iPhone 4 and iOS vs. Android on Verizon

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 101
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by phazelag View Post


    This article could have been great. But it is not. Leaving out all the android phones announced at CES like the ATRIX and Bionic is extremely misleading or the writer is seriously uninformed.



    Too bad. This is weak and a waste of everyones time. It would be nice to get a response from the writer about this. But since its apple insider we can assume he cant be objective. If anyone finds an objective article about the two different OS offerings that have the pluses and minuses of both I would appreciate it.





    Another Hater, or maybe it's the same one. Give it a break.
  • Reply 42 of 101
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Psych_guy View Post


    Another Hater, or maybe it's the same one. Give it a break.



    This article is absolutely pathetic. Just the droid? No droid2, no droid x? Only one droid phone is on android 2.2? Another lie. Incredible. With an iphone4 and a droid x in my home, the iphone sure looks pretty, but the droid x does what I couldn't even begin to on the iphone. It's pretty doubtful this guy's ever been in a verizon store let alone used an android phone.

    1. No ridiculous syncing.

    2. Voice activated commands

    3. Flash websites

    4. Free ringtones

    5. Better Google apps

    6. Widgets

    7. Better notifications

    8. Download apps from any source you like

    9. No need for a computer to download updates.

    10. Expandable storage

    11. Much easier to use your phone as a portable hard drive

    12. Free turn by turn voice navigation

    13. Built in FM radio

    14. I can replace the battery myself if needed
  • Reply 43 of 101
    bstringbstring Posts: 104member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Archos View Post


    If you read the article is does note that Verizon highlighted 4G LTE Android phones, but that they're not due until the middle of the year. The article also does not speculate about what Apple might release, but sticks to what Verizon offers today.



    Also, the charts detail when specific Android models were released. Many of them are newer than iPhone 4, yet don't offer the same quality or hardware features (less RAM, lower quality screens/cameras, missing software features).



    If you want to hoot about Android vaporware, at least be sure to compare it to Apple fanboy fantasy speculations, because both are worth about the same until the products actually ship.



    I thought I read Q2, you may be right though. In any case, the article is forward looking, but stops at one month glossing over the announced products. There are four of them. Let's not pretend they aren't there. Maybe a follow up article, huh.



    vaporware?
  • Reply 44 of 101
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    "Galaxy Tab, an oversized "tweener" smartphone-like device lacking mobile connectivity apart from WiFi"... Oh really?



    Had this moron ever even used/seen the device, it would have been blatantly apparent that ALL Samsung Galaxy Tabs feature both WiFi B/G/N as well as cellular connective as standard.



    Absolutely Pathetic!
  • Reply 45 of 101
    archosarchos Posts: 152member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bstring View Post


    I thought I read Q2, you may be right though. In any case, the article is forward looking, but stops at one month glossing over the announced products. There are four of them. Let's not pretend they aren't there. Maybe a follow up article, huh.



    vaporware?



    CES introduces tons of products, many of which never materialize or show up months later in a far less exciting form, after competitors have delivered a full real cycle of products.



    Palm Folio?

    Palm Pre?

    Windows Phone 7?

    HP Windows Slate PC?

    Lots of PlaysForSure stuff?

    Google Nexus One (nearly CES)



    So yes, vaporware. Wait till it arrives. The iPhone 4 is not an unknown product touting features that might not work well in practice. Apple doesn't have a history of launching things that are nothing near what it originally hyped. The company typically announces a product and has it shipping immediately or within a couple months, and it gets more features revealed at launch, not less.



    And come on, Android fans talk about the next release of the OS like it's already here, while waiting for the release from 6 months ago to make it to their phone.



    I personally don't think it's a great feature to have your phone go obsolete every quarter, and then never get updated. I expect a phone to last me a year, at least. Remember when everyone bawled about annual new iPods? and how we had to get a new iPhone every year? This idea that everyone is going to repurchase a new Android phone every 3 months just because there's a new crop of them isn't sustainable. Nobody but fanboys is going to do that. Most people will have an Android phone from a year ago running software that's just as old.



    Google still says only half of the Android users actively hitting Android Market are running 2.2 from last summer. The rest are on even older versions (so of which are still being sold!)



    I'm also not convinced that "4G" LTE service in a few markets at unknown cost to battery life and at significantly higher fees is really going to be a killer feature that sucks people toward more expensive Android phones. Just because the iPhone created enormous draw for more expensive smartphone contracts on EDGE and later 3G service (while also providing WiFi service for really fast data), doesn't mean that knockoff phones that can't run popular apps will draw people to moderately faster data service that's even more expensive (and not faster than WiFi).



