Android vs iPhone - please weigh in.

[hmurchison]

I think iCloud neatly addresses the issue of mail/contacts/calendar sync nicely.

I really don't want to use Google for all my services not because I hate Google or anything but because I think the web is not the ideal solution when compared to native apps.

iCloud also backs up an entire iPhone including camera roll and app location and app data so moving from iPhone/iPad to a new model is going to be trivial.

Android isn't a productivity platform. Enterprises don't use Google services they use Microsoft and iOS has native support for Active Sync a Microsoft technology. This means a business person can walk into an Apple Store or their carrier ....buy an iPhone or iPad and input their Exchange credentials and voila...their email, contacts and calendar data fill right in OTA (Over The Air)

Android is only a cheaper solution but it certainly isn't as robust or as secure.

[Franco]

Originally Posted by hmurchison

I think iCloud neatly addresses the issue of mail/contacts/calendar sync nicely.

I'm aware of this Apple service, I wanted to get my older G4 and iPod Touch (2nd Gen) sync'd and thought it would be awesome to add music to my "iTunes Mac" and have it automagically appear on my iPod Touch - but no dice. In typical Apple fashion, both of these devices are "too old" and they can't support this service (OSX on the G4 and at least a 3rd Gen iPod Touch is required).

Originally Posted by hmurchison

I really don't want to use Google for all my services not because I hate Google or anything but because I think the web is not the ideal solution when compared to native apps.

You do know iCloud is a web-based service right?

Originally Posted by hmurchison

iCloud also backs up an entire iPhone including camera roll and app location and app data so moving from iPhone/iPad to a new model is going to be trivial.

Android does this as well (app purchases) and Google also has Picasa, so you could automatically upload any pictures you take on your phone or device, share them if you want (or not) and I like that nearly every Android device uses some form of memory card to store data, like pictures.

Originally Posted by hmurchison

Android isn't a productivity platform. Enterprises don't use Google services they use Microsoft and iOS has native support for Active Sync a Microsoft technology. This means a business person can walk into an Apple Store or their carrier ....buy an iPhone or iPad and input their Exchange credentials and voila...their email, contacts and calendar data fill right in OTA (Over The Air)

There's a big difference between "Enterprises" and Small Businesses. I know LOTS of small businesses who use Android phones, tablets and Google (Google Docs and the ability to edit/share/sync documents from anywhere is amazing). I've got friends who are IT pros who wish the places they worked at dropped Microsoft and went all Linux-based, but that's another topic. I will say you're right, huge Enterprises do not use Android, but I would also say that if you speak to the average IT pro and ask them what they think about Microsoft as their platform, they'll eventually tell you they rather work with something else.

Originally Posted by hmurchison

Android is only a cheaper solution but it certainly isn't as robust or as secure.

Subjective. There have been security breaches on ALL platforms. It is definitely a "cheaper solution", and it can be robust, depending on your needs; for someone who owns a small business, this is quite alright considering the times!

[JPZ]

I have an iPhone 4 (personal) and a Droid (work). In fact I've had 3 droids - HTC Incredible, Samsung Fascinate and Motorola Droid X. All 3 droids and the associated operating system are complete and utter garbage. I can't stand the Droid. There is no comparison. iPhone and iPad are beautiful things. The droids are crap. Sorry Droid lovers.

[tha]-[acksaw]

Originally Posted by hmurchison

iCloud also backs up an entire iPhone including camera roll and app location and app data so moving from iPhone/iPad to a new model is going to be trivial.

That's great an all. But i really don't like the idea of all my pics being backed up to the web. So when Google implemented this I opted not to get on board.

And I don't have to, cause Google has left me with another solution that has been available since the first set of devices started rolling out. That solution = an SD card. 16 Gb stock on most phones. Cheap upgrades beyond that.

Come on iPhone guys. Hold ur phone is one hand and ur storage card in another. Or, hold ur battery in one hand and your phone in another. Why all the puzzled looks?


Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Gearslutz.com

[JPZ]

Or you could just back up you're iPhone/iPad pictures or whatever to your computer wirelessly or wired.

[Whitecat]

If you ignore the trolly headline, this chart is still interesting:

This Incredible Chart Shows How Screwed Android Is And How iOS Gets It Right | Cult of Mac

[andsonic]

Originally Posted by JPZ

I have an iPhone 4 (personal) and a Droid (work). In fact I've had 3 droids - HTC Incredible, Samsung Fascinate and Motorola Droid X. All 3 droids and the associated operating system are complete and utter garbage. I can't stand the Droid. There is no comparison. iPhone and iPad are beautiful things. The droids are crap. Sorry Droid lovers.

