By 
On the occasion of Mother’s Day last month, I wrote an article regarding my mom’s ease while using my Galaxy Tab, and stating my hope that the manufacturers advertise their products targeting families. However, what I enjoyed most in regards to that post were the comments that came in from many of the readers.
Specifically, several had written that their mothers had already switched to Android and were happy, while some had mentioned they soon be gifting them one. Living in India, I hadn’t quite realized the strides the platform has already made in this regards.
So, what I’d like to hear from all of you are the stories of how you managed to Androidify your family, and their experiences with our beloved OS. What are the issues they have faced, what do they love about it and what would make them enjoy it even more?
Not gonna lie, most of them just want iPhones. Can’t say I blame them, they are well design, easy to use devices that aren’t trying to be the size of a small tablet.
That been said, I got my dad a Samsung Captivate last year, he hated it, I then rooted it and put CM-7.2 on it. He likes it better now. I’ll probably just get him an iPhone next time.
I’ve got myself and 3 (soon to be 4) of my siblings hooked on Android. The next goal is to try to get the parents who are completely technically illiterate to get them using Android.
Anyone know of any good starter phones for them?
My mother, father, wife, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law all have Androids (Droid 2 Global, Rezound, Triumph/soon to be GS3, Inc2, Inc2)
My family all have ipads and ipod touches.
Mine are iPhones nerds.
Those 2 words don’t even sound right together. Nerds love the flexibility of Android. iPhones are too simple
I talked my mom into getting an android phone, and she went in, and was bamboozeled into getting an iphone. Smh
Interesting…the store took a different approach with my mom. She went in kind of wanting an iPhone. They talked her into a Droid. She hated it for a week and went back to get an iPhone. They tried to balk but she dug-in on the iPhone. They finally relented and she’s happy.
My wife, mom, and sister all have iPhones. My wife’s siblings all have Androids. I got them to buy into Android and they like their phones. Problem I see though is that many of them don’t use Android to its full potential, i.e. crappy home screen set up, don’t know how to use settings to tweak apps to be more useful for them, etc. Android really is the best when it comes to customization, but from what I’ve seen with my family, much of that potential is lost because of the ignorance of the user. They just don’t know or care much for the potential of what Android can do for them.
That’s exactly why Apple is so appealing to that type of consumer. No learning required…
not really. Due to iPhone’s lack of customization it’s really the same thing as an Android user who doesn’t know how to customize. Equal playing field.
Apple just has better (and unified marketing). There’s only 1 iphone and people know that. There are multiple Android phones that come out monthly. Ask a non-tech person… the most recognizable phone is an iphone. That is the problem.
You are no better than a sleazy car salesman if you are pushing non-techies toward Android with that kind of attitude. Factory Android != iPhone. No way. No how.
It’s all simply running apps. Give me a break if you think people can’t touch icons and run programs. This isn’t that hard in either case. It’s like people haven’t been running computers for the last 15 years.
Saying Android is for everyone is just as dumb and fanboyish as saying iPhones are for everyone. You match the platform to the individual based on what best fits their needs. And all the platforms have unique pros and cons that need to be considered.
Who would need an iPhone over an Android device? I’m honestly curious what pro iOS has over Android, it’s difficult for me to think of anything that will outweigh all the pros you get from Android and all the cons of iOS…
Explain to a tech clueless consumer how to completely backup their iPhone. Now explain to the same tech clueless consumer how to completely backup an Android phone. There’s your answer.
Sign into your Google account and everything “just works” for Android. You’ll have your calendar, contacts, music, apps, etc. all synced and backed up everywhere.
I honestly don’t even know for iOS…
You missed the most important thing to backup: app data. How do you backup app data on Android? And not just a list of apps that you have installed.
And that one thing overtakes all the other aforementioned things? I find that hard to believe.
Not saying it’s practical but if you are adept at technology, you can root your phone and use Titanium or similar apps to sync your data and back it up anywhere.
Now explain to a tech clueless person how to do that. That was my original request.
I was not arguing an average person could do this last one. But they could back up and sync more easily on Android than iOS as well as back up more stuff in general. Overall Android’s back up capabilities (even for Average Joe) far exceed that of Apple products.
You asked how to back up app data and I gave you a legitimate answer. If you don’t like it, get off the Android blogs!
My family is a mixtures of Android, WP7 and iOS. Everyone owns a phone based solely on what I told them to get. And I try to get a phone that is best for each individual.
I’m sorry if that pisses you off that I’m platform agnostic and don’t think there is one mobile OS that is perfect for everyone.
Does it help at all that I would never ever use an iPhone myself?
And no Apple beats out Android for backup capabilities for your Average Joe. It does everything from the app data to how your icons were arranged, and everything in between. And it does it all automatically on a daily basis when you sign into your iCloud account when you first get the phone.
Wrong. If neither are being customized iPhone is much better. Much smoother user interface, no freezes, glitches, or hang ups. More apps, and overall just much more user friendly.
For the average consumer, iPhone is the way to go.
And I own an Android phone & tablet.
No freezes or lagging or glitches? I may only have an ipod touch, but it should run ios5 comparably to how an iphone 4 would, and it is anything but glitch free. Popular well developed apps force close all the time, when one app sends a notification the other one lags, despite those 2 apps being the only ones running, and on top of that it freezes even when just playing music when I try to skip forward sometimes. Android can be slow sometimes, but never as bad as iOS. At least android is getting faster and more efficient generally. iOS requires a new phone every year if you don’t want something laggy and slow.
