I just have this feeling that despite having all this power, Android devices, phones and tablets alike, really don't blow the iOS devices that are comparable out of the water. Could be just me, but I think I've even read somewhere that Android devices need that big boost in power because they're running emulators? Or some shit like that. That iOS ran natively while Android did not. If not "emulators" then maybe it was like a virtual machine or something. And that those required some extra juice which was why Apple was in no rush to flex their muscle in the numbers war because their devices ran fine without it.
Well, that's a rumor that comes from people who have no idea how it really works. Android runs on Java, which works in a slightly different way because normally it runs on Java virtual machines. On Android, however, there's Dalvik.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalvik_(software)
To explain it in the most simple terms since Android 2.2 it executes Java code almost like it's native code.
To explain the difference better:
- A normal Java virtual machine takes whole Java code and compiles the whole thing (kinda like loading to translate the code into CPU instructions) and then launches that whole thing. That's how normal Java applications work.
- in iOS things are written in objective C. Things are pre-compiled so the OS already gets CPU instructions with no need to translate. They're taking advantage of the fact that there are only a few devices to support running iOS and you can make just a few pre-compiled versions of an app/program and use one of them depending on the device.
- in Android, Dalvik does just-in time execution. Which means it takes a part of Java code that is needed at the moment and compiles and runs it in real time. It's a little slower than running "native"/pre-compiled CPU instructions like iOS does (because they don't need the compiling part), but it's not significantly slower.
As an example Dalvik does its job during app loadings. And they're not really long on Android.
In even simpler terms, as a result, the fact that Android works through Dalvik doesn't really matter much for performance. It would matter mostly for app launch times which is when Android "translates" code into instuctions, while iOS gets instructions instead of code to begin with so it doesn't have to do part of work Android has to do. After the app is launched the code is already "translated" and Android and iOS are on equal terms. It doesn't matter in things which Android is notorious for, such as scrolling performance. That is the consequence of early software design decision - how Android uses the power it gets from hardware. Despite performing much better, scrolling might be a little choppier because it's not something that gets placed above everything else and the UI layer doesn't get exclusive use of resources when the user places his finger on the screen like it does in iOS or WP.
Anyway, this new N7 screen, is it good to read on or will it be a problem? I think the review said that magazines from the Play Store ran fine and were vivid and all that. Do you think that would be any different on an app like Zinio, which is what I use for magazines? Meaning, is the app optimized to run at that high of a resolution without artifacts and all that other visual disturbance lingo?
I need it for documents and magazines, as I've stated a million times in here. Will a Retina display of a Mini provide me with a better viewing experience than the N7.2? Or will it not really be noticeable?
Apparently the screen is great. They say it's in between the Ipad 4 with Retina and Nexus 10 (which is the best tablet screen). My bet is, 7.2's screen is going to be better than Mini 2' even if it comes with Ipad 4-like Retina, which isn't likely to happen.
7.2's and Mini 2's pixel densities would be similar, granted Apple goes for the same resolution their big tablet uses, which I kinda doubt they'd do - it'd make Mini superior to a normal Ipad because the same resolution on a smaller screen means higher pixel density than on a flagship Ipad, which wouldn't be acceptable to Apple. They'd see it as cannibalizing their flagship Ipad.
Also, panel quality on full sized Ipads is better than on Mini and still the screen on 7.2 is said to be better than on full sized Ipads.
If it comes to content I can tell you how 1080p works on my S4 - most things take perfect advantage of it, documents are perfect. But there are apps that aren't yet optimized for HD, in which case their resolution is lower and you get less detail there or UI elements are smaller.
However I bet web magazines should take full advantage of 1080P. If there are still reader apps that don't take advantage of full hd, soon they will. The downside of such huge resolution is that you often can't zoom in as much on pictures.
Why do you want to run Office on it. I can't see why any serious person in business or education would do their essays or business plans on a tablet...! Am I one of those old people resistant to technology, but can't yet see it?
I complete all my work on my laptop and if I want to review or make minor changes... I use Google Drive, formally Documents.
A friend of mine tends to write articles using a Windows tablet. Crazy to me. He has a keyboard hooked up to his tablet though, but sometimes he writes without it! I once made a presentation on my tablet using Google Docs. That's one situation where a full-fledged MS Office would be more useful. But I wouldn't pay for it on Android considering that there are free tools that are almost as useful.
I like the S4, it's a very good phone. BUT, I feel like I kinda regret the money I paid for it sometimes. It's snappy and does everything well, but a phone that costs half as much would allow me to do most of the same stuff. For example Moto X might have lower specs but the real world difference will probably be small and the price is half of the S4's price. That's why I'm not excluding the possibility of selling it in order to get something else when some new cool phone comes out in the future.
