Passenger Seat Radio Episode 10/6/2011 Now Available!

[Shane R. Monroe]

So what you're REALLY saying is that a lot of these people buying Android phones are doing so because they can't afford an iPhone, which would make a lot of the iPhone ignorant, right

When I said 'crappy', I really meant crappy, and you don't have to buy a cheap phone to have that kind of experience:
http://www.betabeat.com/2011/07/29/w...got-an-iphone/

I guess everybody in this Android game will eventually learn that the best way to go is to buy a Nexus phone, like we are planning to do.

I believe that is TOTALLY unfair. There are MANY VERY GOOD Android phones out there. The fragmentation exists but only really on 3 levels - Sense, MotoBlur and Touchwiz. The best part? Download a launcher and they are essentially gone. No need to go rooting or "romming" to get a consistent UI.

For every story like that guy's mom's Charge, there are 10 more stories about how some techno-crippled mom/grandma/sister/etc has had their Droid for a year or more and love every second without issue.

The problem isn't so much UI consistency, but it does affect stability when they cake on the candy with these thick UI shells.

The good news? ICS is changing that. They are learning.

Case in point. My boss (while an IT manager) isn't super slick with phones. He has had his work Blackberry and a Samsung "flip phone" for years - never a real smart phone. He came to me a month or two back - asking what I would recommend for a smartphone. As always, I told him that I had an Android robot for a bed fellow and that is where my expertise lay. He said he understood, and wanted to know what I thought. I told him that regardless of iOS or Android, he needed to wait because the iPhone 5 (or so we thought) and the Nexus Prime were coming - and he'll have to suck it up for 2 years if he bought now. I explained to him that the Bionic was probably a solid current choice, that my sources (Womp) told me the latest Motoblur was actually decent on his X. I warned him again about jumping the gun when we knew of at least two or three amazing phones coming.

He jumped on the Bionic.

Today we had our bi-monthly "one on one" and after, we waxed about the phone. HE LOVES IT. No issues. No crashes. Full day battery life no problem. LOVES it. The integration to Google blows him away. I picked at him, looking for "negatives" to report back - he said that playing Scrabble with his girlfriend online seems to take a toll on the battery. So - he's been at it a couple of months now - no problems. Talks about how speedy and snappy it is.

Shrug - so there you go.

The thing is, I chose iOS mainly because I had wanted an iPhone for quite awhile, and $199 isn't too much to spend for a phone (although $100/mo sure is... AT&T and Verizon are absolutely no different in that respect). I got the 4S mainly because I didn't get much of any service in my current living situation under AT&T and I was waiting for the 4S (or whatever the next iPhone was to be called) before I leapt ship from AT&T to Verizon.

You are a perfect example of my point. You just "wanted an iPhone". You had bad service under AT&T so you waited until Verizon got an iPhone, then you jumped.

Why? Why not try a phone on AT&T that might not drop calls when you hold it wrong? Why not jump to Verizon on an Android phone? See, you don't have what I would call reasonable reasons for going with an iPhone. It's like my sister in law - a beautiful woman - that ended up tattoing herself (grotesquely I might add) because (according to my wife) .. "She's always wanted tattoos". They don't even MEAN anything. Just random crap.

People connect with the brand name. Why? Because it's popular and vogue. Snake Oil Steve has sold the community a bill of goods - and no one has bother to check the receipt ...

Now let's look at the Android ecosystem. There's hundreds if not thousands of different flavors of Android phones and tablets, and about 30 different variations of Android depending on who your carrier is and depending on who your phone or tablet maker is. I have been curious to see how you Android guys live, but whenever I look at Android phones, I'm thinking, "I'm absolutely confused, and I'm not even invested in the Android ecosystem!"

Again, not true. You have varying CONFIGURATIONS of hardware (screen, size, buttons) but three (four if you count "none" as an option) shells atop the OS. Many people LOVE THAT SHIT too ... Sense is all about social networking ... goddamn Facebook widgets, People widgets all over the place ... sickens me.