Ah not you can’t compare an iPod to an iPhone 4 or 4S for that matter, I have Iphone 4S jail broke and a galaxy S2 both phones have its strengths and weaknesses, my iPhone very rarely will crash and it’s jail broke so its more prone to doing so, the GS2 crashes and forces close a heck of a lot more, so really on that part there’s no comparison, iOS is a lot smoother with 0 lag compared to gingerbread
*double post* ….
It’s not that the iPhone doesn’t crash, it’s that the phone doesn’t let you know.
It’s all about keeping up appearances. All those times the app starts to open and then closes is not because you hit the home button.
I’ll take Android notifying me that there is an issue, as it prompts me to figure out what’s happening.
Average consumers just bathe in ignorance, like putting electrical tape over the engine warning light.
“If I can’t see it, it never happened”
was on iphone4, then sold it and buyed for that money sgs2. Wont go back to iphone, ios is to boring. And with no options to customize it. And screen is to small.
For avarage comsumer android is way to go (in Latvia). avarage comsumer cant afford iphone (in latvia 16gb iphone 4s costs you near 1000$, 8gb iphone 4 ~ 700$, even 3gs costs over 400$. Galaxy s2 16gb costs 600$, s3 ~ 800$, while s+ ~ 400$. That of contract)
Wong. I had an iPhone 4. The had crashed apps and froze once in a while just like Android. By the way try a 3GS with IOS 5 and see how slow and buggy it is.
Yeap I agree with you 100% I own both platform, and you’re right. Android is great and has many strengths, but iOS is buttery smooth every time, the user interface is much better
I dont get how everyone doesnt seem to know that iOS also crashes, glithes, freezes, lags, etc. It even have more app-crashes than Android (and is mainly caused of some versions of iOS being pure crap and have over 10% app-crashes) and thats just pathetic because all the shitty devices is included in Android.
Which android products? They are not all equal. My nexus s with ics is smooth and doesn’t have glitches or hang ups. Android isn’t that hard to use. I’ve been using both Android and IPhone for a month now and there +- on both for ease of use. Either way you have to understand some real basic things like how to connect to a wifi router so you don’t burn through your data plan, how to connect to your email, how to find and install apps, and how to browse the internet. Give me a break on how hard all this is in either world. If iPhone was so much better Apple wouldn’t be suing the heck out of everyone.
Ummm, iP3gs, iP4 and iP4s all being sold actively doesn’t add up to just one phone, no matter how you slice it.
But you forget they are all called iPhone. People just think of it like the different trim levels on cars, the more “gee’s” the better the phone.
Sad but true.
I dunno. I am VERY tech savvy. I know my way around Windows, OSX, Linux, Android, iOS…etc. I built PCs. I can troubleshoot and fix problems. I am the “go to guy” in my family when people need help with their computers and electronics. I prefer Apple products and their ecosystem. I am a fan of how everything plays well together. My iMac, my iPhone, my iPad all play well together. iCloud integration is awesome. For the actual hardware… I love the solid aluminum and glass. Apple guy here. By choice.
I like how Google products play nice anywhere on anything. They don’t limit you to Google products to “play nice”. I can, for instance, install Android applications from my PC or iMac. I can stream music from my PC to my phone or even TV. Everything works well together with my choice, I’m not stuck with one manufacturer who won’t necessarily be great at all of the things I want like how Apple runs their business model.
I can respect that. I like more that you didn’t say that Android can’t do that. You only mentioned what you like about Apple products. No argument can be made saying you are wrong. That being said, I prefer the android ecosystem and how it works together.
The way I see it, if you dive into the stock Android ecosystem (that is Music, Books, Apps, Chrome, Reader, Voice, Maps, Drive, Youtube, Talk, I could go on) then everything works well together, regardless of the device you’re using (as long as it runs Android 3+). I have a Mac, but I could just as easily use a Windows device and it wouldn’t change anything I do. I don’t even have to use my own computer to access everything. I could log into my google account on a work computer (which I actually do) and be at home. That’s why I love android, and I think many more could benefit from this method.
TL;DR Google’s and Apple’s ecosystems are like their phones:
The apple one is simple and just works and the android one isn’t obvious, but once you start to see the the way it works and tailor it to your uses it becomes beautiful.
I have a Mac. Last year when I dropped my iPhone and tried an imported Galaxy S II, I didn’t like how my GSII didn’t seamlessly integrate with iPhoto. I had to mount the phone’s Mass Storage and manually copy over photos. Same with iMovie. I didn’t like jumping through hoops to get my iTunes managed music sync’d up with my phone. So… yes… switching to Android changed how I had to do things. I tried using the Google Music app. I uploaded all of my music, to find albums missing artwork, duplicate tracks… etc.
Anyway… my original post in this thread was to simply state that the assumption that Apple users are mindless zombies or non-techie types is completely false. I am very capable of managing an Android phone, customizing it or even rooting and using custom ROMS. I just choose not to too all of that work. I choose Apple… because like Apple has always sold it… “It just works.”
PS. Don’t get me wrong… the Android world fascinates me… and I do own an HP Touchpad Mobooting Cyanogenmod 9… so I can get my Android fix.
iPhoto used to support Android phones, and then on an OS X update, they “fixed” it so it wasn’t recognized any longer. Along with my Olympus camera.
On the Apple support forum, people chimed in trying to tell others that iPhoto never supported Android phones, a statement made in ignorance.
The iPhoto “fix” is just another example of raising the garden walls.
Well when google kept navigation and such on android only, it only makes sense apple would respond in kind. This side of competition only hurts the consumers.
