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Andriod vs iPhone

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Derpadoo

Lurker
So years after their premiere, I'm finally leaving the dark ages and getting a dataphone plan this weekend (on Verizon). This leads to the question; Andriod or iPhone? I presume the community here favors Andorid, so could you explain why? What are the disadvantages/advantages of one over the other?

Additionally, I had a question about app billing which company websites were unable to answer. Are app purchases added to your phone carrier bill, or through a separate micro-transaction? I ask because I'll be getting the phone under my parent's family plan, and don't need my father seeing I spent $5 on the "fart of the day app" and such when the bill arrives to his address.
 
Iphone=Astin Martin. Beautiful in everyway software wise. You buy and be content with what you have.
Android= The bastard child Honda (whatever model). It can look ok or gorgeous whatever model you like but the aftermarket options are endless. You can take whatever body kit, engine, interior that you want and put it on your Honda. Hell if you still don't like how it looks, then make it yourself.
 
It really depends on the type of person you are...

If you are not really a techie type person and just want the phone to work and do what it's designed for then an iPhone will be better.

But if you like to be able to customize and tinker with stuff and do things you never imagined a phone could do then take a closer look at Android.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. I'm somewhere in between the two; i've built my own computer and the like, but extreme software customization is a little beyond me at the moment. However, I have friends who are very skilled at that sort of thing (one turned his Nook into a tablet pc), so it's looking like I'll go android.

On that note, does anyone have any model suggestions? I'd like to go top of the line, as 2 years is an eon in technology advancement time.
 
If your on AT&T you can opt to have apps billed to your phone bill or you can set up a google account, YOUR choice. My wife has a Iphone 4 and I have an Android. With mine I can download apps anywhere I am out and about, if the signal gods are with me. It seems on Iphone if it is deemed a large app then you may have to plug into your PC and log into Itunes....correct me if I am wrong on this guys. As stated Android is very customizable and fun to play with. I am alittle tech savvy, but I keep my phone stock...but went with a custom launcher and downloaded some icon packs I found...this is as far I went with customizing....You choose the right forum to come to in learning the art of Android...these guys here are SUPER helpful...but in the END it is up to you....
Cheers
:)
 
Derpadoo said:
Thanks for the responses guys. I'm somewhere in between the two; i've built my own computer and the like, but extreme software customization is a little beyond me at the moment. However, I have friends who are very skilled at that sort of thing (one turned his Nook into a tablet pc), so it's looking like I'll go android.

On that note, does anyone have any model suggestions? I'd like to go top of the line, as 2 years is an eon in technology advancement time.
Click to expand...

If you can wait a month or two, there should be a couple new phones rolling out that will be worth the wait. However, Verizon is changing over to their tiered data plans starting July (7th?), so if you plan on using a lot of data on your phone (which you might be unsure of since you've never had a 'smart'phone), you might want to get something now.
 
There certainly are more customization options out of the box with Android powered phones, but an iPhone can also be jailbroken for added features/customization...and is probably about as complicated as rooting an Android (I've done neither, so can't say for sure on the ease of them).

I never encountered an app that required my iPhone to be plugged into my pc and synced w/iTunes. I do believe I needed to be connected to wifi a time or two for downloading apps/updates. But never actually needed to be tethered.

If you want some customization like different launchers and so forth, Android all the way. If you think you'll get into rooting/jailbreaking, then I guess it depends on your preference in the actual hardware (size, weight, design etc). If you do want unlim data, as mentioned, go Android and within the next 7 days. If unlim data is not on your list of must haves, and iPhone is still an option after what I mentioned..then you might as well wait to see what exactly the new iPhone brings to the table. There is definitely no point in getting an iPhone 4 now.
 
Getting the unlimited data plan before it expires is part of why I've made the move to get one now. I honestly have no idea how much I'll actually need, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'll take a year and a half of hindrance on my hardware over having to worry about how much I'm using the phone. I'll probably just spring for the Android with the best specs/biggest price.

Thanks again for all the great responses, I'm sure I'll be back here once I actually get the phone and begin tinkering with it.
 
