IPhone VS Androids Phones?

[jellybean]

I own both an iPhone 3GS and HTC Desire and will agree with a lot of what people have already been saying about the iPhone providing the smoother, easier to use experience, but there are some great things about Android which I wish was in iOS:

Widgets - I have some really useful widgets on my main home screen so I can see at a glance information such as weather, upcoming calendar appointments and time in other countries where relatives are. At a glance without having to jump in and out of apps all the time.

Notification bar - a much better implementation of notifications

Over the air updates - ok, not exactly a mind blowing feature, but I think OTA updates are better for the general user because I'd bet a very large percentage of iphone owners never sync with iTunes and thus don't even know updates are available to add functionality to their phones. Over the air updating means updates like Froyo or the upcoming Gingerbread will be sent straight through to the handset, no checking or syncing required.

I also like how apps can talk to each other. For example I can go into the gallery and choose to share a photo and it'll give me the option to send it to a third party app, not just the default stuff. Apps also have the ability to deeper integrate with the system rather than being trapped in a sandbox like in iOS.

But often I'll switch back to the iPhone after having used my Android phone as my primary phone for a while and it's like a breath of fresh air with its simplicity and fluidity. I honestly think they're both great but I would say Android is the better choice if you're a bit geeky or like to have the ability to tweak and customise without jailbreaking or hacking.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

I think your first point is debatable, eye of the beholder. I actually prefer the Droid X over the EVO as it is not as wide as the EVO, which makes handling the device easier. But to each his own. I also like how Motorola rubberized the entire exterior of the phone so its extremely scratch resistant and not easy to fall off a table and what not (ahem all iPhones except for ip4). I do like EVO's kickstand though

Absolutely debatable, and I fully realize that my initial point was opinion. I prefer the EVO's rubberized back and glass/plastic front and small difference in height, to me, is more important because I carry my phone in my front pocket. But of course, that's all opinion.

Sprint plans might be competitive, but their network is simply mediocre. In my area, if you're not on AT&T or Verizon, prepare for lots of dropped calls. I used my girl's Sprint BB just the other weekend, and i was barely able to get service in my own home (ended up with a dropped call with comcast technician on the other line)

I might be wrong here, but I was under the impression that Sprint used Verizon towers in areas where it did not offer coverage. This point is another debatable one, as every carrier has strong areas and weak areas, so everyone has to go with what they are comfortable with. But from a pure price comparison, Sprint kills Verizon.

Lastly, 4G WiMAX is only available in a few select cities at this moment. Its not much of an asset when its not widely available. There is also talk of Sprint going LTE as well, following the big boys like AT&T / Verizon.

Like I said initially, 4G is a great selling point if you are in a 4G area. I live in Texas, where most cities (even smallish ones) have 4G coverage, so it's a big selling point for me.

Abilene, Texas
Amarillo, Texas
Austin, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Houston, Texas
Kileen, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Midland, Texas
Odessa, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
Temple, Texas
Waco, Texas
Wichita Falls, Texas

 

[zap2]

I think one of the bigger negatives for me is the 3rd party software changes hardware makers add to their devices.

If they were things that were in the market place, and would only effect looks, and could be turned off, thats be ok in my book. But fact that it slow down software updates so much is a killer in my book.

Thats why I like my Nexus One as far as an Android phones go. Both iOS and Android are great smartphone OSes, I'd say try them each out, see which you like more

 

[Apple...]

Shouldn't this topic be part of the "iOS/ Android - General Discussion" thread?

 

[Apple...]

I own both an iPhone 3GS and HTC Desire and will agree with a lot of what people have already been saying about the iPhone providing the smoother, easier to use experience, but there are some great things about Android which I wish was in iOS:

Widgets - I have some really useful widgets on my main home screen so I can see at a glance information such as weather, upcoming calendar appointments and time in other countries where relatives are. At a glance without having to jump in and out of apps all the time.

Notification bar - a much better implementation of notifications

Over the air updates - ok, not exactly a mind blowing feature, but I think OTA updates are better for the general user because I'd bet a very large percentage of iphone owners never sync with iTunes and thus don't even know updates are available to add functionality to their phones. Over the air updating means updates like Froyo or the upcoming Gingerbread will be sent straight through to the handset, no checking or syncing required.

