Iphone or android? which to buy?!?!

[Terminator02]

first of all, the iPhone 5 isn't coming out in August, it's coming in the fall

and you can't really compare the iPhone and Android devices, you need to be more specific. If you do decide to go for Android it's only worth it if you're willing to root it, but I would imagine that the Atrix is a beast once you root it and debloat it (it has a massive battery, qHD display, dual core processor). Of course I would have to say the same for the iPhone, as I could never live in Apple's walled garden, but I definitely think it would be fine if I jailbreak it.

anyways I've never owned any apple product besides an iPod mini, so I'm not exactly unbiased

but it's really going to come down to personal preference

if you just want everything to simply work, go for the iPhone

if you want to be able to tweak around with your phone and maximize it's performance/discover random, cool apps, i'd go for a high-end android device (like the atrix 4g), but don't bother with the docks, they suck

Edit: to the ninja above me, HTC has recently been locking down their phones a lot more, just so you know, but samsung is completely open and Sony Ericsson's new phones can easily be modded too

also, on the point of games, android has emulators, but the iPhone can get emulators too once it's jailbroken, and the iOS ecosystem attracts many more developers, mainly due to the fragmentation of android
that said, there are still plenty of good games, i could give you a few if you ever want

 

[xtreme1]

first of all, the iPhone 5 isn't coming out in August, it's coming in the fall

and you can't really compare the iPhone and Android devices, you need to be more specific. If you do decide to go for Android it's only worth it if you're willing to root it, but I would imagine that the Atrix is a beast once you root it and debloat it (it has a massive battery, qHD display, dual core processor). Of course I would have to say the same for the iPhone, as I could never live in Apple's walled garden, but I definitely think it would be fine if I jailbreak it.

anyways I've never owned any apple product besides an iPod mini, so I'm not exactly unbiased

but it's really going to come down to personal preference

if you just want everything to simply work, go for the iPhone

if you want to be able to tweak around with your phone and maximize it's performance/discover random, cool apps, i'd go for a high-end android device (like the atrix 4g), but don't bother with the docks, they suck

Edit: to the ninja above me, HTC has recently been locking down their phones a lot more, just so you know, but samsung is completely open and Sony Ericsson's new phones can easily be modded too

also, on the point of games, android has emulators, but the iPhone can get emulators too once it's jailbroken, and the iOS ecosystem attracts many more developers, mainly due to the fragmentation of android
that said, there are still plenty of good games, i could give you a few if you ever want

I by no means am basing my decision off one game, but games like infinity blade and Im sure numerous others are not supported by the android. If I got an Iphone im pretty sure I could keep myself busy on it for 2 yrs... & what apps are unique to the android. I mean sell me in the apps department with a few specifics if you dont mind. Everyone says its great for customising which is cool, just like a dual core is cool... if developers began supporting it, I just feel like apple is still heading this battle just because of popularity honestly, which is why the devs r deving it lol. (albeit android growing fast still)


also... the galazy 2 is not supported by verizon yet... though no doubt it does look like a beast.

 

[Terminator02]

are you with verizon or AT&T? if verizon, you may want to consider the Xperia Play, as it will no doubt be far superior to the iPhone in the games department, and it will be great for emulators

if you are still goin with AT&T, i found a guide here (WIP)

apple isn't heading this apple purely because of popularity, but because of uniformity of the platform, you only have to develop your apps for one device (and older models of course)
as for apps, there is the excellent, and 100% free google maps service, there's Google Goggles, Google Shopper/ShopSavvy, Wireless tethering apps (even if you aren't rooted), remote access to utorrent, including downloading finished torrents to the phone and setting up torrents from the phone (basically remote bittorrent), there's dropbox, facebook, evernote, graphing calculator emulators, DLNA apps (skifta), various music players with different functions, music downloaders (i'm talking free downloaders), tuner (like for a guitar), music recognition apps (soundhound/shizam), pandora, last.fm, slacker, vevo, youtube, youtube downloaders, ebook readers, bibles, remote music players (audiogalaxy), cloud music players (amazon mp3), adblockers (adfree android), google translate, various news apps and weather apps, and basically every type of utility app you could find in the Apple App Store.

basically the only thing android lacks is the amount of quality games, however, like i said, they are out there, just not as easy to find, or in the same quantity

 

[xtreme1]

Good call on the xperia! I just remembered what that was! lol... & my contracts up so ill probly go with verizon, but in the app department I was talking about unique and superior apps, I feel like all of the mentioned ones are easily replicated for iphone if not originating on the iphone. Also good point on the reason apple is excelling.