There seems to be issues with the "droid" line up of devices. I haven't heard of those problems with HTC or Samsung. I have a HTC & love it. It was doing iphone 4s stuff 2 years ago.

Lots of NGO's are using google docs & gmail these days. Cnet.com uses this platform to run their business.

Sent from my PC36100 using Gearslutz.com

[Plugses]

android over here also. used iPhone few times but it just wasn't my cup of tea

[Grinny]

Originally Posted by whitecat

If you ignore the trolly headline, this chart is still interesting:

This Incredible Chart Shows How Screwed Android Is And How iOS Gets It Right | Cult of Mac

That chart seems disingenuous to me. Google and Apple have two fundamentally different approaches to how they release their mobile OS. Android is available for any manufacturer to use in whatever way want. It is designed to cater to a huge number of different devices. Apple, on the other hand only have to cater to a single, completely controlled set of hardware specs.

As Android is open source, phone manufacturers (and Telcos further down the chain) can take the code and do with it whatever they want (program it for custom hardware, build custom UIs etc.). This will obviously create fragmentation over the platform when viewed as a whole. But Android is not designed to be a unified platform. It is designed to be an open platform.

A more honest comparison would be iOS against flagship products of specific manufacturers.

For example separate charts for iOS vs Samsung Galaxy, iOS vs the Google Phones (HTC), iOS vs HTC phones etc. That would be a more accurate study.

As usual, an Apple evangelists takes an incomplete/faulty premise and uses this as "objective" evidence that Apple products are better. Not the first time this has happened.

Apple is behaving in *exactly* the same way it did when Microsoft took market dominance so many years ago.

Microsoft developed Windows to run on any standard hardware and manufacturers jumped on the opportunity to build systems and software for that platform.

Apple on the other hand refused to partner with anyone and eventually became the laughing stock of the industry. It was only on Steve Jobs' return that they were saved from failing completely. Jobs scrapped the Apple OS completely and used open source software (basically Linux) to rebuild it from scratch. This along with building consumer devices and selling music is the only thing that brought Apple back from languishing in relative obscurity.

Will they fack it up again now that he's gone?

I've said it before, all technology is shit. Choose whichever gets in your way the least.

[csl]

There is a third option, namely Windows Phone on the forthcoming Nokia Lumia 800s. They're a couple of weeks away (in the EU at least), but I'll be keeping an eye on them. I've yet to get a smartphone (still on an old Nokia), so I'm unsure whether to go for an iPhone (not keep on the walled garden approach), an Android (seems quite messy; don't like the idea of different UIs; plasticky phones) or Windows Phone (no market traction; poor apps marketplace, though hopefully this will change).

[coyotekells]

both piss me off. with iphone atm, most hated part is not being able to download an mp3 from email attachment into my music playlist, and vise versa (send an mp3 outta my play list via email).

For a person continually working on music with other collaborators, not being able to share this way is aweful. I can listen from within the email, but can't get it into my "itunes" playlist on the phone.

Unless they changed this in iOS5? I'm doubtful :(

[jeremy.c.]

Originally Posted by coyotekells

both piss me off. with iphone atm, most hated part is not being able to download an mp3 from email attachment into my music playlist, and vise versa (send an mp3 outta my play list via email).

For a person continually working on music with other collaborators, not being able to share this way is aweful. I can listen from within the email, but can't get it into my "itunes" playlist on the phone.

Unless they changed this in iOS5? I'm doubtful :(

Sign up for a free 2GB dropbox account and get the free dropbox app. Dropbox You can't move it in and out of itunes but you can upload, email links, listen, etc, plus it all syncs to your computer as well. Works well for me!

[iamkimosabi]

I had the original Motorola Droid, the Mytouch 3G, and the Motorola Droid X. None of them compare to my iPhone 4. None of them. Not in apps, function, or looks. My iphone battery lasts longer, the phone operations better, and it has tons more apps and selections. I will NEVER go back to Android, until they start integrating their software exclusively for each phone's hardware without glitches. Till then, I will pay the Apple tax to get a quality device.

And yes, i've rooted all my phones. Got boring after a while.

