Bye Iphone. Hello Android.

by David Risley on Jul 11, 2010 | 22 comments

The move has not been made yet. It is possible that something may rise its head and make me reconsider. But, I’m fairly sure my wife and I are going to get rid of our Iphones and get Droid powered phones.

One may think it is about the network. AT&T has surely received a lot of attention on call quality since they got the Iphone. However, it has little to do with that. Here in the Tampa area, AT&T has been fine. Sure, it drops calls occasionally, but I’ve never had a cell phone company that didn’t drop calls. To a degree, all cell phone companies suck.

htc_evo_vs_iphone My decision has more to do with Google integration and overall openness. Both of these points are strikes against the Iphone. The Apple Iphone has always been a controlled environment. I’m OK with that as long as the environment is very capable – and it is. But, I am NOT OK with that when that controlled environment is being controlled for no reason other than petty politics.

The competition between Apple and Google is pretty fierce, and Apple is run primarily at the beck and call of a man who, I believe, can be rather arrogant and emotional – Steve Jobs. Honestly, I can think of no other reason why Apple would simply not allow an app for Google Voice on the Iphone.

Simply put – I want full integration with Google Voice. I want turn-by-turn directions on my GPS. Well, Apple won’t allow Google Voice. Instead, you’re forced to use a workaround via the Safari browser. Also, due to licensing conflicts between Apple and Google, there is no turn-by-turn directions powered by Google Maps on the Iphone. On the Droid? Yep. Oh, and while I happen to agree with Apple on the fact that Flash sucks, it’d still be nice to have the option, right?

So, essentially, you have a beautiful phone (the Iphone) which is hampered by stupid, petty company politics and the wish to keep it a controlled environment. Or you have an equally capable phone, but one where there is developer freedom to do what they want, and full integration with Google (obviously).

I use my phone as a communications device. I don’t use it to play games or get any work done. I have a computer for that. I even have an Ipad and I use it all the time (and love it). Google happens to be my primary communications platform. Not having full integration on my one device I actually use for my remote communications (my phone) is lame.

Having the Ipad, you find yourself just not using the Iphone that much for anything but… CALLS. Weird, huh? I want remote access to email, my calendar, the Internet. Well, I use Google for much of that. I also REALLY want to use Google Voice more heavily because I love the fact that I can have full control over incoming calls. Don’t want spammers to be able to ring my phone? Well, it is EASY to control with Google Voice. And this lack of integration with the Iphone is what really put me over the edge. That’s a big deal. A native app has a lot more ability than in-browser usage.

The Iphone 4 is a gorgeous phone. However, I don’t believe it really surpasses the Droid phones by much. Any lead the Iphone has in the phone feature wars will disappear momentarily anyway. Under that, though, you have the capability of the phone as a communications device. That has not improved with the Iphone 4 one iota. Some left-handers may even say it got worse.

This next week, I’ll be making some phone calls. And it could end up being a total dump of our Iphones and switching to Verizon. As of now, I’m eyeing the HTC Incredible. The reviews are awesome for it. The Droid X seems nice, but it looks to be a honker of a phone (simply huge). And I don’t care about that – I’ve got an Ipad. And a computer with 4 frickin screens on it. I don’t need an extra inch of screen on my phone, thank you.

Simply put, an Iphone 4 offers me nothing new that I need. The Droid – does.

Thoughts on this? If you are using a Smartphone, what kind are you using?

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aaronmielke
Great write-up David, and I agree with you completely.
I've been using Blackberrys religiously for the last 3 years. Sure, they aren't the most flashy devices available but…they *work* and work really well.
I'm now seriously considering going to the Android platform for many of the same reasons you are considering it – mostly functionality with Google apps. However, I won't be looking at the Incredible. HTC has been fighting with their screen supplier – Samsung – so I'll be after either the Droid X or the Droid 2 when it releases in August.
Regarding screen size, a good friend of mine has the HTC Evo and I've spent a good amount of time testing out the physical size of the device, app and OS speed, as well as the virtual keyboard…the size is really a non-issue, to me anyway.
I'm interested to hear what you finally decide to go with

http://davidrisley.com David Risley
What is it about the Incredible screen that is a problem? All the reviews I've seen are quite positive. This is the first I've heard about any issue with the screens.

aaronmielke
My bad…should have clarified. There's nothing wrong with the screen itself at all – other than the lackluster performance in direct sunlight, but what device doesn't have some sort of issue in that respect…
The Incredible has been back-ordered shortly after it's release due to a shortage on the supply of screens from Samsung. Samsung has been in development and manufacturing stages of it's brand new Galaxy S phone that will be available on all 4 major wireless carriers very soon. Some say this contributed to HTCs problem of not having any Incredibles available. Right now, VZW is showing the Incredible will ship by August 9th…so, no problem with the screen except for getting your grubby paws on one
The lure of the Droid 2 isn't necessarily on the spec sheet…it will be the first Android device to ship with Android 2.2 Froyo OS (the most current devices are on 2.1). Also, the Droid 2 sports a 3.7″ screen with a redesigned physical keyboard. There's a large number of people that swear by physical keyboards, so this is a big draw for this device.

http://davidrisley.com David Risley
Yeah, I'm used to the virtual keyboard, and kinda prefer it. As for Droid 2.2, that'll be put onto the older phones (like the Incredible), too, so it isn't as if you need to buy the phone with it initially.

