[2Peks1Bird]

I love bb10 OS and I know the stuff that i love about it (ie, the hub, gestures, quick settings, flash player, toast notifications, picture password, etc). But it also has its own shortcomings. So I'd like to know also what are the android features that make it better than BB10. I don't have an android phone, though i was able to play with a few briefly, and I am really interested with the nexus 5. I've done a bit of reading about it, especially on kitkat, but i haven't really understood what made kitkat (or android in general) special.

So, what does android OS have that make it a great OS, (or better than BB10)? What can it do that BB10 can't? Or what are the things that android does better than bb10?

Please let's focus on specific OS features.

I hope we can set aside all the fanboyisms for the meantime so we can have a mature discussion here. I don't want to start anything, i just wanted to be educated about android by people who are knowledgeable on both android and bb10 os.

Thanks.

Z10 STL100-2 / 10.2.1.1259

[diegonei]

Support. It has support from devs, carriers, manufactures, users...

[ray689]

I'm probably not the guy to go to but I think if you post what you feel are shortcomings on BB10 then it might be easier for people to focus on things that android might do to solve those shortcomings. I personally think that if you take apps out of the equation, then BB10 stacks up pretty well as far as OS and what it can do.

Posted via CB10

[Pete The Penguin]

Support. It has support from devs, carriers, manufactures, users...

Parts are open source too; it has market penetration.

[2Peks1Bird]

I'm probably not the guy to go to but I think if you post what you feel are shortcomings on BB10 then it might be easier for people to focus on things that android might do to solve those shortcomings. I personally think that if you take apps out of the equation, then BB10 stacks up pretty well as far as OS and what it can do.

Posted via CB10

That's precisely my point - aside from the "app gap", i feel that bb10 is a very good OS. And it's probable that i feel this way because I haven't had the chance to get to know android that well, that's why i don't know what I'm missing. So I'm really interested to know what are the great android features from the perspective of people who have had experience using both OSes.

Z10 STL100-2 / 10.2.1.1259

[2Peks1Bird]

Parts are open source too; it has market penetration.

Pardon my ignorance, but I'd like to know how being open source makes android a better OS than bb10? Can we consider this a feature of the android OS?

Z10 STL100-2 / 10.2.1.1259

[berryaddictnoza]

Also it supports Google infrastructure (Gmail, Google docs, Google maps, the list go on) Yeah, Google data mines your stuff, but their apps work really well. I'm interested to see where this thread goes, hopefully it will be constructive.

[2Peks1Bird]

So far, I've seen here being mentioned the support from devs and it being open source. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not sure if this is really a feature of the android OS. Though these are also valid points that make android a great OS.

Z10 STL100-2 / 10.2.1.1259

[ray689]

Also it supports Google infrastructure (Gmail, Google docs, Google maps, the list go on) Yeah, Google data mines your stuff, but their apps work really well. I'm interested to see where this thread goes, hopefully it will be constructive.

I don't think the apps being good should excuse the data mining. That's like saying, "heroine is bad for you but it feels really good". Now I know that's an extreme example but at the rate Google is going....skynet isn't too far off .

Posted via CB10

[Pete The Penguin]

Pardon my ignorance, but I'd like to know how being open source makes android a better OS than bb10? Can we consider this a feature of the android OS?

Z10 STL100-2 / 10.2.1.1259

Makes developing for Android somewhat easier as you don't need to have exclusively in-house Devs.

[2Peks1Bird]

Makes developing for Android somewhat easier as you don't need to have exclusively in-house Devs.

I see, thank you.

Z10 STL100-2 / 10.2.1.1259

[m1kr0]

My two cent: We can have long debates about modern mobile operating systems, the rise and fall of WebOS and the reasons for BB to migrate from legacy OS to OS10. Like many people on the forums, I'm also using multiple devices. When we have to compare the bare operating systems, there is essentially nothing separating the two for the average consumer (see last paragraph). Both are modern operating systems with Android Kit Kat obviously the more mature of the two.

An OS supports the hardware and sets an environment for the rest of the software to function. What sets them apart for the average user is the software (the apps), the fluidity of the integration between hardware and software and user interface. Accounting for this, its a very personal choice in the end. Now let's not start the debate on security, software encryption and why president Obama uses a BlackBerry; the likes that may fill up the forums because those debates we had over and over again.

� � � � �
�It�s been easy for competitors to promote negative stories about BlackBerry, focusing on the business of the past. But I�m not focused on who BlackBerry used to be � I�m focused on what BlackBerry will be today and in the future.� John Chen, December 2013

[berryaddictnoza]

I don't think the apps being good should excuse the data mining. That's like saying, "heroine is bad for you but it feels really good". Now I know that's an extreme example but at the rate Google is going....skynet isn't too far off .