Well once again, you have to use the Google method. The equivalent on Android isn’t iPhoto, it’s Picasa. You’re trying to use the iphone implementation on an android device and that’s why it doesn’t work seamlessly.
The album artwork missing is a known issue, but I got that when importing my music for the first time to iTunes as well. Never got the duplicate tracks issue though… Even then, that happened the first time I transfered over some of my old music to iTunes. I feel like these kind of issues always occur when you first set it up.
Once you have it up and running, THEN it works well.
My argument is for the complete use of the ecosystem, which is online. So by music, photos and videos, I mean online.
Yeah… but I don’t like Picasa. iPhoto is awesome. Organizing photos is very easy. Recognizing faces and organizing based upon that is good too. Built in Maps and seeing where pics are taken is great. See… even though I am an Apple fan… I can see their flaws too. Their computer line is grossly overpriced for what it is. But… I will say that there IS some value there. Glass panels and aluminum is premium. But Apple’s software is great and fun to use. That is exactly why for 2 years prior to buying a real Mac, I had a Hackintosh exclusively to make sure I wanted to commit to it. Now my i Mac is my personal machine and my Hackintosh is my HTPC in the living room. We can argue and debate this until we are blue in the face, we will never change each other’s mind about who’s ecosystem is better. But like I said… my OP here was to state, not everyone in Apple’s world is technologically challenged.
iSheep
I’m the exact opposite. I love the fact that I can just plug my phone into any computer and move files onto it. It just works. I don’t have to jack with iTunes. I can just drop a movie on my phone and watch it. I don’t have to load it into iTunes and then wait for it to synch, and deal with the chance that iTunes wants to put me through a lengthy update (Happens to my wife almost every time she wants to put a movie on her iPad and guess who has to deal with it? Me)
Plus, I can put the music in any folder setup I want. I don’t have to deal with Apples’ ridiculous sorting. I have 30GB of music I’ve set up the way that works for me. When I loaded them in iTunes, I couldn’t use my folder sorting, I had to use it the way Apple wanted me to. Poor form, Apple.
Oh, and if you like iTunes, go with Doubletwist. I use Power Amp because it’s smart enough to allow me to only play from the folders I choose. That makes it easy for me.
Look, not to be a d**k about Apple products, but if you are tech savvy, why would you go with Apple? When things go wrong (and they will, don’t let the advertising sway you) you won’t truly be able to fix it yourself. I cringe at the thought of having to pay someone to fix my computers. When my Macbook bit it, and Apple wanted to charge me to just look at it, I realized the folly of my ways. I hope it doesn’t happen to you, but if it does… prepare your wallet for ensuing rapeage.
That’s the problem with Android. Lack of damned marketing and its openness is both blessing and curse. For users that don’t even know how to debloat their phone I can only set it up for them or tell them to get a damned iphone.
Thing is I can’t set up so many phones, so for the general can’t be bothered public I just send them apple’s way. Sad ….. so sad….. I wish android can be cleaner and a bit more unified.
Foolish if you believe this hype.
Ya, the way I see it, when somebody asks me if they should get an iPhone or Android phone, I say iPhone every time. Why? Because if you have to ask, even if you got an Android phone, you’d just use it like an iPhone anyway, so might as well buy an iPhone :P
so you’re feeding the Apple machine through pure ignorance? Interesting take on an ANDROID forum.
Good rule of thumb, assuming they’re not just trying to strike up a conversation with you.
I’m sure somewhere online there’s a “what kind of phone should I buy test”:
Do you have low self-esteem Y/N? iPhone
Is form more important than function to you? iPhone
(9*9+9)/9? if (10) { Android } else { iPhone }
When you drop your phone, would you like it to shatter? iPhone
Are you a snobby, pompous, artistic-wannabe jerk? iPhone
Is having more than one choice, CONFUSING? iPhone
Do you like being told what you can and can’t do? iPhone
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is running with the herd to you? >=7 == iPhone
(sorry. couldn’t help myself writing up a mini-test :)
Hilarious bro, hit it on every point!
And SHAME ON YOU for encouraging his bad math lol
So what you’re saying is: anyone who knows how to do basic math wants an iphone? I know what you meant to say, but your math sucks lol. (9*9+9)/9 = 43,046,722. People who make the argument that ALL people who use iphones are dumb are obnoxious. I’d say only 75% of them suck at math.
PEMDAS [moderated] lol
Hah. No. Sorry, but it’s you who’s got the math wrong. 43million? it’s 9 times 9; not 9 to the 9th power. If I had put two ‘**’ (asterisks) or a ‘^’ (caret) there, then you would’ve been right, but you’re wrong, so, else { iPhone for you }.
… and good day to you sir! I said GOOD DAY MF’er! :-)
Haha my mistake. On my computer it looks like a caret.
You are correct sir!
Whoa whoa whoa???? WHOA. I think you’re math is off… lol.
the answer to that IS 10. 43,046,722 is sooooooooooooo wrong! Just a heads up so the IRS doesn’t kick your door down, but uh… multiply THEN add. You didn’t follow your own statement! PEMDAS/BEDMAS.
I failed your test… hand me an Android… ;)
I am part of the Herd! PONIES!
Though I love my GSII (Hercules).
EXACTLY! I hate it when I see people with apps covering every home screen on their Android phone.
90% of my family have Android phones
Wife, mother, brother, both sister in-laws, and my dad had my old Vibrant before he destroyed it.