    Do you really think this is going to keep going until we have Android 3.5 paired with 5G LTE+ and 6" screens selling $500 monthly data contracts that deliver 50Mbps service? Because things don't all grow linearly like that. At some point, people are going to resist paying more for slightly faster data plans when nothing else is really better. The iPhone added a lot of value to having a data plan. Past 10Mbps, there's not going to be the exact same progression of cost/benefit to simply jumping the Mbps and data contract prices. Most people don't even have 10Mbps service to their homes in the US. 2Mbps broadband is considered adequate in this country!



    Android, like Windows, delivers basic functionality. Apple delivers an experience. Which is why the spec wars are dying and people are buying more Macs rather than just being pushed toward the biggest MHz and MB.
  • Reply 46 of 101
    macnycmacnyc Posts: 342member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by phazelag View Post


    This article could have been great. But it is not. Leaving out all the android phones announced at CES like the ATRIX and Bionic is extremely misleading or the writer is seriously uninformed.



    Too bad. This is weak and a waste of everyones time. It would be nice to get a response from the writer about this. But since its apple insider we can assume he cant be objective. If anyone finds an objective article about the two different OS offerings that have the pluses and minuses of both I would appreciate it.



    Your post could have been great. But it's not. Next time read the title of the article...



    Too bad. Your post is weak and a waste of everyones time.
  • Reply 47 of 101
    macnycmacnyc Posts: 342member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bstring View Post


    I used to think readers were 95% ios, but not so sure any more, based on comments.



    You're basing that on all the trolls who really have nothing else to do with their lives?
  • Reply 48 of 101
    archosarchos Posts: 152member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cadarn View Post


    This article is absolutely pathetic. Just the droid? No droid2, no droid x? Only one droid phone is on android 2.2? Another lie. Incredible. With an iphone4 and a droid x in my home, the iphone sure looks pretty, but the droid x does what I couldn't even begin to on the iphone. It's pretty doubtful this guy's ever been in a verizon store let alone used an android phone.

    1. No ridiculous syncing.

    2. Voice activated commands

    3. Flash websites

    4. Free ringtones

    5. Better Google apps

    6. Widgets

    7. Better notifications

    8. Download apps from any source you like

    9. No need for a computer to download updates.

    10. Expandable storage

    11. Much easier to use your phone as a portable hard drive

    12. Free turn by turn voice navigation

    13. Built in FM radio

    14. I can replace the battery myself if needed



    Maybe if you're read the article you'd realize you are confusing the 2010 lineup with the 2011 listing of Verizon phones. The phones listed are Mot Droid X, 2 Global, Pro and Samsung Fascinate, the best Android phones you can get on Verizon, and newer than the iPhone 4, but not better.



    Of your list of features:



    1. No ridiculous syncing. (A lot of people obviously prefer iTunes and automatic backup)

    2. Voice activated commands (This was specifically mentioned in the article)

    3. Flash websites (This was specifically mentioned in the article)

    4. Free ringtones (iPhone users can create free ringtones)

    5. Better Google apps (This was specifically mentioned in the article: Nav, Lat. and Voice, etc)

    6. Widgets (This is subjective, but is mentioned in other AI articles linked)

    7. Better notifications (This is mentioned in other AI articles linked)

    8. Download apps from any source you like (This is specifically noted, but is also a potential flaw both in terms of security and in the fact that it splinters cohesive Android market power)

    9. No need for a computer to download updates. (This is subjective, and also a flaw. Also, if you can't get your updates for 6 months (or are streamed a buggy release), you're in worse shape than being able to load them via USB on day 1)

    10. Expandable storage (This is mentioned in other AI articles linked, but also a flaw because you can't install as many apps and big, sophisticated Android apps are less common due to the problems of copying apps from SD cards to RAM. This is clearly a major Android flaw)

    11. Much easier to use your phone as a portable hard drive (This is fantasy talk)

    12. Free turn by turn voice navigation (This is specifically mentioned in the article, although Verizon doesn't bundle this on all phones that get Bing instead)

    13. Built in FM radio (This is mentioned in other AI articles linked, but apparently not a big draw)

    14. I can replace the battery myself if needed (You can also replace an iPhone battery, you just don't have to charge it as often or replace it as often, nor must you reboot your iPhone just to extend battery range. You get an external dock connector pack or case)
  • Reply 49 of 101
    This article is 50% worthwhile. It does an excellent job describing the advantages that the iPhone has over Android but does an astonishingly terrible job describing the advantages of Android. This sentence compresses a page's worth of advantages into two lines: "Google also offers some features that are unique to Android, including voice recognition for search and text input, free turn-by-turn GPS via Maps Navigation (if Verizon doesn't take the app off to replace it with its own service), and integrated support for its other services, such as Latitude friend tracking and Google Voice (which are separate downloads for iOS devices)." Those features brushed over by the article are some of the best reasons to use Android. Google Maps navigation is to current navigation software what the iPhone was to smartphones in 2007. Voice recognition adds exceptional functionality through an app called Voice Search which allows verbal commands for calls, text messages, e-mail, internet searches, maps, and navigation from one straightforward window. Watch this short video if you're unfamiliar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGbYV...eature=related . I think it's fairly impressive.



