An Apple Users First Week with Android

  After using a Motorola Xoom running Android 4.1.1- known to most as Jelly Bean- I have so far enjoyed my experience outside of the Apple realm. 

  Err, outside is a stretch. Using an Android device in an iCloud world is more like an interjection, but welcomed.

  The user interface is different, not in a bad way but different. The gestures or commands to access certain apps is different. The arrangement of apps on the homescreen is different; customizable. The addition of widgets to give info at a glance is different. The app availability is also different.

  One problem most Android users won't experience is the truancy of Flash. Long touted as the differentiator in Android devices, it's suspiciously incompatible. A future update may include this feature but for now it seems odd. This doesn't present itself as much of a problem, since most web pages use HTML 5.

  I mostly enjoy using my Xoom for reading RSS feeds through the Google Reader app, which opens from the widget. On iOS I would normally read in Flipboard, but again for some reason this Android build lacks support for the application.

  Three devices in my home currently incorporate iCloud: my Macbook Pro (Mountain Lion), iPad 2 (iOS 6) and iPhone 5 (iOS 6). After the latest iOS update, iCLoud finally seems to be in perfect harmony on all of my devices. Yet here sits my Xoom; unable to view iMessages, incapable of viewing iCal and devoid of any of my music in iTunes. Its redeeming value however, is Google.

  Gmail presents itself fabulously, even adding email accounts in the settings is a breeze. Chrome gives me a shared view of all open pages across platforms, and Google Drive stores all my files to open and even edit Docs (which is now incorporated into Drive).

  The incorporation of my Xoom seems to juxtaposed my perfectly polished Apple life, but really it just creates a paradigm shift. I like to use it as an auxiliary device to view TV Guide, read, browse,  check e-mail, and just to display the time in my living room. 

  For now, iOS, Android, and me are perfectly cozy.