For me, the iPhone has only one model and if it isn't what you want, you don't have any option. As for Android phones, there is a greater variety of models for you to choose from. They come in many sizes and different specifications. You are more likely to find an Android model that suits you more closely. For instance, I want a physical keyboard. The iPhone doesn't have it so I looked elsewhere and found a Nokia and then later an Android that has that feature. A friend wants a bigger screen, so he got a 4.3" Android phone instead of the iPhone which is only 3.5".
 
Android is pretty flexible as it is without having to gain root access. Anything that requires root access is probably something that can potentially cause instability and permanent damage (hence why you're not given that access in the first place). Iphone on the other hand is fairly restrictive, apart from downloading apps and changing some backgrounds on things you basically can't do much else, hence why people jailbreak them and not long after they buy one too.

That's just the software, now the hardware and design of the phone. Do you want a phone that more or less stays the same as far as the button layout and design goes (with the exception of things like they went from curved sides to straight sides.... like reselling the same barbie doll with added hat... seriously they have 1 freckin design and they still released it with signal problems) then go with iphone or would you want a wide selection of companies that completely do different things, different button layouts, physical keyboards, different shapes, different colors, more power for more dollars or something in between if your on a budget then get something with android on it. There's more competition in the android based phone market, so you'll likely find a decent spec'd phone for a reasonable price. Apple can do what they like, "You want the iOS?, then you have no choice but to go through me so pay me this much..."

As far as apps go, both have massive communities contributing high quality apps, if there's something on iphone you can almost always find it or something equivalent in the android market. It doesn't just stop there, there's many places for apps you have access to for android, you can even download an app file on your computer, pop it on the phone and install them that way. All this with no jailbreaking or rooting required. Want to theme or have full control over how your android phone looks? There's many home replacement apps out there. Another one that's been used to death in these sort of comparisons, WIDGETS.

I'm not just bagging the iphone cause I'm just a android user, my partner always gets iphones so I always mess with them to see what I can do and I can't for the life of me think of a reason to get an iphone over an android.
 
darkrequiem said:
If your on AT&T you can opt to have apps billed to your phone bill or you can set up a google account, YOUR choice. My wife has a Iphone 4 and I have an Android. With mine I can download apps anywhere I am out and about, if the signal gods are with me. It seems on Iphone if it is deemed a large app then you may have to plug into your PC and log into Itunes....correct me if I am wrong on this guys. As stated Android is very customizable and fun to play with. I am alittle tech savvy, but I keep my phone stock...but went with a custom launcher and downloaded some icon packs I found...this is as far I went with customizing....You choose the right forum to come to in learning the art of Android...these guys here are SUPER helpful...but in the END it is up to you....
Cheers
:)
Click to expand...
On my iPad 2 - any app over 20 MB is REQUIRED to be downloaded via wifi!!! :mad::mad::mad:

Even though I paid for 3GB per month, I am unable to download large apps via 3G.

On top of that, there is NO WAY to see how much space each app takes on my phone.

Sometime Apple's products are so damn immature and limiting I wonder how consumers put up with it!!! :mad:

This is why I love Android - I can do a lot more productive things via Android than iPhone / iOS.

aztooh said:
There certainly are more customization options out of the box with Android powered phones, but an iPhone can also be jailbroken for added features/customization...and is probably about as complicated as rooting an Android (I've done neither, so can't say for sure on the ease of them).

I never encountered an app that required my iPhone to be plugged into my pc and synced w/iTunes. I do believe I needed to be connected to wifi a time or two for downloading apps/updates. But never actually needed to be tethered.

If you want some customization like different launchers and so forth, Android all the way. If you think you'll get into rooting/jailbreaking, then I guess it depends on your preference in the actual hardware (size, weight, design etc). If you do want unlim data, as mentioned, go Android and within the next 7 days. If unlim data is not on your list of must haves, and iPhone is still an option after what I mentioned..then you might as well wait to see what exactly the new iPhone brings to the table. There is definitely no point in getting an iPhone 4 now.
Click to expand...
I would say rooting on Android is typically far easier than jailbreaking an iPhone. I had a 3GS that a previous owner had upgraded to a version of iOS that the devs couldn't find a jailbreak for, for several months. On Android root can be obtained fairly quickly, and easily.