    It's true that on Android models are not consistent in their software implementations or hardware quality, but to completely ignore major features available across the board strikes me less as biased comparison and more as desperate malice.
  • Reply 50 of 101
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    I know a lot of people with Android phones. They generally fall into two camps - (i) Apple hates and (ii) "I would have liked an iPhone but the iPhone contracts are too expensive".



    A long feature comparison is totally moot. Price is what attracts people to Android. For many people, it's "good enough".
  • Reply 51 of 101
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RichL View Post


    I know a lot of people with Android phones. They generally fall into two camps - (i) Apple hates and (ii) "I would have liked an iPhone but the iPhone contracts are too expensive".



    A long feature comparison is totally moot. Price is what attracts people to Android. For many people, it's "good enough".



    Maybe you didn't read the article. It was a long feature comparison from beginning to end (some features excluded).
  • Reply 52 of 101
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cadarn View Post


    This article is absolutely pathetic. Just the droid? No droid2, no droid x? Only one droid phone is on android 2.2? Another lie. Incredible. With an iphone4 and a droid x in my home, the iphone sure looks pretty, but the droid x does what I couldn't even begin to on the iphone. It's pretty doubtful this guy's ever been in a verizon store let alone used an android phone.

    1. No ridiculous syncing.

    2. Voice activated commands

    3. Flash websites

    4. Free ringtones

    5. Better Google apps

    6. Widgets

    7. Better notifications

    8. Download apps from any source you like

    9. No need for a computer to download updates.

    10. Expandable storage

    11. Much easier to use your phone as a portable hard drive

    12. Free turn by turn voice navigation

    13. Built in FM radio

    14. I can replace the battery myself if needed



    First, welcome to the forum.

    Second, if you go back through some of the threads here you will notice that we will have discussed at length the fact that the majority of consumers don't care about spec lists. We (as geeks) like them, but that is as far as it goes.

    I'm sure other members with more time on their hands will take the effort to add rebuttal to each of your concerns listed above.

    EDIT: Oh, I see that has already been done.
  • Reply 53 of 101
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cadarn View Post


    This article is absolutely pathetic. Just the droid? No droid2, no droid x? Only one droid phone is on android 2.2? Another lie. Incredible. With an iphone4 and a droid x in my home, the iphone sure looks pretty, but the droid x does what I couldn't even begin to on the iphone. It's pretty doubtful this guy's ever been in a verizon store let alone used an android phone.

    1. No ridiculous syncing.

    2. Voice activated commands

    3. Flash websites

    4. Free ringtones

    5. Better Google apps

    6. Widgets

    7. Better notifications

    8. Download apps from any source you like

    9. No need for a computer to download updates.

    10. Expandable storage

    11. Much easier to use your phone as a portable hard drive

    12. Free turn by turn voice navigation

    13. Built in FM radio

    14. I can replace the battery myself if needed



    Interesting that you are making number 8 a "feature". To me it is a feature that I can find all apps in one place. So, too, it is a boon to iOS developers who don't have to worry about hosting and monetizing -- they have a simple business model that is obviously serving their purposes very well as many have declared their intention to develop for iOS only.



    I have several free turn-by-turn voice navigation apps. You just have to look around. Check out the Navmii series of apps. I have UK & Ireland, and Netherlands free. I think some countries may be 4 bucks or so. No one says you have to buy the TomTom app -- TomTom is just trying to recoup for not being able to sell their hardware, because a dedicated satnav device is no longer needed.



    I have 64GB of storage on my iPad, 32 on my iPod Touch -- no matter how many hundreds of apps and dozens of movies and books and thousands of songs and photos I put on them, I can't fill them up half way. 16GB is plenty on my Phone. I have a three and a half year old iPhone Classic, and with thousands of photos and songs, I still can't fill its storage up.



    And the battery's still going strong after 3.5 years. Again, funny you should make a replaceable battery a "feature". Most normal people consider it a feature not to have to mess with this kind of thing, especially when the hardware is of such quality that it is a rare iPhone that needs to have it replaced. The iPhone'll get, what, five years-old, and someone else in the family will be clamoring for it; or you can still resell it unlocked for a couple hundred bucks.



    Download what kind of updates? App updates are done on the phone over the air. You get a constant notification of how many of your hundreds of apps have updates available. The App Store app shows you exactly which ones. You can update them individually, or everything in one go. Touch the update button once, it instantly downloads and updates apps in the background. My data such as contacts, calendar, bookmarks, etc. all happens automatically over the air, not even aware of it. How is that "ridiculous"?



