Why I can never switch from an iPhone

[cynics]

That's an excellent idea. How about you start?

No, by all means have at it. Only apps I use are tapatalk, Facebook, a couple conversion apps for work, then the native phone, email and messaging apps.

I don't get too invested in phones because having one makes my life harder. The easier it is for work to get a hold of me the worse it is lol! Luckily they pay for it (4S + service) and I can use it for personal use too.

That's the reason I'm curious in some of these apps. However nothing is exactly blowing me away yet.

 

[cbronfman]

Thank you

I downloaded MotionX Sleep and Slow Shutter. Not sure how MotionX sleep will work since (1) I do have a Tempurpedic Mattress, (2) I'll have to use my iPad2 since my iPhone is busy playing alarm nightstand clock (Nightstand Central) and charging at the same time, and (3) not sure whether it's a good idea to put my iPad under my pillow as they show (as I would hate to have it shooting to the floor), but I'll try it nearby. If it can really identify REM sleep etc., I'll be delighted since I've always wondered how well I sleep (wake up tired, etc.). With the sale price it's definitely worth a try.

I used to take photos with timed shutter speeds in the old days on 35 mm film. I'm going to look at a few other of the photography apps you suggest that I haven't tried yet.

Really good post you made.

 

[cynics]

But part of the reason why "I can never switch from an iPhone" is that the competition can not satisfy what I'm looking for. My experience with the iPhone has changed what I expect from a phone.

If my assertions are wrong, and the competition can do everything I've posted above, I'd like to know about it

Unfortunately, as you stated, the responses don't seem to be going that way. I would much prefer that the pro-android responses stay on topic and address my claim directly, instead of talking about ROMS, file managers, widgets, launchers...etc.

Well I hate to say it but it's impossible to deal with a lot of people on an iPhone forum when trying to be pro android for obvious reasons. The opposite applies on android forums.

Like you mentioned widgets and roms (for example). If someone says "iPhones email is way better" and the pro android response was "well email is so much simpler and faster with an email widget". Or "iPhone has the latest iOS across all idevices" and the pro android response "well if I install a rom I get the latest OS I want nightly". THEN say "oh I don't want to hear all this off topic widget and rom stuff".

It's a phone. I use it cause it's free. I'd just as soon goto a dumb phone if I had to foot the bill.

 

[cynics]

I downloaded MotionX Sleep and Slow Shutter. Not sure how MotionX sleep will work since (1) I do have a Tempurpedic Mattress, (2) I'll have to use my iPad2 since my iPhone is busy playing alarm nightstand clock (Nightstand Central) and charging at the same time, and (3) not sure whether it's a good idea to put my iPad under my pillow as they show (as I would hate to have it shooting to the floor), but I'll try it nearby. If it can really identify REM sleep etc., I'll be delighted since I've always wondered how well I sleep (wake up tired, etc.). With the sale price it's definitely worth a try.

I used to take photos with timed shutter speeds in the old days on 35 mm film. I'm going to look at a few other of the photography apps you suggest that I haven't tried yet.

Really good post you made.

I never used motionx but for my friend and I the app sleep cycle was hit or miss. Sometimes it would bring me out of the deepest of sleeps and I'd still have time to spare. It end up being too much of a hassle to use.

I don't think I'd use my iPad though. When I used sc I used my cased iPhone.

 

[Soulweaponry]

Just wanted to throw my comment in in saying great post to the op. That single post is exactly what I'll refer someone to if they're ever thinking about getting an iPhone.

Just a little disappointed in one thing...no mention of motionx gps drive? That one app by itself is one of the reasons I came back to iPhone!!! Light years better than google nav

 

[ChazUK]

Epic post Dodge but I find flitting between platforms rather easy (perhaps too easy) with a few negatives.

Synchronisation (Email, Contacts & Calendar)
Using Google Sync on my iPad and support out of the box for my HTC Titan and Galaxy Nexus, all information is pushed to all three devices on different platforms. Even my iMac joins in on the synchronisation party. Things like iCloud are completely useless to me with its lack of support for WP7 or Android.

Music
Google Music is native on Android but with Gooroovster on my HTC Titan and gMusc on my iPad, all of my music is available to me wherever I am after a short upload from my PC.
This is one of the easiest aspects of going multi-platform for me as listening to music on my devices has to be one of the biggest features I use. No syncing with Zune, no syincing with iTunes and no connecting my Nexus to my PC to drag and drop media. I'm glad I can turn my back on all that syncing and organising.

