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iphone to android

MaxTO

MaxTO

Newbie
Hello all and good day!

I currently have an iphone and I am really thinking about making the change to the samsung galaxy note. I was hoping to hear from those of you who have made the changes from the iphone to android and how you found the change.

Did you miss anything, what difference did you notice most?
The one thing I am a bit concerned about is finding a solid podcast downloaded / manager. Podcast aside, I would be relying on the gps navigation daily as well as the note pad to keep track of various jobs. A solid email handler is also a must.

From my own personal experience, I find the android market not as polished as the Apple market. I should at this point mention that I do have the samsung galaxy 10.1 tablet and do enjoy it, which leads me to my next question... Would the apps that I already have on my tablet be able to be installed on any android phone that I might get?

Thanks in advance for any information you have to offer on my potential change from the iphone to the samsung galaxy note!
 
there's a lot of ex-iphone users around here that will answer your questions. I personally know a couple of they say that they miss some aspects of iOS but overall, they like the switch to android. But then again, I've read some posts where ex-iphone users are switching back because they miss it too much. Its all about the individual.
 
Your apps associate with your gmail account, so anything on your tab can go on your note.

Unlike iOS, Android doesn't have separate classes of apps for phones and tablets, aside from the ones built-in to your devices.
 
EarlyMon said:
Your apps associate with your gmail account, so anything on your tab can go on your note.

Unlike iOS, Android doesn't have separate classes of apps for phones and tablets, aside from the ones built-in to your devices.
Click to expand...

That's good to know!
 
Update..
I took the plunge and got myself the galaxy note!

So far I am very happy with it but I am still in the learning stages :)
 
Hi MaxTo,

I switched from an Iphone 3GS running iOS5 to the Note in december. I have not used the Iphone4 but both run iOS5. So far I have enjoyed using Android and the Note and I really felt that the iphone was dumb due to lack of customisation options.

What I liked abt Android and the Note:

1. The huge screen real estate!! I love reading ebooks, browsing and checking email on my phone. The beautiful large screen really makes it a pleasure. To this day I just cant lay my hands off the phone. Its really addictive.
2. The Hardware: The Note comes with massive specs. You can really multitask unlike with the iphone. No freezes/crashes to date. The cam is excellent (both front and back).
3. Custimisation: This is the best part of Android. This is what I missed the ost about the iphone. You can really make the phone your own. With the iphone I always felt that I had only leased the phone from Apple. With the iphone you could have only one notification tone for all apps unless the tone was built into the app. Not with Android. I can use my MP3s as ring tones, something which Apple did not permit. Best of all, I can change my UI with the variety of mostly free launchers in the Market. The Launchers give a whole new look to the phone and its like buying a new phone.
4. Widgets: I just dont understan why Apple does not allow Widgets!! My android widgets are beautiful and useful.
5. Notifications: I always felt that Apples notifications were quite buggy. I would sometimes never recieve them. Not with the Note. I have always received notifications promptly.
6. Amazon Kindle: I can purchase books through my phone, unlike with the iphone due to Apples ridiculous policy!! I can simply drag and drop non Amazon ebooks into the kindle folder and read it using Kindle! You cant do that with the iphone.
7. File Transfers: I love the drag and drop option because it doesnt limit me to particular file types. I cant understand why Apple doesnt permit drag and drop!! Its again Apple telling you what you can and cannot carry in your mobile. My Note is also a USB host. So I cant transfer files directly to a stick. Can also transfer files using bluetooth!
8. Music and Video: Music and Video sound a hell of a lot better on my Note because it has 5.1 Channel sound. Can play every Video codec including avi and flash. I was really frustrated with Apple on the video front as I had to convert my videos to mp4.
9. Google Market: There are more free apps in the Market than in the appstore. Even the paid apps are generally cheaper. e.g whats app is free in the Market. The Market has also improved a lot in its organisation. And dont forget you can also buy apps from other sources like Amazon. Ultimately competition will keep the prices low. Again its all about choice.
10. Basics: I cant really remember now. But iOS really lacked some basic funtions especially in contact management. It could not join multiple contacts seamlessly. Android integrates the same names from my Facebook, Google, Skype and Phone contacts seamlessly. There were other simple things that I cant remember. Android has more options about how you can create a contact: from a number in a message, an email just about any where.
11. SPen: I love it. Can take screenshots, mark up stuff, edit pics, sketch, write hand written notes (i dont digitise cos then i dont have to worry abt dictionary).

