere here saying how great jailbreaking is, and how anyone that isn't doing it is silly. That is fine to a point, but seriously, work on the delivery a bit

Doboji, stop rising to the bait, back off of the issue and let it lie.

I don't mind if you guys debate, but I can see this going off the rails way too easily, so either take a breath and re-evaluate, or get into a personal pissing match. One leads to a happy Mod, the other leads to unhappy Posters.

Moderator TheStu
 

Doboji

Diamond Member
May 18, 2001
7,912
0
76
Sooo to continue the discussion.... I am now officially impressed with the iPhone's ability to be mod'ed. Very very slick.

However I still prefer the Android OS to iOS... I think it far easier to customize... and I think the fact that it's an open platform means it really has alot to offer.

Here's a video I made a few minutes ago of me playing with my Samsung Fascinate... showing off just how easy it is to customize. Bear in mind... this is an UNROOTED Fascinate, running 2.1. I'm using the Home Switch app to switch between TDW Launcher, Touch Wiz, and Launcher Pro. As you can see the look, and behavior of the phone is COMPLETELY different within seconds...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zpXnt5yA1Q

And yes by the way Google search does work... as the default for both Launcher Pro and TDW.... I'm only stuck with Bing when I'm using Touchwiz.
 

ChAoTiCpInOy

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2006
6,442
1
81
The argument both of you are having can be considered strengths or weaknesses depending on who you are talking to. The idea of many devices on many carriers as opposed to one device on one carrier. Yeah Apple and iOS probably won't get the same value as Android gets, but then again they have a unified platform which is easier to code for. So pros and cons.

Yeah you can customize, but is that what regular users want to do?
 

tommo123

Platinum Member
Sep 25, 2005
2,617
48
91
skipping the back and forth above

the iphone is more responsive than android at the mo yah? now, android doesn't use any gpu acceleration for the UI (would be a big performance improvement - no idea why 2.2 didn't do this), but i figure with the improvements that froyo gave us, then adding this in gingerbread, we should have a nice and responsive android experience.

my desire does lag from time to time - generally when installing in the background or some such thing. gpu accelerated UI would help a lot
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
Both of you need to dial it back.

AMDZen, your delivery is hurting the message, regardless of intent. You are seen almost everywhere here saying how great jailbreaking is, and how anyone that isn't doing it is silly. That is fine to a point, but seriously, work on the delivery a bit

Doboji, stop rising to the bait, back off of the issue and let it lie.

I don't mind if you guys debate, but I can see this going off the rails way too easily, so either take a breath and re-evaluate, or get into a personal pissing match. One leads to a happy Mod, the other leads to unhappy Posters.

Moderator TheStu

what kind of mod does a tickle in the magic spot get us?
 

ChAoTiCpInOy

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2006
6,442
1
81
skipping the back and forth above

the iphone is more responsive than android at the mo yah? now, android doesn't use any gpu acceleration for the UI (would be a big performance improvement - no idea why 2.2 didn't do this), but i figure with the improvements that froyo gave us, then adding this in gingerbread, we should have a nice and responsive android experience.

my desire does lag from time to time - generally when installing in the background or some such thing. gpu accelerated UI would help a lot

It's not just that. Apple cares about user interface an experience. Which is whythey spent so much time to make everything feel so fluid. Yeah there are minuses about apple but when a company cares so much about that, that is why I love my iPhone.
 

tatteredpotato

Diamond Member
Jul 23, 2006
3,934
0
76
Ugh, Vertical Integration = Stability but limited options. Horizontal integration = options but limited quality/stability.

I'm not saying that Android is unstable or the iPhone offers consumers no options, but these are factors inherent in the business models.

There isn't one golden ticket.
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
Right OC. Nothing Is going to be perfect for everyone.

There is no finish line. Cellular will always be evolving. I just like that there is finally real competition which is breeding results