[Merged] General Discussion - Android OS vs. iPhone OS

[Eso]

I see your point, but app developers have had basically the same amount of time to develop apps for Android and for iPhone OS. Android was released one year after the iPhone and was purchased by Google in 2005, so I would hardly call it "fairly new" compared to the iPhone.

Nearly the same amount of time, maybe, but hardly the same sized market.

Both were new platforms, so developers would have to start from scratch. The one was launched on a year-old platform with the hotest devices on the market, which already numbered in the tens of millions. The other launched three months later on a brand new platform that had yet to sell a single device, on the smallest national carrier in the country.

Do you honestly think it's a simple matter of when the stores launched?

 

[BaldiMac]

Do you honestly think it's a simple matter of when the stores launched?

No. That was my point. See above. Sorry about not being very clear!

 

[Eso]

No. That was my point. See above. Sorry about not being very clear!

And yet, your first reply was contadicting those saying the comparison between app stores isn't fair because the iPhone was more established, citing that the marketplace was launched three months after the app store.

 

[PhoneI]

TRUST ME when I say, that the EVO is the absolute best phone on the market.. bar none. I know because I have been using it since last friday!

Its just riduculous all the tech in this phone. And the kickstand?? Awesome... movie watching to a nice bed side clock.. its all useful with this kickstand!

I have used the EVO the last few days. I still prefer my iPhone running the beta 4.0 OS. First of all, the EVO is TREMENDOUS. Anybody that says otherwise is not being truthful. If I want something that big, I will just use my iPad.

The iPhone 4.0 email client is still way better than the Android email client for exchange access.

Every app that is available for both platforms is better on the iPhone.

One last thing, I know this is an opinion, but I hate the Android font.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

The way im seeing the apps store vs the marketplace. The very same app on the iPhone that's in the android. The iPhone version is just a better version. I wonder why this is. Could it be that apple offers some dev tools that the android dev tool may not?

I don't see how the android is more functional. It does the same crap. Its just your choice of candy when it comes to your eyes.

 

[jellybean]

Something painfully simple I've been wanting from my iPhone for the past two years is a decent application for setting reminders which can alert me, and seperate from the Calendar app to avoid cluttering up my calendar. (With customizable alert tones I can hear.)
There are some really nice reminder apps for the iPhone but they all rely on push notifications which sucks because I find push notifications to be very unreliable. If I'm in an area with bad signal, or just an area with no 3G signal for that matter, I wouldn't get the reminder sent to me. So what's the point?
This changed the day I switched to Android. I installed a great free app for reminders which alerts me regardless of if I have coverage or not.
There are many other things like this I was finally able to do on my Android phone from day one which I had been waiting years for on the iPhone, which I'd still be waiting for hadn't I made the switch.

 

[BaldiMac]

And yet, your first reply was contadicting those saying the comparison between app stores isn't fair because the iPhone was more established, citing that the marketplace was launched three months after the app store.

You are missing the distinction I have made. It is the market share and install base that are important. Not the length of time that Android and the Android market have existed in comparison to the iPhone and App Store.

 

[rtabdo]

Here is a good article about the comparison of the two. I agree with it. Android does offer some features I'd love to see on the iPhone (notifications, widgets) However, I will agree that Apple has a much more polished look and feel. It just feels "higher class"

It's the same reason why a person would buy say a BMW with 250hp vs a Hyundai with 250hp. One just has a better "feel" to it. For me, right now its Apple, but Froyo is looking interesting. Let's see what Apple does on June 7th.

http://carpeaqua.com/2010/05/26/from-iphone-to-android/

 

[rtabdo]

I have used the EVO the last few days. I still prefer my iPhone running the beta 4.0 OS. First of all, the EVO is TREMENDOUS. Anybody that says otherwise is not being truthful. If I want something that big, I will just use my iPad.

The iPhone 4.0 email client is still way better than the Android email client for exchange access.

Every app that is available for both platforms is better on the iPhone.

One last thing, I know this is an opinion, but I hate the Android font.

