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I guess you know you’ve got way too many apps installed on your phone/tablet if you can go three weeks since starting a series like this. Unlike the previous two occasions, when I focussed on tablet apps and phone apps separately, this week is going to be a mix.
Box: The offer of 50GB free online storage is really tempting. Until you realise that you’ve got to pay or a desktop sync client. That’s a major deal-breaker for me. I don’t really use cloud storage that much, so Dropbox’s 3GB (I believe its 2GB to start with) limit is more than sufficient for me.
Microsoft OneNote: Till I ditched Windows for a Mac last year, OneNote was probably the most useful productivity software I used. I always dreamt of a quality tablet with a good stylus input with OneNote onboard. When I learnt that they had released an Android app, I was really hopeful to see what it was capable of.
Sadly, this took me barely a few minutes to uninstall. There just isn’t a killer feature anywhere, I find Evernote to be vastly superior in just about any sense, plus OneNote doesn’t have a native Mac app.
Real Football 2012 HD: A game that limits your stamina so you can only play a certain amount, unless you purchase more stamina? That stuff should be limited just to Facebook games. Let me pay a certain amount and get a completely unlimited pass to it. The game also took me 6 whole minutes once to start a match, because it first needed to verify my files again, then started a tutorial and forgot my earlier tournament, despite knowing I’ve crossed a couple of levels.
Others:
StreamLife, Spool, Paper Camera
I had the same issue with OneNote. I loved it on my Windows pc, moved over to a Mac and now I cannot believe I can’t use it. Evernote works well on the phone…but it has nothing on OneNote on the desktop.
Why would you ditch a Windows computer for an Apple while using an Android phone, and expect MS to put out a definitive app for a third-party OS and have it anywhere near the real McCoy? Are companies just supposed to do whatever you want, however you like it, whenever it pleases you? The OneNote app for Windows Phone is awesome, the one for Android is okay, as is the one for iPhone. That’s how it should be. You really need to pick an ecosystem and stay with it.
Hey, waiter! Can I get some egg rolls with with my spaghetti? Uh, no.
I used to own a blackberry, so I shouldn’t have gotten an Android? I shouldnt get a Mac because I’ve been using Windows? What kind of logic is this? Typically we do like things when it pleases us and dislike them when they dont. Androids run well with Mac especially since most apps use the cloud to sync instead of the os.
I wouldn’t support any company that is hell bent on suing a competitor into oblivion. Doing so is tacit agreement.
What does that have to do with not switching systems in the way the Muffin Man was meaning?
Stick to one ecosystem? No thanks, I like having my options. I had to take up a Mac when I began learning iOS development, and in the past year I’ve come to prefer the Mac over a PC. As for expecting MS to release a quality OneNote app, I don’t expect it to match the quality on their own platforms. But I do expect a company that takes pride in its products to at least not create one that sucks.
Anyway, like I’ve said in the first article of the series, these apps were not good enough for ME. I uninstalled Plume, too, which is very popular. These just didn’t make the cut for me.
you don’t need to pay for a windows version to be using box.net on desktop:
http://www.ifans.com/forums/threads/how-to-guide-mount-box-net-to-your-pc-for-free-50gb-storage.354484/
Thanks for this, will check it out and see if I can find some equivalent method for my Mac. If there is, then Box is back on my devices.
There is. Go to the FInder, hit CMD + K (to connect to server) and basically follow the same set up instructions.
Cool. I kept box around but hey the truth is storage is cheap and smaller everyday
Really its coming down to there is no use for cloud storage
I saw your comment and understand not everyone would love plume, but i do :)
I can set colors for each person and for me nothings better
Not big on notes so can’t comment on one note, i hear so much about ever and still have not tried it.
While i agree box is a little less user interface friendly and less universally available as say, drop box…ugh..must point out this sentence
its really coming down to there is no use for cloud storage???i think actually whats it coming down to is, you really dont know anything about where tech has been heading towards in the last 2 years..and the next few years,worst. user comment. ever.
Really George? Bored? Looking for a fight?
We all see how tech is going and techies who know about
storing files on their own storage backups pretty much assume its just a matter of time for others to learn. Cloud storage is lame and people will learn and move on
Hey if my comment is worst ever and all u can do is complain i guess you now hold the worst comment spot. Thx buddy.
Once we all have in our hands the Two Terabyte SD Cards
why would anyone bother with cloud anywhere? george, we will all be carrying our digital data in our phones. ALL of it!!!
Just uninstalled every gameloft game. That company is garbage and built to scam users.
I find Box to be very useful. I can upload files from my laptop (Fedora 16) without a problem, and I don’t need to pay for a sync app to do so. Then I can share them with friends by showing them on my phone. I also upload all the files I am working on for classes at the university. If I am at school and suddenly need one of the files I can e-mail it to my university account and then open it in any computer in the university computer labs. I hardly ever need to bring my laptop to school now.
we all know you want to uninstall the Facebook app…. Just do it already. They need more public criticism for their absolutely atrocious Android app. What the hell are they doing with all that IPO money that t they can’t afford to pay a developer or two who can make a good app???
Wow, people smoking crack on here? I love how people can be talking trash about Cloud networks. “I’ll have a large enough memory card that I’ll never need a Cloud set up….” What is this 1998?
For those of you who think you’ll never lose your phone or your hard drive or be in a tight jam where you need to use someone else’s computer and always have access to all your files…..I have some ocean front property in Kansas I’d like to sell you ASAP.
Oceanfront in Kansas?!?! Sign me up, I love to travel!
Does it have Wifi?
Oh, no? Well, I have a huge SD Card so no issue.
Oh, they have super awesome fiber in Topeka?
Well, that’s cool. I’ll move there then. Because the basis of my choice of location is made in direct relevant relation to the presence of “The Signal”.
Here’s a tight jam for you folks in the clouds all the time; when you’re actually in them, and you’re stuck talking to the personification of cultural awkward because you figured keeping local copies is for the old-fashioned.
Part of the creation of cloud computing was not the idea of everything being able to be pulled out of the ether at any given moment. It was the idea of perfect resilience without practicing endless redundancy. Because those 2 things lie (somewhat) at odds in the realm of data access, security, and integrity,…a comment was made that this engineer had his head in the clouds, but should remind himself to keep his feet on the ground.
At least, that’s the story they tell around campfires at IBM retreats, where stories have to be made up because nobody can get a 4G signal to download any.
Spool is a great app for me, using especially between my laptop, android phone, and most importantly, android tablet. Getting the content downloaded/synced onto the tablet is essential…being as there are many instances I’m in with no wifi. Do you have a better method of syncing for offline tablet use, or do you just not care?