I also like how apps can talk to each other. For example I can go into the gallery and choose to share a photo and it'll give me the option to send it to a third party app, not just the default stuff. Apps also have the ability to deeper integrate with the system rather than being trapped in a sandbox like in iOS.

But often I'll switch back to the iPhone after having used my Android phone as my primary phone for a while and it's like a breath of fresh air with its simplicity and fluidity. I honestly think they're both great but I would say Android is the better choice if you're a bit geeky or like to have the ability to tweak and customise without jailbreaking or hacking.

Widgets, an improved notification system and OTA updates are all coming to the iPhone, I can assure you, I just don't know when. Apps are fully capable of talking to each other on the iOS platform - not sure where you're going with that point. Apple is increasingly (with each iOS release) allowing tighter integration of apps with the operating system. I wouldn't worry too much regarding the "sandbox" issue (although it's really meant to be more of a security implementation rather than a limitation).

If you're a geek and like heavy customization, go for Android. If you want something with intense simplicity and fluidity, and something that "just works", go for the iPhone. Enough said.

 

[ohaithar]

Android Sucks and Iphone doesn't

This has to be one of the stupidest response ever. Personally both are great devices. I have the Aria and the 3G and 3G, they are wonderful phones that suit my needs (which is heavy texting)

 

[wirelessmacuser]

This. All that needs to be said really.

I have a Droid X and I use it daily with an iPad with 3G. Both operating systems have their pros and cons.

I concur. Having both I like each of them for what they excel at, and competition results in big wins for the consumer.

 

[wreckshop]

Apps on the iPhone are just better, I have not seen one app in the market that has more functionality/ features than its iPhone counter part. the android facebook app still has to open the browser on your phone to do alot of stuff.

LOL. That's just ridiculous. Just think of anything an android phone can do that an iphone cant and you'll see an app that provides more functionality. For instance a file manager. Are there any file manager apps for iOS?

Besides the killer apps are already on your phone - Google Maps w/ Nav, Google Voice and Voice Control. iOS counterparts are far less functional, or there is no counterpart at all.

I will say this, however. I got to play with an iphone 4 and I was extremely impressed by the build quality. The display looks very good and the OS is very polished. Adroid still has these little hiccups here and there, which I dont really notice, but playing with an iphone kinda made them stand out. To the average person playing with an IP4 and say, a nexus 1, the IP4 will no doubt impress more because it looks and feels like its a more cohesive package.

 

[Apple...]

LOL. That's just ridiculous. Just think of anything an android phone can do that an iphone cant and you'll see an app that provides more functionality. For instance a file manager. Are there any file manager apps for iOS?

Besides the killer apps are already on your phone - Google Maps w/ Nav, Google Voice and Voice Control. iOS counterparts are far less functional, or there is no counterpart at all.

I will say this, however. I got to play with an iphone 4 and I was extremely impressed by the build quality. The display looks very good and the OS is very polished. Adroid still has these little hiccups here and there, which I dont really notice, but playing with an iphone kinda made them stand out. To the average person playing with an IP4 and say, a nexus 1, the IP4 will no doubt impress more because it looks and feels like its a more cohesive package.

For me, it's the other way around: Android counterparts seem less functional/ have less features, although I must say I would enjoy having Google's Maps Navigation, Voice and Voice Control on the iPhone. Just my personal opinion from using a few Android phones - I think the custom skins make the phones really shine (HTC Sense and Motorola's custom skin = beastly ).

 

[wreckshop]

For me, it's the other way around: Android counterparts seem less functional/ have less features, although I must say I would enjoy having Google's Maps Navigation, Voice and Voice Control on the iPhone. Just my personal opinion from using a few Android phones - I think the custom skins make the phones really shine (HTC Sense and Motorola's custom skin = beastly ).

Well that depends. I would agree that for cross platform apps, the iOS version tends to be more robust. But android OS inherently has much more functionality, which means there are apps that take advantage of that functionality that dont even exist for iOS. For example, like I said earlier, a file manager. Or widgets, or theming apps.