Regarding email, I only use gmail. Im pretty happy with the gmail app. Have used the Samsung email app too but not much. The email facilities should be the same as what you have on the Galaxy Tab.
You have mentioned that you want a phone to take notes. The Note is made for that. You will love the note taking abilities and the SPen.
 
Thanks for that great reply Francton! I can also see how one can easily get addicted to the big beautiful screen as well :)

You are also correct when you state that android offers way more customization to it's users.... So much so I find myself looking for a " how to " guide :P us ex apple guys just aren't use to all of these options!

So far I am loving my new shiny galaxy note and I look forward to learning more about my phone and android here on this informative website!

Once again, thanks for that lengthy and informative reply!
 
Yet another update...

Okay, so I have had my galaxy note for a couple of days now, aka... without my iphone now for a couple of days now, and I must say that I am very happy with my choice of switching to android and the note!

As an iphone users I did have to take some time to learn my ways around a new os.... still learning BTW :). But I am very happy that I made the switch.

And as for my earlier comment about the android market not being as polished as the apple market, I take that back. It is different but it's not as "bad" as I first thought.

I have also discovered that the phone and android os does have a lot to offer, something that iphone users don't tend to.

I also find the phone to be very responsive, just as responsive as my iphone was, and that was one of my biggest concerns, to be stuck with a laggy, unresponsive phone.

One thing that I don't yet understand about the android os is the different os systems available I.E, honey comb and ice cream sandwich, what's the difference and will my phone automatically update to a new os when a new os is released?
 
honeycomb is for tablets only. ICS is the first step of transitioning the OS to use one version for both tablets and phones in the future. Your next update will be to ICS once Samsung releases it for their phones.
 
MaxTO said:
One thing that I don't yet understand about the android os is the different os systems available I.E, honey comb and ice cream sandwich, what's the difference and will my phone automatically update to a new os when a new os is released?
Click to expand...

Manufacturers have their own overlays into the Android OS's. Samsung has touchwiz, HTC have Sense etc. Manufacturers have to integrate their overlays into the OS and hence the latest Android OS (currently ICS) is always delayed.
However, the Nexus range of phones run vanilla Android without any manufacturer overlays. The Nexus phones get updated the moment a new version of the OS is released.

If you are impatient, you could flash in ICS yourself through a custom ROM. There are many links on how this could be done.
 
MaxTO said:
Yet another update...

One thing that I don't yet understand about the android os is the different os systems available I.E, honey comb and ice cream sandwich, what's the difference and will my phone automatically update to a new os when a new os is released?
Click to expand...

that is great that you like your new device...

in IOS... the new versions are just numbers... ie: IOS 4, then IOS 5

with android.. it has a version number too..android 1.6, then android 2.1, then android 2.3 .. currently on releasing android 4.0;

Google also gives each android version a NAME..
the names are based on desserts..
donut = 1.6
eclair = 2.1
froyo = 2.2
gingerbread = 2.3
honeycomb = 3.x (was only for tablets)
ice cream sandwhich = 4.0 (bring tablet and phone back on one version)
jelly beans = next version; might be out end of year.

note: the names are in alphabetical order... d, e, f, g...etc...
 
MaxTO said:
You are also correct when you state that android offers way more customization to it's users.... So much so I find myself looking for a " how to " guide :P us ex apple guys just aren't use to all of these options!
Click to expand...

I spent a lot of time experimenting with customization when I first got my phone. I'm in the middle of redoing it right now. I would suggest you go to your phone's subforum and look through the "show off your homescreens" thread to get some ideas. It can be very helpful to see what launchers/themes, widgets people use, and how they organize everything.

A couple of apps/widgets you might want to check out:
Smooth Calendar - widget that shows your next few calendar events
Multicon - widget that squeezes for app links into the space of one
SwipePad - launcher overlay for app links
QuickDesk - another overlay launcher
 
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