Microsoft Says Android is for Computer Scientists and Siri is nothing new.

Posted by julias
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that Android is for Computer Scientists and Siri is nothing new he also said that the iPhone is the most expensive phone in the world.

Do you agree with his remarks?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sc[....]ors-circle-internet-giant.html

[ This Message was edited by: julias on 2011-10-20 19:17 ]

Posted by Marly

On 2011-10-20 19:11:09, julias wrote:
he also said that the iPhone is the most expensive phone in the world.

Apparently he's never heard of Vertu, Mobiado etc.

Posted by julias
I think he may have meant the most expensive mass market phone.

Posted by masseur
well he's true in that Siri isn't particularly new. I was using Microsoft Voice Command on my windows mobile devices nearly a decade ago and it was very good even then

Posted by Tsepz_GP

He is hilarious, i just cant take him seriously anymore, everytime he opens his mouth about other companies and their products, something crazy comes out.

With 550,000+ activations a day that A LOTA Computer Scientists

4million units sold in a weekend and Siri server crashing due to high value, nothing, realy?

Most expensive? You can get a 3GS for next to nothing, and iPhone4 has been very well priced in contract even before the 4S.
Most new Androids cost more than an iPhone, but the iPhone holds its value VERY well as only one is released every year and demand completely out numbers availibility.

Posted by julias
@Tsepz_GP Agreed as the CEO of Microsoft his remarks are making him look stupid the only thing I agree with is Siri as masseur mentioned is very old.

Posted by adsada
Well first off, I hate looking at stuff reworded or taken out of context, so. He said "'The biggest advantage we have over Android is that you don’t need to be a computer sci entist to use a Windows Phone" Which is of course complete crap, because as anyone know using an Android phone is pretty easy, I think the point he was trying to make, is that using Windows Phone 7 is very basic and that it's easy to use, much like iOS. I sort of agree with this because Android as great as it is, took me a while to really understand how to use it, plus you are given so many options to customise it and provides settings which only really people who are interested in that sort of stuff need to know. Whereas Microsoft and Apples attempts keep things easy and simple. It is though quite a patronising statement, in that, he implies that people need simple phones because they cannot manage more complicated things. But I still see what point he is trying to make, Android is far more complicated and more developer focused which of course is no bad thing as you have much more control on how you want your phone to be like fit to your needs.

I agree with him on Siri, just another voice recognition software, no biggie nothing creative or unique about it, likewise the point he made about the iPhone (mind this was back in 2007) being the most expensive handset again I'd agree. Comparing the market, it is a complete rip of (imo) you can get phones for far better value with more stuff packed in. You also have a phone which has hardware which is a available at the time, not having to wait a lot longer for it if you buy iPhones (decent camera, front facing camera etc.) The iPhone is really not worth the money people pay for it, but they do pay for it because of its media hype and extremely high brand appeal.

[ This Message was edited by: adsada on 2011-10-21 00:11 ]

Posted by Bonovox
Android handsets almost all of them are cheaper than iphone.

Posted by skblakee
Forgive Steve, the board is on his back, Windows phones are not selling, Nokia is bleeding and everyone is focused ICS and IOS5. I personally think that iPhones are overpriced and over-hyped and would not waste money on one for me.

Posted by Marly
I don't have an iPhone, but I agree, they do have a very high brand-appeal, but they're certainly not a waste of money. They keep their value very well (especially the 3GS and 4), so when it's time for a new phone, they're easier to sell and at a better price, than most other smartphones

[ This Message was edited by: Marly on 2011-10-21 01:34 ]

Posted by Indiandawg
I kind of agree with him. Day before yesterday I was having a chat with my friend about Android vs iOS and I did felt that Android is more for the developers than for normal consumers. I personally don't like iPhone because of it's limitations but Android is open. Now what can you do with the open source is the vital question, otherwise it's same as iOS. People root and customize, but there are people who also build custom ROMS and other stuff, which you don't happen to see in iOS. I would not use computer science but I feel it's the best for developers.

