Android or iPhone?

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My contract is ending soon so I've begun to research phones. Currently have a iPhone 4. Pretty good device, and easy to use. But I don't like that it doesn't have 4g or flash support like my android wielding friends. But just as bad, the Apple fanboy phenomenon is really turning me off to Apple products because you can't get objective advice from them - only a tirade about the inferiority of non-Apple products.

So I'm hoping some android users will chime in. What do you like and dislike about your phone.?

I'm really intrigued by the Galaxy S II and the Nexus Prime that is due out.
 
I had a Motorola Droid and hated it. I now have an iPhone 4 and love it.

I understand your desire for 4G, but you have to ask yourself if you'll get much use out of it. The 4G network is pretty limited now and it will take quite a while for it to be extended beyond the larger cities. If you currently live within the 4G coverage area, then, by all means, go with the android.

Also, if you really, really need Flash, then go with android.

Of course, the new iPhone 4S has Siri, which is absolutely incredible.
 
I went the other way. I had an iPhone 3G. I loved the phone but I hated AT & Dropped Calls. And their "service" was horribly expensive. As a data device, it worked great. As a voice device it was infuriating.

Switched to a Samsung Andriod phone with Boost (Prepaid Sprint- no contract.) My bill is $53.25 including taxes and drops by $5 a month every 6 months until it hits $37.

The phone is fine and the service is far superior to AT&T. The navigation program actually works better than the iPhone.
 
I am BB owner (antique BB Pearl) and trying to decide also...

you might want to check this thread :

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2399865#Post2399865

What i might miss on the iphone is:
--no flashing LED indicator for new messages/notifications on the front (but some say that the new iphone does show them even on a locked screen, which might be ok...have to check all that out).
--no Ringer/Sound profiles that one can customize: either all silent/vibrate or all notifications make noise. On my BB i can make text messages make a sound while emails make no sounds, etc etc... none of that with iphone.

all in all, android seems to be just a lot of customizations and a bunch of gizmos, apps, and widgets that might overwhelm a normal user, and a lot of unstable-ness overall...in short: full of options but none that work stable and clean. when i talk to android users, widgets and apps and gimmicks and games seem to be all they can mention, but none of them praise their phones for stability, battery life or overall quality.

Iphone 4s may not have all those options and gizmos and specs and millions of widgets, but seems to be more stable, clean and just does what it does very well.

I am still not 100% decided, but I am leaning towards iphone 4s

..and can we move this thread to Consumer Eelectronics section?
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
I am BB owner and trying to decide also...

you might want to check this thread :

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2399865#Post2399865

What i might miss on the iphone is:
no LED indicator for messages.
no Ringer/Sound profiles that one can customize: either all silent/vibrate or all notifications make noise. On my BB i can make text messages make a sound while emails make no sounds, etc etc... none of that with iphone.

all in all, android seems to be just a lot of customizations and a bunch of gizmos, apps, and widgets that might overwhelm a normal user, and a lot of unstable-ness overall...in short: full of options but none that work stable and clean. when i talk to android users, widgets and apps and gimmicks and games seem to be all they can mention, but none of them praise their phones for stability, battery life or overall quality.

Iphone 4s may not have all those options and gizmos and specs and millions of widgets, but seems to be more stable, clean and just does what it does very well.

..and can we move this thread to Consumer Eelectronics section?



Not sure about the iPhone 4G. Compared to the 3G, the Samsung's battery life is far superior. Stability seems about the same.

I am an Apple guy- Mini, 2 Macbooks and a router. I cannot see myself buying another iPhone. My wife has a iPhone 4G. She loves the phone but wants me to jailbreak it so she can get away from AT&T. I have no personal experience with it because I never use it.
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
I am BB owner (antique BB Pearl) and trying to decide also...

you might want to check this thread :

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2399865#Post2399865

What i might miss on the iphone is:
--no flashing LED indicator for new messages/notifications on the front (but some say that the new iphone does show them even on a locked screen, which might be ok...have to check all that out).
--no Ringer/Sound profiles that one can customize: either all silent/vibrate or all notifications make noise. On my BB i can make text messages make a sound while emails make no sounds, etc etc... none of that with iphone.

all in all, android seems to be just a lot of customizations and a bunch of gizmos, apps, and widgets that might overwhelm a normal user, and a lot of unstable-ness overall...in short: full of options but none that work stable and clean. when i talk to android users, widgets and apps and gimmicks and games seem to be all they can mention, but none of them praise their phones for stability, battery life or overall quality.

Iphone 4s may not have all those options and gizmos and specs and millions of widgets, but seems to be more stable, clean and just does what it does very well.

I am still not 100% decided, but I am leaning towards iphone 4s

..and can we move this thread to Consumer Eelectronics section?



I think you have to own a (good) Android to make some of those comments.
 
I've had both and currently have a EVO 4g the 4g is great if you are able to use It where you are. I'm not always but the 3g is pretty quick. The android is smoother has better apps and more free apps. I feel the Android has more personality to. A very important thing is customer service if you buy an Apple you have to deal with apple not your service provider for phone issues. This was annoying for me because my iPhone always had trouble and apple did very little.to fix it. They are both cool devices but I think an Android is a better bet overall.
 
My wife has the 4s, daughter has the 4, and I have a Droid X.

The iPhone is a great phone. Once you get it activated and synched with iTunes, it just works.

