Down and Dirty: The iPhone to Android Switch Top 5
The Bottom Line: I wish my Droid phone did 4 of the things my iPhone did, I wish my iPhone did 25 things my Droid phone did.
It was the unthinkable just months ago, but as Droid powered into a usable OS, iPhone seems to have rested on its beauty…making minor OS improvements while Droid was making leaps. From my experience, even the craziest fanboys are starting to ask themselves. Survey: Consumers More Likely to Buy Android than iPhone.
Does Droid Do? I made the switch to find out.
There are probably 1000s of comparisons of Android and iPhone online, and the differences really depend on what you do with your phone. Since Android is so customizable, any comparison has to have lengthy description of what settings and what apps you have installed. So instead, I’ll do a top 5 best and worst. What I did find out, though, is they are so different you have to use it for at least a week to even figure out how different.
Android Top 5 Features
5) Lock Screen and Notifications - Android uses the full surface of the phone to organize notifications. Pull the list down from the top, get a full listing on your screen, and none of them are intrusive. On iPhone, the notifications tell you little, the lockscreen is useless for info, and be prepared to completely stop what you’re doing if you get a text slammed right on top of your entire screen. The Android maps app even tells you your next turn in the status bar when it’s locked, for example.
And don’t underestimate the ability to swipe left to access more screens..something iPhone doesn’t do.
4) The App Marketplace - while far inferior an experience to actually find apps then iTunes, it more than makes up for it in the ability to sync over air. Browse on your computer and they’ll magically find their way on your phone. No 45 minute syncing sessions, and no dramatic screen animations to install..just downloads in the background.
3) Settings and Customization - There are settings galore for every app and piece of software on Android. Apple assumes that you don’t want or need all that control, but Android assumes you want to perfectly tweak. There are so many settings you’ll see things you never thought “settable.” You can do all kinds of wallpaper, setup “profiles” to change your entire phone setup in a click, or even put custom skins on your clock.
2) Change Stock Apps – While iPhone won’t let anyone touch their text, email, and phone apps, Android lets you completely replace anything on the system. With a little research, you’ll find far superior keyboard and texting apps, or even completely replace the email software. iPhone’s autocorrect is horrible, Google’s is a bit better. But you’re stuck with the iPhone one.
1) Widgets. Though Android has inferior apps to iPhone, the ability to take just the information from those apps and place it wherever you want and organize it makes them exponentially more useful. Those screens full of unused apps you’d find on iPhone are hidden on Android, and anything you need is within the swipe of a screen or right in front of you. Weather, to dos, Facebook feeds, Rdio, turn on wifi or bluetooth, etc. Widgets turn the 10 or 20 apps you actually use and makes them work for you.
Honorable Mention: Google Maps and Google Navigation. Whoa.
Android Top 5 Worst Features
5) App Chaos - Custom keyboards, widgets, and a truly unique phone setup for your use does not come without costs. Sluggish response, weird quirks, app crashes, memory hogs, always running apps – it can turn your phone into a Windows Vista-like machine if you don’t use some caution. In addition, if you use all the fancy custom apps, you’ll find yourself having to open a mountain of different programs to do everything. I have 3 different places I get text messages alone.
4) Facebook - compared to the iPhone version, which is superior to the actual website, the Droid FB app is virtually useless and you can do little in the app that you can on the site. In general, Android’s apps are vastly inferior to iPhone (checkout the Weather Channel app..ouch). On the flipside, there are way more free apps available than iPhone.
3) Battery Life – No smartphone is great on battery life, but unless you’re planning on using Android stock (in that case get an iPhone) all the good times going on in the background kill the battery. With a lot of management and the right apps, it can be minimized, but don’t be surprised if you can’t make it all day with fairly moderate use on one charge.
2) Google – The phone forces you to tie everything into your Google account, meaning everything you type, every place you go, all your contacts are visible to a company that hasn’t had the best track record on privacy. Yes, I know they said that when they collected everyone’s wifi data when making street view that was an accident.
1) Hardware and smoothness: No google phone has yet to come anywhere close to the form factor or stability of the iPhone. From the camera, to the email…they are low featured, but work very well. Google phones tend to be clunky, you can see light peeking around the edges, the touch screen isn’t as responsive, etc. You also feel like there’s a secret science behind the placement of every inch of using the iPhone. With Android it feels like they want you to have everything available, and they slam it all in there the best they can…causing plenty of mistypes, difficulty finding “send buttons” or accidentally finding a send button instead of a backspace button.