Jailbreaking an iOS device can be a nervous affair. On Android not so much.

I have rooted almost a dozen Android devices, and a few iOS devices. There is no comparison - far easier with Android. On iPhone you really need to read up on the basebands, iOS versions, etc etc.
 
Android has a back button. iphone's so called back ability is in the top left corner.

Which if iphone ever goes 4" or larger is going to be a problem.
 
Heh, yeah I'm somewhat skeptical about all things Apple myself. The iPod is nice because it plays music and nothing else, but their computers (and apparently phones as well) are overpriced for what you actually get.

I haven't used a touchscreen keyboard before; is it a big adjustment? My friend just got an Android Thunderbolt this week and seems to enjoy it, having upgraded from a flip-phone as well. It seems like a solid model, so I may end up getting it.
 
I've never so much as held an iPhone in my hands, so I can't help you choose between, but I can tell you that my experience with Android has been a blast. The initial choice making, almost like choosing a new car. So many choices. Then setting up the device, your choice of keyboard, home screen app choice. To root or not to root. Do I want to try a custom firmware?

Just in the last couple of months. Amazon mp3 and Google music gave new music options. There are multiple browser choices. To some people all this choice is a bad thing. Only you know which you are. If you chooses Android come back here and let us know. This is the place to be.
 
At the end of the day, it boils down to this. If you're the type who likes to screw around with your phone (or gadgets in general) and poke under the hood and tweak everything you can possibly tweak, then Android is for you. You can tweak just about everything right out of the box and if you root you can tweak even more.

If you're the type of person who wants to pick up a gadget and have it just work and you don't want to ever have to screw with it, then the iPhone is for you. You won't be able to look under the hood and you won't be able to customize much more than you wallpaper, but it's something that will just work and you'll never need to screw with it.
 
Android phones are made by a variety of vendors. It really depends on which vendor you choose, the result may varies. :)

As you can see in my profile, I am a proud owner of a Samsung Fascinate, a Galaxy S phone. The Galaxy S line outsold any other Android line. It is because they are the most beautiful smartphones in the Android camp. I don't root my phone and I don't tweak my phone. I bought the Samsung Fascinate simply because of its beauty and elegance that truly rivals the iPhone....and IMHO, it actually surpasses the iPhone.

These are the additional reasons besides elegance:
1. Super AMOLED screen --- do I need to say more?
2. Screen Size --- 4" screen vs the smaller screen on the iPhone. Another no brainer.
3. MicroSD Card --- Android phones support microSD card and iPhone does not. If you need more internal storage, you have to buy a new iPhone, which IMHO, is plain stupid.

Hope this helps.
 
substring said:
Android phones are made by a variety of vendors. It really depends on which vendor you choose, the result may varies. :)

As you can see in my profile, I am a proud owner of a Samsung Fascinate, a Galaxy S phone. The Galaxy S line outsold any other Android line. It is because they are the most beautiful smartphones in the Android camp. I don't root my phone and I don't tweak my phone. I bought the Samsung Fascinate simply because of its beauty and elegance that truly rivals the iPhone....and IMHO, it actually surpasses the iPhone.

These are the additional reasons besides elegance:
1. Super AMOLED screen --- do I need to say more?
2. Screen Size --- 4" screen vs the smaller screen on the iPhone. Another no brainer.
3. MicroSD Card --- Android phones support microSD card and iPhone does not. If you need more internal storage, you have to buy a new iPhone, which IMHO, is plain stupid.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

In addition to all of the above which I totally agree with. BTW I also have a Galaxy S as well.

iTunes: I would absolutely hate to be locked into proprietary software on a single computer, just to get content on or off my phone. I regularly swap songs, audiobooks, videos, photos, documents, etc with other colleagues and friends at the office using the Galaxy S, either by plugging into their PCs or using Bluetooth. Something I could not do with an iPhone, because I didn't have MY copy of iTunes handy. Another thing, using iTunes(especially on Windows) can be quite a horrible experience and can really slow a PC down.
 
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