My daughter started with the OG Droid. I grabbed it when she upgraded to the incredible. We’re hooked. I now have the RAZR, she has the Droid 4, our spare phone is the Droid 3 & my granddaughter now uses the incredible (no network service) to play games, listen to music, etc. She’s 5.By the way our household is all female. Except for my grandson but he’s only 1.
My kids both have an iPod touch. Pretty sure they both want iPhones. I will let them choose which platform they want. Despite my preference iOS is a solid platform with very little stability issues. If I try to talk them into something they don’t really want it will be me that regrets it.
My family members and I using Android. My wife she thought she’s like the IPHONE over the Android, until she tried it, she came straight back to Android.
I convinced my mother to get an Android phone, but quickly learned that she would be better off with an iPhone. She still has her Android, but she can barely work it and is always asking for help because she screwed something up. I love Android, I have the Galaxy Nexus and both my room mates have Android, but it’s not for everyone. The iPhone is incredibly simple and while it still isn’t as perfect as it’s made out to be, it’s much more friendly than Android to a non tech savvy user.
What I’d be interested to know is what in particular does she screw up? Are we talking about settings? Or removing widgets by mistake?
My parents and sister all have Androids, but they dont realize how powerful their phones are = I’m helping my mom get there though. My bf and I love our Androids to death though and we tell everyone every chance we get.
Its also worth noting. I talked my dad into galaxy tab 2 7.0 for my mom and a Galaxy Nexus for himself. The tab goes completely unused and my dad now regrets getting the Nexus. I guess that’s 4 examples of failure for you. To be honest I am so unsatisfied with my gnex I may consider giving iPhone another go with their next new release.
Oh! My Sister and Brother n law are both iOS and iPhone users for life.
wht is it that you hate on android, and how will an apple product change this.
I’m the only one with an android phone. My older brother has an iPhone and my older sister and younger brother have a Blackberry.
My parents, my girlfriend, and I are Android only. My 16 year old sister an iPhone.
then again she has an Evo Shift…
wants an iPhone*
My mother and sister have Android phones and we all have an android tablet each, so we’re pretty much as androidfied as it gets… :)
My parents have iPhones, which they seem to find sufficiently easy for them. My brother uses WP7, having switched to it from the iPhone.
My partner uses Android, and she is very keen on Cyanogenmod (I am currently using AOKP).
My entire family. Parents are on the Incredible, I’m on the Inc 2 (soon to be S3) and my sister is on a Rezound.
slowly but surely I am turning them over: https://plus.google.com/108552134171581207764/posts/RMTLrMyzvUm
Myself, brother, brother in-law and sister all use Android phones. My mother and father cant handle them (too complicated) I want to get them Windows Phones. They are extremely easy to use.
I have the Rezound and father has the Droid Eris. My mother has the iPhone 4S and my little brother has a dumbphone. My father says he’s going to buy the iPhone 5 when it comes out because Apple is the best. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.
my cousin dropped his iphone on the floor, now it is completely smashed. i hope this chears you up.
It did, thank you.
I wear the android pants in the family. Everyone else gets my leftovers I.e Eris, Dinc, Bolt and I get no complaints
My brother has a razr maxx, my sister has a nook tablet (stock), my mother has a rooted cm7 nook color, and my dad has an HTC flyer that he absolutely loves.
Most of my family owns Androids. My gf knows knows no apples products are allowed in the house so when we left sprint for Verizon she didn’t even look at a iPhone even tho I told her it was cool to get one if she wanted it. Test passed! My 5 yr old daughter know most the ins and outs Android thanks to the rooted nook I loaded with games and gave to her. My mom is lost but she tries lol! She’s scared of technology it took months for her to give Amazon her credit card number because she thought it would get stolen.
5 Android phones in my house, 0 Apple.
Mom and Dad both had Blackberries… I had an HTC Sensation 4G… Convinced them into upgrading to a Samsung Exhibit II 4G (Mom) and Samsung Galaxy Blaze 4G (Dad) while im going to upgrade to a Samsung Galaxy S III at the end of the month…
It’s interesting to me that, with all the people I know who have / had BlackBerry, yours is the first comment to mention that brand.
I took the first with my shiny Galaxy Apollo. My sister followed my move to the Desire HD while my other sister was given my Apollo. So 3 androids and also a iPad. I use mine for mainly social media, gaming etc. They use majority phone, text, whatsapp, and light games of draw something. I have to teach how to update etc and do advanced things
I have a dart, exhibit 2, and a tab 7.0 plus. Mom has sidekick 4g, cousin has lg mytouch, uncle has exhibit, dad has a dumbphone from 2001 that requires you to pull out the antenna and a 1st gen ipad. He’s out of touch when it comes to technology.
After years of Windows Mobile, my family (husband & 2 teenagers) and I moved to the Fascinate the day it came out. I then moved to the Droid Charge, & now the Galaxy Nexus. Impatiently waiting on the next new releases…
Currently teaching my mom (82 years old) to use the RAZR MAXX. She’s doing great! She kept accidentally removing the widgets, so that was one of the first things she learned to put back. Mom can now text, email, take pictures and use quite a few apps. I’m thrilled! Yay Android!
I, too, used to accidentally ‘liquidate’ icons/widgets while switching screens. Don’t know why Android hasn’t incorporated a screen lock, as GO LAUNCHER EX and other third party launchers have. (awesome feature!)
Your Mom is techie according to the Apple fan boys. Because if she wasn’t she surely wouldn’t be able to use Android.
5 iPhones, 2 Galaxy S2, 1 HD7 (Windows Mobile), the rest dumbphones.
