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Android vs iPhone – it’s the new Jordan vs Peter

Posted by Susi on October 22, 2009 · View Comments 

Susi_weaser2You should probably know right now, I use a Macbook. And an iPhone. And I briefly considered buying the new Magic Mouse, even though I work on the sofa, which isn’t massively conducive to miceness (or non-twisted spineness, since you ask). So, yeah. I’d like to protest I’m not a fangirl, but the facts point to the contrary.

Having said that, I think it might be time for my iPhone and me to part company.

[I just had to take a little break to re-read that sentence for a few minutes. This is going to be hard].


There have been one too many complete wipes of the phone. I’m fed up with running out of space and having no choice but to delete, rather than to add memory. And most of all, Android is looking just too tempting (also, the latest release is called Doughnut. It’s like they know me).

iphone_vs_androidIn the Alien’s corner

  • Apps run in the background

This is useful for many applications, such as being able to receive Skype IMs whilst you’re checking your email, but it becomes downright essential with Spotify, which is an app closer to my heart than my pulmonary veins. I love it on the iPhone, but if you’re listening to Spotify, you can do literally nothing else. Twitter becomes dead to you, and Scrabble is but a distant memory.

  • Battery meter

Much like the Task Manager on your PC, there’s a battery meter on the Android which can tell you which of the apps are sucking up the most power – essential for those of us that would get so excited about running apps in the background they’d run them all. So, um, me.

  • Augmented reality

Augmented reality uses GPS and the compass in the phone to pinpoint the exact position of the phone, which then allows developers to create application that can layer information over what you can see through the camera. So, it’ll point you towards the nearest tube stop, or give you historical information on the building in front of you. If you haven’t checked it out, go google it, for it is teh awesome. Anyway, the point here is that you need an iPhone 3GS to appreciate it via Apple, but all of the Android phones have it. That makes them more futuremafied. Futuremafied = good.

But then there’s the iPhone…

  • Choice of handsets

Hmm, you too initially read this and thought it should go in advantages, right? But really,  have you seen them? They’re… fine. Some of them are even quite nice. But honestly, none of them even come close, design-wise, to the iPhone.

  • User interface ishoos

I’ve played with a few Android handsets, from a few different manufacturers, and I’ve yet to see one with a touchscreen as sensitive as the iPhone, and no matter which way you slice it, the Android OS ain’t as intuitive as the iPhone.

  • Change! ARRRGGGHHHH!

It takes a long time to get everything playing nice when you sync your phone to your computer, regardless of manufacturers. I’ve finally got there, and I’m hesitant to upset the apple cart (LOL-ish). I’m staring down the barrel of hours of research as to how to get my Gcal to sync with my iCal, how to transfer my DRM protected music out of the almighty iTunes, not to mention the fact that I’m going to have to train my ear to recognise an entirely new ringtone. I ask you, is it worth it?

I was hoping I was going to be able to do one of those ‘So, in conclusion…’ summaries the likes of Charlie Brooker always seems to manage, but instead, I’ve got myself in a bit of a pickle. I hand it over to you, dearest reader. Please tell me what to do. And I will do it. Probably.

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Filed under Featured, Opinion · Tagged with , , Comments View Comments

  • OK, here's what I think I'll do: wait.
    And then I'm going to see if the Motorola Droid is all they're hyping it to be, and if HTC can come up with something non-ugly. And then I'm going to take Daniel's advice and get Doubletwist for iTunes syncing, and then I'm going to NOT GET IT ON O2.
    Simples.
    And yes, Laura, I am both funny and nice. How very on-topic.
  • Am I really the only human on earth who thinks that the iPhone really isn't all that super? Yes, the apps are nice. Yes, it looks pretty and the touchscreen is whizzy, but have you tried actually writing an email on that thing? It takes FOUR DAYS.
  • I'm really interested by this kind of post at the moment, as I'm seriously considering splashing out on an iphone as a means to blog on-the-go. Plus, it looks like my commute is likely to increase considerably in the near future, which is going to seriously eat into my already insufficient web-surfing hours...

    Maybe I should visit a few stores and have a good play about...
  • Ben Rose
    I ticked a box to get a Hero to sell on to a mate when I was negotiating a new mobile contract. I decided to try it out first and, after 10mins, he wasn't getting it back.

    The facebook and flickr integration was a big win and it's the first phone I have ever owned that synchronised my Lotus Notes contacts & diary first time out of the box with no 3rd party software. VERY impressed.

