HTC One, Android and Tasker

[FrantzM]

Hi

I have used an Apple iPhone, liked, it. I did find it to be a great phone with some issues such as the battery life (up to Iphone III ) and no true multi tasking.. I have been using a Blackberry phone as the day-to-day phone however for businesses reason and maybe inertia. I recently fell in love with what I think is the most gorgeous phone around: The HTC one, then I discovered Tasker.

Let me be clear: I am very new to the Android and smartphone universe. Blackberry doesn't have that many apps and if one uses it as their main phone one may not know what is outside. IOS and Android OTOH seem to have an app for almost anything one can dream of. Android in particular seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. This could come as a shock but Apple needs to catch up: The Galaxy S4 is the more advanced smartphone on the planet and the HTC One is not far behind moreover in term of pure fit and finish the HTC one is IMO, superior to the iPhone: The Aluminum casing and close-fit screen are a delight and people this is a good sonding phone... For once one can use those tiny phone speakers to actually listen to a movie !! They are that good ..Please don't ask for nuances or anything else from those we are audiophiles after all [)

And there is on Android, Tasker. With Tasker an Android phone becomes truly a smart phone. I mean truly SMART and capable of doing things one would not think possible:

You want that when you are at home that a all from your wife and no one else rings loud and go insantly on speaker ... Check!
You want the same call to not go on speaker when you are in your office but have a special ringtone ? ... Check!
You want your phone to automatically send an SMS telling a given correspondent , say your boss, that you are driving thus can't answer his or her SMS? Check !
You want it to send an SMS to a given person on Mondays but not on Tuesdays when you're at home? but only after 7 PM? Check !!

You want it to turn off Data but turn-on GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth when you launch a given application say Sygic for GPS-only turn-by-turn directions? Check!


Tasker allows you to do all that and more and with the Quadcore making it up at the top echelon of Smartphones (S4, HTC One, Sony Exepria, etc) the possibilities are endless. Spectacular!

The ting as my son remarked lately: Apple has to catch up, Apple is not leading on the innovation front. I sincerely don't think the iPhone 5 is at the level of the latest Android phones, the upcoming and definitely due "i" phone may change all that but for now if ones needs an advanced phone, it seems to be in the Android camp and frankly with the Google tight integration and open source model I see the trend continuing.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

I'll have to check out that Tasker app. Those are features I could certainly use, so thanks for posting about it. I migrated to Android (Note 1) last year from an iPhone 3s and couldn't be happier, with one exception. I really dislike the fact that the OS is ISP dependent for upgrades. The Rogers version runs the latest Jellybean, but my Bell version is still on ICS.

 

[asiufy]

Frantz,

The HTC One is indeed a wonder to behold. Its fit and finish is, as you said, even better than iPhone 5's. Now, don't get me started on that p.o.s. Samsung...
Anyway, you clearly delineated the differences between the iOS and Android environments. Apple, and most of its developers, are more inclined to develop for the "common folk", the base line end-user. Android/Google, due to its architecture, tends to attract more the tweaky, "must configure every single aspect of this thing" kind of user.
Some of the things you can do with Tasker you can already do with iOS itself, in version 7, due out soon. So Apple is indeed moving forward, same as Android is, but in a different direction. What ticks me off is when people refuse to qualify their assessments of a product. You did qualify, so it's clear to me you made the right choice. But don't slag the iPhone for not serving YOUR needs (or your demographics), or say it needs to 'catch up'. A little knowledge of how Apple operates will tell you that they'll never go in that particular, tweaky direction.
So, I don't think Apple needs to "catch up". They're doing just fine, and Android is doing great as well, bringing the orphaned "tweaky" users to a platform they can tweak to their heart's desire.
There will never be an "advanced iPhone", so if you're expecting Apple to come up with something like that, you'll be with Android forever
For me, iOS serves both my personal and work needs, in a single device, and I can configure it just so they're not intrusive to each other. Android would likely work too, same as Windows Phone, but would provide more barriers, more nuisance, since I'd need more software on my Macs to sync, or I'd even need to switch some pretty basic funcionality around, like mail, calendar and contacts.


alexandre

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

alexandre,


My P.O.S. Samsung Note 1 has served me quite well and I'm very happy with it. Just sayin'.