 

[Vegastouch]

I own the EVO and will give you a non-biased review

The apps store is far superior to the market in many ways:

One device,
this means the iPhone 2G, 3G, 3GS, iPod touch, and iPhone 4, all have the same specs, besides the retina display on the iPhone 4, they all have the same GPU ability, hardware and all that good stuff.
With android their are devices with 2.8 inch screens, 3.7, 4.3 and so on, some with 420*320 some with 800*480, some with 854*480.
Their for you are going to get alot off apps that don't look good on certain devices, also developers have to update and fix quirks more to accomodate the new phones.

updates
IOS is on version 4, and apple as released a major update ONCE a year. meaning almost 99% of iPhone users are on the same OS (Unless they need to stay to be unlocked or jailbroken)

Some android phones are still on 1.5, 1.6 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 again making alot of problems for developers.

Organization,
The app store looks great, its organized and very easy to find things, Now the market on 2.0 and up looks alot nicer, and in terms of looks is very close to the iPhone, but it is kind of cluttered. Their are many apps in the market that give you "force closes" and some apps point blank say " this app does nothing"

One problem is some apps, in fact keep your phone on 100% awake time and kill your battery.

"OPEN SOURCE"
=BS
The whole open source argument doesn't make alot of sense when jailbroken iPhone users have cydia which lets you tweak everything on your phone without having to connect to your computer.
Trust me I am on XDA all the time and as much as they make fun of iPhone users they are just as bad with their android phones. Their argument is that
"our app store allows you to out custom roms, and kernels and tweaks in it"
However you need to ROOT the device through the computer to do most of that stuff, and iPhone users have cydia which does the same thing.

Quality of apps/games.

Their is no question that in terms of size the iPhone wins, it has the most apps and games and they all WORK.
Their are many 3D and advanced games because developers have full access to GPU and all the good hardware the iPhone has to offer, while with android they don't so its, much harder to develop for andrioid in terms of high quality gaming.

Apps on the iPhone are just better, I have not seen one app in the market that has more functionality/ features than its iPhone counter part. the android facebook app still has to open the browser on your phone to do alot of stuff.

However the android market is a very nice alternative to the app store, and although its a little cluttered now, when gingerbread android OS 3.0 comes out it should be alot nicer, and bring alot more to the table, but untill then because of my above argument I prefer IOS4. Lastly you will see more free apps in the market.

Some of this i agree with and when you jailbreak, you can in fact do a lot more with an iPhone that to me , made it a lot better to use dont dont kid yourself. Even a Jailbroken phone isnt NEAR as customizable as the Android is. You can customize nearly everything, if not everything on Android and just on SMS alone, there are a ton of things to customize just on that that makes iPhones texting look boring as hell.

Apples App store is better but you have to remember, they had a 1.5 to 2 year headstart. Market does need to get better games though.

 

[wirelessmacuser]

Even a Jailbroken phone isnt NEAR as customizable as the Android is. You can customize nearly everything, if not everything on Android and just on SMS alone, there are a ton of things to customize just on that that makes iPhones texting look boring as hell.

Well said!

The iPhone is a great beginners phone. Simple & easy it requires very little from the user. This is why they are popular, anyone can use one.

Android is only a bit more involved and well worth it. After one learns the basics, the payoff is handsome. Yet that said many people have no interest in learning new things. Usually it's those who fear change. Kind of sad really, as they have no idea of the fun they're missing.

 

[jellybean]

Widgets, an improved notification system and OTA updates are all coming to the iPhone, I can assure you, I just don't know when. Apps are fully capable of talking to each other on the iOS platform - not sure where you're going with that point.

Photos probably wasn't a great example. Take RSS feeds for instance. When I click on an RSS URL in Safari, it shows me the RSS feed in Safari, and that's it, no other options. When I click on one in Android, it asks me which app I'd like to open it with, including any third party apps I've installed.
Or when I get a PDF attachment in an email, i can save it to Android's file system and open it using any app i like.
I hope you're right about widgets, better notification system and OTA updates coming to iOS one day. But we had to wait four years before we could have a unified inbox, or a decent way to have reminders on my phone without having to create calendar entries or relying on flaky push notifications.
On Android, developers can write applications which make up for Android's shortcomings, so we don't have to wait for one company to decide if or when they're going to do it.
I still love and prefer iOS, but I think Apple's closed nature is going to bite them in the ass, and Android's faster pace of development and marketshare is going to surpass Apple.
And I don't buy the argument that Apple's way means their stuff "just works" anymore - try telling that to someone with an iPhone 3G running 4.0.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I believe iOS is more polished, but it's had more time tbh. I think Android gets better and better, more people are starting to see this. For me, I'm moving to an Android phone because I want a bit more control than I get with my iPhone and I'd like to use it as a phone, right now my service has gotten increasingly shoddy, AT&T says they're upgrading towers but I'm not sure how long I'm to wait for them to finish.