I converted my two little brothers and my mother, but my dad refuses to get a smartphone and still sticks to his old Siemens/BenQ phone.
My Mom, Dad, and I are all Android users.
EDIT:
Short version: I am the only androidified person in my family…2 others rock an android device, but they might as well have windows phone7 or iOS. Although one of them might care if he didn;t have android, but as far as I know, he doesn’t do much with it.
Mostly android in my circles, except for my parents with iPhones, and my wife who STILL won’t give up her original pink moto RAZR v3 featurephone, but who loves to steal my phone or the tablet all the time anyway.
Me and my wife use a nook color running cm7 off an SD card. A rooted metro PCs lgesteem debloated but stock. My wife has an iPod touch;
I bought her before apple started the patent wars. If it was after would have forbid her from buying it. A huawei ascend phone I gave her second hand running cm7. Love android. I jumped from blackberry to android. Not enough options with iPhones or prepaid plans. Also not interested in iTunes or the iecosystem.Hate the fact that you can’t jailbreak an iphone and get updates. No limit on what you can do with android. The constant banning and lawsuits against android makers by apple disgusts me. Monopolies are not good for the economy.Maybe I can’t blame technically challenged people for buying apple products. But if you have the ability to jailbreak an iPhone I urge you not to waste your time; Just join the android family you will get unlimited hackability and customization. The only disadvantage to Droid is rooting and debloating for optimal performance. But there is no limit once you do.Theree nothing apple can do that an android equivalent can’t. Even when they try to make apps exclusively for iPhone they usually come to Droid sooner or later or an equivalent app. Removable SD cards custom Roms native shockwave flash. Freedom from the I ecosystem. 4g service till iphone5. Quad core processors. Why waste your time with apple?
Thanks to me, all of my immediate family. My extended family have iPhones though.
Thanks to you? Are you teaching them to be blind or computer illiterate? What are you doing On phandroid trolling? IPhone are for the technically challenged primarilly. And I don’t support companies that are patent trolls that use unfair business practices to ban the competition so they don’t have to compete. Applefl stands for acronym another pathetic patent lawsuit emerges.
I have two Androids, Gnex and Maxx, wife has white Razr and my sister, bother in law and brother have Android. Parents who are 78 and 79 have iPhone 4 and because the customization of the Android system would drive them crazy they just don’t know what they are missing out on late in life.
My parents use blackberries and my brother has a pre 3 after using an iphone 3GS and then the 3D LG for a while. Meanwhile Im stuck on an old blackberry until I can afford to get a new android after my X10 broke. Sad times for Android in this household.
Dude take pride in your blackberry research in motion isn’t a patent troll unlike the bitten fruit company! I Still have respect for research in motion.
Mom, dad, and myself all have Android, my brother is the only one using iOS :(
Me: Android phone & Android tablet (One X & Galaxy S2 & Transformer Prime)
Daughter #1: Android tablet (Wifi Galaxy Tab)
Daughter #2: Android tablet (Acer A100)
Wife: iPhone 4 & iPad 1
(Daughter #1 is almost to that age where I’m considering whether or not she should have a phone. But when it’s time, it will be Android. Daughter #2 is too young for a phone)
your daughters must be very clever compared to your wife, JK.
Me and my mom have androids. The other siblings dont have phones yet, but when they get them, they will be android.
Although I’m not a modder (Droid Eris, launch day Thunderbolt, launch day Galaxy Nexus), I’m more ‘into’ smartphones than anyone I know… most of whom use iPhones (which I describe as smartphones for people who hate smartphones!)
I suppose I should add that one of my sons (Rezound) and my daughter-in-law are androidified.
I have successfully. Talked ever family member into the Android world. Mom dad sister brother-n-law. And I’ve got that exact sticker of an Android family on my back windshield.
Where did you get that sticker from?
Androidstickers.com
I have a Droid X, Transformer Prime, Walkman Z, Sony Google TV, and soon to have a Galaxy S3.
My dad also has a Droid X which he regrets for being too slow (way too many apps)
My mom has an iPhone 4S (which she won. She previously had a flip-phone). She’s usually jealous of what my Droid X can do that her iPhone can’t.
My sister has an iPhone 3GS but she’s been begging me to buy her an Android phone.
My whole family (including myself) had iPhones since the beginning. Then, believe it or not, I switched to the Motorola Cliq. Yes, you read that right. I just loved the freedom of customization. Now my whole family is android: I have a Note, Mom an SGS2, Dad a Vivid and Transformer Prime, and my brother still has his iPhone, but rooted his Nook so he could still enjoy Android.
Parents: Nokia WP7, staying there
Sister: iPhone, keeping her with Apple forever
Brothers: Android, staying there
In-Laws: Android, plan on moving them to Nokia WP8
Wife: Android, staying there
Me: Android, moving to BB10 or WP8
All of my family owns what phones they do because of me.
I used to do all Android for everyone. That really didn’t work out too well. Now I pick the platform that is best for the person given their skill level and what their needs are. Remember kids, being a fanboy is only going to hurt the ones you love.
My family (Mum, Dad, Brother and I) are all using Androids.
Mum: Galaxy S
Dad: Samsung Xcover (I told him to get a Gnex, it was the same price on plan…)
Brother: Doensn’t really need a phone and tablet, but has access to my “hand me downs”
Me: Galaxy Nexus + HP touchpad (mainly running android)
father = symbian, he got it from work
mother = my old lg p500, using it rather as a feature phone, sometimes wifi etc
me = gnex and tf101
brother = symbian, while he insisted he doesnt want touchscreen and doesnt need smartphone, I picked him a symbian, so now he is ocupying my phone and tablet….
