The iPhone/Android war is certainly heating up lately. While many prefer the iPhone for it's simple interface and ease of use, there is one area where Android has it beat - and that's multitasking. For many smartphone enthusiasts (myself included), multitasking is a must-have feature. If you're still on the fence about whether or not multitasking (or running apps in the background) is important to you, these Android apps might help to sway your decision.
1) LOCALE
Locale automatically adjusts settings on your phone based on a number of factors including time, day, location, and battery level. That means you can set your phone to automatically enable WiFi when you're at work or have it disable GPS when your battery is low. There are also a bunch of great plugins available that build on the program's core functionality (like a Google Talk status updater!) Multitasking required.
Locale automatically adjusts settings on your phone based on a number of factors including time, day, location, and battery level. That means you can set your phone to automatically enable WiFi when you're at work or have it disable GPS when your battery is low. There are also a bunch of great plugins available that build on the program's core functionality (like a Google Talk status updater!) Multitasking required.
2) SPOTMESSAGE
Using SpotMessage is kind of like setting text message land mines. The app allows you to set a message to be delivered to a recipient once he/she reaches a spot that you've designated on Google Maps. It can be used to trigger a reminder when you approach a particular location or to send a friend a surprise message (like "quit following me, stalker"). Multitasking required.
Using SpotMessage is kind of like setting text message land mines. The app allows you to set a message to be delivered to a recipient once he/she reaches a spot that you've designated on Google Maps. It can be used to trigger a reminder when you approach a particular location or to send a friend a surprise message (like "quit following me, stalker"). Multitasking required.
3) NEWSROB
RSS has been life-changing for me, so naturally NewsRob is the most frequently used app on my Droid. It is an RSS reader that offers two-way automatic background sync with Google Reader. In other words, it downloads blogs and news articles in the background while you're doing other stuff on your phone. NewsRob is great for city-dwellers who take the subway because it saves up to 1000 news articles for underground viewing pleasure. Multitasking req... well, you get the picture.
RSS has been life-changing for me, so naturally NewsRob is the most frequently used app on my Droid. It is an RSS reader that offers two-way automatic background sync with Google Reader. In other words, it downloads blogs and news articles in the background while you're doing other stuff on your phone. NewsRob is great for city-dwellers who take the subway because it saves up to 1000 news articles for underground viewing pleasure. Multitasking req... well, you get the picture.
What am I getting at? As mobile phones become a bigger part of our everyday lives, we're going to need them to do more than one thing at a time. The applications listed above are just a few examples of what the iPhone is missing out on in its current state. With that said, who knows what Apple has up its sleeve for iPhone 4.0, which is expected to be released in June. Until then, I happily stand by Android as the mobile OS to beat.
To be fair, the iPhone is actually capable of multitasking, but Apple has only enabled it for a select few native applications such as messaging and music. Aside from that, iPhone users are pretty much screwed.
Joe Says: Technology is about innovation. It's hard to be innovative when you can only do one thing at a time. Am I wrong or am I right? Let me know in the comments (and keep it clean!).
This is Joe, signing off.
5 comments:
As you may know I work in higher ed. It's my mission to educate administrators and faculty on how to incorporate social media platforms into the learning experience.
My thoughts re: Spotmesage, which you brought to my attention!
- Faculty send text deadlines re: major projects once students hit the library
- Administrators remind students of financial aid deadlines
- The student center texts last minute discounts once people arrive outside the performing arts venues.
The mind, it does reeel, doesn't it?
Thanks, Guru Joe.
GREAT idea Chad! I love when people come up with creative ways to use some of these incredibly powerful tools. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before higher ed begins using location-based technology to communicate with students!
Oh Joe - multitasking can be seen as an enemy of thought. I do believe it is important, but really not that big of a deal on a cell phone. If you are using something that requires multi-tasking - go to your laptop.
Saying that, I believe Ipod 4.0 will have multitasking capabilities....
Hey Larry. While I fully agree that multitasking is often the enemy of thought (you should see how many Firefox tabs I have open at any given time - it's disgusting), what I'm talking about here has less to do with user multitasking and more to do with the phone's multitasking capabilities.
The apps I outline all require that the phone allow them to run in the background. It has very little to do with the user. It'd be silly to have to carry around a laptop in order to use them - it defeats the purpose;)
Plus, you have to admit, it's a little frustrating to lose your place when you're playing a game of poker on your iPhone because you decided to check an email or a text message.
For the sake of innovation and freedom, I hope you're right about Apple including multitasking in 4.0. While the omission of multitasking from the iPad makes the inclusion in the iPhone's OS seem less likely, Apple sure does love throwing in a last minute surprise.
Joe
Be sure to know that if I had a winning hand at Poker I would be foolish to check an email from a technology blog or a text about dinner with friends. Poker, like a lot of lost arts, requires full attention.
Yours truly,
LarryB
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