Smartphone users - iPhone vs Android...

[AdventureMoms]

So, we've decided its time to move up to a smartphone. But now I realize I know NOTHING about them. So, what do people like or recommend? We would like something that has a camera on it and will let us post pics on facebook easily. Something that we can get a good calendar app for, and be able to share our calendars with each other (ie so I can schedule stuff on DW's calendar). Plus I'd love somewhere I can keep lists (gift lists, etc). GPS would be really nice - we get lot a lot. And I'd rather not spend more than I have to, of course. :tongue_smilie:

 

So, someone tell me what to get. :D

 

We're currently on Verizon and need to stay until next June, I think. I need to check on when our contracts come up.

[tntgoodwin]

http://ipod.about.com/od/iphonevscompetitors/tp/Iphone-Or-Android-which-to-buy.htm

 

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/smartphones/iphone-or-android-five-questions-to-help-you-decide/4456

 

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-03-03/apple-iphone-android-smartphone/53334436/1

 

http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2012/07/why-i-might-switch-from-an-iphone-to-an-android-smartphone/

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/09/iphone-android-windows-phone_n_1500820.html

 

 

I personally prefer Android phones, but I recommend checking out the above links before making a decision.

[katilac]

My first smart phone was an Android, a Samsung Galaxy S, and I hated it with the white hot passion of a thousand suns. The software was just not there yet, very glitchy, everything was difficult to do, all around PITA. I got that one just under two years ago; I do not know if the software has taken a big leap since then. It has surely improved or stayed the same, because it is simply not possible that it got worse.

 

I then jumped on the iphone bandwagon a few months ago, and the difference is night and day. Sooo much easier to use. It's an all around "smoother" experience. The phone itself is better (improved feel, etc) but the software/OS is the biggest difference.

 

The camera/video is great on the iphone, and there's an official app that makes posting to Facebook super easy. GPS and lists, no problem. We don't share calendars, but I know that you can do so.

 

fyi, my carrier let me make the switch a few months early.

[Jennifer3141]

I now feel naked without my iphone in my back pocket. I cannot believe the number and quality of apps out there. Very few days go by without us using it for geocaching, finding stars, banking, etc. etc. It has been incredibly easy to use and Siri is a blast for us. :001_smile:

[TranquilMind]

So, we've decided its time to move up to a smartphone. But now I realize I know NOTHING about them. So, what do people like or recommend? We would like something that has a camera on it and will let us post pics on facebook easily. Something that we can get a good calendar app for, and be able to share our calendars with each other (ie so I can schedule stuff on DW's calendar). Plus I'd love somewhere I can keep lists (gift lists, etc). GPS would be really nice - we get lot a lot. And I'd rather not spend more than I have to, of course. :tongue_smilie:

 

So, someone tell me what to get. :D

 

We're currently on Verizon and need to stay until next June, I think. I need to check on when our contracts come up.

Well, I just did this, and my kids and husband recommended an iphone over an android because they said it was easier and more intuitive.

 

There are days I miss my BlackBerry, but I tell you what. That Iphone got me home when I was lost in a blinding rainstorm last night. The mapquest App gives verbal directions like a gps unit.

 

While there are some BlackBerry features I miss - like, why the HECK can't I eliminate emails on the handset while retaining them in my computer inbox - I'm pretty content with the Iphone and have not had much trouble figuring things out.

[Shawna in Texas]

I'd go play with the iphone and the new Galaxy SIII. Both will have you need. I don't know when the Note 2 comes out. Two years ago, it took me forever to decide between the iphone and the Galaxy SI. I can't remember why I ultimately chose the Galaxy, but I've never regretted it. It's so easy to customize it your needs.

[nmoira]

I'd go play with the iphone and the new Galaxy SIII. Both will have you need. I don't know when the Note 2 comes out. Two years ago, it took me forever to decide between the iphone and the Galaxy SI. I can't remember why I ultimately chose the Galaxy, but I've never regretted it. It's so easy to customize it your needs.

 

Or, if money is a concern, the just-announced Motorola RAZR M. It'll be $100 on Verizon with a contract.

 

http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/05/motorola-droid-razr-m-announced/

[Ellie]

I have an Android. It has never crashed or done anything I thought was weird. :D

[Jennifer in MI]

I am currently on vacation with my family. My three teen boys and dh have androids. I have an iPhone. Over and over again, I have been asked for directions. The iPhone is just faster. My battery does not run out as fast as theirs.

 

Now, my two older kids will swear that the android phones are better. But, they are constantly working on theirs. Updating. Jail breaking. Etc. if you aren't able to do that, dont get an android!

 

My dh is sooooooo ready to kill his android and buy an iPhone!

[Kim in Appalachia]

My dh and I have the Galaxy SIII. It's very nice. We're happy with it. It's easy to use, responsive, and we have been able to find any app we want. The screen is beautiful, but it's also big. It's thin and light, but a bit wide, which may bother you.