I think people are right that iOS apps are more polished right now when you compare app for app. I think the Android market is growing and you're going to start seeing the same Devs jump into the other market for profit, which is fine by me. Why can't a dev developer for both Android and iOS?

 

[sunny1985]

messenger and emails

messenger for iphone we've got whatsapp - only thing missing is group chats and then it would be perfect!

however when it comes to emails we got to buy 'mobileme' so our emails can be pushed unlike BB where its in the costs of the line rental.

Question is, are androids better platformers or is BB still the kings in this area?

 

[maflynn]

I believe iOS is more polished, but it's had more time tbh. I think Android gets better and better, more people are starting to see this. For me, I'm moving to an Android phone because I want a bit more control than I get with my iPhone

I think apple has done a great job with iOS and its SDK providing developers with a rich and optimized sdk that allows them to really produce some eye popping apps. Android is now starting to see that level of polish in apps, though google needs to update its OS/SDK to allow the GPU to handle more work and that is purported to be in place with its new version of the OS (Gingerbread)

I myself wanted a bit more control over how my phone looks, acts and behaves. Simple things like have a custom ringtone for my txt messages. adding widgets to my screen, so I have one touch access to areas like setting airplane mode, weather, and such.

Android's notification system is much better then apple's and I believe apple is locked into the UI at this point which is very restricted in terms of allowing them to update their screens for a better notification system. Look how they had to add their version of a task manager. Sliding everything up. A bit kludgy and un-apple like.

All in all, the iPhone is a great phone but android is meeting my needs better then the iPhone was. Could that change, sure but for now, I'm enjoying my Droid X.

 

[Apple...]

Well that depends. I would agree that for cross platform apps, the iOS version tends to be more robust. But android OS inherently has much more functionality, which means there are apps that take advantage of that functionality that dont even exist for iOS. For example, like I said earlier, a file manager. Or widgets, or theming apps.

Yes, and I would love to have widgets. Hopefully they'll be added soon (iOS5?)!

Well said!

The iPhone is a great beginners phone. Simple & easy it requires very little from the user. This is why they are popular, anyone can use one.

Android is only a bit more involved and well worth it. After one learns the basics, the payoff is handsome. Yet that said many people have no interest in learning new things. Usually it's those who fear change. Kind of sad really, as they have no idea of the fun they're missing.

I won't care once live wallpapers, widgets, OTA updates and an improved notifications system comes to the iPhone.

Photos probably wasn't a great example. Take RSS feeds for instance. When I click on an RSS URL in Safari, it shows me the RSS feed in Safari, and that's it, no other options. When I click on one in Android, it asks me which app I'd like to open it with, including any third party apps I've installed.
Or when I get a PDF attachment in an email, i can save it to Android's file system and open it using any app i like.
I hope you're right about widgets, better notification system and OTA updates coming to iOS one day. But we had to wait four years before we could have a unified inbox, or a decent way to have reminders on my phone without having to create calendar entries or relying on flaky push notifications.
On Android, developers can write applications which make up for Android's shortcomings, so we don't have to wait for one company to decide if or when they're going to do it.
I still love and prefer iOS, but I think Apple's closed nature is going to bite them in the ass, and Android's faster pace of development and marketshare is going to surpass Apple.
And I don't buy the argument that Apple's way means their stuff "just works" anymore - try telling that to someone with an iPhone 3G running 4.0.

Now that Android is fully in the smartphone arena, I'd expect Apple to pick up the pace in innovation and features. Apple's "closed" nature makes them Apple - and it seems to work.

Apple doesn't care about market-share; they still get all the money.

I think apple has done a great job with iOS and its SDK providing developers with a rich and optimized sdk that allows them to really produce some eye popping apps. Android is now starting to see that level of polish in apps, though google needs to update its OS/SDK to allow the GPU to handle more work and that is purported to be in place with its new version of the OS (Gingerbread)

I myself wanted a bit more control over how my phone looks, acts and behaves. Simple things like have a custom ringtone for my txt messages. adding widgets to my screen, so I have one touch access to areas like setting airplane mode, weather, and such.