 

[Quietlyawesome94]

EA agrees to buy Firemint, devs behind iOS hits Flight Control, Real Racing

by Christopher Grant on May 3rd 2011 12:15PM
12
Electronic Arts continues to chase the mobile market, today announcing an agreement to purchase Firemint, the Australia-based developer behind iOS hits like Flight Control, Real Racing and, notably, "an attractive future slate of games." Flight Racing, anyone? While it may be true love, EA and Firemint aren't ones to kiss-and-tell; the purchase price isn't being disclosed.

EA isn't just buying Firemint, however. The developer recently purchased fellow Australians Infinite Interactive, the devs behind the popular Puzzle Quest series. For its part, EA recently purchased a company called MPP, a "leader in high quality cross-platform development and porting of games for smartphones." We don't know about you, but we detect a faint whiff of synergy.

Oh, here it is: "The added technical expertise of MPP, combined with the creative talent of Firemint and our EAi studio teams, fuels EA's leadership in delivering top selling, high quality games across mobile phones and smartphones, tablets and future digital interactive entertainment platforms," EA Interactive's Barry Cottle said in a press release.

This courtship has ostensibly been going on for some time. Before it struck it rich on the App Store, Firemint labored in the EA Mobile mines working on the Madden NFL 3D series, a 2006 mobile release of Need for Speed Most Wanted, and something called The Sims DJ. You can't say Firemint hasn't paid its dues.

I find it interesting that EA (The publisher of most IOS best sellers), just bought a company specializing in porting games to smartphones. IOS TO ANDROID PORTS ANYONE? REAL RACING 2 FOR ANDROID? Just something to keep your eyes peeled for.

 

[CarbonX13]

The case here is trying to balance out the pros and cons of each side. Obviously when it comes to the hardware, the iPhone 4 may now feel a bit outdated thanks to the dual-core Android phones like the Motorola Atrix, LG Optimus 2X, and now the Samsung Galaxy S II. However, you can consider on the flip side that you are getting an exceptional screen with the iPhone 4, which is actually able to compete in the leagues with the Super-AMOLED on the Samsung Galaxy S II (though the GS2's screen is the superior one, I'm just noting they are comparable).

With the software, obviously Android wins in this department with the level of customization you can do. Anything from adding features to re-arranging menus to flashing non-official ROMs. This will come at the cost that Android is not as stable as Apple's iOS. Since the iOS is built ground up to run on the iPhone, you can expect it to be optimized and ready to use out of the box. Android, on the other hand, takes some tweaks here and there to get everything running really smoothly, especially on slower devices (though this is not an issue on dual-core phones, at least not yet).

In the app department, Apple's first-party source, App Store, obviously wins with the sheer quantity of apps available. This, however, comes at the expense of no ability to install apps from third-party sources, unless you're jailbreaking, but even then there isn't really that much to choose from. Android, on the flip side, has less apps hosted on the App Market, but supports third-party app sources outside the box. This leads to many apps being released outside in the 'black market' region, and does allow apps to go into the more 'shadier' areas.

After a jailbreak, iOS does get opened up with new levels of customization, but that is not nearly as much as what you can do on an Android device. It also comes at the expense at users not being able to updating their iOS device without wiping out the jailbreak. Rooting on the Android usually results in your ability to do practically anything on your phone, and the root (for most devices) remains permanent, allowing users to update their phones by flashing a newer ROM.