So Shane, maybe on an upcoming show you can explain (in terms that the Droid curious can understand) what exactly to look for in a Droid phone or a Droid tablet, and cut thru all the cruft that is out there on Android product information.

If you ask me that right now, I'll tell you "wait for an ICS device". Phone and tablet. Otherwise, do a tad bit of research on Motoblur, Sense and Touchwiz - see what meets your lifestyle the best. I personally think that Touchwiz (Samsung) has the best overall candy shell. Remember, you aren't locked into jack squat. If ANYTHING about the phone pisses you off, you have recourse. Shit man, you have to live with that sucker for 2 years - what is a couple hours dropping CM7 or another custom ROM on there if you are truly unable to find a launcher replacement? With Apple, if something pisses you off, you wait two years for them to steal it from Android and put it in

Seriously, though - listen to the Fire PSR eps. See what you think.

[WorknMan]

The problem isn't so much UI consistency, but it does affect stability when they cake on the candy with these thick UI shells.

Right, that's my point. When it comes to Android, there are some great phones and some bad ones - it's really a crapshoot. So somebody looks at the Android landscape and says, 'Ok, I could look through all these phones and the various skins they put on top of 'em and try to find out which ones are good and which ones are not so good, or I could just go out and buy an iPhone and know exactly what I'm getting out of the box.'

And that's why Apple products sell so well... they take all the choice out of the equation so that people don't have to think about it. You probably see that is a Great Evil, but depends on your perspective. If you don't live, eat, and breathe this shit like we do, then it's fine. I personally wish they would do that with cars... just invent one kind of car for everybody to drive, just in different sizes. Why? Because I don't give a flying fuck about anything that has to do with cars, and am pretty much happy with anything that's reliable and gets me from point A to point B. In fact, I don't even choose my own car; just hire my dad to go out and pick one up for me. And you know what? Some people would probably think me a moron because I don't obsess over cars and spend weeks researching to pick out the perfect car. I suppose if I cared at all about Cars, I would. But since I don't, I just have my dad tell me which one to get, and that's what I go with. And I haven't been steered wrong yet

[WorknMan]

BTW: BJ, if you're not one of those people who believe you can get rid of Internet Explorer from Windows by deleting the blue 'IE' icon from the desktop, don't let Shane or any other Fandroid tell you that you can get rid of the bloatware by installing a launcher. Truth is, even though you may not see it, it's still there :P Unless thing change with ICS, if you get an Android phone with some bloatware on it like NonSense or Motosuck, you'll probably have to wait months for any sort of updates after Google releases them, unless you root.

Trust me, if you don't enjoy endlessly fucking with your phone and you want one running Android, GET A NEXUS PHONE.

[Shane R. Monroe]

BTW: BJ, if you're not one of those people who believe you can get rid of Internet Explorer from Windows by deleting the blue 'IE' icon from the desktop, don't let Shane or any other Fandroid tell you that you can get rid of the bloatware by installing a launcher. Truth is, even though you may not see it, it's still there :P

Oh no, that wasn't what I meant to convey. The UI candy can be replaced (that's what causes mischief most of the time). The bloatware does suck (again, ICS plans to change that) - but I stick by my guns that most phones are "one click root" now, and you can remove your own bloatware for the most part. Again, no custom rom required.

I think that's the part that freaks people out. There are three phases here - launcher replacement, root and custom romming. Yeah, unless you're a tinkerer, no place for custom roms. But rooting? Worth it just to block ads (and you don't even have to tether your phone to a computer every time you power up) and to block bloatware.

And bloatware really doesn't adversely AFFECT anything .. it's just annoying that it's there and you can't get rid of it. Sure it takes up a little bit of memory (and for that NFS crap, 99% of the game is on the SD card, not your phone memory) but it isn't causing your phone instability. I'm sure there is crap on iOS that people can't "uninstall" when they find a better app to do the job too. And yes, some launchers let you HIDE the bloatware apps (no root required), but as Worknman helpfully pointed out, they are still there.