Video
Netflix on Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7. Need I say more?

Social
Facebook and Twitter work wonderfully on all three platforms but nothing can beat the FB and Twitter integration that WP7 brings.

Where things go wrong

Updates
Despite being free of iTunes on my iPad thanks to OTA updates and OTA updates being a longstanding Android feature, I still have to have the Zune syncing software on my PC as my Titan can't be updated OTA. It's be nice if I could do all three without the use of a computer.

Games
GTA III, Death Rally, Jelly Defense, Minecraft Pocket & Riptide GP are all staple games for me on Android and iOS but not on offer on Windows Phone 7. Buying games multiple times on each platform isn't an issue for me but it is a shame to see some of my favourites missing on my Titan.

Cloud Services
I have 25GB of SkyDrive storage with no official Android app.
I have 6GB of DropBox storage with no official Windows Phone 7 app.
I have 50GB of box.net storage with no official Windows Phone 7 app.
I have 5GB of Google Drive storage with no official WP7 or iOS app.

This is a pain as I'd love to use one of these services with officially supported apps on all three platforms but I am currently limited on at least one platform each.

Despite some of the negatives, I really enjoy discovering new and interesting apps on Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7.

Once again, great post Dodge. Interesting to see all of the value you get out of iOS and the iPhone.

 

[StevenT42]

OP, thanks for your posts! I have some new apps to try out, and I've been using the iPhone since 2007!

 

[cbronfman]

Good points - what I'm trying ...

I never used motionx but for my friend and I the app sleep cycle was hit or miss. Sometimes it would bring me out of the deepest of sleeps and I'd still have time to spare. It end up being too much of a hassle to use.

I don't think I'd use my iPad though. When I used sc I used my cased iPhone.

In the configuration files - you can set the maximum time before the alarm you "want" to be woken up - so I set it at 5 minutes.

My iPad2 is encased in the Marware CEO hybrid. I just don't know if the app will work if the lid is down. But I'll see.

 

[nefan65]

Epic post Dodge but I find flitting between platforms rather easy (perhaps too easy) with a few negatives.

Synchronisation (Email, Contacts & Calendar)
Using Google Sync on my iPad and support out of the box for my HTC Titan and Galaxy Nexus, all information is pushed to all three devices on different platforms. Even my iMac joins in on the synchronisation party. Things like iCloud are completely useless to me with its lack of support for WP7 or Android.

Music
Google Music is native on Android but with Gooroovster on my HTC Titan and gMusc on my iPad, all of my music is available to me wherever I am after a short upload from my PC.
This is one of the easiest aspects of going multi-platform for me as listening to music on my devices has to be one of the biggest features I use. No syncing with Zune, no syincing with iTunes and no connecting my Nexus to my PC to drag and drop media. I'm glad I can turn my back on all that syncing and organising.

I use nothing Google; including search. Win/Win...Essentially no different than your example of iCloud being useless.

 

[AppleDApp]

Epic post Dodge but I find flitting between platforms rather easy (perhaps too easy) with a few negatives.

Synchronisation (Email, Contacts & Calendar)
Using Google Sync on my iPad and support out of the box for my HTC Titan and Galaxy Nexus, all information is pushed to all three devices on different platforms. Even my iMac joins in on the synchronisation party. Things like iCloud are completely useless to me with its lack of support for WP7 or Android.

Music
Google Music is native on Android but with Gooroovster on my HTC Titan and gMusc on my iPad, all of my music is available to me wherever I am after a short upload from my PC.
This is one of the easiest aspects of going multi-platform for me as listening to music on my devices has to be one of the biggest features I use. No syncing with Zune, no syincing with iTunes and no connecting my Nexus to my PC to drag and drop media. I'm glad I can turn my back on all that syncing and organising.

Video
Netflix on Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7. Need I say more?

Social
Facebook and Twitter work wonderfully on all three platforms but nothing can beat the FB and Twitter integration that WP7 brings.

Where things go wrong

Updates
Despite being free of iTunes on my iPad thanks to OTA updates and OTA updates being a longstanding Android feature, I still have to have the Zune syncing software on my PC as my Titan can't be updated OTA. It's be nice if I could do all three without the use of a computer.

Games
GTA III, Death Rally, Jelly Defense, Minecraft Pocket & Riptide GP are all staple games for me on Android and iOS but not on offer on Windows Phone 7. Buying games multiple times on each platform isn't an issue for me but it is a shame to see some of my favourites missing on my Titan.