Android's notification system is much better then apple's and I believe apple is locked into the UI at this point which is very restricted in terms of allowing them to update their screens for a better notification system. Look how they had to add their version of a task manager. Sliding everything up. A bit kludgy and un-apple like.

All in all, the iPhone is a great phone but android is meeting my needs better then the iPhone was. Could that change, sure but for now, I'm enjoying my Droid X.

You're right, and I hope Apple completely redoes the UI in iOS for iOS5. It's on my wish list for sure.

 

[shandyman]

however when it comes to emails we got to buy 'mobileme' so our emails can be pushed unlike BB where its in the costs of the line rental.

actually, yahoo does push, you can have gmail pushed if you set it up right and hotmail will be supporting push shortly, they're taking new sign ups in a couple of weeks supposedly.

 

[CrAkD]

The whole android iPhone argument is getting old. It's the same ignorant pc fanboy apple haters that are stuck in the 90s. I was fighting with one the other day and he actually said to me android has "way more apps" haha. I don't dislike android if there was no iPhone I'd own an android phone. It's these ignorant fanboys that just say "iPhone is garbage" without ever using one.

 

[shandyman]

The whole android iPhone argument is getting old. It's the same ignorant pc fanboy apple haters that are stuck in the 90s. I was fighting with one the other day and he actually said to me android has "way more apps" haha. I don't dislike android if there was no iPhone I'd own an android phone. It's these ignorant fanboys that just say "iPhone is garbage" without ever using one.

you really shouldn't assume. i love my iphone, but i'm a PC guy and hate macs and am not a fan of android. so i blame your stereotype assumption right there.

 

[CrAkD]

you really shouldn't assume. i love my iphone, but i'm a PC guy and hate macs and am not a fan of android. so i blame your stereotype assumption right there.

You don't represent the majority. Never did I state that what I said applies to every pc user ever. The majority of android fanboys are the same people that can't stand apple for unrelated stuff back in the 90s or people that have never even touched an iPhone and just want to hate to hate.

 

[shandyman]

You don't represent the majority. Never did I state that what I said applies to every pc user ever. The majority of android fanboys are the same people that can't stand apple for unrelated stuff back in the 90s or people that have never even touched an iPhone and just want to hate to hate.

i represent the majority in my circle of friends, so really you're assumption is just an assumption. unless you have some facts you can source? its just typical of some people on here to throw out unsupported assumptions and guesses and present them as a fact.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

The majority of android fanboys are the same people that can't stand apple for unrelated stuff back in the 90s or people that have never even touched an iPhone and just want to hate to hate.

Careful, your ignorance is showing.

 

[kas23]

Apple doesn't care about market-share; they still get all the money.

This only applies to laptops and desktops, where the average price of a MB/MBP and iMac/MP are much higher than their competitors. With these products, the money Apple makes is well out-of-proportion to their marketshare.

For cellphones, I don't think this holds true because the prices of most smartphones, including the iPhone, are roughly the same. Now, with the majority of smartphones sold now being Android-based phones, the majority of money spent on smartphones is not going to Apple.

 

[Tom359]

Had both, EVO and iPhone 4

I've had each iphone made and love them. However, I was getting "bored" with the singular way apple lets you do things and wanted to test the android waters. I used the HTC EVO (and Droid X briefly) and here is my bottom line: if there was no iphone I would have an EVO. However, what I loved most about android was ultimately it's undoing for me: "It's customizable".

At first I LOVED the fact that I could change just about everything, and that there were multiple ways to accomplish the same task, just take your pick. After about a week of tweaking, that proved to be very frustrating. The phone would become unresponsive and I would have to find the offending app and either delete or reinstall.

There often seem to be too many steps to accomplish what I can do in a few clicks on my iphone. Up until the FROYO update, copy and paste was maddening.

The iphone often gets the term "elegant" attached to it, and after using android, I have to agree. Yes there is one way to do something, but it is intuitive and works every time.

Android right now reminds me of the days when I built my own computers....constantly tweaking and upgrading. I decided that was not a good thing on a phone. I just want it to work, every time. Most people don't want to think about the OS of the device, they just want to use it.

Don't get me wrong, android is up and coming and in a few more iterations it will be ready for the masses. I just don't think it's quite ready for my mom just yet!