 

The new iPhone comes out soon. I'm sure it will also be great. My folks have the iPhone 4s, and a few of our friends do too. It's a nice phone too. The screen on my Galaxy is much nicer, but the new iPhone will probably match that. I see no advantage having the iPhone over the Galaxy, unless you have other Apple products you want to share apps with. If you love iTunes, that would be a reason to go with Apple.

 

My dh preferred the Android. I didn't care. The phone is great; we have no complaints. We've been using it for about 2 months.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I forgot to add that you need to go handle the phones. After holding the Galaxy SIII I did not want the iPhone. You have to handle them and see what you like.

[Shawna in Texas]

Or, if money is a concern, the just-announced Motorola RAZR M. It'll be $100 on Verizon with a contract.

 

http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/05/motorola-droid-razr-m-announced/

 

That RAZR is a sexy phone.

[nmoira]

I have an Android. It has never crashed or done anything I thought was weird. :D

 

I love my Galaxy SIII. :D

 

Android is just the OS. There are myriad manufacturers, each with numerous models ranging from entry-level to super-duper phone. There are indeed some truly crappy phones running Android on the market, so it does pay to read reviews before purchasing.

Edited September 5, 2012 by nmoira

[AdventureMoms]

http://ipod.about.com/od/iphonevscompetitors/tp/Iphone-Or-Android-which-to-buy.htm

 

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/smartphones/iphone-or-android-five-questions-to-help-you-decide/4456

 

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-03-03/apple-iphone-android-smartphone/53334436/1

 

http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2012/07/why-i-might-switch-from-an-iphone-to-an-android-smartphone/

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/09/iphone-android-windows-phone_n_1500820.html

 

 

I personally prefer Android phones, but I recommend checking out the above links before making a decision.

 

Thanks for those! It seems that it is mostly a simplicity vs customizability issue... Normally I'd go for something more flexible, but I have a super cheap android tablet collecting dust because I don't really have time to figure out it's quirks... I'm wondering if at this point in my life simplicity is the way to go...

[Shawna in Texas]

 

Now, my two older kids will swear that the android phones are better. But, they are constantly working on theirs. Updating. Jail breaking. Etc. if you aren't able to do that, dont get an android!

 

 

Well, Androids are good for people who like to fiddle with stuff like that. I've never felt the need to Jailbreak either of my Androids, but now that I have my new one, I'm going to mess around with my old one. It's absolutely not necessary, but fun for techie folks who want to see how far they can take the software.

 

As for updates, I thought iphones needed those. My dd's old iphone certainly did.

[AdventureMoms]

OK, what's a Jailbreak?

[Diann]

I recently purchased an unlocked Galaxy Nexus from Google. I love this phone. I've had no issues with crashing or other problems (running the most recent version of the Android OS). Apps are plentiful. In fact, I also have an iPad and many of the apps are available for both platforms.

 

Diann

[Kathryn]

I love he iPhone. It's very intuitive. My 2yo knows how to use it.

[nmoira]

We would like something that has a camera on it and will let us post pics on facebook easily. Something that we can get a good calendar app for, and be able to share our calendars with each other (ie so I can schedule stuff on DW's calendar). Plus I'd love somewhere I can keep lists (gift lists, etc). GPS would be really nice - we get lot a lot.

 

You'll be able to post pics to FB from any smartphone, though if you post lots of pics you may wish to wait until you are using Google WiFi so you don't eat up your data quota.

 

Google Calendar does everything you want and is accessible from all platforms, including your home computer. I use Astrid for task management (also multi-platform), but there are simpler task and list apps available.

 

Google Maps has built-in turn-by-turn instructions for driving, walking and biking, as well a integration with many public transit systems. You can pre-fetch maps so you can use it when you don't have access to a cellular data connection. Apple is coming out with its own maps engine, but it will not be as robust as Google's for Android, at least initially. Third party GPS/navigation apps are available for both platforms.

[Shawna in Texas]

OK, what's a Jailbreak?

 

It's when you break the limitations and restrictions that the phone company or manufacturer put on it.

[cindergretta]

Former owner of 2 different Androids and current owner of an iPhone. There were things I really loved about my Droids but boy, that drove me freaking nuts with their glitches and crashes and I even lost an entire day's worth of pics from the fair. It (the Droid) ran an update and in the course of the update (over which I had no control) it lost all my pics. I was so LIVID. The battery on each was also horrible.

 

My iPhone battery lasts a LOT longer and I haven't had any glitches or losses or crashes. (I've had it for 10 months.)

[tammieb]

Guess I'm gonna be the oddball here! I HATED my IPhone --- had 2 of them. The touch screen is too "finicky." My first one was a 16GB. When I put much on it, it got REALLY slow and would get "tied up" ALL the time! I upgraded to the 32GB, same problem.