    Having been an owner for several months now, it just keeps getting better. Killer apps like shopsavvy make Android the platform of the future for me and the multi-tasking allows me to keep Twitter etc. open whilst doing other stuff.

    I now know 5 people who have moved from iPhone to Android.
  • But then.. who would that make Blackberry... the not-quite-famous-enough-mutual-friend? ;)
  • I think the first question is whether you are deciding between Android-phone-or-keep-my-iPhone or Android-phone-or-get-an-iPhone-3GS. From what you've said, the only really compelling argument for Android phone over 3GS for you is Spotify in the background - which I find a deal-breaker for the iPhone. Everything else you've mentioned, pretty much, can be answered by an iPhone 3GS, and if you are wedded to iTunes and iCal it seems a bit perverse to look for fixes to get those integrated (although syncing iCal and Google Calendar is a doddle, and Doubletwist is a great layer between iTunes and Android), especially if you find the screen and the design of the iPhone better than any other phone. UnROMed Android phones still only let you store applications on internal memory, incidentally, so it can get a bit stuffy in there, although dumping data onto the memory cards has stopped this being an issue for me at all.

    That said, I have an Android phone (HTC Magic - curse of the early adopter), and I would rather have that than an iPhone. Reasons include multitasking, Spotify, already having my primary email running through Google Mail and having my calendar on Google calendar (this really is key - if you're inside the Google ecosystem, Android makes far more sense), network coverage and favouring the relative openness of Android over the closed system of the iPhone, where updates outside the ecosystem are actually punished by potential bricking. If that matters to you - and on a day to day basis it's almost a philosophical question - you might favour Android. Otherwise, you clearly like iPhones, and the 3GS has about the same internals as a top-of-the-line Android phone at present.
  • I've just had the same debate with myself iPhove vs Hero - most my friends are iPhone clones and they all came up with the same argument and it wasn't quite as succinct as you may imagine the arguement was simbly - "but it's the iPhone",

    I went against the tide of popular opinion and after playing with both the iPhone and the android I went with the Hero...

    ...and I LOVE IT!

    I turned it on the first time and it asked for my gmail, facebook and twitter information and just like that everything was synced, and then I went and added extra email accounts to it too.

    Since than I've played with many apps and configurations and now have the 7 - yes SEVEN home screens set up for optimum usage for me and that's before I've even looked at the options the multiple scene selections offer!

    For me Android for the win everytime - and they can only get better from here on in,
  • I think it comes down to timing, if you are looking to change handset asap then Android is the way to go. The problem with iPhone 3GS is that you'd be tied down for 18-24 months. If there is a new iPhone, it'll be unveiled in the summer and you'll be stuck with the older model (much like you are now I guess?).

    If you are happy to hang on, you should wait to see what the next model in Apple's arsenal is unleashed and then compare the state of play in the Android market.
  • Captaincaz
    It's a pretty pickle indeed. While I too have an iPhone (and utterly love it for all the reasons you've mentioned here), the lack of multitasking is a massive bugbear for me. Having played around with G1s, Magics and Heroes though, I'm just not convinced they can match the iPhone in terms of its intuitive and beautiful UI. Maybe then HTC Android isn't the way to go, but another manufacturer?
  • Well, I've avoided joining the iPhone brigade because, really I want a phone to do just that; call people, store phone lists, er...catch up on email when I'm a trapped commuter... I don't feel the need to be entertained 24/7! Also, I don't understand the pull of spending hours (collectively) staring at a little screen when I've a serious amount of commuting cycling to do... And that is why I have a Nokia E71. It's a pretty good phone although, I have to tell you, a month ago it wiped off my entire list of contacts - a gut wrenching hideous experience. So, perhaps, avoid that one too...
  • What? Oh dear, no 'in conclusion'? I was relying on that...

    Despite the advantages - there is still iPhone. Such a pretty, intuitive piece of kit. 2 months using it and no complaints. (Well... other than the battery draining in a blink)
  • James
    Android is just gonna grow and get better once the big name manufacturers bring out their handsets. I think google calenders can import iCal format stuff. Once you've got all your contacts and calenders googlefied you can sync super easy with your handset. I've got a HTC Magic and its not without its quirks but I'll definitely be sticking with an Android OS phone once upgrade time comes around.
  • Laura
    Susi, you look funny and nice.
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