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android v. iphone

lunatic59 said:
Frisco is right. It would be easier to convert the Pope to Scientology than to get some fanboy zealots to even consider that their OS of choice isn't as far above the competition as warp drive is to a donkey.

It might be time again for this ...

ev17d3-510x721.jpg

As for actual reasons, the biggies for me are, in no specific order ...

- Widgets
- Notifications
- Alternate Launchers
- Bigger screens
- Sd card expansion
- Free Navigation
- No iTunes
- NO iTunes
- NO iTunes ;)
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I love the no itunes it is always a pain in the ass for me
 
chanchan05 said:
Well, because Android favors the imagination and creativity and individualism. Lets talk about stock interfaces here, ok, no jailbreaks and no roots.

No matter what you do, your iOS device will look and function just like any other iOS device of the same category out there, except for the wallpaper. Android can make your device your own, and with an interface which you yourself designed, without even having the need to root. You just need photoshop and a little ingenuity, and you can have your own icons and what not.

There isnt really anything definitive that one can say makes each OS better. Some converts from iPhone fall in love with the freedom Android gives over their devices, while some converts from Android to iPhone just felt the relief of simplicity and having Apple decide for them what they can do with their devices.
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I really like this and you are right the simplicity of ios bores me very much while android on the other hand i can play with it all day without getting bored
 
GTraymond said:
I know there are alot but the 2 most major one he keeps bragging about is that adobe flash is useless that drains your battery and slow your phone down and the other one is that the amount of malware and spyware that can be found. What can i say that would help my argument?
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Adobe Flash is far from useless. It is used to access a HUGE amount of content on the internet. Of course a good portion of it is ad content, but a good portion is not. It's better to have the CHOICE of either viewing it or not, than arbitrarily being blocked from it for "your own good."

Granted flash player does impact performance and uses more power than NOT using it, but ONLY when you are using it. Once you stop viewing flash content is has zero impact. And, if you find it not to your liking you can disable it completely or uninstall it. Supporting something is not forcing you to use it.

As for all that nasty malware, I have yet to see any of it in the wild. There's always proof of concept instances on all platforms (and Safari is the worst of the bunch) but in the real world NOT on Warez site? it's just not happening.
 
GTraymond said:
I know there are alot but the 2 most major one he keeps bragging about is that adobe flash is useless that drains your battery and slow your phone down and the other one is that the amount of malware and spyware that can be found. What can i say that would help my argument?
Click to expand...

Flash doesn't run unless you click to play. Every Android web browser that plays Flash gives you the option (and most default) to playing only on demand. So no Flash ads play in the background. Only Flash you want to see plays.

Likewise all malware on Android is based on social engineering. So there's no virus that's going to magically infect your system. You have to manually install the program.
 
- Flash support. Flash on mobile is incredible. You have the option to disable it if it drains your battery or slows you down, but it ultimately gives you the freedom to view wepages identically to how you would view them on your desktop. Even more importantly it allows you watch videos online.

- Widgets. I like having my news, weather, reminders, sports scores, and media controls all appear on my home screens without having to click them.

- Side-loading. You can download free apps without jailbreaking/rooting. Not that I advocate this or anything.

- Customization. Apple products give users zero freedom tp customize their look, feel, and functionality.

- Removable battery. No Apple product on the market has a removable battery, which to me should be illegal as it is just a way for a company to force you to buy a whole new phone when your battery dies.
 
I like the fact that I can download android, change what I want, make my own ROM, distribute it to anyone and I'm not breaking any rules/laws :D
 
Thx for all the positive feedbacks guys really appreciate it. Wow this forum is alot more friendly than sinfuliphone for sure :D
 
Speaking as an average user of technological do-dahs who has little understanding of what makes these things tick, I wouldn't say that one OS is "way better" (OP's words) than the other. I'd rather say that each OS is different and therefore each has its pros and cons.

I have an iPod touch, and I must say that I value its simplicity of use: I remember that when I bought it I didn't even have to refer to any kind of owner's guide to set the thing up and make it work. It also means that I can operate it when half-asleep (I often nod off listening to music or to an audiobook, only to awake mid-snore to turn the thing off). The settings menus are clear and easy to understand/use, too. OK, so the user interface can only be personalised in a limited way (basically changing the wallpaper image), but that's fine by me. And installing apps is a doddle; what's more Apple's control of apps upstream of the App Store means that you can download apps without having to get overly concerned about permissions.

