Dooba.net

So Android and iOS are the top smartphone OS’s, at least outside of the business realm. Plus I use both every day. So here is my list of what I don’t like about both… AKA, things that bug me on a daily basis…

1) iOS settings. I hate that iOS puts individual app settings in the main iOS settings app. For example, I changed my gmail password the other day, and then I fired up mail on my ipad, and it gave me a password error… but instead of just changing my settings right there in the mail app, I have to close it, and open settings.. and scroll to mail, and find my gmail account….

2) Uninstalling apps on Android. I like that iOS just lets you click hold and kill and app. Easy. Android, I have to go into market and then to downloads, and then uninstall.

3) I wish the Apple App Store showed “purchased” on apps that I have purchased. I bought Beejive IM on my iPod last year.. and I went to install it on my iPad.. and now there is an HD version as well.. is this the same app? Do I just need to get the iPod version? the app is $10, so not a mistake I want to make… its silly that AFTER you click install it tells you that you already bought it.

4) iOS does nothing with that HUGE amount of screen real estate on the iPad lock screen.

5) The Android SDK is still kind of lame. Sure, Java is nice to program in, but installing and configuring the SDK isn’t always easy… and for the life of me I still can’t get my windows 7 box to see my Moto Droid phone.

6) The iPhone SDK is easy to setup, and easy to use. But WHY are we stuck with Obj-C?? Its not much better than plain old C… meaning we have to deal with header files, and all that. Don’t get me wrong, C++ is still my fav all around utility language and its very powerful. But totally wrong for high level phone apps.

7) Why can’t you position icons anywhere in iOS? Android lets you move things where you want… why can;t I do that on my iWhatever?

Android needs something like iTunes. Syncing media or podcasting is so lame on Android. Also, iTunes lets you backup and restore your device, and lay out your icons, etc. This is great. DoubleTwist is a start, but its super slow and not full featured yet.

9) Podcasting on Android is lame. I have a lot of podcasts I listen to, and iTunes/iPod handles this so well. I have yet to find anything for Android to come close, so I always have my iPod/iPad around to listen to them. Google needs to develop something, or port Zune to Android or something.

10) iOS notifications are looking dated. I like how Android handles this much better.

These days many of us are getting a lot of music content via streaming. Pandora and the like are great for almost all situations. However, I also subscribe to Rhapsody for a couple of reasons:

- Sometimes I really want to listen to a specific song. Maybe I heard it on a commercial or from a movie or something. Or just in the mood for music from one particular artist. Pandora doesn’t give you this level of control. You could buy the song from iTunes or Amazon. But half the time I have songs I really like for a short period of time, and then sort of move on.

- There are still cases where you can’t stream. Even with near ubiquitous 3G, and lots of WiFi hot spots. On a plane for example, or at some ski areas here, there is no cell service. Or camping, backpacking, etc. Also, I don’t mind my iPod getting a bit beat up if im biking, or whatever. Or running down the batt with music. I’m much more careful of my phone, so that limits my use as my iPod only has WiFi.

So I have rhapsody as it solves both problems, sort of. I can listen to whatever I want on my computer or ipod or ipad, streaming. Or I can fill certain devices with offline downloads. So I have a little cheap MP3 player for that situation. Not the best solution.

Enter the new Rhapsody mobile apps. You can DOWNLOAD to your device now, over the air. No plug in syncing. Just select whatever paylist(s) you want and hit download. Boom, offline listening! This is so great. I can load up my iPad with whatever music I feel like that day and can listen on a flight or wherever without having to find WiFi.

The apps are free, and you just need a $10 a month subscription (for 1 device) or $15 a month (for 3 devices). Doing the math, if I bought 15 $1 songs each month, I would need about 40 months to buy just what I have on my iPad right now. Thats almost 4 years. I think its  pretty good deal.

The only bummer is the Android app doesn’t support this yet, just the iDevice apps.