As masseur says, Siri isn't new, there has been third party applications on Android too. If you are from States, you will be able to use it like a charm as it pick up US accent pretty well but international can have a hard time using voice commands. And ya, Microsoft had it long time back.

---

If Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson had done marketing like Apple, I'm sure Apple would be no where.

Posted by razec
Should we take his words seriously, i think we should be proud, as this means every android user knows computer science and WP7 users were amateurs?

Posted by c96sthl
He is no Bill, no Steve or Paul (Allen)

he is just a man in a suit....

he can claim he get the ergonomics done way better than Android or iOS but the sales figure kinda self explain even he continue to trumpet how great WP7 is.

For me, I am sick and tired of listening to Microsoft claim on their future OS ....they promise about fast boot up on PC so many years ago and only now we see a hope on Windows 8.

Posted by Geezay
@ Masseur, totally agree. The Siri concept is not new, been around for a while. However you have to hand it to Apple for making it more "usable"? And the part about Android being for Computer Scientists???

I don't think that should be dignified with a response! Steve needs to focus on making Windows Phone the great platform that Windows Mobile was in the early days and not go after the two biggest mobile phone OSs

Posted by Miss UK
I guess everyones entitled to there opinions

im abit curious of this new Windows Mobile 8 format arriving though

so hmm those comments are they concluding something
I mean have Microsoft got the next big thing coming

btw I disagree about iPhones being expensive there not
its just that EU and the UK have to cough up for them
if you look at the costs of them over in America where they originate
for example they cost less

Scientistically Android lol mental!

Posted by razec
I forgot t mention that Balmer made Windows 8 an OS for toddlers, seriously who wants an oversized icons/fonts on their 23-30" LCD screen? it may become successful for tablets, on desktops/laptops its a like the vista fiasco repeated itself. i expect windows 7 to be a repeated XP as well

if only android and ubuntu can unite as one and make the same quality apps we see on windows desktops, i'll happily dump any MS products with no hesitation, but until that happens i'll be stuck with MS as much as i hated that Bald-mer.

[ This Message was edited by: razec on 2011-10-22 06:38 ]

Posted by false_morel
Why not quote Google themselves in that Unpacked event revealing ICS..
Here's what Matias Duarte had to say about Android's state:

We asked ourselves for the first time what is the soul of Android?
And to answer that question we went and talked to the people who use all different devices and kind of devices.
We found out mobile technology is completely essential to people's lives.

But we also found out that people like Android and people need Android, but they didn't love Android!
People know that Android is powerful, but sometimes they felt really frustrated when they couldn't figure out how they get at that power!!

So we saw this is an opportunity. We set out our goal to define how we want people to talk about Android!
And we created three design principles that will guide every process we make in building the product: Enchant me. Simplify my life. Make me awesome. (At this part, I had only to ROFL! Like really?!!)

These are all aspirational goals. And with ICS we are only taking the very first steps.

Then he goes on presenting Roboto, Android's completely new typeface, and then continues to say:

With that solid typographic foundation, we then set out for Android's a total make-over.
We wanted a break of the past. No more of that UI that pretends to be something it's not. Fake world and fake brushed metal and plastic.. But we didn't want something intellectual and sterile where everything looks the same either! We wanted something relevant, emotional, and we looked at the latest trends in graphic design to inspire us. Television motion graphics, web design, and print.
And we started at looking at every screen and thinking of it as a magazine layout. Not lists of text and icons where everything looks the same, but big bold pictures and giant headlines that just suck you right into the content.
We wanted simple typographic layouts with plenty of white space eliminating lines and boxes and a lot of unnecessary decorations. And we wanted to view everything with subtle animation and delightful *** to make Android really come to life..
So, let's see it in action..

Here's the whole presentation.. Forward to 19:40 and start watching..

*** Didn't get this word!

------------------------------------

So there you go Android fans.. What Balmer said was just a figure of speech! Of course not all those millions Android users are computer scientists by their vast majority.. But not all of them are satisfied with their devices!

Fragmentation, total mess with features implemented more than once in the same UI, lack of hardware acceleration leading to lags and screen flickering even in the high-end devices, ugliest and most complex UI in the market despite all those third-party launchers and manufactures' custom UIs.. Rushed not fully baked features..