 

[FrantzM]

Alexandre


Apple is no longer at the leading edge of innovation. That is a fact, they need to agin become the must-have phone..right now the S4 and the HTC One are The phones to have and even for Apple die-hards it is becoming clear that the gap between IOS and Android is widening and not in Apple favor. At this point in time it seems that whatever can be done with an IOS device can be done and potentially better with Android ... Do you think a company can lead this way? I doubt it. 40 years ago IBM too, could do no wrongs .....

 

[Steve Williams]

well Apple must still be doing something right as they are once again the world's most valuable company

http://www.fool.com/investing/gener...nce-again-the-worlds-most-valuable-compa.aspx

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

LOL! I love these pi$$ing matches between everyone. Who really cares though? Get a phone that works for you and be happy with it. I switched from Apple to Samsung...not because I think one is better than the other, but because the phone I chose has the features I was looking for. Chances are I won't buy an Apple product simply because I'm not vested in any of their other products. The iPhone is a great product as are many of their other devices.

 

[Steve Williams]

LOL! I love these pi$$ing matches between everyone. Who really cares though? Get a phone that works for you and be happy with it. I switched from Apple to Samsung...not because I think one is better than the other, but because the phone I chose has the features I was looking for. Chances are I won't buy an Apple product simply because I'm not vested in any of their other products. The iPhone is a great product as are many of their other devices.

sound advice John

 

[amirm]

Keith has been signing the praises of Tasker for a while. I have yet to download it. I should do. Thanks for the note Frantz.

On a somewhat related note, I needed an 8 inch tablet and the Samsung Note 8 fit the bill. This is my first Samsung device and until now, I had completely dismissed the pen input. Having had not so good experience years ago with Microsoft Tablet PC, I didn't think it would do much useful. Well, I was wrong! This thing is so superbly done. I was shocked that no matter how poorly I wrote something, it could translate it into text with astonishing accuracy. Certainly no person could read what I wrote as well! Very useful just the same was its ability to take handwritten math formulas and convert them into typed formulas.

The sensitivity of the stylus, pressure detection and feel is just superb. I think I will be using it to take notes in meetings -- something I just can't do with a touch keyboard.

The workmanship is also excellent. Much higher quality feel than their phones. If I did not tell you who made it, you would think it was designed by Apple! It is the first tablet that has made me want to carry it around with me.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Keith has been signing the praises of Tasker for a while. I have yet to download it. I should do. Thanks for the note Frantz.

On a somewhat related note, I needed an 8 inch tablet and the Samsung Note 8 fit the bill. This is my first Samsung device and until now, I had completely dismissed the pen input. Having had not so good experience years ago with Microsoft Tablet PC, I didn't think it would do much useful. Well, I was wrong! This thing is so superbly done. I was shocked that no matter how poorly I wrote something, it could translate it into text with astonishing accuracy. Certainly no person could read what I wrote as well! Very useful just the same was its ability to take handwritten math formulas and convert them into typed formulas.

The sensitivity of the stylus, pressure detection and feel is just superb. I think I will be using it to take notes in meetings -- something I just can't do with a touch keyboard.

The workmanship is also excellent. Much higher quality feel than their phones. If I did not tell you who made it, you would think it was designed by Apple! It is the first tablet that has made me want to carry it around with me.

Even on the Note One the stylus is great and something I don't think I could live without.

 

[amirm]

I should have giving you credit John for mentioning how useful it is . I had you in the back of my mind before I tried. Otherwise I may have ignored it.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

I should have giving you credit John for mentioning how useful it is . I had you in the back of my mind before I tried. Otherwise I may have ignored it.

No credit needed Amir, but thanks! I was a big PalmPilot fan back in the day, so when Samsung introduced the Note I had to try it out.

 

[asiufy]

This is not a pissing match, really. I thought I made it very clear in my post. There's no single "best" device for everyone. No computer, no smartphone, no amp, no nothing.

I thought the OP was very accurate and fair in his description, up to the point where the blames Apple for his Android being so good (for him). I don't see the correlation.

Apple is threading its own path, same as it always did. Apple is not a follower, Samsung is. Apple WAS a follower once. Remember the clones? That's Apple trying to follow Microsoft's "buy my OS" model.