Cloud Services
I have 25GB of SkyDrive storage with no official Android app.
I have 6GB of DropBox storage with no official Windows Phone 7 app.
I have 50GB of box.net storage with no official Windows Phone 7 app.
I have 5GB of Google Drive storage with no official WP7 or iOS app.

This is a pain as I'd love to use one of these services with officially supported apps on all three platforms but I am currently limited on at least one platform each.

Despite some of the negatives, I really enjoy discovering new and interesting apps on Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7.

Once again, great post Dodge. Interesting to see all of the value you get out of iOS and the iPhone.

I love how you use all three platforms. It would be great is every app was well ported to all device. I love both your's and OP's approach.

 

[ixodes]

What a love affair with an inanimate object...

 

[mrbutters]

Replies are bolded.

More on topic: Great post(s?) OP. Very informative and I enjoy your style of photography. Plus your subject is easy on the eyes.

My Android phone is already obsolete? Wow, I didn't know that. Just the simple fact that my 4s doesn't run on LTE made it obsolete from day 1. 3G is old, outdated tech and speeds are a joke. Apple is always behind on everything. I mean hell, it took till iOS 5 just to get something as simple as a notification bar and multitasking among MANY other things my "obsolete" Android phones have had for years. Quite embarrassing actually.

 

[ChazUK]

I use nothing Google; including search. Win/Win...Essentially no different than your example of iCloud being useless.

I mentioned iCloud being useless to me in respect of contact/calendar/email synchronization. It isn't a service that any user of Windows Phone or Android can use and as I use three platforms, it is useless.

It wasnt intended to be a derogatory jibe at the service. iCloud is perfect to someone locked into iOS and I'm sure it works fine for those users.

 

[chiefpavvy]

Got to add Evernote to that list. I'd be so lost without it...been using it since 2008 and there's nothing even remotely close. The ability to have all the relevant pieces of information I need any time any where across all devices and platforms is "the" killer app - at least for me!

I prefer Navigon over TomTom for navigation needs but I agree that both are superior to Google Nav; The only advantage fAndroids can come up with Nav is that it comes with the phone and is "FREE"...

Thanks for the iZip recommendation - something I've thought of that would be handy in the past but never bothered beyond that. Good stuff to have.

I'd like to see some others chime in with their killer apps list and must-have's...kudos to OP for a lot of (obviously) time and effort spent on this, really good stuff and I'm sure a lot of folks will get good use out of it!

 

[Kyotoma]

My Android phone is already obsolete? Wow, I didn't know that. Just the simple fact that my 4s doesn't run on LTE made it obsolete from day 1. 3G is old, outdated tech and speeds are a joke. Apple is always behind on everything. I mean hell, it took till iOS 5 just to get something as simple as a notification bar and multitasking among MANY other things my "obsolete" Android phones have had for years. Quite embarrassing actually.

According to who? LTE is bleeding edge tech to the rest of the world, with many a country carrier including most of Europe not even having any LTE yet. So no, that's wrong. Sorry. HSPA, while being "old"(read: not even ten years), can still be improved upon for a few years to come. Look what T-Mobile is doing with HSPA+ 42. Almost competes with current LTE offerings in more than a few ways.

Oh, and for the record, Multitasking came to iOS with iOS 4 and does it much, much better than Android. I'll give you that Apple borrowed the Notification pull-down, however. Not sure why they waited to release that one. Or steal it sooner.

 

[chiefpavvy]

Oh, and for the record, Multitasking came to iOS with iOS 4 and does it much, much better than Android. I'll give you that Apple borrowed the Notification pull-down, however. Not sure why they waited to release that one. Or steal it sooner.

Agreed, on both counts. iOS "multitasking" is vastly superior to Android in every way. Not needing to bother with "task killers" and searching out the latest "ROM" every night to fix some arcane issue here or there and have some stability = priceless.

 

[Apple fanboy]

OP, thank you for the great post - you actually gave me some great apps to check out and new things to do with my phone.

I agree. Great post (well more of a review actually). I'm not looking to switch either and as well as all the things you mention I would also add the investment I've made in iTunes and the app store. I would not want to have to find (if at all possible) and pay for again on android or windows.

 

[Wide opeN]

Definitely, definitely, definitely a nice post OP.

I, like many others have some new apps to play with ... Thanx!!!

I think as another poster put it, when you don't compare by bullets or on paper but according to life value instead, it's only then, you'll certainly know which OS and hardware are best for you.

