“The iPhone is Just Easier & More Fun to Use” - Quote from my wife
Let me start by saying that I highly recommend both Android and Apple iPhones to all of our clients, friends and family. I think they are the best Smartphones available for business and personal use in the marketplace today. The other vendors have great Smartphones. However, Android and iPhones are just better to use at this time. Sorry Blackberry, Nokia and WIndows users :(
In the past, I was an enthusiastic user (and fan) of the Blackberry and the Palm Smartphones. For the last two years, I used an iPhone 3g. Unfortunately, it was stolen out of my jacket pocket in San Francisco a few months ago. I was devastated. So my wife, feeling sorry for me, let me borrow her Android Smartphone for a few months (one of the many reasons why I love my wife). Since I always really liked the Android Smartphone, I took this opportunity to evaluate all the latest Android Smartphones to see if I wanted to buy one of them or to just buy the new iPhone 4 (FYI... our contract was up, so I was free to buy any mobile phone). I spent hours in the various phone stores and Best Buy asking questions and testing the new Androids. I read all the reviews, watched the video reports and asked everyone with an Android what they liked and didn’t like about their Smartphone.
However, after using an Android Smartphone for 8 weeks and after all the research, I dumped my Android Smartphone for the iPhone 4. At this time, I greatly prefer the iPhone 4 to any of the Android Smartphones. Everyone kept asking me why I switched... so here are my Top 10 Reasons:
- Silent Mode Button - Every Smartphone should have this button. I use it every day during Movies, Meetings, Phone Calls and Meals. One click and the phone is OFF. One click and it’s back ON. Most other Smartphones require you to enter passwords and click several times through menus to turn off the Smartphone sound.
- One App for all Music, TV, Audio Books, Movies & Podcasts - This is a very BIG reason why I love the iPhone (and yes... I’m using the word “Love”). I use ONE App to download, buy, back-up and play all Music, Movies, TV Shows, Videos, Audio Books & Podcasts. It is fast and easy to use each day. If you have a simple question, just walk into any Apple Store and someone is usually available to help you.If you use an Android Smartphone, you need to find, evaluate and download 2-10 different Apps to buy, play and download multimedia. When I go into the other retails stores to ask which Android App should I use to: Buy, Back-up, and Play Music, Movies, TV Shows, Videos, Audio Books & Podcasts, the Store Reps all have different answers and typically recommended 2-4 Android Apps. Bottom-line: With the iPhone, there is only ONE iPhone App to learn and use... and only ONE company to ask questions.
- One Simple User Interface - All 100 million+ iPhone iTouch and iPad) Users have had the same simple user interface for the last 3 years. Almost every Apple employee and iPhone user can help answer questions on how to use the iPhone... because they all work the same. You can also ask almost anyone at work or friends that have an iPhone for tips and help. The Apple iPhone is simple to learn, use and upgrade. Almost every new Android Smartphone User Interface has a different (or sometimes significantly different) interface to learn. The vendors add their own look and feel to the basic Android operating system on each phone. When you upgrade to a different brand Android Smartphone, there is a high probability that you will have to start all over learning a new use interface. Most people HATE having to learn a new mobile phone.
- Apple Retail Stores - I can’t get over how wonderful it is to go into an Apple Store and ask anyone for help. It is even a better experience when you make an appointment with a Genius Support Rep to help answer (for free) any questions about the iPhone. There is even an easy-to-use special Apple Store App (that you can download for free from the iTunes Store) to schedule Apple Store Training and Tech Support Appointments. The FREE weekly Training is pretty terrific as well. I went with my wife to the Apple Store iPhone Trainings after she recently got her 1st iPhone. She loved the training. I believe it is always better to have someone else teach your Spouse how to use new technology... if possible. Don’t you agree? :) I have a dramatically different experience when I go into many Verizon, Best Buys and Sprint Retail Stores for help & demos on the new Motorola Droid X, HTC Incredible, the original Motorola Droid, Samsung Android or various Blackberry Smartphones. They can usually tell me all about their rates and plans. However, the Reps are not much help answering standard “App questions” on how to use a Smartphone. To be fair, there are so many models, options and versions of the Android, it is hard to know them all. This goes back to the fact that too many versions of the Android operating system makes it very hard to provide an excellent customer experience buying and learning how to use a new Smartphone. Even if the Sales Reps own one Android phone, that doesn’t mean that they know how to use an App on another Android smartphone because the interface will be different.