Do you want stability or more freedom? More apps to choose from, or a broader range of sources? More dated hardware, or the latest and greatest? (iPhone 5, despite rumours of it being out this fall, will not be a big upgrade if the rumours are to be believed. That means that the phone's internal specs should remain roughly the same.) It all comes down to personal preference.

Edit: Hey, I hit 1000 posts!

 

[xtreme1]

& quite a post indeed! i believe that wraps it up nicely!

 

[IBNobody]

also... the galazy 2 is not supported by verizon yet... though no doubt it does look like a beast.

It will come to all markets if Samsung follows the same route it took with the first Galaxy S.

QUOTE(xtreme1 @ May 4 2011, 10:07 PM) Good call on the xperia! I just remembered what that was! lol... & my contracts up so ill probly go with verizon, but in the app department I was talking about unique and superior apps, I feel like all of the mentioned ones are easily replicated for iphone if not originating on the iphone. Also good point on the reason apple is excelling.

The big problem with the Xperia is that Sony took too long developing it. It's behind the curve, too, being a single-core (Snapdragon?). They need to refresh it quickly. That's just me grumbling, though.

Other tidbits...

1. As I said before, the Amazon App Store is awesome. It's selection is poor, but you get a decent, paid-for-free app every day that works on every phone that you've linked your Amazon account to. They usually have a decent game on Saturdays.

2. I would recommend shopping around for plans and providers. Everyone has their plusses and minuses. (Verizon & Sprint won't let you talk and surf 3G at the same time.) I switched from Verizon to Sprint because Sprint was cheaper and offered true unlimited service. (Verizon was threatening to go pure tiered at the time.) I also recommend you try and look at what monthly discounts you can get. I currently get a 20% employee discount.

3. Consider battery life. The better your phone, the faster the battery drains. Android phones have the advantage in that they have removable batteries. iPhones do not.

4. Durability - The iPhone 4 is more likely to have its screen shatter than its predecessors. If you buy one, get insurance.

 

[chris888222]

I'm saying all of this in my own opinion, so i might be a little bias. Sorry if i am...

I own an iPhone 4 and two android phones, Xperia X10 and Samsung Galaxy S. I find that each has its good points and some not so...

iPhone

PROS:
iPhone 4, I like the design (but not durability). The built-in minimum of 16GB is a whole lot for me even with some games like NOVA2. The firmware makes the phone very organised such as folders and all other stuff, also easy to access (just drag a file together with another and a folder will be formed). The internet browser is quite handy and there are a lot of good games at the AppStore. I dropped my phone twice by accident without any case and nothing has happened to my iPhone (I'm surprised). I also didn't have any antennagate issues (no case). Oh, and also firmware is easy to update.

CONS:
Not every phone is perfect; the Safari browser has no flash support and sometimes a little laggy (even at iOS 4.3.2). There isn't true multitasking on the iPhone. There isn't any SD card slot for memory expansion (smart apple, wants people to buy the 32GB iPhone instead!). Maps sometimes inaccurate. Lacks a notification list (may not be needed though). FaceTime is only via Wi-Fi (unless you jailbreak). Only Apps approved by Apple could be used, jailbreaking would result a void in your warranty.

Android

PROS:
Allows memory expansion via SD card. Efficient web browser. Allows easy download of third-party apps. 3G Video Calls. Many Androids (not all) have flash support in it's browser. True Multitasking. Maybe battery life? My Galaxy S has better battery life than the iPhone 4. Great YouTube app. Easy access to gmail

CONS:
Organisation isn't as good as the iOS firmware and folders are much more troublesome to create. Android Market has lesser variety than AppStore and apps aren't that good in quality (differs with different phones though. Angry Birds on my friend's HTC Wildfire was extremely laggy and the one on my Galaxy was also a little (but not really noticeable) laggier than the iPhone version). Also, firmware is very troublesome* to update as it may not be released on certain phones, such as Android 2.3 Gingerbread not being released for certain phones. (I wish) They would make the firmware compatible for every single android device just like iOS firmware on all iPods, iPhones and iPads.

*the word 'troublesome' is used cuz i can't think of another word to replace it. sorry!

