The switch | 01

Moving on.

It finally happened. I made the switch. For those of you who don't know me, I was an avid Windows Phone user. Now I use Android. Suffice it to say, its been quite a change.

The device I chose is the Nexus 5. I wanted to experience the purest form of Android which only the Nexus family of devices provide. Google themselves designed the device so naturally I expected great things.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the camera on the Nexus was actually quite good, despite the bad press. Most of the issues mentioned were software based and since it's release, Google has improved the experience significantly. Lets be clear, it's no iPhone 5S, but it certainly gets the job done.

The machined holes at the bottom house the speakers. You can clearly see the internals on the left side. If I ever blocked these holes with my hand (which naturally happened a lot) the sound would completely be silenced. This became inconvenient whenever I wanted to use the device in landscape view.

To put it bluntly, I was greatly disappointed by the hardware. I actually have to give LG some credit though, the device only costs $350 off-contract. For that value it's actually quite a nice device. What hit me hardest was the build quality. Much like its brother the Nexus 7, the overall construction has numerous weaknesses along the plastic seem. I often found myself having to snap the back of the device back into place. It makes an alarming cracking noise when you do this.

This isn't about the Nexus though. For Google, the phone is simply a framed portal to the world of Android. The hardware design is simple, and that's how it was meant to be

The real focus here is Android, and at first glance it looks very beautiful. There are many features indicative of iOS but built in a more functional presentation. Customization is everywhere, and I was quickly able to make the OS personalized to my liking.

Later however, you begin to realize just how many changes you can make. For me this was overwhelming. In fact, the amount of noise Android was capable of throwing at me became clearer with each option I tried.

The good news? Android has everything. It makes calls, it can control your house, and basically do anything else imaginable. Its powerful. I certainly didn't miss Windows Phone and it's lackluster app selection.

The feature that really won me over is Google Now. There were some magical moments, like when I ordered an item from Amazon, Google Now displayed the tracking information and even told me when it had arrived at my door. It also saved my butt several times on the commute, telling me where the traffic was, how long it would take to travel and even when I should leave home to get to my destination on time. Now is easily the most powerful tool in Android's toolbox making me more excited about using Android Wear devices. Oh how I crave the Moto 360.

But there were some down sides. In order for Now to be usable, Google needs a considerable amount of data from you. This means you need to use Google's other services to get the most out of Now's features. This feels like a significant barrier to me. I use only a few Google services so Now was often inactive and not useful. The moments it did work were fantastic, but infrequent at best. I found myself missing Cortana (Windows Phone's alternative) and her natural speech recognition. I didn't need to choose my words for her to understand, and she worked far better as a digital assistant. Google Now essentially boils down to is an information consolidator and it functions well for that purpose. Don't ask Now to add an appointment to your calendar however, I guarantee you'll tear your hair out.

The app experience on Android is interesting. You'll never be wanting in app selection. All the big names are there in the store. Using apps however is all over the place. I found myself getting lost in every app I opened. All of the navigation paradigms vary, depending on the time the app was developed. I found myself looking for a nav bar or an option button that was there in one app, but gone in the next. This is simply a result of the quick and frequent changes Google has made to Android's design scheme over the years. I think developers just can't keep up with the changes.

The Chrome browser is one of Google's aces and it certainly felt true in this case. It's hard to find adequate browsers that render text and sites the way they were meant to. Chrome never messes this up, another thing I don't miss about Windows Phone and Microsoft's terrible IE platform.

A stark improvement from previous versions of Android in 4.4, is typography. Google's "Roboto" font has some beautiful characteristics. Consistency was a big issue, however. At times kerning was incredibly bad for no apparent reason. That was possibly Windows Phone's greatest advantage, where type was king in the OS and it showed. Google just doesn't seem to pay attention to details like this.

Android in its current state can be summed up in one word: confused. The visual state of Android seems to be having an identity crisis. In some areas skeuomorphism is liberally applied and in others there isn't a suggestion of dimension in sight. As a result, using Android is like being forced through different personalities, all of them similar but at odds with each other's philosophies. I didn't feel comfortable using Android, it never felt like home, even after over a month of use. Home shouldn't change, home should be consistent. Every time I came back to Android I didn't know what to expect.

To put it simply, if you appreciate good design, Android in its current form is not for you. The philosophies behind Android really have nothing to do with its ability to function beautifully. The entire purpose of Android (and this is what separates it from the alternatives) is to be a gateway to Google's services. Google's central business is based on their search engine and Android brings them more customers to that platform. This is why Android lacks finesse in its design because it already accomplishes its purpose regardless. This sort of design approach should be discouraged, it doesn't motivate any improvement or beneficial features for the user.

All that aside, Android really does get a lot of things right. It's not limiting to the user and it encourages self expression. If you need a functional, powerful system, Android might be right for you. Android is usable but is also a confused operating system that gets what you need done but perhaps not in the most elegant way. While I never lacked anything in my experience using Android, I never really enjoyed the experience either. For that reason alone, I'd be more likely to recommend an alternative like iOS or Windows Phone.