While Android offered the best functionality among the new OSes, it lacked much in UX department!! Be it performance or simplicity and aesthetics..

That's why Symbian power users didn't switch to Android until the GSII showed up.. Which still lacks much in terms of UX but at least introduced a consistent performance and highly converged approach..

What Matias described above talking about the new design patterns is nothing but what MS introduced with the Metro UI and the live tiles! It's about one seamless UX..
If one takes a closer look, Android has got rid of a lot of chrome, and all of a sudden info is popping out in the form of tiles and dynamic animations..
Also for instance the Contacts app evolving into People App and becoming more social, resembling the People hub in WP.. As well as that inner Me section in that app, also resembling the Me hub in WP.. The need to access the camera app instantly... Color scheme.. Android's Market new UI before that.. Roboto typeset..

Anyway, with ICS, Android became at the moment the best solution for both power users and casual users alike..
However, for those Android users, you could stop now blabbering about WP's UI and live tiles as your own beloved Google shut you up!

W.r.t. WP, OS-wise, in terms of UX, to me it tops everything in the market! Nothing matches the Metro UI and live tiles experience! Also in terms of functionality, it's on par with the other two.. Android may offer a bit more built-in features, but the w.r.t. to the common features, WP implements them in the best way.

However, WP's problem is third-party support! Major apps are almost all there.. But devs still need update their apps to full live tile support and Mango optimisation.. Like multi-tasking for instance.. Won't take much time..
And there is a lack of apps and games in general compared to the other app stores! As well as lack of dual-core support which just got really supported by ISS and iOS 5 btw.. MS will paying the price for being to the party with WP.. But they're pretty good at leapfrogging...

So, I'm ready to wait this little time. Nokia alone on board with their supreme hardware, specially cameras, are worth the wait! Also the seamless UX one enjoys.. And of course the complete integration of all MS services which to me is a huge factor!

I'm really looking forward to 2012.. Although I'm on WP's side, I'd really like one fierce competition with equal market shares between Android and WP for the time to come... Simply because the only winners would be us, the end consumers..

[ This Message was edited by: false_morel on 2011-10-22 09:11 ]

Posted by Tsepz_GP
Errm...actualy, the majority of UI enhancements in ICS come from Honeycomb, a UI that was being developed even before WP was released.

The camera being accessed instantly is something taken from HTC and Samsung who have had this in their Android UIs for a while, Roboto typeset -Honeycomb again, new Android Market uses squares and rectangles so its now a copy of Metro UI? Its only its main screen that even looks like that, once you actualy get into it looks like a mini version of the HC Market.

The only part that may have come from WP is the People App, the rest is either due to the merge with Honeycomb, manufacturers AND the fact that the Google Android team are working with the custom ROM devs of CyanogenMOD, who have had many of these UI enhancements before we even saw WP, Google and many of the OEMs have kept an eye on the mod community and taken what seems to be important from it.

Posted by razec

That's why Symbian power users didn't switch to Android until the GSII showed up.. Which still lacks much in terms of UX but at least introduced a consistent performance and highly converged approach..

i find this quite funny, when the first 1Ghz Android phone was released (almost) 2 years ago, armed with 512MB RAM we can't see any Symbian phone with that horsepower, and Nokia smartphones were stucked with 600Mhz with no hardware acceleration, plus most nokia symbian phones have 128MB RAM, also worth mentioning that most of Symbian's native browser (especially those made by nokia) can't compete with Froyo's browser which runs Full flash, SE made huge strides by utilizing powerful HW with Satio and Vivaz with Satio (having a camera resolution still unseen on most android phones if we don't count Sharp and Toshiba's Japanese phones) which where the only phones that can view proper flash videos at that time (Nokia was using Flash Lite if i'm not mistaken). there had been so many powerful Android smartphones and all of them outperforms and outsmarts even the best S60 5th edition phone at that time. when Symbian 3 arrived Nokia started realizing the potential of HW acceleration in future device (Ironcal since they already used this on N93-N82 but dropped on N96) and but that time they were still trailing in RAM capacity (256 MB). I don't think Symbian power users are that dumb to think that Android never had the "power" they needed even before GSII arrived. also Symbian 1 (S60 5th) and 3 were generally regarded as the worst platform in terms of "UX" (User experience)