[Shane R. Monroe]

Right, that's my point. When it comes to Android, there are some great phones and some bad ones - it's really a crapshoot. So somebody looks at the Android landscape and says, 'Ok, I could look through all these phones and the various skins they put on top of 'em and try to find out which ones are good and which ones are not so good, or I could just go out and buy an iPhone and know exactly what I'm getting out of the box.'

Dude, NOBODY puts up with that shit ANYWHERE ELSE. The console analogy is the best example, and even that is flawed to hell. No one goes "Gosh, so many cars .. so many makes and models ... I hate having to choose the car I'm going to drive for the next 20 years ... hey, Mr. Salesman .. just decide for me.

And that's why Apple products sell so well... they take all the choice out of the equation so that people don't have to think about it. You probably see that is a Great Evil, but depends on your perspective. If you don't live, eat, and breathe this shit like we do, then it's fine. I personally wish they would do that with cars... just invent one kind of car for everybody to drive, just in different sizes. Why? Because I don't give a flying fuck about anything that has to do with cars, and am pretty much happy with anything that's reliable and gets me from point A to point B. In fact, I don't even choose my own car; just hire my dad to go out and pick one up for me. And you know what? Some people would probably think me a moron because I don't obsess over cars and spend weeks researching to pick out the perfect car. I suppose if I cared at all about Cars, I would. But since I don't, I just have my dad tell me which one to get, and that's what I go with. And I haven't been steered wrong yet

But with cars - people DO have a choice. Does everyone drive the same car? HELL NO. Why? Because people believe it makes them an individual. You don't have to place sparkplugs to know you want a PARTICULAR car .. color, size, MPG, features, tires, rims, blah blah blah. Even someone like me that couldn't give two rat's asses about cars ... I have things I demand out of a car I'm buying. Now, for me MPG is much more important than a premium sound system (heh) - but my point is - people want selection EVERY WHERE ELSE, except where Mr. Jobs has dictated to them otherwise.

THAT bothers me. Yes it does. The iDevice groupies don't seem to desire ANY individuality - where EVERY other place in life they DEMAND it. THAT is where "sheeple" comes from.

[WorknMan]

The bloatware does suck (again, ICS plans to change that) - but I stick by my guns that most phones are "one click root" now, and you can remove your own bloatware for the most part. Again, no custom rom required.

I think that's the part that freaks people out.

LMAO, ya think? People are concerned about having to void their warranty and run some random shit on their phones so that they can get rid of a bunch of crap that shouldn't have been on the phone to begin with? Say it ain't so!! For God sake man, think about what you are saying here Even *I* don't want to do that.

You say that ICS is going to fix this mess, but I haven't seen any evidence that it will? (Except for making the phone and tablet platforms unified, which isn't really what we're talking about here.) If ICS allows vendors a way to screw with the default install, they'll figure out something to add, and it will probably be related to eye candy. So I will say to BJ and anybody else who isn't a hardcore geek - if you want an Android phone, get a Nexus.

THAT bothers me. Yes it does. The iDevice groupies don't seem to desire ANY individuality - where EVERY other place in life they DEMAND it. THAT is where "sheeple" comes from.

They don't demand it from EVERY other place in life. For example, if you need a new DVD player, you'll probably hit the web and research which ones have usb ports, which can play various file formats, etc. Contrast this with most of the rest of the population, who will just go out and buy whatever $30 player happens to be on the shelf at Walmart.

People will be picky about what they CARE about (such as cars), and most people don't care much about phones. Perhaps you think they SHOULD, but I say it doesn't matter, because iPhones are good phones. Sure, they don't have the customization that Android phones do, but they work just fine for most people.