Siri is fun (for now). But Android has had Vlingo for a while and it does pretty much the same thing. Iris (Siri spelled backwards) is just coming out now and I've heard it's even better.

I prefer Android because it's an open system (versus the closed system of Apple). If you get an Android phone, take a look at an app named PDANet. It allows you to tether your phone to your computer and use the phone's data plan to access the internet. It has come in handy for me a few times already.

My Droid X works well. I've customized it by rooting it and using a custom ROM. It was surprisingly easy after doing a bit of reading on the Droid forums. It's almost like the 'automatic vs manual transmission' analogy.

But I am looking at the Nexus Prime or the Motorola Razr. Both have dual core processors and 1 GB of RAM (versus 512 MB of the iPhone). The Razr has a micro SD expansion slot but the Prime comes with 32 GB internal memory. How much does one need? My Droid X has 16 GB of internal memory and I've added a 16 GB card - I'm satisfied. Both will work on the LTE system. What is swaying me towards the Razr is that it is supposed to be water resistant. For a guy like me who always has a coffee cup nearby, that can be a lifesaver.

As another poster noted, if you need Flash then look to Android. There are two things about Android that I don't like. One is that it will not easily synch with Outlook. The other is that each manufacturer can put their own spin on their Android OS. Back to that transmission analogy, it's like everyone has their own different shift pattern. It takes a little while to get the hang of it, until then, you grind some gears.

Oh, and I think the camera on my Droid X is superior to the iPhone.
 
I've gone to the Android with 3 of our 4 phones and all of us are happy with the units and service. 2 of them are Samsung and one is a Motorola unit.

The only con I have with the smartphones is the battery life when compared to normal cell phones. But its a small issue.

I LOVE that you can replace or carry another battery with most phones. Not being able to replace the battery would be enough for me not to own a I-phone (lucky for me they have other "concerns" that keep me from owning one)

Bill
 
Excellent insights. Thanks all. If you have more thoughts, keep em coming.

RW1 you seem to have some insight on the Nexus Prime. Do you know if it will be both LTE and HSPA+. or will it have one or the other depending on carrier? I travel a lot and will probably need GSM and will get mine unlocked. But I also prefer TMobile but would like the option of going to ATT if the merger goes through.
 
Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
I've gone to the Android with 3 of our 4 phones and all of us are happy with the units and service. 2 of them are Samsung and one is a Motorola unit.

The only con I have with the smartphones is the battery life when compared to normal cell phones. But its a small issue.

I LOVE that you can replace or carry another battery with most phones. Not being able to replace the battery would be enough for me not to own a I-phone (lucky for me they have other "concerns" that keep me from owning one)

Bill



Get one of these Bill; it gives me 2 days of battery life on my LG Vortex while storm chasing/looking at radar and the internet all day long. Without it, the battery in my phone dies after about 6 hours of continuous heavy use.

http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=upb10
 
Quote:
But just as bad, the Apple fanboy phenomenon is really turning me off to Apple products because you can't get objective advice from them - only a tirade about the inferiority of non-Apple products.


Find an Android enthusiast (believe me, Apple doesn't have the fanboy market cornered) and ask the same question. You'll get a whole dissertation about why Apple products are inferior, without highlighting any of the Android's superior points. Basically, just the opposite of the Apple fanboys. It's easier to point out why the other device is terrible than it is to defend your own device.

This is classic Ford vs. Chevy vs. Mopar, Rep. vs. Dem., Nikon vs. Canon, or Coke vs. Pepsi.

The Nexus Prime should be a very nice phone. It is an intreguing option and, IMO, will be top of the heap for Android phones, not just because of Ice Cream Sandwich. Beginning with the Nexus One and it's curved glass, an Android device finally has something with some visual flair. Being a Google device, it should hopefully be without all the carrier-installed junk software (bloatware... :shudder: ).

The 4S is a powerhouse though. The A5 processor, even clocked at 800 mhz with 512 mb RAM, is a dominator in the phone world due to it's dual core PowerVR GPU. It's got everything the iPhone 4 has going for it too, which you already know, and it's available on just about any carrier now (plus the global capabilities).

If you've got some hang-up with Apple though, that's going to ultimately be your call. Some people think the Miata is a car for girl's and write it off. That's their hang-up I suppose.
 
The Apple Fanboi thing it a turn-off. But I don't buy stuff because I want to be 'cool' or come into a new religion. I buy it because the product is the one that meets my needs. The heck with all that other stuf... the iPhone 4S really is a fantastic product. A friend traded in her Android phone for a 4S and is a very happy Sprint customer.
 
The iPhone is good for people who are normally not very tech oriented. If you like fidgeting with things then flashing ROMs on Android can be fun.
 
Originally Posted By: VeeDubb
Do you know if it will be both LTE and HSPA+. or will it have one or the other depending on carrier?



According to the Google announcement, it has been described as "LTE or HSPA+".
 
I've been on both sides of the camp, personally I find IPhone is a better product overall, even though specific hardware Android phone may progress faster. One thing that annoy me the most is the application crash much more often in Android rather than iPhone, and most Android phone have no reliable application backup by default.
 
Mrhorspower. Thanks for the insights. I threw that fanboy comment in on a whim because I do find it irritating. But it won't stop me from going with the 4S if that turns out to be the best phone. I'm just looking for solid advice on both types of phones before making a decision.
 
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