I want… iOS vs. Android revisited

I wrote this post about my wishlist for iOS and Android over a year ago, and it’s due for a refresh.

iOS

  • Swype – it’s still missing. The keyboard on iOS is still much the same. The split keyboard showed up in iOS 5, but really nothing for my iPod touch. There is a
    hidden auto-complete suggestion feature as well, but it requires some crazy hackery to get it working.
  • Flash – ditto here. Although I’ve noticed the problem less and less. Sites seem to be more aware of iOS and it is driving them to use less flash. And honestly, that is a good thing.
  • Google Reader App – While there still is no native reader app for iOS, I don’t care anymore. The Google Reader mobile web experience has greatly improved over the last year.
  • Sync over Wifi – This one was a long time coming, but iOS 5 added it and I have no complaints. It works as advertised.

Android

  • Netflix – The Netflix app finally made it to my Droid 2 late last year. Again, it works as advertised and I have no complaints. One thing it did make me notice was the difference in quality of the screen. My iPod Touch’s screen is brighter and provides a more vivid colors.
  • Experience – I received an upgrade to Gingerbread late last year, and nearly all the experience issues have disappeared. On a rare occasion, the UI will seize, but at this point, my iPod does so as well, so it’s a draw.


I want… iOS vs. Android

UPDATE – This post is over a year old now. An updated version of this post can be found here.

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now.  I own both an iPod Touch and a Droid 2.  I primarily use the Droid 2, but I still occasionally fall back to the Touch when I want to do specific things.  This is my short list of “I wants” for both platforms.

iOS

  • Swype – This is the main thing I miss when using iOS. Tap typing feels slow and clunky compared to dragging my fingers over the letters.
  • Adobe Flash – Yeah, yeah, I know… Flash can be annoying because so many ads use it, but when you are browsing news and there’s a video, or a nifty interactive graphic you just want to see it. You don’t care what technology it uses.
  • Google Reader App – Sure you can use the mobile web version of Reader, but the native version for Android is quick to load and quick to respond.
  • Sync over WiFi.  I want to subscribe to a podcast and have it update over wifi.

Android

  • Netflix – I love watching TV shows or movies on the iPod Touch. It’s supposedly not available on Android yet because of DRM issues.  Boo.
  • Experience – I sometimes experience lock ups or jerky scrolling, or just plain weirdness.  I’ve had icons go missing, and applications disappear until I went back to the market and reinstalled them.  With iOS, I haven’t had any of those issues.