A week ago I acquired an Android phone and I am beginning to value the possibilities for personalisation (homescreens, lockscreen, custom icons & widgets, etc.) that this OS offers. I also like the fact that you're not limited to just one handset that costs an arm and a leg: I got my phone from Vodafone for free because I had so many user points. OK so it's not a high-end handset, more of a middle-of-the-range device, but that's enough for me at the minute; if I really get into this Android malarkey I might eventually look at upgrading to a more "all-singing, all-dancing" device. Contrary to iOS, Android is a more hands-on type of OS: installing apps obliges you to read the permissions and reviews carefully before making as informed a decision as possible. Likewise, setting up and adjusting the phone is a bit trickier (so no doing that when I'm half-asleep, then!). Indeed that's why I'm on this forum: to learn from the experienced people on here ( once I've translated - or tried to - from technospeak to the Queen's English :D ). As for using the user interface, it seems every bit as good as the iOS one (I'm sure some of you here will be baying for my blood for that!).

As I get more familiar with Android, I will no doubt be able to form - and share - a more developed opinion of it.
 
Some of you really need to show an example to new members and review both the Site Rules and the Zero-Tolerance Policy before posting. :mad:

I'll help you out.... there's no rule about asking opinion vs other platforms. There is a rule however about posting negative or condescending responses. Posts have been deleted. If it happens again they will be accompanied by infractions. AF has a reputation as an easy-going, friendly place and that's how it's going to stay.
 
rsarno said:
Well firstly, the question is asked on an Android forum lol.

I'll never bash the iPhone! Apple did what the Govt cannot do .. create jobs! When they released their first SDK to developers, it spawned a trillion dollar industry. Created literally hundreds of thousands of new jobs! Developers, entrepreneurs, project managers, quality-assurance, marketing, advertising, etc.

If ever a man has left a mark on the human history to date, Steve Jobs is amongst the list.

BUT my arguments from my above post still stand. For the 10 things it does, it does them amazingly and nobody can do them better. But what if you want to do more?

:)
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Unless you bring Jailbreaking into the equation.

I am torn between making comparisons between Android and iOS because iOS is limited and Apple has things tied down. Android phones can be customized and there is no need to root. For example, adding custom launchers is easy.

Once Jailbroken, everything changes. Without a JB, you can do very little in the way of Springboard customization. Once you JB, everything changes.
 
I think the argument must get beyond which is better or best, and switch to which is better for me or better for you. There are clearly two different schools of design involved. One is to be as simple, pretty and controlled as possible (that's what I've read as I have never placed my hands on a Iphone). The other has adopted a wild west approach where anything you think you are big and bad enough to do, have at it. For a great many Android Forums users, control trumps anything else.

They say Iphone is prettier. I say that's an old wives tale. They say it's smoother. They may be right. But I don't care.

Of course Android is for kids, big kids like me. Kids love exploring, learning, trying new things and getting the most of what ever they have.

(Apple) Kids hate being told to sit down shut up and and do as I say, my way or the highway, you are too stupid to understand how to work the problem I'll just give you the answer.
 
Rushrl said:
Because I've never used an iPhone. Android rocks. :)
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You reminded me of the time I took my (then) 14 year-old to get her first iPhone. She'd been using an iPod for quite some time and it was time for her first personal cell phone. At that time I had a Blackberry Pearl.

The iPhone looked fantastic. I was about to get one for each of us, but thought better of it as I was still on contract.

About a week later I saw the Eris for the first time, and never looked back from Android. As compared to the "fantastic" iPhone, the Droid Eris just had more "cool" about it. Later on I learned that the Androids in general were just more configurable and "interesting" than the Apple stuff. ;)
 
I have an Android phone (SG2) and I love its customisability and the fact I can really make it "mine". I spend hours just messing with it and changing launchers etc. (Occaisionally I make a phone call on it :) )

I also have an iPad2 and I love its simplicity as a laptop replacement for web browsing, games and productivity apps when I,m on the road.

Both devices do different jobs for me and each does that job well. I dont think there is a "Better" OS as such. It really comes down to the fact that iOS and Android are very very different and each can have a role to play based on the individual requirements of both people and situations. Would I give my technically illiterate mother in law an Android phone? No! But she has an iPhone and gets on great with it. Would I give my technically knowledgeable nephew an iPhone? No! He has a 'droid and loves it. Personally I dont get off on the "My OS is better than yours" game. It should be what works best for each person and for each role that device has to full fill. Thank god Apple and Android ARE very different I say.
 
pawdog said:
I think the argument must get beyond which is better or best, and switch to which is better for me or better for you. There are clearly two different schools of design involved. One is to be as simple, pretty and controlled as possible (that's what I've read as I have never placed my hands on a Iphone). The other has adopted a wild west approach where anything you think you are big and bad enough to do, have at it. For a great many Android Forums users, control trumps anything else.

They say Iphone is prettier. I say that's an old wives tale. They say it's smoother. They may be right. But I don't care.

Of course Android is for kids, big kids like me. Kids love exploring, learning, trying new things and getting the most of what ever they have.

(Apple) Kids hate being told to sit down shut up and and do as I say, my way or the highway, you are too stupid to understand how to work the problem I'll just give you the answer.
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THIS. We dont like being told to by someone with imagined authority to tell us what we can have (Apple). Other people just want to keep their lives simple and have other people decide for them whats best.
 