I do agree with that. I played with an HD2 and an Incredible for a few days. I felt like the 4.3" was almost too big for a phone. I don't know how else to explain it, but I felt like that screen made it a 2 hand device (like the iPad) not a 1 hand device (like iPhone, Nexus One). I also think the kickstand is kind of "eh" another thing to break and useless to me 99% of the time. HDMI is cool, but you need a cable to carry around if you're going to use it...and overall I just find Android to be unpolished even with Sense on it. Just my opinion.

 

[koopa35]

Another example is things like the Facebook or Twitter apps. Install either of these and you can upload pictures direct from the gallery app to any services that support it (email, MMS, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr e.t.c) by clicking on the menu:
.

that feature and notifications is what i think my android does better than iphone. but thats not stopping me from going back to the iphone. the os is much smoother

 

[daze]

Get real, i have had swiss army knife phones in the past and you don't use all of the features. When I mean "use" that means at least once after the first day of geeking around.

iPhone does a pretty good job of giving you the features that you will actually use regularly, with the exception of tethering which is AT&T not apple.

That said, i am still probably going to try the EVO coming up

I normally don't comment on posts where people are comparing one product over another but I wanted to chime in and say that you're absolutely correct about the swiss army knife comparison. I used to think that whatever I was buying should have everything. But after years of noticing my own usage and buying patterns I now realize that everything is a tradeoff. Buy the product for the functionality you are going to use the most. On a smart phone, that functionality (for me!) is being able to make short video clips of my family, email, and facebook. Anything else is seldom used and nice to have.

 

[Apple...]

10 Things Android (apparently) Does Better Than iPhone

Link: http://gizmodo.com/5554293/10-things-android-does-better-than-iphone-os

Have at it. Tell me what you think. I agree with some of Gizmodo's comments, but definitely not all.

 

[Maverick1337]

Number 5 is probably my biggest reason I will never go to Android. Every 2-3 months there is a new Android phone released that is slightly better than it's predecessor. Now when I go to buy a phone, it's nice to know that I'll have the best for a while. The iPhone, I know I have the best phone on AT&T for at least a year, like a new car. Also, I don't care that it's on other carriers, I've been with AT&T for as long as I've known. Everyone I know back home has AT&T. It's not "Android Better" feature, it's more of a Google better than Apple feature in that sense. If you take a look at those phones, I personally believe the iPhone looks way sexier

 

[elephunkman]

I laughed at the part where it says it lets you choose your own hardware. Yes, it is true, but the iPhone is far more superior in its stability than all of those devices. That's because nearly every Android device has a version of its own like the Sense UI and not every device can be updated with the latest firmware, supported through Google.

With 32GB of storage in iPhone 3GS, what Android device comes stock with that?

 

[-aggie-]

I laughed at the comments:

Is this Giz's response to not getting invited to a certain event next week?

 

[elephunkman]

Are they really not getting invited to the conference keynote?

 

[RonHC]

I laughed at the comments:

yea i saw that too, i lol'd

 

[angevil]

Android cleans my intestines way better. When I see froyo, I have a diarrhea.

 

[spice weasel]

Android strikes me as being a better phone OS for those people who really like to geek-out with their software. For the average user, the iPhone OS seems more user-friendly and intuitive.

I'm glad that Android exists, and I'm glad that it keeps getting better. This will push Apple to produce better and more feature-rich software (and hardware). I'm not ready to make the jump to Android, but I am intrigued.

 

[boss.king]

I only really see 2, 4 and 9 as valid points. 9 isnt even a very strong one. In fact some only apply to the US, which is pretty stupid.

 

[STEVESKI07]

I really wouldn't be surprised if Gizmodo became an Android fanboy site now, especially if Apple isn't going to invite them to any more conferences.

 

[elppa]

The carrier issue is only really an issue in the US and a few other countries (China, Japan). I imagine in the majority of the countries where iPhone is sold you get a carrier choice.

I think the majority are valid — especially the notifications. The custom ROM bit is not important to most users, but they omitted free turn by turn navigation (clearly more important).

I'm not sure the WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS widgets are stock Android or just in HTC sense. If they are just part of HTC sense then it seems a little silly to include it.

 

[Small White Car]

On this: http://gizmodo.com/5554293/10-things-android-does-better-than-iphone-os

1) Multitasking - You can erase this one in about 2 weeks.

2) Widgets - Yep, they're right.

