I've had an Android phone (Samsung galaxy) - it was faster than the 3GS I was carrying, it had a bigger screen, it had better specs. It also had an s Amoled screen which you could not read in the sun, a battery that died after a few hours of usage and the Android store that contained applications that I was not sure I wanted to install because they may contain code that would make my phone perform even worse than it did. I was very excited to get this phone because of the bigger screen, the better specs, etc. It was a disappointment due to the crappy battery life and the fact that I had to hack it to reformat the file system to make it faster. A few months down the road, I realized that the phone was freezing up while I was trying to make calls and send messages. I would run through 50% of the battery by using the browser and google maps for 30 minutes. I could have changed the battery to make it live longer, but I did not understand why I had to after 6 months of owning the phone. I have my 3GS for the third year now and I still get better battery life than the Galaxy. As soon as I could renew my contract and get the iPhone 4 for $100, I did not hesitate, even though the 4S was about to be released. I am also about to get the Mac Mini server instead of another Dell desktop, which would have higher specs for the same price. I have written code for and used 4 different platforms in my life, and I definitely see the benefit of customizing the phone or the computer you are using from top to bottom, however, what I've also realized is that beyond the specs there's one thing that is much more important than customization - a phone must allow you to make calls when you need to, read your emails when you want to, and your computer must work after downloading that new piece of software or an update. I've found that whatever Apple releases, usually works better than anything released by any other vendor. And it's not that Apple has not had any major issues during its existence in Mac OSX or iOS, but you can be sure that if it does not work properly now, there will be a release that will fix it. I also don't feel like a "fanboy" because I carry the iPhone, use the iPad, or a Mac - I use them because I like what they give me and how they work.
I am now reading the Steve Jobs biography - the book really gives an insight as to why the Apple products are what they are now - the man has spent his life at the expense of his family and personal life to produce products that did not compromise the user experience for better specs, or someone's passion for taking things apart and modifying them.
Now, I am not writing this to convince you that the iPhone is better than anything else out there, it's better for me
Just like a Nikon shooter, I would never try to convince you that Canon is crap - Canon makes very good cameras and lenses, and if you are invested into Canon lenses, I would try to talk you out of switching to Nikon because of the financial hit you would take selling all your lenses. I just like Nikon because it appeals to me more in the department of ergonomics.
To each their own
But I digress, HTC makes better hardware than Samsung, their Android integration to their hardware is much better than that of Samsung, at the very least in my own experience.
You should definitely try an Android phone, perhaps for you, it may be a better match than the iPhone, but I found myself coming back to the iPhone after trying Android because the platform was not mature enough.
Good luck with your choice.