While, I, like many others occasionally get bored with the iPhone EVERY time, and I do mean EVERY time I've tried to switch to Android, I've been back on the iPhone within a week.

What does that say!? That the iPhone has changed what a phone SHOULD be in my eyes.

Ex. Tapping the top of the Web Browser to return to the top of the page... simple right!?

Wrong... for me this is HUGE as DATA is my killer app. I've not been able to duplicate this function on Android on ANY of the browsers.

It's little nuances like that one just mentioned and others (app fit and finish, overall navigation (smoothness), timely updates, real world (retail store) support, etc...) that make the iPhone a better EXPERIENCE overall and not just a SPEC BEAST.

I mean, a lot of things look good on paper right!? BUT, you don't give much of your time unless they translate to real world value for you, right!?

Android in and of itself is good but when iOS enters the conversation, it changes the whole outlook of which is best/preferable.

In closing, once again, good post OP!!! Threads like these are why I frequent forums

 

[scaredpoet]

First, I find it funny that someone feels they HAVE to counter someone's personal preference as to why iOS works for them with negatives.

Ok, here are some things you can't do on your iPhone but you can on an Android, and these are very simple things.

Go into an email someone has sent you a phone number. Click it and try to add it as a contact or text that person.

Seems simple enough to me. Why, is it hard on Android?

(By the way: I'll admit I cheated and didn't "click." I did a tap-and-hold to get this dialog, which takes less than half a second. But if holding a tap for half a second is THAT much of a problem for you...)

Try to open a link someone has emailed you in a browser other than Safari

This would bother me if I didn't want Safari. But, since Safari and Android's browsers are both running Apple's WebKit anyway, I would counter with "try opening a link on an Android without Apple being involved in any way at all."

Try to download a ringtone or notification tone to your phone with one click

Try to get into your file manager

Try to swap between all keyboards on your phone while in any typing field just by sliding down the notification bar and selecting one

Try to visit a site with flash

Try to install a new home launcher

Try to install a custom ROM

Again, these are things that would bug me if I actually wanted to do them. granted some people do, and that's why there's Android. But for me and for apparently millions of other users, it's not a hindrance.

And for those that it is, there's this neat thing called Jailbreaking. Which by the way: on quite a few Android devices, a number of the same things you list require rooting.

Try to set up widgets that allow you to turn on/off your Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS etc...with one click

This is the one and only thing I wish iOS did. But it's not nearly enough to make me want to switch.

 

[Kyotoma]

[SNIP]Cloud Services
I have 25GB of SkyDrive storage with no official Android app.
I have 6GB of DropBox storage with no official Windows Phone 7 app.
I have 50GB of box.net storage with no official Windows Phone 7 app.
I have 5GB of Google Drive storage with no official WP7 or iOS app.

This is a pain as I'd love to use one of these services with officially supported apps on all three platforms but I am currently limited on at least one platform each.

Despite some of the negatives, I really enjoy discovering new and interesting apps on Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7.

Once again, great post Dodge. Interesting to see all of the value you get out of iOS and the iPhone.

Look up a service called SugarSync for cloud storage.

 

[jca24]

Try to take your phone to the Google Bar when it doesn't work right.

Try to make sense of the ridiculous array of phones available running Android.

Try to pick one that isn't crap and won't be obsolete when Hot Milkshake 2.1.4.6.9 comes out in 3 hours.

Try to give your phone to a 5 year old or your grandmother, when your hands are full, and you need them to do something on the phone besides check the time.

Try not to give away your credit card numbers and passwords by installing a malicious clone of Pissed Off Pigeons.

Try not to lose over half of your investment when you resell your phone.

Try not to look like a total dweeb when you point out to all your friends with iPhones that your shiny plastic Android Phone of the Week can access your file system and install a launcher or a custom ROM.

Great post, I don't care for the flimsy plastic toy-like android phones of the week either.

 

[braddick]

The apps that best get me through a day and ones I enjoy are not limited to:

1- Cortex Camera (sadly, missing now in the app store?). It takes 100 photos and marries them into a single shot giving depth to your pictures. A tripod is suggested or really steady hands as each photo shot takes about 20 seconds to load.
2- Frameograph: Simple yet pleasurable photo app that will have you messing around with it for probably an inordinate amount of time. You don't have to be super creative to pull off some neat videos.
3- iSmoothRun: Excellent workout program that helps keep you motivated and it's easy to use.
4- Bongiovi DPS: Cranks your music to outstanding levels and allows you to hear your songs like you never knew they could sound. Another like it. . .
5- MyTunes Pro: Worth the upgrade. Although a bit buggy for now (as attested to in the reviews) the performance enhancing sound qualities is of a "WOW" quality.
6- Frustr8tor: Intriguing game that is challenging yet can be played in quick intervals.