 

I have a Blackberry Torch now and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!! The Blackberry (Android) apps are much easier to use and navigate.

 

Hope you find one you like :)

[nmoira]

OK, what's a Jailbreak?

Android geeks speak of rooting and unlocking the bootloader. Rooting gives you access to features, files and commands that require privileged access and from which the end user is locked out. Someone might root their phone to get rid of carrier installed bloatware, to tether, or to make a true backup. You can also run custom ROMs (think modified or customized OS), but only kind of on top, or beside the one that came with the phone. Unlocking the bootloader (not always possible) will allow you to choose a single ROM to boot.

 

I think jailbreaking an iPhone just means rooting. It voids the warranty, and a few high-profile apps will not run on a jailbroken iPhone.

[Kari C in SC]

I forgot to add that you need to go handle the phones. After holding the Galaxy SIII I did not want the iPhone. You have to handle them and see what you like.

 

This is what happened to my dh. He was planning to get the iphone, then he saw the Galaxy. After 2 hours of playing with both of them - he chose the Galaxy. He just loved the bigger screen. He watches videos on his luch hour and he wanted the one with the nice screen. Time will tell if he made the right choice.

[mamatohaleybug]

Having had both, I MUCH prefer my Android over my iPhone. Really, really don't like my iPhone. It feels archaic to me. I want to like it but just don't. The Android was a lot more user friendly and felt better in my hand.

 

LOVED my Samsung Captivate.

[ChristyB in TN]

My kids have iPhones, my husband and I have droids. We wish we had iPhones! I can't say that emphatically enough. :D

[Shawna in Texas]

Having had both, I MUCH prefer my Android over my iPhone. Really, really don't like my iPhone. It feels archaic to me. I want to like it but just don't. The Android was a lot more user friendly and felt better in my hand.

 

LOVED my Samsung Captivate.

 

Me, too. I still keep my Captivate on my night stand. I had it for two years before I replaced with the Note a couple weeks ago.

[nmoira]

Having had both, I MUCH prefer my Android over my iPhone. Really, really don't like my iPhone. It feels archaic to me. I want to like it but just don't. The Android was a lot more user friendly and felt better in my hand.

 

LOVED my Samsung Captivate.

DH has an iPhone for work. It seems to me to be little more than a scrolling list of apps. Scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll. Sure, there are good apps available (though Android apps have caught up), but I want my phone to look and feel like MY phone. I have a few widgets on my home screens, not many. I like the ability to have only few icons for much-used apps on my home screens (the others are always accessible in the app drawer). I like that I can customise the interface as much or as little as I like. :D

[Mrs Mungo]

DH and I have iphones. We like them much better than eldest dd's galaxy vibrant, she has had all sorts of issues with it. DH has a Blackberry from work that he barely touches at home, but he has to have it when he travels because it's a world phone.

[Audrey]

If I were to ever give up my BlackBerry, I'd get a Galaxy (Android). Great phone. Will do everything you want and more.

 

Full disclosure: I won't touch Apple products, on general principle.

[Hockey Mom]

My first smart phone was an Android, a Samsung Galaxy S, and I hated it with the white hot passion of a thousand suns. The software was just not there yet, very glitchy, everything was difficult to do, all around PITA. I got that one just under two years ago; I do not know if the software has taken a big leap since then. It has surely improved or stayed the same, because it is simply not possible that it got worse.

 

I then jumped on the iphone bandwagon a few months ago, and the difference is night and day. Sooo much easier to use. It's an all around "smoother" experience. The phone itself is better (improved feel, etc) but the software/OS is the biggest difference.

 

The camera/video is great on the iphone, and there's an official app that makes posting to Facebook super easy. GPS and lists, no problem. We don't share calendars, but I know that you can do so.

 

 

 

This was 100% my experience as well. I honestly could not figure out why ANYONE liked having a smartphone. My Samsung Galaxy was frustrating beyond words. Switched to iPhone about a month ago, and I am amazed at how much I use my phone now! I love, love, love my iPhone.

[JanetC]

iphones are a lower-risk buy--there aren't that many models and they all work, though the older ones have less features or processing power.

 

The android platform is a hodge-podge of high and low end phones. Some have the latest operating system and some have older versions. Some have higher processing power and some less. Some are being updated and supported by the vendors, but some are just abandoned. Some are popular with hackers, and you can download updates and such for yourself without waiting for your cell phone company.

 

So, it takes a lot more research to get a good android phone from among the dreck. But: Android phones are a better buy, if you do your research well. Read reviews. Spend a lot of time on sites like phonescoop.com comparing specifications.

 

I have Android, DH has iPhone. His is a nicer phone -- faster, nicer display, etc. Mine was much, much cheaper both upfront and plan costs. Money was really tight when I bought my phone, DH's was subsidized by his employer. The only thing I think is definitely better on my phone is that google maps and navigation work better than the iphone version.