Overall, I find both phones okay. I prefer iPhone's features and games though (well, i'm a neat freak

) but the iPhone is way pricier than other phones on sale. Hence, it's still your decision.

 

[CarbonX13]

CONS:
Organisation isn't as good as the iOS firmware and folders are much more troublesome to create. *snip* Also, firmware is very troublesome to update as it may not be released on certain phones, such as Android 2.3 Gingerbread not being released for certain phones.
You should get your Android phone(s) running on a custom launcher...

Or better yet, root it and flash custom ROMs on it instead of running the stock Android that's included. Your Galaxy S can easily run CyanogenMod, which is guaranteed to be updated to the latest version of Android, sometimes even before Samsung may issue an update.

QUOTEThey should make the firmware compatible for every single android device just like iOS firmware on all iPods, iPhones and iPads.

Given the fact Android is not ran along one family line, but across multiple platforms and manufacturers, that is not possible. While a basic Android OS will run on all smartphones, compatibility for specific devices will be missing due to different setups (some have physical keyboards, others don't; some have four capacitive buttons, others have three, etc.), which is why individual manufacturers choose whether or not they need to update the firmware or not. Companies like HTC with their Sense UI need to modify Android to sport their customized UI, which is why Google can't simply push out an update like Apple can and tell everyone to update. Also, dated hardware likely won't run the latest Android smoothly.

 

[chris888222]

CONS:
Organisation isn't as good as the iOS firmware and folders are much more troublesome to create. *snip* Also, firmware is very troublesome to update as it may not be released on certain phones, such as Android 2.3 Gingerbread not being released for certain phones.
You should get your Android phone(s) running on a custom launcher...

Or better yet, root it and flash custom ROMs on it instead of running the stock Android that's included. Your Galaxy S can easily run CyanogenMod, which is guaranteed to be updated to the latest version of Android, sometimes even before Samsung may issue an update.

QUOTE(I wish) They would make the firmware compatible for every single android device just like iOS firmware on all iPods, iPhones and iPads.

Given the fact Android is not ran along one family line, but across multiple platforms and manufacturers, that is not possible. While a basic Android OS will run on all smartphones, compatibility for specific devices will be missing due to different setups (some have physical keyboards, others don't; some have four capacitive buttons, others have three, etc.), which is why individual manufacturers choose whether or not they need to update the firmware or not. Companies like HTC with their Sense UI need to modify Android to sport their customized UI, which is why Google can't simply push out an update like Apple can and tell everyone to update. Also, dated hardware likely won't run the latest Android smoothly.

I didn't know about custom firmware and i didn't root my droids. So I'm just using the normal Android firmware. CyanogenMod? I'll go check it out!

As for the firmware, I know it isn't possible. I just hope they can do something like that. I'm all saying it in my own view so... hmm... maybe i should tweak the word a little.

 

[Originality]

My perspective... iPad 2 vs HTC Desire HD. iPad 2 has a bigger screen and is nicer to play games on. DHD (or let's just say android in general) has a superior web browser (to safari) and the android interface has many elements I sorely miss on iOS. The iPad 2 is good, but I really do wish I could find a way to hack/dual boot android onto it.

Oh, and the DHD is much cheaper than an iPhone 4.

 

[Terminator02]

did u mix up the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4?

@chris, you're much better off if you have an OG droid (the original), you can just follow this

however the Droid 2 and Droid X are much harder to hack, but still possible (i don't really know much about them)

 

[Originality]

No, I said it was my perspective. I only have those 2 to compare.

 

[SamAsh07]

I recommend Android, but NOT HTC Desire, please don't buy that. Any Android except HTC Desire, buy it.

 

[Junylim]

Galaxy S2 is the best phone ever

 

[Foxi4]

SeXperia Play, aaaall the way.

 

[hova1]

I currently use an iPhone 3GS but i'm eyeballing the Samsung Galaxy S2 very hard right now. And i'm a little tired of the closed iOS platform. Jailbraking can only get you so far...

 

[PolloDiablo]

android all the wayy

 

[Terminator02]

if you live in europe you owe it to yourself to get the Galaxy SII