[ebulb]

the iphone vs android battle is heading down the exact same path that Apple took against Microsoft and IBM in the early 80s.. Apple are almost drunk on the idea that closed architecture is the best idea, you think they would have learned the lesson the first time when windows blew them out of the water in the 80s but here we go again.. Wait for another 5-6 years and iPhones will be about 15% of the market i guarantee it, android is clearly gaining speed already and open architecture always wins because one company cannot battle the force of millions of people developing and adapting the hardware.

[T_R_S]

My girlfriend has an android and the user interface is really cool but I have an iPhone and I love it I am talking without typing and it's really a huge timesaver for me Siri is probably the best feature on the new iPhone not only does it give you it it doesn't tell you where look for the answer like Google does it gives you the answer and it's probably it's an amazing piece of technology that's going to change the way we use computers think that this technology is now just in its infant infancy the use of it and it's going to get better and better and there's just no envisioning what this is technology is Gonna look like in 10 years from now Star Trek has truly arrived

[deuc647]

still cant delete music from the ****in phone

[T_R_S]

Yes you can

-Go to the Song list
-Swipe to right on a song you don't want a red DELETE button will appear
-Hit the delete button and it's gone

[aaeronn]

Originally Posted by ebulb

the iphone vs android battle is heading down the exact same path that Apple took against Microsoft and IBM in the early 80s.. Apple are almost drunk on the idea that closed architecture is the best idea, you think they would have learned the lesson the first time when windows blew them out of the water in the 80s but here we go again.. Wait for another 5-6 years and iPhones will be about 15% of the market i guarantee it, android is clearly gaining speed already and open architecture always wins because one company cannot battle the force of millions of people developing and adapting the hardware.

Actually Apple did learn their lesson - they learned a closed system is the best route for them, and they've done very well with it, having surpassed Microsoft in market cap and are now the most valuable company on the planet (depending on the stock price on any given day). Being a closed system gives them ultimate quality control. Most people could care less about open vs closed systems - they simply want a great user experience. Apples target market is not the open source/hacker/open architecture community. Their market is the consumer who simply wants their devices to be elegant, easy to use, maintain, and perform to their requirements with little or no hassle. Obviously that may not be your thing, but look at where Apple was in the 90s (near bankruptcy) vs where they are today - clearly consumers are buying into the closed ecosystem philosophy when it is executed well.

Sure, Apple lost to Microsoft in the battle for the enterprise, but they got smart. Why try to compete against a competitor that owns 98+% of the enterprise market? It takes a HUGE effort (and a very long time) to displace a competitor with that amount of market share - it's much easier to change your focus and direction, which is exactly what Apple did, and did well. Instead of trying to beat Microsoft in business applications, they went the consumer route and pulled it off - iTunes, iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc..

You may not like their product philosophy, but clearly enough people buy into it - otherwise they would not be where they are today.

[deuc647]

Originally Posted by T_R_S

Yes you can

-Go to the Song list
-Swipe to right on a song you don't want a red DELETE button will appear
-Hit the delete button and it's gone

Saying i owe u a beer is a HUGE understatement!

Thank you so much!

[Heartfelt]

Originally Posted by whitecat

If you ignore the trolly headline, this chart is still interesting:

This Incredible Chart Shows How Screwed Android Is And How iOS Gets It Right | Cult of Mac

Yes it is. I have had a windows 6.5 phone for a while and a Toshiba Thrive Android Pad for a few months. I have been Apple resistant due to the closed nature of the system and cost vs benefit ratios.

This past week, I got my first Apple device... iPhone 4S. At this point, I have no words. I am a complete convert. I regret buying my android tablet, i regret having insisted on a windows computer.

Why?
Apple is intuitive and just plain works. I now see the hidden benefit of an OS written for specific devices (narrow range as in apple only products).

I never thought I'd have the thoughts I am having.

[Iamcory]

as long as its not with AT&T you'll be fine.

[zephonic]

This just in:

http://globalthreatcenter.com/?p=2492

Android malware up by 472% compared to July 2011.

Sandbox me now, Apple.

[RonGherkins]

Originally Posted by zephonic

Sandbox me now, Apple.

"Add further restrictions to a product I own, and screw developers over in the process because I don't know the basics of protecting myself on a mobile platform" is what I hear.

Precisely why I support the way google does things.

[womoma]

I'm in a similar position to the OP. My iPhone 3g is nearing the end of its life and I'm considering getting a Droid.

I was cool until I read about Android Malware.