Here is something to consider:

Many people here root their phones to gain added features. We are not happy with the stock device so we do things to change our experience. We are already seeing information and tutorials showing users how to add the Android Market to the Kindle Fire.

The techniques I have seen explained require fancy footwork and it is not at all easy to do. You need to DL 4 different files, root your K-Fire, and do about 20 different things just to add the market we all love and use to your Fire.

So the most basic function we Android users expect is not available on a highly touted Android Device. That is, access to the Android Market. It is as though Amazon is trying to become Apple in that they want control over everything we do, like access alternative markets.

I Jailbreak my iDevices for the same reasons many here root their phones and tablets. I want far more than Apple allows.

When we discuss how Android provides a better user experience than Apple out of the box, I cannot argue the point. Very little can be done to iOS/Springboard until you JB. Quite a bit can be done with Android without rooting; essentially the same thing as jailbreaking.

I can quickly install any number of alternative Android launchers and no rooting is required. That said, most here are not happy with their stock devices so regardless of how many mods can be done without rooting, they are still making changes because they hate the stock look.

So regardless of platform, it seems that nobody is happy with their stock devices. I can go to jailbreak me dot com and in very little time, I can JB some devices. Or use Greenpois0n or one of the other software programs to JB my iPad.

When people talk about how little can be done with iOS compared to Android, they are technically accurate, but a jailbreak changes things and it renders these comparisons moot. When you JB, there is almost no end to what you can do with your iDevices.

So the question is this: are these comparisons truly fair? Again, getting to the functionality a JB provides does take effort and some would argue that discussing jailbreaking is not fair in that we are generally talking about out of the box functionality, not some programming trick Apple could punish us for.

Because the JB process is almost effortless, is it fair to say to people they are wrong when they make these comparisons because it is easy to change how our iDevices work with a simple change that almost anyone can do in no time at all?

In almost every case, jailbreaking an iDevice is effortless and trouble free. Last week, I jailbroke a friends iPad from a booth at Denny's. The process was fast and all it required was a visit to a web site; the device was jailbroken through Safari. It is largely impossible to "brick" our iDevices when we JB and recovery is easy if something goes wrong.

Not sure this is the case with Android Devices; the word Brick is often tossed about.

I always point out when you jailbreak, the comparisons between Apple and Android largely disappear and the iDevice becomes far more interesting to use. But it is something Apple does not want us to do and it does take effort.

So is it really fair to tell people making these comparisons that they are wrong because when you JB, these differences disappear. Or is it fair to say, Yup, you are correct. Android is better because it is easier to customize.
 
I recently came over from iphone to Android and still browse some forums as have several ipod touch around the house. There was a similar thread to this on one of those forums and they bashed Android pretty much and praised the locked-down god of apple, but device specific forums are far from objective so no surprise there.
Having actually owned and used both and always being a jailbreaker on iphone I can say with all honesty that I much prefer my new system due to the aforementioned freedom that it grants its users and owners. Apple seem to treat their customers as if they own your devices and you are simply renting from them...strange attitude.:rolleyes:
The simple tweaks, widgets and general access and additional customisation to have your device how you want it is exactly where I want to be with my phone and no breaking out of jail required. Of course there is rooting for even more tweaking but I have found no need of it as of yet as I have achieved the look and feel of how I want things by simply adding a few apps and reading threads here. No problem, no fuss, no itunes...:D
That said, I won't bash apple, they do what they do and it's fair enough if you don't mind the hand holding but I guess I just grew out of it.
 
:DI have a android.I would rather have a android because it is easy to use.I heard that the Iphone sucks.My buddie said he wants to throw his.He says it locks up all the time.
 
I prefer Android for a few things (though iPhone is also appealing in other ways--neither is objectively "better" than the other):
  1. iOS finally allows you to install other browsers (Dolphin, Opera Mini), but you can't change your default browser (it has to be Safari) without jailbreaking.
  2. With Android, I can specify a contact for wrong numbers and solicitors. If they call my Google Voice number, they get blocked. If they call my T-Mobile number, they go straight to voicemail.
  3. Better Google Voice integration in general.
  4. I love the Google Maps Navigation.
  5. I like the keyboard better (auto multiple suggestions as opposed to autocorrect).
  6. The ability to play Flash when necessary (but only on demand).
  7. A slightly larger screen for better movie viewing and web browsing.
 
Stuntman said:
I prefer a phone with a landscape slider keyboard regardless of mobile OS.
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+1

I just recently switched from SE Vivaz Pro to Nexus S, and the lack of a physical keyboard is definitely felt. Even after about 2 months of use, I still make lots of typos on the touch screen keyboard, which virtually never happened on the hardware keyboard. The only thing I don't like about slide-out keyboards is how wobbly they get after prolonged use. Then again, the Vivaz was a poorly built phone, so sturdier devices might not have this issue.
 
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