[Shane R. Monroe]

LMAO, ya think? People are concerned about having to void their warranty and run some random shit on their phones so that they can get rid of a bunch of crap that shouldn't have been on the phone to begin with? Say it ain't so!! For God sake man, think about what you are saying here Even *I* don't want to do that.

You say that ICS is going to fix this mess, but I haven't seen any evidence that it will? (Except for making the phone and tablet platforms unified, which isn't really what we're talking about here.) If ICS allows vendors a way to screw with the default install, they'll figure out something to add, and it will probably be related to eye candy. So I will say to BJ and anybody else who isn't a hardcore geek - if you want an Android phone, get a Nexus.

Custom roms freak people out. Jailbreaking freaks people out. New Launcher? That's just an app. One click root? Usually, just an app. People can do that. That's not scary. Custom roms? Scary - absolutely. And if the phones were useless WITHOUT a custom rom, sure I'll beat Android like an 1800's slave.

Bloatware? No excuses - but that's your phone vendors doing that - not Google ... At least place blame where it is due.

UI Shell? One app download fixes that. That is usually just a matter of taste. I'm actually running Sense UI 3.x and I like it. Apparently the new Motoblur doesn't totally suck. Touchwiz didn't bother me when I was setting up Troy's Infuse.

They don't demand it from EVERY other place in life. For example, if you need a new DVD player, you'll probably hit the web and research which ones have usb ports, which can play various file formats, etc. Contrast this with most of the rest of the population, who will just go out and buy whatever $30 player happens to be on the shelf at Walmart.

I want a phone with removable memory. Apple fails. I want iTunes. Android fails. That's some pretty cut and dry shit right there. That's a demand for personalization and individualism in product.

DVD player? Shit, DVD players have more configuration options than an iPhone does. Bad choice of comparison. Don't give me that "Joe Everyman" crap either ... people actually want apps on their DVD player. Hell, the technophobe that sits in the cube across from me even has a "spec list" for the blu ray player she wants for Christmas (gotta be wifi, gotta do Netflix, gotta have a usb port). So again, there is a need for personalization; even on a sub $100 video disc player.

People will be picky about what they CARE about (such as cars), and most people don't care much about phones. Perhaps you think they SHOULD, but I say it doesn't matter, because iPhones are good phones. Sure, they don't have the customization that Android phones do, but they work just fine for most people.

Maybe that's the root of everything. If you're going to not give a damn about what candy bar you buy for $.89 a the register - that's one thing. But when you're talking about several hundred dollars and a two year contract? Yeah, you're an IDIOT for not doing some research and figuring out what product will best serve your needs.

[Shane R. Monroe]

You say that ICS is going to fix this mess, but I haven't seen any evidence that it will? (Except for making the phone and tablet platforms unified, which isn't really what we're talking about here.) If ICS allows vendors a way to screw with the default install, they'll figure out something to add, and it will probably be related to eye candy. So I will say to BJ and anybody else who isn't a hardcore geek - if you want an Android phone, get a Nexus.

This is all the proof I need:



http://thisismynext.com/2011/10/20/b...ream-sandwich/

[WorknMan]

But when you're talking about several hundred dollars and a two year contract? Yeah, you're an IDIOT for not doing some research and figuring out what product will best serve your needs.

LOL, I spent $10,500 on my latest car without ever having seen it. About the only requirements I had is 'it needs to have automatic transmission and power windows... and make sure it's ugly so I can find the fucking thing in parking lots.' And believe me, it is quite ugly My last car was a silver/grey Kia Spectra, and looked like about every 4th car... I had to memorize the license plate just so I wouldn't try to get in somebody else's car.

[BJWanlund]

LOL, I spent $10,500 on my latest car without ever having seen it. About the only requirements I had is 'it needs to have automatic transmission and power windows... and make sure it's ugly so I can find the fucking thing in parking lots.' And believe me, it is quite ugly

Hee hee hee, I kinda like that approach.