Next Blog: Must Have Android Apps
* Note: My comparisons are from having the iPhone 3GS and the HTC Droid Incredible.
The Cloud-Based iPhone..Nano? iPhone 5? Wha?
iPhone Nano’s, slide out keyboards, 4 inch screens, iPhone 5. It’s that time of year again.
Weird news from the iPhone world. While this rumor has been around for years, it’s now been “confirmed” by the Wall Street Journal, which usually means most of it’s legit.
Updated 2/18: There is no iPhone Nano Says the NY Times. But there will be a…..
Update 2/15: Now the iPhone 5 is rumored to be a 4-inch screen but using the same hardware (in a way no one else is able to do now).
Update 2/14: Why there is no way we’ll see a cloud-based iPhone Nano this year. Gizmodo
Update: iPhone 5 mania — slide out keyboard version? Mac Rumors
(note this image is only an “imagining” of what it might look like)
And after the confirmation the news kept getting odder… there will be an iPhone “nano” version that’s cheaper and smaller than the iPhone. Then it was noted it’ll be all touch screen perhaps (no home button, screen takes up almost entire face edge to edge) and now — that it’s cloud based with no onboard storage. (think iTunes streaming and MobileMe).
Some of this makes sense..to attack Android and to utilize the data megacenter Apple just built. And some of it is just a bit confusing.
I’d hope they just focused on making the iOS more innovative and feature rich like Android. They’d destroy whoever else made whatever else. They already do now with their dated mobile OS.
Time to rethink that smartphone purchase for 2011? Nah.
Click the links in the paragraphs above to get the full stories.
The iPhone Fenceboy Chronicles – HTC Incredible 2?
As an almost iPhone fanboy who likes to keep his options open (a fenceboy, I might be referred to as) more news today in the growing confusion on what to buy and when to buy it. Was pretty warm to the HTC Thunderbolt, now with 3G, 4G, dual core, iPhone 5…it’s almost too much for such wonderfully stupid thing.
Answer – don’t buy anything ever. Re-activate my Motorola Razr.
From Droid Life:
- DROID X2 is rumored to be a Tegra 2 dual-core device. We had heard it was going to be clocked at 1GHz and were initially a little disappointed, but after hearing from one of our guys that it could be dual-core, that speed no longer bothered us and actually made sense. It also will not be 4G just as we figured. A current Verizon timeline has it slated for a May release.
- The Incredible 2 could wind up as a global device. I’m not hearing any signs that it will just be a re-hashed version of the supposedly-cancelled Merge, but another bigger-screened Incredible (4?) with a new radio. Current Verizon timeline suggests a March release date. Seems early? I thought so too.
- And lastly, we’re hearing May for the DROID BIONIC.
Verizon 4G LTE to Hit Greenville, Columbia in 2011
Looks like Verizon has the Carolina’s in its initial 4G LTE rollout (from Charleston to Greenville). You’ll need a 4G enabled phone (and Verizon obviously) but it may be worth a second look knowing you might be able to take advantage of it before the year is out.
Check out the news item and complete list of cities over at Droid-Life.com
Click to enlarge map
Verizon iPhone Now. Or iPhone 5 Later?
Updated: More rumors on Apple’s A5 chip. The new generation is rumored to be 4X better than the current model. Click here to read the article at Engadget.
One of the biggest problems with buying the Verizon iPhone now is the impending new iPhone release this summer that’s likely to occur. With a 20 month contract now the standard for Verizon, it may be wise to pause.
First details about possible iPhone 5 specs were just release over at MacRumors. If they’re anywhere close to accurate on the redesign and major processor upgrade, the decision just got a bit harder.
“The iPhone 5 is said to be “completely redesigned” with an expected launch in the summer. One major upgrade will be a Cortex A9-based multicore processor (to be dubbed the Apple A5). The current Apple A4 processor is a single-core Cortex A8 processor. This faster processor will also make its way into the next generation Apple TV.” - Macrumors
Hit the jump for complete details (including iPad 2 article)
Updated: 100% Chance of Verizon iPhone?
Updated 1/11/11 – Verizon iPhone announced, set for launch February 10.