I have the OG Galaxy Tab, and the GNex, wife has Droid Bionic, mom has OG Droid, sisters have Evo 4G and Droid Incredible 2, brother in laws have Optimus S and Photon, little sisters boyfriend has Evo 4G Wife’s little sister has my old Xperia Play and her older sister just bought the Evo 4G LTE.
me mom and brother and soon dad :D
I have an atrix running CM7, and gave my father my old galaxy after he got robbed. My mother is kind hopeless with tech stuff, can barely use a feature phone. My sister doesn’t have a smartphone, although last year I gave her one iPod touch when I was abroad, she would suit much better with the iPhone though, she is very hipster, however, she hates iTunes to the heart, after she by mistake deleted all her songs and apps, and couldn’t sync anymore, had to reinstall it, so I don’t really know what she would prefer. Both my father and sister are not tech nerds, just average users, they have however, a very good knowlegde on how to download music and movies (illegally, it is amazing actually). My little brother is too young for smartphone, and my older brother is kind of apple fan.
Funny story about my father. When I gave him the galaxy, I just gave him a quick tutorial, and then I synced his google contacts, he was thrilled (literally) of how it was possible that, when you updated a contact on the browser it would automatically reflect on the phone. It was funny.
I’ve got the inc2, my dad has an iphone(couldn’t change his mind if I tried) mom has a work blackberry(can’t change that) but my sister has an upgrade soon and she will be androidified
yep but severely limited as far as customization is concerned. If you need Apple to think for you cause you can’t think for your self why are you wasting your time in android forums in the first place? go to cult of mack there are plenty of people there who refuse to think for themselves just like you.
only me and everyone around me using an iphone. my boss use blackberry and Wp7 phone…. im going to give the iphone a try this fall when they release the new one.
my mom galaxy nexus, wife rezound and thunderbolt, brother incredible and droid 2 his wife some lg crap, cousins galaxy s2 and sidekick 4g, sister in law galaxy s2 and galaxy note, dad some bullshit flip phone and ipad 2 hes out of touch.
Damn, that’s a pretty good collection of powerful phones (except maybe the lg, incredible and droid 2). Why do so many people in your family use two phones though?
I was wondering the same thing, about the two phones.
Mother: G2
Father: Nexus One
Sister: Mytouch 3g slide and possibly a tablet in the near future
Brother: Mytouch 4g
Me: Galaxy Nexus and soon to be Nexus Tablet
Brother started android first with a mt3g, I switched over to a Nexus One from a Touch Pro2 after realizing Windows Mobile was….well, Windows Mobile. My father was next with a Nexus One (since it was the best phone available on tmo at the time). I outright bought my sister a MTS after she went through about three dumbphones in three months. My brother and I convinced my mother to get a G2 by showing her that google voice and tethering were a cheaper solution to a house phone her current home internet. (Half of my extended family lives in Jamaica, Trinidad, or somewhere in Europe).
My brother plans to buy the next Nexus outright and stay off contract like me, but no amount of convincing could cause my parents or sister to upgrade their phones.
Don’t just be an ignorant user research pros and cons of iPhone. Hell research android in my opinion better features plans etc. If you can figure out how to use it android its waaaay better!
3 of 4 (one iPhone holdout) with mixed reviews. I have a GSII, daughter a GSII Skyrocket, and wife a Note. We would all benefit greatly from ICS, but this is not likely any time soon as Samsung seems content to placate the angry masses with unfulfilled promises. The Skyrocket has been absolutely awful on battery life and none of the usual fixes seem to help. The Note inexplicably turns off the buried setting, ‘use packet data’ on a regular basis. I presume both of these issues will be taken care of with the 4.0 update. The fact I had to spend several hours setting up each phone’s apps and settings worked well for me, but for an average user, the Android experience would be substantially less rewarding as this process requires at least a moderate level of knowledge. In particular, realizing the importance of using Google contacts with GO Contacts and ditching the standard program and phone contacts is crucial to managing key information. I would like to see more refinement, better default settings, more intuitive tweaking, and above all, more and better Google apps. There is still the sense a tech oriented person is required to set the system up for a positive experience.
I have owned the OG Droid, then the Droid 2 global, currently the Galaxy Nexus.
My GF owned the Eris and currently has the Thunderbolt.
My mom and brother both have Android phones on Metro PCS.
My 77 year old grandma got her first smart phone, the Droid 4, this week, after the salesman attempted to talk her into the iPhone. Even though she specifically said she wanted a phone with a physical keyboard when she went into the store.
brother 1..LG Optimus M
brother 2…Samsung exhibit 2 his wife LG Esteem,
brother 3…LG Optimus M….his wife Samsung Indulge
brother 5…Samsung Prevail….his wife a blackberry
brother 6…Moto Atrix
Sister……..iphone
My niece….Samsung Infuse, her brother (my godson) LG G2X
My wife… Moto Milestone 2, my self G-Nexus and an ipad2
My sister was the first to get an Android phone and she had the G1. I didn’t know she had an Android phone until she gave it to my wife, for my wife to give it to my brother in law. Without knowing that my sister had the G1, I got myself the OG Droid and from there I kind of got everyone on Android. The OG Droid was my first smartphone and as I poked it and play with it to learn its limit I would show what I learn to my brothers and I guess they like what they saw. Till this day as I play with my G-Nexus and find new things to do with it or find an app that might help me and them improve the use of the device I share it with them. Only my godson and I tinker around with our phones….Cousin wise, that’s a mix bunch some have Android and others have iphones.