 

We share a family calendar and shopping lists with an app called Cozi which is available for both phones as well as via the web.

 

I used my Android stock (as it comes out of the box) for about a year. I finally got the courage to jailbreak/root/flash custom ROM last month. I feel like I have a brand new phone--it runs much faster now and I freed up a lot of memory for other uses. I'm thinking I may upgrade to something with more processor power and more memory this Black Friday, though.

 

--Janet

[craftyerin]

I didn't read all the replies, but I recently got an iPhone after becoming increasingly irritated with my Android. It was buggy, grouchy, and had a HORRID battery life. I much prefer my iPhone.

[AdventureMoms]

iphones are a lower-risk buy--there aren't that many models and they all work, though the older ones have less features or processing power.

 

The android platform is a hodge-podge of high and low end phones. Some have the latest operating system and some have older versions. Some have higher processing power and some less. Some are being updated and supported by the vendors, but some are just abandoned. Some are popular with hackers, and you can download updates and such for yourself without waiting for your cell phone company.

 

So, it takes a lot more research to get a good android phone from among the dreck. But: Android phones are a better buy, if you do your research well. Read reviews. Spend a lot of time on sites like phonescoop.com comparing specifications.

 

I have Android, DH has iPhone. His is a nicer phone -- faster, nicer display, etc. Mine was much, much cheaper both upfront and plan costs. Money was really tight when I bought my phone, DH's was subsidized by his employer. The only thing I think is definitely better on my phone is that google maps and navigation work better than the iphone version.

 

We share a family calendar and shopping lists with an app called Cozi which is available for both phones as well as via the web.

 

I used my Android stock (as it comes out of the box) for about a year. I finally got the courage to jailbreak/root/flash custom ROM last month. I feel like I have a brand new phone--it runs much faster now and I freed up a lot of memory for other uses. I'm thinking I may upgrade to something with more processor power and more memory this Black Friday, though.

 

--Janet

 

Thank you, this was a really great post. Ironically I think it may have convinced me to get an iphone. Right now DW is out of town or working 16hrs/6days a week for the next two months, and I'm home with three little crazy people. I don't have time to research androids or to figure out how to do stuff with it. Normally I love this kind of thing! But I think this is a season to keep it simple for me.

 

Thanks everyone!

[cindergretta]

Mine was much, much cheaper both upfront and plan costs.

 

This must vary by carrier. I have Verizon and all the plans are the same for Android and iPhones. Ditto the "purchase" costs - there are older model iPhones you can get for free up to current models with a metric ton of memory for $$$$. I sent $200 on mine, iPhone4S while dh spent $100 on his iPhone4.

[LibraryLover]

Imo, the iPhone seems more intuitive. Autocorrect is a wreck, but the iPhone is more user-friendly, imo (for me), than the Android.

 

I don't have that much spare data space in my brain for something even a tiny bit more complicated.

 

Both of my sons, who are very tech savy, chose iPhone, although many of their friends have no issues with their Androids.

 

I am (as they wish) hooked for life. Hand me another phone, and I am dead in the water.

 

PS: I loathe my dh's Blackberry. I need my icons!

[Forget-Me-Not]

DH has an iPhone for work. It seems to me to be little more than a scrolling list of apps. Scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll. Sure, there are good apps available (though Android apps have caught up), but I want my phone to look and feel like MY phone. I have a few widgets on my home screens, not many. I like the ability to have only few icons for much-used apps on my home screens (the others are always accessible in the app drawer). I like that I can customise the interface as much or as little as I like. :D

 

While it's true that iPhones don't have widgets, you can do quite a bit of customizing in terms of locating apps, combining them into folders, etc. :) You can change color schemes, background photos, etc.

 

Big iPhone fans here. DH finally ditched his Android phone last year in favor of an iPhone after playing with mine.

[nmoira]

Popping back in to say that the Android I have and hate is a Galaxy. Hate it! Back to iPhone in November when my contract is up.

 

A Galaxy what? There are kajillions of them: I think most Samsung phones released in the last three years have been Galaxy something-or-other. :001_smile:

 

Samsung's TouchWiz (the interface/launcher) is *far* better in this iteration than before, but I still didn't last more than a week or so before installing a new launcher on my GS3. TouchWiz is stock on all Galaxy phones except the Nexus, the pure Google "experience" phone.

[SonshineLearner]

I'm waiting for the new iphone to be released. I think it's suppose to be October :)

[Mynyel]

I have an Android (although not for long, contract is up in 3 weeks) and I like it.

 

I won't buy Apple though. They tried to do one over on me.

 

I have the Samsung Charge. *IF* I could afford it and upgrade I would not think twice about getting the Samsung Galaxy SIII. That is a *SWEET* phone. I have played with them.