- Available with wi-fi hotspot capability
- does not use Verizon’s new 4G LTE network, only 3G
- pricing plans not announced yet
- Redesigned antenna, seems to solve iPhone 4s original problem..identical in all other ways
- Pricing the same as AT&T with 2-year agreement
Links:
Gizmodo – Everything You Need to Know About iPhone 4 on Verizon
Engadget - (iPhone 4 AT&T vs. iPhone 4 Verizon)
Boy Genius Report – Here’s Where Verizon’s iPhone Falls Short
Updated: Verizon to offer unlimited data option with iPhone (compared to AT&T’s terribly 2GB monthly limit)?
After, literally, years of speculation…it looks like the Verizon iPhone will be announced Tuesday, January 11th (to launch early Feb) – it has been confirmed by all major players from the WSJ to Gizmodo. For those stuck with AT&T, it’s nice to have another option. The network has been sputtering as of late. For those on Verizon, obviously a nice option.
For me, I’ll sit back and see if the rush of iPhones on Verizon tears down their network like it did for AT&T (it probably won’t). And if you’re with AT&T, my guess is that they’re going to be coming up with some pretty slick deals to get people to stay on AT&T. Conversely, Verizon has already been busy taking away some of their long-held deals (like one-year upgrade, new every two, 30-day return policy) due to the impending iPhone.
And as we learned with iPhone 4, sometimes it’s best to wait until a few weeks after an Apple product is announced to see if it has a minor issue like, oh, the antenna not working when you hold it.
iPhone4ever yoz.
> Check out Engadget’s exhaustive post on all the reasons why Tuesday there will be a VZW iPhone.
Here Comes the Science – Mountain Dew and Running
It didn’t start on purpose. But it has become a hypothesis of mine. I’ve had many naysayers. First off, to them I say this:
Maybe once was a coincidence. But then there was that second time. And now, after my third try I will answer the question: Can Hydrating Before Your Run with Mountain Dew Improve Your performance??
I’m coming at this as a non-professional runner. I do what I can, when I can. I’ve rarely had much frequency or continual improvement. Because of this none of my runs is more than 5% better than any other one near it. Also none more than 5% worse. It’s been pretty consistent aside from about 4 outliers. And 3 of those involved my glorious friend Mountain Dew. Looks like Kryptonite but cuts like Dynamite.
Standardization
Any runner or pseudo runner knows there are some clear factors that affect any run. I’ll describe these factors and total them up for the run that I just completed to show I have considered these things. Below describe tonight’s conditions. Anything not mentioned (shoes, soundtrack, clothing, stretching, eating, iPhone program used, ran alone, running course, did I have a wedgie at some point) were all equal.
All my runs are the same – goal is to do better than my last run in distance and pace without throwing up. 95% of my runs are at the same time of day on the same course. On inconsistent weeks I run, it’s generally 2-3 times.
Positives: Didn’t have to dodge any wandering dogs or children trying to race me, headphones didn’t stop working, didn’t eat buffet for lunch, hadn’t run the day before.
Negatives: 5 hours of sleep, temperature on the chilly side (in shorts), windy, poked myself in my face with keys by accident, no one passed me and made me feel slow so I sped up.
Unknowns: Mountain Dew.
So Here’s My Point – Previous Data and Hypothesis
Based on my experience, I clearly believed after two attempts that Mountain Dew offered a clear improvement in my overall distance and time. Over the recent 8 week period not counting Mountain Dew Sessions, my average run was (my Nike+iPod app seems to read a little low but it is standardized to itself).
3.13 miles / 9’02 pace (MAX 3.77 Miles, MAX pace 8’55″, LOW 2.52 Miles, LOW pace 9’23″)
My first Mountain Dew session (12 Ounces) was 4.04 miles, 9’20″ pace (29% increase in distance, 6 month high)
My second Mountain Dew session, where I halved it (6 ounces) was 3.31 miles, 9’03″ pace (6% increase in distance)
And tonight’s Mountain Dew session (12 Ounces) was 3.63 miles, 8’58″ pace (16% increase in distace)
Conclusions and Notes
Notes: My normal diet for a run is eating relatively healthy and drinking only water all day.
I drink about 1 soft drink every week or two normally, 95% of the time I drink water and coffee. Not including beer 
Mountain Dew was drank exactly 1 hour prior to running each time.
Conclusions:
- With all other factors equal, I can expect to see a statistically significant improvement from 6 ounces of Mountain Dew.
- I can expect to see upwards of 15% improvement on average from 12 ounces of Mountain Dew.
- The three biggest factors for the quality of my run have been the outside temperature, if I had run already more than two times during the week, and most importantly – did I drink Mountain Dew.