[ This Message was edited by: razec on 2011-10-22 10:12 ]

Posted by Tsepz_GP
Symbian lost a whole lot of users to Android even before the GSII, at this time last year Symbian still had around 35% share that was quickly being eaten up by Android and i kept saying it will pass Symbian this year or next, i actualy remember we had a thread around here where i was told by Symbian fans that Symbian would come back in 2011 with a flood of Symbian3 phones and that Android wouldn't topple it, fast forward to today and Android recently hit 50% share and Symbian is at around 22%, the HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy S, SE X10 and the Minis, DesireHD, and other models from mainly these 3 manufacturers helped do that, the original Galaxy S alone sold over 20million units.

Posted by false_morel

On 2011-10-22 10:38:11, Tsepz_GP wrote:
Errm...actualy, the majority of UI enhancements in ICS come from Honeycomb, a UI that was being developed even before WP was released.

Even if I am to go with you on this, the main point is the philosophy used behind those design patterns and building the UI! A thing MS did a far greater job at! Even admitted by hard-core Apple fans and MS haters such as Engadget!

The Metro UI is not only different, it's stunning!

The camera being accessed instantly is something taken from HTC and Samsung who have had this in their Android UIs for a while,

This thing debutted in WP by pressing and holding the camera button!
HTC and now in ICS, only implemented in a different way on the lockscreen!

Actually, the fact that WP demands installing a proper camera button, which is a major feature for any photography enthusiast, is a big plus to me and many others! All latest Android high-ends miss this thing!

Roboto typeset -Honeycomb again,

Not true. Roboto is totally new to Android.

new Android Market uses squares and rectangles so its now a copy of Metro UI? Its only its main screen that even looks like that, once you actualy get into it looks like a mini version of the HC Market.

It's not that they'll go for an exact copy!!
Again, it's the design pattern used that is the same..

For true power users, it's not about UX and raw specs!!
It's about functoinality above all, and performance as well..

And really, while the 2010 batch of Androids were all promising, they all had major issues and missed features!!
Not until the 2011 batch that Android devices made everything else really obsolete, including Symbians, older Droids, and even the iPhone 4 if you ask me!!

Today, the GSII is by far the top smartphone around and no one could argue against that!!

Posted by Tsepz_GP
My bad about the Robot typeface, it bares a resemblence to the digital clock font used on Honeycomb tablets, just took out my GT10.1 and realised I was wrong, Roboto is like a thin version on the HC clock font its alot more elegant though.

Im glad they took the hc UI for ICS, it may not be the prettiest but its simple/not in your face, and more consistant, and its notifications bar is a lot better.

Unfortunetly I personally dislike Metro UI, I see alot of space being wasted by the fonts, I installed the Metro UI music player on my X10 a while ago, hated it, even when i played on a HTC Mozart it felt like I took a few steps back from Android especially with the home screen.

One of the things I am so happy about in ICS is the HC styled Widgets e.g the CNN, Email/Gmail, Calendar, YouTube etc...HC widgets which allow you to flick through thumbnails with the headline at the bottom of each (CNN and YouTube widgets) /messages (Email/Gmail/Hotmail/Calendar/etc...) without leaving the homescreen, the Android homesceen is alot more alive now just like it is in HC.

[ This Message was edited by: Tsepz_GP on 2011-10-22 12:12 ]

Posted by bl-gr-n
Does the WP7, WP7.5 Mango and WP8. still having the System registry like WM6 to WM6.5?

I had the "misfortune" of buying a SE M1i Aspen with WM6.5(.3) and the only to choose any other programs than Microsofts own on the Home screen was by editing the System registry.
The only way to get any other program on the Home Screen than MS IE, MS Bing, Live and Media Player and any other program (that is good for Microsoft that you use).

That on a phone-OS that should have a graphical UI?

Posted by masseur
yes (I'm sure that won't change on WM), and there are plenty of hacks available too