 

[diane143]

It will wake you up if it detects you're in a light sleep during the 30 minutes before your alarm time.

That's really interesting and I will check out the videos too! Thing is, I use the phone for the alarm for my bf who gets up way before I do. I usually wake up about an hour before the alarm goes off - we both seem to actually!

Have you tried it while sharing the bed with someone? I wonder how that affects it.

I can't wait to go through some of the other apps you listed. I am really concentrating on iPad apps for myself right now but I can see a lot of potential in your list, some I have never heard of.

In a nutshell, what I typically use on the phone is:
Standard phone, mail, safari and music

I have the Light app (flashlight). As silly as I thought it was, it's sure come in handy a few times!

I use the Weather Channel app more than the stock one (though I don't like the iPad version as much)

Usually Waze for navigation but I'm still playing with that. May try MotionX Drive during the summer.

Things is a todo that I bought for the laptop and the iPhone. I don't need it enough on the iPad to spring for that too though!

I use the standard clock as an alarm and timer.

Dictionary - great for pronunciation discussions

Stocks app so I can see how my AAPL is doing, along with my bank apps

I have a few shopping apps, one holds those stupid saver cards, a grocery list called ShopShop

I use What's On? every night for tv listings, and also IMDb

Facebook, a couple of local new stations (I don't like to watch the news but I will read the stories online).

Motion-X GPS - LOVE this app for hiking and biking

Sound Hound for getting the names of those songs I really should know

ISO500 - way cool pix. Use them sometimes as wallpaper.

Dropbox

Some things for work that work better on the iPad: SonicWall, PocketCloud (RDC app), Logmein, OverDrive (works great!). I signed up for SkyDrive but haven't used it yet.

Photoshare to push pix between the iPhone and iPad - but I've found that I can't email them direct from the album once they are copied over, I have to copy and paste. Or maybe it's the other way around. Either way, it's a bug.

I'm playing with some Notepad apps on the iPad these days too.

Nothing as cool as your stuff but I like them.

 

[mrbutters]

According to who? LTE is bleeding edge tech to the rest of the world, with many a country carrier including most of Europe not even having any LTE yet. So no, that's wrong. Sorry. HSPA, while being "old"(read: not even ten years), can still be improved upon for a few years to come. Look what T-Mobile is doing with HSPA+ 42. Almost competes with current LTE offerings in more than a few ways.

Oh, and for the record, Multitasking came to iOS with iOS 4 and does it much, much better than Android. I'll give you that Apple borrowed the Notification pull-down, however. Not sure why they waited to release that one. Or steal it sooner.

Ok, well 4G then, not so much LTE. I hope you are kidding about iOS multitasking better. It can only handle one app download at a time, I can do 12 at once on my Android. Also, if I am watching a video or playing a game on my 4s, it will pause anytime I get something like a text or email, ridiculous. Android's multitasking is far superior. You have never had one apparently.

 

[DodgeV83]

Ok, well 4G then, not so much LTE. I hope you are kidding about iOS multitasking better. It can only handle one app download at a time, I can do 12 at once on my Android. Also, if I am watching a video or playing a game on my 4s, it will pause anytime I get something like a text or email, ridiculous. Android's multitasking is far superior. You have never had one apparently.

I had 6 pages of this when I first got my iPhone 4S.

If you're getting interrupted when you get an email or a text, then it's because you set it that way. The default Notification Alert for texts is a banner, not a pop up. By default, I don't believe there are any notifications for emails by default, you have to set it.

I also prefer iOS multitasking, as I've never had my phone slowdown because of an app in the background, where my experience shows this is the default experience on Android.

In any case, can we stay on topic please? There are two open questions you haven't answered yet:

1. You mentioned earlier that Google Navigation is better than anything on the iPhone, but didn't answer my follow-up questions about it. Can you explain what makes it better, especially considering I've given an example where Google Navigation on Android gave a very bad route last weekend?

2. You've posted a lot about what your phone can do, which is cool, but do you have anything to add to our discussion? Do you believe my assertion that no other device can fill the shoes of the apps I've described above is incorrect? If so, explain how.