Posted via CB10

I fully agree with you ray689, that's one of the reasons why I have a BlackBerry and not a HTC one

[Alex Keb]

After getting used to BlackBerry 10, I just can't stand Android GUI it's so messy.

Posted via CB10

[spacemanspork]

Android's advantages:

1. Apps. Third party support. The most apps this side of iOS. Basically iOS and Android have apps. The rest do not.
2. Third party accessory support.
3. Hardware choices. This means you have a crapload of options of phones to pick from. You want bigger screen? You got it. You want nicer construction? You got it. You want smaller device? You got it. You want an awesome camera? You got it.
4. Frequent OS updates. Google is constantly updating Android. Yes, you aren't guaranteed to get it but they've gone through 7-8 major releases (Cupcake to KitKat) and each release has improved quite a bit.
5. Certain features. This is much less evident when you compare Android with 10.2 (much of this stuff is added into 10.2), but it's night and day to 10.1. You have the ability to set multiple alarms. You have a cool battery meter with a chart telling you time and what's been eating your battery. You can see notification information from the lock screen.
6. Widgets. You know how we have active frames? Well, with Android you can do widgets. Widgets can act like active frames and they can actually be interacted with.
7. Boot up/shut down speeds. Do a battery pull on Android and on BB10. Android runs circles around it.
8. Better functionality for certain things. Google Maps is better than BB Maps. Voice support is far superior on Android. So it other language support.
9. Customizability. You can customize so many different aspects of the phone.

Blackberry 10 has it's own advantages for sure, but in the end it comes down to what advantages you care about.

I don't think the apps being good should excuse the data mining. That's like saying, "heroine is bad for you but it feels really good". Now I know that's an extreme example but at the rate Google is going....skynet isn't too far off .

Except if you're on any "free" service, you're being data mined. How do you think "free" services are free? Well, almost any free service. Google (and pretty much any company) can't provide high quality services for free.

[CrackberryQ]

Bb10 is a baby os, at its birth it's competing "plz os wize not sales!!" with ios and android, and feels far more superior than android "android kinda messy to navigate"

Bb10 requires less hardware spec to operate perfectly! What many cry here about "lower" hardware specs, is actually a smart engineering call, not only a financial decision, but is 100 percent an engineering call! Good engineering practice is to use the minimum required "taking into account room for minor expansion" to run properly and as intended! This actually ends up saving battery and delivering to the user, that shouldn't care about cpu and ram etc... the proper experience!

App gap is a non issue, apps will come to bb! Now that androids apks are installable most developers will fine tune their apps to run on bbs without major modifications and in time will go native!

Androids beautiful flexibility is why I keep a secondary phone! But BlackBerry for daily use is a must!



Posted via CB10

[AtInsider]

Androids interface is tiresome and wrecked IMO, though it has gone a long way from where it was a year ago for instance. BlackBerry 10 is fresh and new. It brings Real Time multi-tasking and gestures to the table. No other OS does gestures as well as BB10.

When you look into the raw OS, BB10 has the ability to go on forever due to being powered by QNX. Android can and will eventually hit a brick wall due to its age and limitations. Again, from my experience with both platforms.

[bb4life21]

Bb10 is a baby os, at its birth it's competing "plz os wize not sales!!" with ios and android, and feels far more superior than android "android kinda messy to navigate"

Bb10 requires less hardware spec to operate perfectly! What many cry here about "lower" hardware specs, is actually a smart engineering call, not only a financial decision, but is 100 percent an engineering call! Good engineering practice is to use the minimum required "taking into account room for minor expansion" to run properly and as intended! This actually ends up saving battery and delivering to the user, that shouldn't care about cpu and ram etc... the proper experience!

App gap is a non issue, apps will come to bb! Now that androids apks are installable most developers will fine tune their apps to run on bbs without major modifications and in time will go native!

Androids beautiful flexibility is why I keep a secondary phone! But BlackBerry for daily use is a must!



Posted via CB10

Where are you getting your information from? You know bb10 takes 2gb of ram to operate right? That is NOT efficient. The battery life is horrible. And I'm not sure what bb10 device you own but I own a z10 and the app gap is definitely still a problem. All that "coming soon" regarding developers etc is all nonsense we been hearing all year. I think the keyboard is very good but besides that comparison to android top tier phones won't be good at this point.

[CrackberryQ]

Where are you getting your information from? You know bb10 takes 2gb of ram to operate right? That is NOT efficient. The battery life is horrible. And I'm not sure what bb10 device you own but I own a z10 and the app gap is definitely still a problem. All that "coming soon" regarding developers etc is all nonsense we been hearing all year. I think the keyboard is very good but besides that comparison to android top tier phones won't be good at this point.