- If you don’t agree with me, you’re with the terrorists.
Final considerations:
- I do not believe drinking Mountain Dew before each run will continue to see the same results. Max of once per week if that.
- I do not believe drinking Mountain Dew before a morning run will see the same results.
- I do believe eating healthy before a run is fine, but I am certain that each individual can see results from a wide variety of odd running diets, such as people I know that drink a beer or two, soft drinks, and coffee immediately before a run.
- What works for some doesn’t work for others. I do not see drinking beer and being able to run myself. I do see my naysayer friends drinking Mountain Dew and being unable to keep up, but that’s not Mountain Dew’s fault.
I hope we all learned something here. I’m going to head out now and attempt to get a Mountain Dew sponsorship for an upcoming race.
Netflix Comes to the iPhone
I’ve got Netflix. I’ve got iPhone. You probably do too. Well today is a day of happiness as the free app now allows you to watch streaming videos in the palm of your hand. On a really tiny screen that drains your battery.
A cool concept, but how does it play out? Download it for yourself, or check out Gizmodo’s stellar review of the new app. So exit question – even if it’s great…is watching movies all the time really yet another good thing to add to our deteriorating attention spans and lack of being wherever we physically are at any given moment?
- Here’s how Netflix streaming works on my 3GS: silky smooth over Wi-Fi, gimped over 3G. And I’m way more relieved about the former than I am concerned about the latter. Streaming video over 3G has always been untenable; I’m just glad they even offer up the option. But the interface is easy, the video is clear and crisp enough to make dream of retina displays, and it played back the first five twenty minutes of Futurama: Bender’s Game.
Can I fawn some more? I’d like to if you’ve got a minute. But not just about Netflix on the iPhone. That’s just one slice of the pie. It’s been on the iPad for months. It looks like it’ll be gorgeous on Windows Phone 7. Android can’t be far behind (right?). Then throw in WiMax and LTE speeds. Maybe a future in which studios embrace broad distribution instead of fight it—or Netflix pays up for earlier distribution rights, given how much money they save streaming rather than shipping. That’s when we can watch whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want. That’s the dream. And we’re so close.
Cool Pac-Man iPhone Wallpaper
I can’t seem to locate where I found this, I believe it was on Gizmodo originally, but there’s a pretty cool Pac-Man wallpaper good for iPhone iOS4 (with home screen background capabilities) and hi-res for the iPhone 4 screen.
Perhaps a live wallpaper that had animation of the game would be cooler, but perhaps I don’t have a Droid phone.
Click thumbnail for full size version to download for your iPhone.
Did Google Android Just KO Apple’s iPhone?
Based on the iPhone 4.0 sneak preview and yesterday’s Google Android 2.2 demo, I for the first time want to have a full cover on my iPhone to not let people know I don’t have a Droid. Time will tell if this stands, but right now it’s looking like Android 1, iPhone 0.
It boggles my mind since the iPhone came out first, controls its own hardware, and has such a large and vocal user base. Android sputtered out of the gate, and has to deal with wildly different hardware specs and had a lot of catching up to do.
Is it the iPhone’s Kryptonite?
So exactly why should you be looking at Droid phones when the iPhone 4.0 is just around the corner? From Gizmodo on yesterday’s announcement (excerpts). It’s all about the Android 2.2 software, also known as Froyo.
- Froyo lets you turn your phone into a hotspot—which means it can be your wireless internet for your wi-fi devices, including friends around you, your iPad, or even your laptop.
- 5X faster processing than the previous version of Android (2.1..what’s on phones now) and the fastest mobile web browser in existence. iPhone is lucky to double their speed with each new release.
- it runs Flash. Whether or not it runs it well is TBD (supposedly pretty decent) but Apple has decided the internet will be filled with little question mark boxes. (as Google put it “We discovered something cool: It’s called the internet.”)
- Downloading music or apps on your computer, then synching with a cable. Nope. Over the Air (OTA) synching to your phone. Want long time.
- A variety of other tweaks and fixes meshing your browser and other native apps (like camera) and more usability settings, etc.
- If you have a Droid phone (at least most newer ones) you’ll just upgrade and get all these features in a few weeks or a few months.
- full details at Gizmodo. also check out Google is Leapfrogging Apple
Hey, iPhone’s got multitasking, wallpaper, and folders coming. Oh wait, those were in Google’s last version already.
Sigh. We’ll see. I hope all those new features brick everyone’s phone