aaronmielke
Yep, that's why I'm likely to grab a Droid X this week knowing 2.2 will be available probably sometime in August.
I've spent some time with an Incredible and it's a very good device, I actually really like it but if I can't get my hands on it until August 9th then I'm out…I'm a compulsive, “gotta have it now” kind of guy when it comes to gadgets
http://davidrisley.com David Risley
Well, we'll see. I'm hoping to ditch the Iphone this month, so I sure hope I don't have to wait too long if the Incredible is the one I go for. I do plan to check out the X, first, though.

http://davidrisley.com David Risley
Also, what I've seen so far about the Droid 2, it looks underwhelming.

http://twitter.com/marydoes7 Mary Does
Would be nice if there was some type of demo plan, where you could get a droid and the service for a week or so, and get a feel for if it would do everything you're looking for. I have the Iphone4 and the Safari based google voice work around performs great for my needs. May not for you though. I like the fact that Apple lock their stuff down, but understand that the political end of it is a pain in the a$$.

aaronmielke
Though Verizon, they have a 30 day exchange policy, so you could take advantage of that…but if you're switching services, I don't there's any provision to cancel after 30 days without being charged an early termination fee.

http://BetterBizIdeas.com/blog BetterBizIdeas
David,
Interesting that you bring this up. I read an interesting article on Business Insider earlier this week basically about the “open vs. closed” nature of the platforms and how this resembles the PC industry 25 years ago. Will Apple lose the smartphone market like they lost the PC market and were relegated to being a niche player? The similarities are EERY.
Having said that, I just bought my first Iphone last week, finally giving up my blackberry keyboard. Simply put, the applications now outweigh the benefit of the physical keyboard for me so I decided to take the plunge. I got my wife a 3GS last year and she has loved it. I'm going to give the Apple platform two solid years to convince me I should stick with it for the long-term. We need to remember that we are still VERY early in the game as the app store wasn't around until about two years ago.
Anyway, here is a link to that article. Definitely worth taking the time to read it. I am NOT associated with them at all
http://www.businessinsider.com/this-chart-shoul…
Have a good one
Dan Ross
@BetterBizIdeas

http://davidrisley.com David Risley
Yeah, that thought occurred to me. The Mac, while it has a dedicated userbase (I use a Mac, BTW), it will always be a minority machine. I think, in the long run, the same thing might happen in the mobile space. The only difference this time, though, is that Apple's clinch on the market was a LOT more robust with mobile than it ever was with the first Macs. So, their momentum is strong.
Plus, inevitably Apple is going to open up the Iphone to other carriers, then it will be a whole new gold rush.

kittylover
Every time someone uses an iPhone a kitty dies. So please, think of the kitties.
Brad Marolf
I'm on Att and just upgraded my wife to the HTC Aria. It's an awesome phone, so now I'm looking to ditch my iPhone3G for an Android phone. I don't mind staying with ATT, since I cannot find an affordable family data plan on any carrier. I'm frustrated by the fact that Verizon wants $30/ PER LINE for data access. kinda ridiculous. So were talking around $179/month(plus taxes) for a 2 android phones on a 1400 min plan? Crazy. At least with ATT you can now choose the cheaper $15/month data plans.
Makes me want to switch to Sprint or Tmobile that have the unlimited family data plans, but their android phone selection isn't as good as Verizon's and Tmobile's data network I hear is questionable.
http://greattechno.com Sawahonline
thanks for sharing.. good posting and i like this posting
Robb Sutton
What kept me on the iPhone enough to get 2 iPhone 4's? Seamless integration.
The one thing that keeps the iPhone ahead of the Android platform (IMO) is how easily everything works together in an Apple environment. Yes…it is not open source like with Android, but sometimes that is a good thing. You do not have to require on 3rd party apps to get the job done.
Last week, I was up in Asheville, NC to get some riding in and I was talking to my wife on our iPhone 4's from the hotel back to our house in Atlanta. Half way through the conversation I asked her, “hey…you are on our wifi network right?” She answered, “yes…why?” I responded (great story so far…I know), “hold the phone away from you and click accept.”
I pulled the phone away from my head, mid call and hit Facetime. All of the sudden, we were having a video conference without having to go through any other steps. Kind of cool.
So…until the Android platform can provide that kind of seamless integration (iTunes, iBookstore, App Store), I'll be on the iPhone.

http://davidrisley.com David Risley
Yeah, the integration is nice. But, for me, since I use the Ipad for that kind of thing, that's where I benefit most from that. As for the communications part of things, I use Google – not Apple. So, integrating with Google is more important for me there.

Robb Sutton
It all really comes down to what you really need. For me…the iPhone fits that…for others…it may be the Android or Blackberry.
There is no one size fits all solution for anything and competition makes products better.

Guest
I use Verizon, and it has not dropped a call that I can think of. Very pleased with the service.
http://www.mikeslife.org Mike CJ
I do think Apple are slowly shooting themselves in the foot (can you do that?) with the iPhone. I'm a good example – I've been a Blackberry user for years, and when the iPhone came out I REALLY, REALLY wanted one. BUT, it was restricted here to one carrier, and I didn't want to go through the pain of changing carriers on our account (we have 14 phones) just so I could have a new toy.
In the meantime the BB has just got better and better, and now we have the Droid, which I will be trying out next.
Long story short, because of Apple's insistence on one carrier in Spain, I never caught the iPhone wave, and probably never will.
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http://cellphonetrackers.org GPS tracker
I am turning to Android as well!!!