If anything, Apple was so far ahead of the competition, that they can afford not to release any new product for 12+ months, and still be profitable. Apple leads the pack in customer satisfation and customer loyalty, and there's a reason for that.

If you honestly think Apple is worried, and need to "hurry" and "catch up", than you don't get Apple.

John, with his Samsung Note, is happy with it. Good for him! I wouldn't want one of those even for free. I'd have no use for it.

Even though I own and enjoy Apple products, I don't think they "can do no wrong". The iPad mini doesn't work for me, with its low res screen. It still sold by the boatloads, but it wouldn't work for me, even though I want a smaller tablet to read in bed, as opposed to the big iPad that I use around the house (and take outside to meetings and such).

FrantM,

The iPhone 5 was released when? Almost 12 months ago! Do you honestly expect it to be the "must have" phone, a year down the road? See how many HTCs and Samsung models of the same vintage are being sold today. Some of those won't even be receiving the latest Android!

If what you meant is that Apple needs to put out a new iPhone, to compete with the latest batch of smartphones, that's kinda obvious. They do, and they will. When it's ready. As Steve said, and I emphasized above, Apple is not struggling. They're profitable, even without a new flagship phone after 2 years.


alexandre

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Being profitable doesn't mean they have the lead in innovation, as quite frankly I don't think they do. Apple has build-quality on their side and I don't think anyone can deny that, but it's not enough for them to maintain a lead or to sustain what they've accomplished in the past. I don't see Apple innovating much at all, although they should (considering that is what they claim they are...innovators).

 

[Jay_S]

I have owned and used a pile of Android and iOS devices. The Samsung S4 is a great phone. People criticize the thin plastic back but I think the design is brilliant - very light but still rigid and well thought out. Some parts of the TouchWiz UI are not well organized but overall there is a big distance between this phone and everything else I have owned. I love the replaceable battery and the micro SD card slot. Most other new phones seem to have abandoned these useful features. I have Tasker but haven't gotten around to setting it up yet.

 

[Keith_W]

Nice thread. I have a HTC One, and I have been using Tasker for years. Right now I have the following profiles. The combination turns off radios when I don't need them, saving battery life. With this combi, I can go for 3 days without needing a charger.

- At home (detects cell towers and home wifi network): turns off 3G/4G, turns on wifi, changes phone exception list
- In the car (detects that it is plugged in to the car cradle): turns on 3G/4G, GPS, Bluetooth, turns off wifi, launches car mode (syncs with handsfree kit, car stereo, etc)
- At work (detects cell towers and work wifi network): turns off ALL data radios, turns off ringtone, vibrate only
- Outside (i.e. not at home, not in the car, not at work): turns of ALL data radios (with exceptions below), maximize ringtone
- Periodic data sync (i.e. when "outside" profile is turned on): turns on 3G/4G every 15 minutes to receive push notifications and emails, then turns itself off after 1 minute.
- Screen on (i.e. when "outside" profile is turned on): whenever I turn my phone on, mobile data is activated. This means I can use any apps that require a data connection without having to explicitly turn it on.
- Caller profiles (my phone book is organized into "important", "family", "friends", "work", "acquaintances", etc) - allows certain groups to get through depending on context. e.g. my wife can always contact me, no matter what I am doing. People from "acquaintances" can not get me during working hours - phone won't even ring and the call will be sent through to voice message.
- Night mode (i.e. 2400 - 0600) - the phone is completely silenced
- Wifi tether toggle (i.e. when it detects NFC contact with my android tablet): turns data on and wifi tethering. All I need to do is touch my phone to my tablet, and the tablet piggybacks off the phone's internet connection.

So far these are all the features I have programmed into my phone. Once you have Tasker up and running your phone will have an uncanny ability to configure itself to whatever situation you choose to create in advance. I managed to do all this despite having a rudimentary knowledge of programming (i.e. high school level, and even that was > 20 years ago!). If you are someone like Amir, you would get so much more out of it.

People who don't use Tasker really don't know what they are missing. The advanced control of radios I have programmed into Tasker really makes something like an iPhone seem like a dumbphone - if you go out and don't want your iPhone constantly searching for wifi networks which are not there and wasting a crapload of battery as a result, you have to go to "settings - wifi - off" every time you go out, and do the reverse when you come home. So primitive.