    For the OS, I am glad it takes care to do things a little differently -- makes a backup of data, checks all the sync prefs, transfers all the apps bought over the air onto your computer, then installs and checks the OS update. Happens several times a year -- about the only time I ever sync my device to my computer. How ridiculous is that? How often does an Android user upgrade the OS on his phone?



    11. That is debatable. I have loads of free apps that connect my iOS devices to any computer wirelessly via IP or VNC etc. Then there are all the great internet services such as Dropbox. Instant syncing with folders on my Mac's desktop. I share through Dropbox, since people love to diss MobileMe; but MobileMe's iDisk is a great storage and syncing service, too. Very simple and seamless. Then there is the photo kit cable -- gives you a USB or card reader dongle for the thirty-pin connector. Someone complained about proprietary cables (not true -- a number of manufacturers make them) -- but the truth is, all kinds of open and standard things can be done from and made for that one port: charger, sync'er, usb, video-out, storage card slots, credit card readers, diabetes blood testers, you name it. It's only up to the imagination of developers now.



    You might get better Google apps, but there are better iOS apps than Google apps -- ask any self-respecting developer. There are apps for voice activation also (maybe not for search using Google, but it's not always a great idea to speak searches out loud ). Plus, I use Dragon Voice for note dictation.



    Notifications have been fine -- I have apps that push stuff through all the time, a little notice pops up over the screen, and they have customized sounds associated with them.



    You might notice that all these "clever" things that you and others list and tout for Android, really have to be listed and touted for Android. No-one has to say a thing for iOS, just try it out and see what great and imaginative apps developers have the ability to make for iOS. Most of the things you list are particular hardware features (not available in every Android phone), or particular apps, or customizations added by the carrier. There is nothing particularly inherent to Android that you can't say about iOS or some great app you can find in the app store.
  • Reply 54 of 101
    Android's OS is fragmented more than Apple's iOS simply because Android offers the consumer more choice and variety than Apple.



    There are only 4 different models of the iPhone compared to dozens if not hundreds of different Android models. Should I expect my original iPhone to run iOS 4? Should I expect my iPhone 4 to run iOS 7 when it comes out? If I buy a cheaper low end Android device, should I expext it to receive the same updates with the same expediancy as someone who paid a premium for a high end Android device?



    If you want the latest and greatest, pay for the latest and greatest. Want the newest Android OS as soon as it becomes available? Buy a Google Nexus device, or learn how to root your phone (it's possible and even easy on Android). Otherwise, you'll have to wait until the manufacturer adapts the OS to it's custom UI (such as HTC's Sense or Motorola's Blur). Don't like that? Buy an iPhone. Apple doesn't allow customization beyond changing the wallpaper or choosing the case. Don't like that? Buy an Android. See something else better 3 months after you bought your latest iPhone or Android? Stop crying about fragmentation and sell your old phone and buy it. You should probably also consider not locking yourself into long term contracts.
  • Reply 55 of 101
    4phun4phun Posts: 51member
    As i read this I hear this song (Paula Cole-Where have all the cowboys gone) playing in my mind with the words, "Where have all the Androids gone?"



    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPR108kwNo4
  • Reply 56 of 101
    4phun4phun Posts: 51member
    Also why would any one in his right mind take pride in owning a phone developed by an advertising agency?



    Why would any one want to spend hard earned money at cellular data rates to have sleazy advertising delivered to their pocket?



    Did they not get enough of that with over the air TV in the last century?



    The Last Advertising Agency on Earth

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERGrSQoY5fs





    The Art of Deception - Subliminal Advertising

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyQjr1YL0zg
  • Reply 57 of 101
    jon tjon t Posts: 131member
    Not sure if it is just me, but there seems to be an awful lot more inane, insulting and rude comments being made on AI recently.



    Does anyone think that it is time to remove those contributors whose input is so detrimental to the enjoyment of the site by the vast majority? (Many of them seem to be new to the site).



    I'm more than happy to have both sides of the argument put down for discussion, I just want that to be a pleasure, not a painful blowing of insults.
  • Reply 58 of 101
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by phazelag View Post


    Doesn't anyone realize how satisfying it is to really make a fair comparison.



    So, did you? Please provide a link to your work on this topic, showing a fair comparison (whatever this is)?



    Thanks and cheers,



    j.
  • Reply 59 of 101
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Did you notice the title? It?s Android on Verizon.



    Then why are two of the Android phones in the comparison table not on Verizon?



    (Then again, I knew the author of this blog entry long before clicking on the link.)
  • Reply 60 of 101
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macnyc View Post


    You're basing that on all the trolls who really have nothing else to do with their lives?



    That's not true, many of them are paid to come here and post, although, I guess that makes them shills and not trolls.
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