Which one, Droid vs iPhone?

[cignus_pfaccari]

Which do y'all think is better to replace my 5.5 year-old regular cell phone with?

I like the idea of the keyboard on the Droid, because I can't stand trying to type on a touchscreen with my non-tiny fingers. OTOH, the Droid feels cheap, the plans appear to be more expensive than the iPhone, and there aren't as many apps for it at this time.

The iPhone definitely has more apps, and I'm already with AT&T, which slightly simplifies things. But no keyboard, and then there's the Cult of Steve Jobs thing. Also, I'd be forced into using iTunes, which, while I'm not completely opposed to it, it's just another annoying thing.

Brad

 

[Mercule]

Consider the Palm Pre. I've been using one for about 5 months and really loving it. If you're opposed to Sprint, it'll be on Verizon soon.

Otherwise, I've heard good things about the Android OS. It apparently doesn't handle switching tasks as well as the Pre (but, you can multitask, unlike on iPhone). And WebOS (Pre) actually integrates better with the Google calendar and contacts than Android does, at least according to what I've read.

I'd rank the major smartphone OSes this way:
1) Web OS. Best overall OS. It's got a very comfortable interface and really embraces the idea of cloud storage. There's an active "homebrew" app community that supplies more apps than the official catalog, which is growing. The hardware isn't bad, but that's probably where it's weakest -- high on style, low on power, but WebOS is pretty snappy, anyway. It's just that comparable hardware would blow the competition away. It also has the smallest form factor of all of these, which is both a positive and a negative.

2) Android. Google will support this sucker, so you know it's long-term. Even though it's sync isn't as good as Palm's Synergy, I can't imagine that Google will remain content with that. I believe they have a good sized official app catalog, but I don't know about homebrew. Droid is, by all accounts, a darn solid phone.

3) iPhone. You know the drill. It's Apple, ergo shiney and stylish. Biggest app catalog around. Homebrew is stomped out with jackboots, though. But, vast amounts of hardware cradles, speakers, etc.

4) Blackberry. Great for business, but mediocre for personal. I have no idea about apps. My entire experience is based on using a locked-down version at work and having friends who have swapped out their personal BB for one of the above. A plus is that I think certain models will also sync multiple Google calendars.

5) Windows Mobile. I used to use this. Not overly impressed, even as a .NET programmer. My understanding is that the latest version is much better, and I was running one of the older phones (not 3G). On the plus side, it syncs with Outlook very well. MS has also added an app catalog.

Of course, YMMV. Needs are different. What I was looking for was something to sync up my various stores of contacts, seven Google calendars (work, personal, wife, and four kids at a glance), multiple email accounts, multi-tasking, and music. For most of those, the Pre won. I considered the HTC Hero (Android OS, no physical keyboard), but it didn't seem to have anything that it did better than the Pre and the Pre was about half the price.

 

[Felon]

I've had an iPhone for about a month. I can attest to some things about it:

1) The battery is rubbish.
2) iTunes sucks if you have the gall to think you should be able to sync your phone from two different computers.
3) No physical keyboard is kind of a pain, but it's no less a pain than having a physical keyboard that's too small and cramped and flat.
4) The app store is pretty neat. Not sure how Google's is coming along.
5) If you have can a discounted upgrade to the 16 GM model or better, it's probably worthwhile.

If anyone can tell me how I can check for text messages, I'd appreciate. I don't have a text plan, and I want to see if folks are texting me to the tune of $.20 a pop.

 

[MarauderX]

Droid. My wife has the iphone, my friend has the droid. I have used my wife's countless times, but the two times I have used my friend's I thought it to be easier and more reliable.

I'd say try them both to see what you like.

Oh, and be aware that the iphone has a GPS in it that apple keeps an open line to(to 'track traffic patterns, assist with distress calls, etc.). Also apple can kill any application you put on it at any time (like Google phone).

 

[Felon]

Oh, and be aware that the iphone has a GPS in it that apple keeps an open line to(to 'track traffic patterns, assist with distress calls, etc.).

Sure, there are games that use this feature to award you points for hanging in certain tagged locations. Hang out at your favorite coffee shop long enough and you become its virtual mayor.

 

[MythosaAkira]

I have a Droid and I love it, though I don't really have much experience with the iPhone (my previous phone ran WinMo). The Apple AppStore has a lot more apps at this point, but the Android Market is growing.

One of the reasons I went with the Droid was I could develop for it on Windows or Linux. Also, the screen resolution is great (480 x 854; the iPhone has 480 x 320).

The slide-out keyboard is actually the one thing I don't really like on the Droid; I find that the virtual keyboard works better for me than the hardware one.

 

[Felon]

Well, the big question about the Google app store isn't how many apps it offers, but rather if it offers the basics, like the apps for Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Yelp, and so forth. I guess games are where they take a big hit--no GTA Chinatown Wars for you Android guys.

 

[Remus Lupin]

Well, I haven't used the Droid, but I would like to put in a good word for the iPhone. All of the criticisms notwithstanding, I find it to be amazingly easy to use, and the number of apps available for it is astounding. It's not perfect, but it is pretty nifty. I wouldn't go with the Droid.

On the other hand, if it had come up prior to the iPhone, I would have given very serious consideration to the Palm Pre (even though their commercials for it are scary).

 

[Mallus]

I'll say a few nice things about the iPhone, too. It's a nifty, stylish hand-held computer with a really, really slick interface (and not-so-good battery life). As I said to my wife, it almost fulfills my childhood fantasies of owning a tricorder --particularly when I play around w/the Yelp Monocle.

It also makes a Kindle unnecessary for me. I have the app, and find the reading experience on the iPhone to be more than pleasant. Actually, I have another free eReader called Stanza, which plugs right into the Project Gutenberg site, which nearly makes the Kindle app unnecessary.

I'd say the real reason to own an iPhone is the size of the development community. Statistics alone guarantee a wealth of high-quality apps. Though there's no doubt Android will be well-supported by the major players.

And if I'd were the the market for an Android phone, I'd get the Nexus One over the Droid. The Nexus has better --on paper, at least-- hardware and was custom built to Google's specs.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

I wound up getting the Droid, and now I wonder how on earth I managed to live without it.

Heck, after playing with it in the restaurant for a half hour on Friday, my friend decided to get one, too.

I *really* like the keyboard. It doesn't feel nearly as cheap as I thought, and they adjusted the plans to make them more sensible.

So far I haven't gotten any games for it, but I did find an app that lets me play Bender quotes.

Brad