- App Store & Security - The Apple iTunes Store is very easy to use. In addition, Apple Engineers Review and Approve Apps before I even see them in the iTunes Store. Why do I prefer this as a user? Read the recent two examples below. Android recently had 1+ million people download and install a free nice looking wallpaper Android App. The App looked perfectly normal in the Google Marketplace Store. Unfortunately, the Android App sent user passwords and personal information to a website in China without their knowledge. Google started looking into the “high security risk” App after a million+ Android users’ data was stolen. Most experts predict that this problem will get worse... not better in the future.Here is another Android App issue: Since no one checks Google Marketplace Android Apps before you download them, many poorly designed Apps keep running in the background after your think you stopped using them. The problem is very common on many Android Smartphones and can cause the Apps to quickly drain the battery. To fix this, you need to find and download a special Android App to kill other Apps. This is just great for non-technical people that just want to use their Smartphone phone.
- Camera & Video - I don’t know what Apple did... but the new iPhone 4 camera has a fast shutter speed and takes great photos during the daylight. Night shots are good but not great. The Camera App has one switch that changes from a Digital Camera to a Video Recorder within the App. Most of the the Android Smartphone Camera and Video Apps work slightly different on each Smartphone and the camera shutter speeds are much slower. On the Android Smartphone you need two Apps to do the same thing as the iPhone one Camera App. You have one App for the Camera and another App for the Video.
- Design & Screen - The iPhone 4 is beautifully designed. It is the right size and feel for most users. As a result of the iPhone 4 being 25% thinner than the older iphones, I replaced my iPod with the iPhone 4 when I work out. The extremely high resolution and quality of the screen really makes a difference with everything you do on the Smartphone. I love reading and watching HD Videos a lot more since I upgraded to the iPhone 4. The new hot Android Smartphone operating systems are rough around the edges, the hardware has a plastic feel and many of them are huge when you hold them. If you have small hands, you need to use both of them to hold some of the new phones. I don’t like the “Geeky Look” when I am on the phone. When you hold one of the new huge Android phones to your head to talk, it looks like you are holding a brick. If you put it in a case and try to wear it on your belt or clipped to a purse it looks ridiculous. Women will have a hard time fitting a Droid X or Sprint HTC EVO into a small purse going out at night.
- Bloatware, Crapware & More - Apple doesn’t install lots of extra Apps (Bloatware and Crapware) on your iPhone. There are a few Apps Installed when you first get the Smartphone. When you buy an Android Smartphone from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon, they install lots of extra Apps from paid Advertisers and their own Apps. The first thing you have to do when you leave a store after buying your new phone is to go through the phone and figure out which Apps to delete and which Apps you need. I hate when HP and Dell install Crapware and Bloatware to a new Windows PC. Unfortunately, Android Smartphones are now sold using the same bad practices.
- Facetime - This App is just a wonderful “Game Changer” in Smartphones. Apple made this video phone App so simple to use compared to any other smartphone or laptop solutions. Touch One button and you are seeing and talking to a loved one. If you travel for business, have a child at college, a loved one in another city, or just stuck late at work, I cannot describe how wonderful it is to see someone you care about on your phone. A few other Android Smartphones have video Apps. However, they are much more difficult to set up and use... so the App doesn’t get used.
- It’s just Easier to Use - This is a quote from my wife after using her new iPhone 4 for four weeks (Note: She replaced the android smartphone that she was using for the last year) The bottom line is... “It’s just easier... and more fun to use.”
Recommendations
I think the Android Smartphones are ideal for Tech and Gadget minded users. It appears the newer Android phones will continue to have a few more new features and gadgets when compared to the iPhone. You can customize an Android Smartphone every hour just for fun and you get to learn a new user interface each time you upgrade.
If you have a contract with and like Verizon, T-Mobile or Sprint, I would buy an Android Smartphone over any of the other Smartphones today. I personally like the HTC from Verizon at this time.
No surprise here... If you are with the AT&T network, I would buy an iPhone over an Android Smartphone. Apple has clearly set the new standard for customer service and retail service. And... quoting my wife - “The iPhone is just Easier and More Fun to use”
Photo source: stockimages @ freedigitalphotos.net
Any Feedback or Comments are appreciated from all you Smartphone Users.