3) App Store - If they'd managed to list real examples I'd take this seriously. As it is written it sounds really weak. I know the problems developers have had with the app store, but that's irrelevant here. What are consumers missing? I'm not going to say yay or nay to this one...just that they did a poor job reporting on it.

4) Notifications - Well, yes, but I'd honestly count #2 and #4 as kind of the same thing. One is showing you info on stuff in your phone and one is showing you info on stuff in the cloud, but it's the same basic problem. So a "yes" here, but it's not really a seperate item from #2.

5) Hardware Choices: Eh...true, but I don't care. I'm not sure how to vote on that, then.

6) Carrier Choices: Another "true but so what?" item. What am I supposed to do with that? Go from one crappy carrier to the other? Not a big deal.

7) ROMs: True, but once again it feels like they're repeating themselves. This sounds the same as #3. If the app store is really as great as they say it is, what's the need for this kind of unlocking of the software? I'm not saying it's not an advantage, but "openness" is now being listed as 2 different things on the list.

8) Quick Settings - True enough

9) Social Integration: Once again, here's somethign that MIGHT be true if only they explained it. They fail to explain how using Facebook on an Adroid phone is better than an iPhone. They just say it's more "seamless." Ok, what does that even mean?

10) Cheaper - Ok, this is just #5 and #6 mashed together and posted again. I can say it's "true" but it really is just the same thing again becuase they wanted the list to be "10 things" and not "9 things."

- - -
RESULTS:

* Totally True and the iPhone should catch up: 2
* Maybe True but they don't make a good case for it: 2
* True but "So what?": 2
* Outdated as of next week: 1
* Repeats of other items: 3

 

[Fabienne]

Reasons why I will get an iPhone vs. Android (based on that article):
1) I am betting that iPhone 4g (or Herman or whatever it is called) will multi-task.
2) The Android market has a lot of crap on it, and many apps that are not well written.
3) I am choosing hardware which is the best, as the man said above. I just picked up a Blaze and tried it out. Looks very nice with a white frosting and red strawberry look. The screen is a plastic greasy icky thing, and it doesn't feel as substantial or as luxe as the iPhone.
4) Choose your carrier? Choose your *ahem* ugly boyfriend. Heck, they are all pretty much alike, friends.
5) So far I have not seen huge cheap well made quantities of Android. Not. Perhaps there will be some day, but maybe not, too. Time will tell.
6) I am truly glad that I can get into the Android and tinker around. Neat-o BUT I have better things to do with my time. So, I would like a phone which works well with the stock hardware and software that you get with it. I could have jail broken an iPhone but then you have to maintain it and live with its shortcomings. I believe that Android has that downside as well. They all do.

I think that Android is an interesting concept BUT it isn't better than iPhone yet. Even the established other guys are not not not better than iPhone. My Blackberry isn't built for all around goodness. I wish it was but there are huge gaps in what it can do well.

 

[Jeeves]

Dont really agrees with any of it, beacuse of the new OS 4 and jail breaking I personally do not see many of these reasons as a plus.

1: Android can Run Multiple Apps at the Same Time - So can OS4

2. Android Keeps Information Visible on Your Home Screen - Lockinfo, but must agree even then the Android is slightly better here

3: Android Has a Better App Market- Complete ********, yes apple does lock in down but I feel the apps are far more superior from the app store and also combined with the cydia store its far better than another body else is offering

4. Android Gives You Better Notifications- Same as two really Lockinfo does me fine

5. Android Lets You Choose Your Hardware- This is a bad point really, as Apple only has a small range of hardware to focus on it works better and so they offer far more support and also you are not worried that in a few months that your phone will be obsolete

6. Android Lets You Choose Your Carrier - I live in the UK and so this is not a problem

7.Android Lets You Install Custom ROMs- Can do it with jailbreaking

8. Android Lets You Change Your Settings Faster- SBSettings

9. Android Does Google and Social Integration- This is a plus for android but even then it is not most impressive feature than i care about

10. Android Gives You More Options to Fit Your Budget- Not so bad here in the UK, and would rather pay more for the iPhone which i prefer

So really yes the andriod does do some things better than iPhone OS but for me with the iPhone + Jailbrekaing, is far better than andriod.