iphone

[vansmack]

So back to the topic at hand...

Steve Jobs has claimed that Apple's little file was a cache to make it quicker for the iphone to determine its location.  Having had an Iphone and then an Android, I think there might actually be something to that -- my Android takes noticeably, annoyingly longer to get a location fix than the Iphone did.

You have a Samsung phone right?  Samsung did a poor job with the hardware implementation of its GPS hardware on the Galaxy Series - that's why it takes so long to lock a location.  I've seen better performance since my Froyo update, but it's far from perfect.  One other fix is to clear the GPS cache, which is supposed to help as well.

However, what Jobs is talking about is not GPS, but location based services, which Google turns off by default.  I think you'll find by turning on Location Based Services and Use Wifi Hotspots on your Google phone, it will lock much faster. 

Apple's explanation Still doesn't explain why the file was not encrypted, data was kept forever (including transferring to new phones), location based services working fine on the phone before the update and why the file was kept even when location based services is turned off.  But OK.  Steve has spoken so it must be over....

[vansmack]

I'm telling you, they follow this thread:

Samsung Fixes GPS Lock with Galaxy II

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

So back to the topic at hand...

Steve Jobs has claimed that Apple's little file was a cache to make it quicker for the iphone to determine its location.  Having had an Iphone and then an Android, I think there might actually be something to that -- my Android takes noticeably, annoyingly longer to get a location fix than the Iphone did.

You have a Samsung phone right?  Samsung did a poor job with the hardware implementation of its GPS hardware on the Galaxy Series - that's why it takes so long to lock a location.  I've seen better performance since my Froyo update, but it's far from perfect.  One other fix is to clear the GPS cache, which is supposed to help as well.

However, what Jobs is talking about is not GPS, but location based services, which Google turns off by default.  I think you'll find by turning on Location Based Services and Use Wifi Hotspots on your Google phone, it will lock much faster. 

Apple's explanation Still doesn't explain why the file was not encrypted, data was kept forever (including transferring to new phones), location based services working fine on the phone before the update and why the file was kept even when location based services is turned off.  But OK.  Steve has spoken so it must be over....

Yeah, I have the Captivate.    I've turned on Location Based Services, but for whatever reason certain key apps (like the built in camera app) don't use it.   

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

I'm telling you, they follow this thread:

Samsung Fixes GPS Lock with Galaxy II

aw crap, I should've waited a few extra months to buy my phone. 

[vansmack]

aw crap, I should've waited a few extra months to buy my phone. 

I don't expect the GSII to be stateside until the end of the summer (I'm thinking August), though I would love to be wrong.

And you can't say I didn't warn you...

Droid.  The Captivate is awesome, but at&t announced 11 new Android smartphones for 2011, so you might want to hang on for just a little while longer to get an HSPA+ model to take advantage of 4G.

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

aw crap, I should've waited a few extra months to buy my phone. 

I don't expect the GSII to be stateside until the end of the summer (I'm thinking August), though I would love to be wrong.

And you can't say I didn't warn you...

Droid.  The Captivate is awesome, but at&t announced 11 new Android smartphones for 2011, so you might want to hang on for just a little while longer to get an HSPA+ model to take advantage of 4G.

tru dat!   Of course there is always something better around the corner.

[Jaguar]

Apple's Chinese workers treated 'inhumanely, like machines': Investigation finds evidence of draconian rules and excessive overtime to meet western demand for iPhones and iPads

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

Apple's Chinese workers treated 'inhumanely, like machines': Investigation finds evidence of draconian rules and excessive overtime to meet western demand for iPhones and iPads

and therein lies the source of the "magic" Steve Jobs likes to refer to.

[sweetcell]

Apple's Chinese workers treated 'inhumanely, like machines': Investigation finds evidence of draconian rules and excessive overtime to meet western demand for iPhones and iPads

and therein lies the source of the "magic" Steve Jobs likes to refer to.

i have no doubt that like in many other chinese factories, there are worker abuses going on here.  but for an alternate take, read "1 Million Workers. 90 Million iPhones. 17 Suicides. Who?s to Blame?" (http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/02/ff_joelinchina/).  it was written by a guilt-ridden Wired reporter who was asking himself "did my love of iphone lead to these 17 suicides?".  i got the impression that he wanted to find himself guilty, but among the conclusions: the workers were treated better by foxconn than by most other similar chinese employers, and the suicide rate was below the national average. 

[vansmack]

Wow.  That new swipe down from the top notification bar/window is absolutely revolutionary.  I know iOS 5 isn't out yet, but let me show you what it looks like from a picture I took of my Android last year:



The new Twitter feature and integrated contacts are also just like Android's "Share" and integrated contacts feature. 

Reading List = Read It Later.

Tabbed browsing has been on Android since 2.0.

Camera button on the lockscreen and volume up to take picture to make up for the lack of dedicated camera button.

Over the air updates for your apps and OS.  What a concept....

iMessage = Google Voice (although it does add MMS support which is sorely lacking from GV)

I'm really feeling the balance tipping a bit here.

I do like RTF support in the mail app and photo editing built in (though there are apps for the latter).

[vansmack]

Congratulations iPhone users, you almost have an android phone.

Can we talk iCloud now?  Boy they can drag this stuff out...

[chaz]

that itunes match thing is pretty slick, if it actually works as advertised. 

[vansmack]

that itunes match thing is pretty slick, if it actually works as advertised. 

Strangely enough, he didn't say anything about it working on the iphone or iPad.  It just said that it works with iTunes.  That can't be true, right?

Maybe "same benefits as music purchased from iTunes" was supposed to mean that you can transfer songs wirelessly from device to device, but I don't see where it's streaming and what happens with playlists.

I guess we'll wait and see.

[Chip Chanko]

I think in iTunes for the scanning your library part. Then all the same benefits of iTunes purchased music.

[vansmack]

Then all the same benefits of iTunes purchased music.

Right.  But the only benefit he showed was that you could move it from the cloud to multiple devices, right?