First of all relax.

Second of all, if u have ever use a 2 gb android device u would notice the difference in fluidity hence the efficiency ( I own S2, S3,S4, and a Sony go (my favourite love the ip67))

Third u are investing in a baby os, not even a toddler, so app gap is a fact. If u don't have the patience simply go android. But ultimately, and since blackberry runs apks we all know app gap is bound to close.

Finally, blackberries were initially designed as work mules, androids are the real multipurpose devices. What a blackberry lacks is filled with droids or ios. My advice to anyone. A qwerty blackberry along with an ipod touch or an android if u sport a second line. Try this combination please if u can afford to, and come back to me with a big thank u!! Lool

Posted via CB10

[Sniper06]

Where are you getting your information from? You know bb10 takes 2gb of ram to operate right? That is NOT efficient. The battery life is horrible. And I'm not sure what bb10 device you own but I own a z10 and the app gap is definitely still a problem. All that "coming soon" regarding developers etc is all nonsense we been hearing all year. I think the keyboard is very good but besides that comparison to android top tier phones won't be good at this point.

As far as i can see BB10 uses minimal resources.



Posted via CB10

[Benjamin_NYC]

After getting used to BlackBerry 10, I just can't stand Android GUI it's so messy.

Posted via CB10

Agree. Completely cluttered, IMHO. Don't like it. If I ever ditched BlackBerry, it would be iOS for me. Because it's organized.

No leaks. No betas. Ever.

[EchoesFX]

Android has had time to mature, thus there is a large user base, and a plethora of apps to choose from. This can be good for the end user for obvious reasons.

Android is an OS, not a phone. You have a broader choice of handsets and tablets that run it. Some are high end devices, and some are cheaper. If you dislike HTC, you can just buy Samsung and things will still work nearly the same as you are used to.

Android knows where it is going regarding tablets. BlackBerry has been dead silent on the subject ever since killing BB10 for the PlayBook. If you are a tablet fan, it sure is nice to know that your software library can continue to be used with your next device. We don't even know when or if there will be another BlackBerry tablet.

You can build your own versions of the OS and install them on many devices. This sometimes leads to older phones being useful far after their vendors have dropped support. BlackBerry is NEVER going to allow that to happen with their OS or handset.

Posted via CB10

[LostOnThePianoRoll]

Let's wait for the official 10.2.1 then come back with our thoughts, after the app gap is something from the past...

Posted via CB10 on my Z10STL100-1/10.2.1.1055

[21stNow]

Hopefully, fanaticism doesn't come through in this post. However, I can easily list things that are important to me. There are other things that may be more important to you than they are to me and I may not know much about.

1. One of the many benefits of open-source is the level of customization that it allows. I can choose from many different keyboards on Android. No other major mobile OS allows for a choice of third-party keyboards.
2. I like Widgets. Widgets allow for dynamic information to be updated in a larger space than icons allow for. The advantage over Active Frames in BB10 is that the widgets stay where you put them. You can also have more than eight widgets on your homescreens, if desired.
3. The development community works to develop ROMs that contain additional features or ROMs based on more updated software than what is available to the user. This is important for US users as carriers often delay the release of updated software to customers.
4. I like live wallpapers. One of the favorite ones that I had in the recent past was a stock quotes wallpaper. It brought up stock prices in a way that was more visually interesting than a widget.
5. Google's ecosystem is tightly integrated into the Android OS. This helps me because I use many of Google's services.
6. Backup options are plentiful with Android. You can back-up to a computer or use apps such as My Back-up Pro or back-up to a GMail account.
7. An unlocked Android device never gets carrier bloatware loaded onto it automatically. I have noticed that when I put a SIM card into my Z10 devices, the carrier bloatware is then loaded on to the device. Yes, I can delete it later but I find this irritating after I go through the trouble of getting an unlocked device.
8. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to have dedicated home, back and menu buttons. I prefer the way that stock Android does this with virtual buttons that disappear in apps like camera and YouTube. It allows for some level of consistency in phone navigation, though it is still a work in progress.
9. Google Now has been valuable to me. I log into Google on my desktop and searches that I do on my work and home PCs also send useful information to my phones.

I have tried to list things that were specific to the Android OS, while omitting things that are part of OEM skins that add features to Android (the specific live wallpaper was from an OEM skin, however). There are many features that some OEM skins add that make Android even more useful, such as personal assistants and extensive voice command options.

Let us know if there are specific features that you have questions about.

[LamarStarr]

Ummmm....stability?????

Posted via CB10