My wife’s homescreens are hideous and virtually unusable. Though, just yesterday I taught her how to tag on Facebook. She is a candidate for the iPhone, but she really loves her galaxy s!
The entire part of my family using smartphones uses Androids. No iPhones in this family! (Except for my second cousins, who I am still convincing to use Androids.)
im the only one in my family with an android smartphone and tablet, the rest of my family have flip phones
Sadly, only my sister owns a smartphone in the family, a Galaxy Gio that I gave her. It went pretty much like this:
thedoghousediaries.com/3548
Up till August 2011, my family has 5x iPhone 4! But now, all 5 of us are using Android by HTC and Samsung! This also includes Android tablets! No way back to pathetic iPhone/iPad/IOS! Just NO way!
I’d be glad if anyone in my family would be really able to use a smartphone :P Unfortunately they’re not up to date with modern technology. I gave android smartphone to my sister, but that was just a pure waste. She uses it for facebook and gmail almost exclusively, never tried to install or use any other application and she finds my encouragements and hints annoying. Like she’s complaining the pictures she takes are always foggy and ugly and mine are always pretty, however ignores contemptuously the advice the lenses should be clean (seriously, didn’t know before someone can have such dirty lenses) :P
Myself and my wife used to have Android phones,but switched to iPhone and couldn’t be happier. Never going back to that crappy OS ever again.
My mom runs her own school. She uses the kindle app on her Samsung Galaxy S ll to read her pdf’s to her class, google calender to set up events, and gmail to contact people while she is at work. She uses the microphone on the keyboard to send texts with her voice when she is cooking and can only touch the phone with one finger.
My dad owns his own roofing company. He has to measure roofs and send out work orders. He checks the pitch of the roof with an app on his Galaxy S ll. He writes down work orders in a note taking widget to read them when he gets home. He uses the wireless printer to print photos of hail damage to send out to insurance companies. He uses the 8MPX camera to take really nice photos of that damage. He uses wireless sync to move them to his laptop. He uses google calendar to remember appointments, then taps the address to navigate there in google maps.
My Brother uses his HTC EVO (the original) to take notes in class at school. He uses his phone socially to keep in contact with his phones and always know where the party is at. He uses the GPS to get to a girls house for a date, or find me when I call him to meet me somewhere.
I use my Samsung Galaxy S ll at work to keep myself sane with all my music on google music. (So much that it won’t fit on my ipod classic but fits on google music). I sync my text messages with my laptop through bluestacks so I can read my text messages while playing games on my desktop. I keep my battery going 3 days through a custom rom and juice defender so when I’m in the middle of nowhere I feel safe knowing I can call 911 or a family member. I use Torque to monitor the horse power and check engine light on my car through bluetooth. I play games at lunch at work to keep a little fun in my day.
We all make calls, text messages and emails as well.
We are the Forbus Family. We are. DROID. >=)
According to the apple fan boys you must all be techies because you can use software not written by Apple.
Thats the funny thing. My mom had an iPhone for 2 weeks and she couldn’t figure out how to do anything on it.
I switched from a Palm Pre to and HTC Evo a couple of years ago. I was pleased enough with the Android OS that my wife and both my daughters switched from Palm to Android phones: Evo’s for my daughters and a Galaxy S for my wife. My daughter’s fiance moved from iPhone to an Evo 3G, based on my daughter’s satisfaction with for her phone. I’m carrying a Galaxy Nexus, currently. My early edition Evo developed some problems with restarting for no apparent reason, but my daughters’ newer models have been functioning perfectly.
I’ve had one of the early Android flagships (Samsung Galaxy S) and tried to interest my wife into getting one. But I’d just given her my old iPod Touch and within a few weeks it became painfully obvious that my Galaxy felt like a pimped up country bumpkin compared to the iTouch’s breezy & effortless sophistication.
She got herself an iPhone.My lil sister though felt that her techhead brother would know better and got herself a Samsung S II. And promptly began finding it idiotic to use.
My sister and got herself an iPhone.
She gave the S II to our mother. Who used it for 3 weeks, yelled at both my sister and me. And got herself an iPhone too.”Maybe its Samsung’s fault” I thought and tried a succession of ‘custom ROMs’ (11 by my last count) on my Galaxy S. Each one was good in some ways, painful in others. And if I was struggling with the phone, I couldn’t blame my family members for wondering if the Google guys I’d spoken so highly of, were actually a bunch of retards. Then I was gifted an iPad 2 a few months ago. And I understood what I hadn’t till then. Specially after I’d learnt that my (at the time) 18 month old phone couldn’t be updated to ICS, while my antique iPod Touch (now 3 years old) still received iOS updates. And still worked like a dream.So about 3 weeks later, I did what I’d so long tried to suppress.
I flung my Galaxy S on a wall, broke it into itsy pieces and got my own iPhone.
There are a lot of apple fan boys attacking phadroid today. You’re a troll and I hope Apple is paying you for your time to comment on android sites. Don’t you have better things to do.
It’s cool man, it just means the site gets more hits.
It’s not like they are really going to make an argument that will sway our (Android users) opinion about Apple products. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy reading their posts as it shows how passionate they are about a product without knowing what else is out there. iPhone is a fantastic device in some circumstances, but IMO an inferior device/OS compared to what is available with Android.
YES Android devices have issues, but so do iPhones, BB, WP7, Symbian, Bada, feature phones, microwaves, televisions, fridges, cars… oh wait… I’m seeing a pattern here.
Choice is the key factor here, as the general populous prefers to not educate itself (which is pathetic considering the availability of information due to this little thing called the internet) before making large or long-term purchases, average consumers prefer to be told what to get rather than make his/her own choice.
I prefer to make up my own mind. If I pick a dud, I learn from my mistakes.
THE END.
(damn, I wrote a book while on break haha!)
Like @Manbo:disqus said ”
If I pick a dud, I learn from my mistakes ”
@spicymeatball:disqus , I hoped to inform anyone else who was trying to decide, with my own & my family’s experience. If that is being a “Troll”, so be it.
@facebook-708741524:disqus , you must be right ! Clearly, you’re Einstein.
Wow! A whole family full of ignoramuses! How quaint!
Mom and Dad on Blackberry. I’m still rocking a Nokia E-72 (Cuz no money) But I did manage to convince my sister to get a HTC Dezire when she was in the market for a new phone.
So Androidification = 1/4
Would totally make that 1/2 if the HTC EVO 4G LTE was launched in India!!!
My whole family has Android except my dad. For some reason he just likes apple.
I am an avid Android fan and when I got my phone (HTC Desire) my mom got one for her too. She had a Sony Ericsson before hand and she loves her phone. My dad has an iPhone but he likes it because it’s simple for him to understand and my sister has a Blackberry because shes a social teen who only wants to talk to her friends….ALL DAY LONG!
My wife and daughter have android and do fine. And to the surprise of the Apple fan boys they aren’t techies. You give what these things do too much credit. It’s not that hard to run smart phones if you’ve grown up using Windows 7 and Mac. You all act like smart phones are harder to use instead of simpler. Have you tried a Blackberry that people loved? Smart phones all do the same things just a bit differently. Not that hard.
My mom, brother, sister, 2 brothers in law, 2 sisters in law, 2 mothers in law (One is a step mother), 2 nephews, wife, and I all have Androids. My Father in law and brother in law have Apples.
Oh, and mom also has an Asus Transformer, as does my brother.
I have an EVO LTE, have had the Moment, Epic, and Epic Touch
My entire family has been “Androidified”. That includes my Wife, my 3 year old son and my 10 year old daugther. Started off with the OG Motorola Droid and now the entire family has to heavily rommed Motorola Droid X/X2, the OG Motorola Droid, a TeamEoS Motorola roomed Motorola Xoom and a slighty damaged (Damned screen) Toshiba Thrive. And before this “Apple makes it easier” crap, my Son has been playing with Androids since he was 2 and he has no issues navigating either of the devices nor does he have issues with buying stuff off Google’s marketplace… much to my dismay.
My dad, my mother in law, my step mom, my wife, my son, my aunt, my two cousins all on Android not one iphone in the family that i have seen. one windows phone brother in law and one blackberry sister in-law. Couple of ipads one mine new ipad and my sister in law ipad 2. I had nothing to do with any of it its just what they chose. my wife and son had no choice i pay the bill i chose the phone Wife evo 3d, kid lg gx2 me Evo LTE
Me,gram,brother,aunt,uncle,cousin x6, and soon to be my mom in august. They all love their phones and tweak everything.
Just me, but they are simpletons that have a hard time operating a can opener. Therefore iOS is perfect for them.
Nexus S, Galaxy S 2, Galaxy Nexus, iPhone 4, and a shared iPad 2! we have a nice balance of ios vs android
I am ashamed to say that there are 3: iPhones and only 2:Droids in my house.
Android 4 Life
Both parents use iPhones. Dad has an iPad. Younger sister has an iPhone and my older sister uses an iPhone. I’m the only Android user in my family.
My mother,my father,my two sisters, my brother and his wife all of them use android devices and my father also have xoom. Me and my other sister are the only ones who use iphones and I am thinking about ordering galaxy s3 but I will keep the iphone :-)
I run a samsung galaxy s while my mums got a nexus s and my brother a nice new HTC one s however i still cant convince my dad to part with his blackberry…..the shame :P
When my Nokia N8 phone died (after the 2nd time) I had to get a replacement phone while those jokers fixed the handset. My wife needed a new phone, and after some discussion she decided on the Huawei Ideos (Froyo, and *still* is Froyo with no official upgrade path).
I used the phone for three days until my handset was ready for collection.
Even as basic as that phone is, the range of apps and things you could do with it put the seed of doubt into my mind about Nokia. Stuff “just worked”. The deep integration with Google services swayed me even more, and was attractive considering you needed GoogaSync (a $20 app) just to get multiple google calendars on Nokia phones. #fail
Four months later, after my N8 warranty officially expired, I decided to jump in to Android and got the SGS2. #win
My mother-in-law upgraded her Nokia “feature phone” to a Huawei Sonic (couple of factors better than the Ideos, but still pretty basic). After seeing my SGS2, my father-in-law was out of contract and it was a quick decision for him to transition to a SGS2 as well (from his Blackberry).
My mother is considering getting a mobile, and I’ll be suggesting an entry level Android for her. She wants one with “big buttons”, so I’m sure the Android dialler will be perfect for her.
I know my wife turns on her WiFi connection through the settings still, rather than a home-screen widget. I’ve told her about it, but she either doesn’t want my advice, or doesn’t care.
The biggest issue I can see is manufacturers loading deprecated Android versions on cheap handsets, and not offering an upgrade path to (at least) Gingerbread or higher. Running old android versions is a known security issue, and it makes me angry that I have to root my wife’s phone just to get her handset up to the latest security patches.