iPhone 4 vs. Android

I mentioned in another thread that I was purchasing an iPhone 4 this weekend and I was told to not get the iPhone and to get an "Android" instead.

I've never heard of an Android. What makes it better than an iPhone 4?

Thoughts and opinions please.

Better?  Maybe, maybe not.  It would depend on the phone.

Android is an operating system, like Windows.  It's on a lot of phones, tablets, etc.  The Nook Color and the Kindle Fire both operate on Android.
 

I didn't know that.

I found a website comparing features of both, and I think I'm going to go with the iPhone.

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

I've had both and I prefer the iOS. My husband prefers the Android OS. It's all about personal preference. I don't think either is necessarily better than the other.

I have an android (Samsung Galaxy Nexus) and Mike has the it Phone 4. I find the iPhone to be a lot more confusing than the android phones, plus it's easier for me to access all my stuff online because of the google stuff. 

I think it is a matter of personal prefence. I just got a new phone I went from the iPhone 3GS to an HTC Vivid (which is android). I made that decission based on the phones features and capabilities, and what I could afford. I could not afford to upgrade high than the iPhone 3GS so I went a different way. I loved my iPhone and I love my HTC so I think you would be happy either way.

I agree about the personal preference. My husband and I just upgraded. He got the Android Razr and I got the IPhone. So far we are both happy.

I had a chance to compare the Samsung Android and the iPhone 4 at work.  There are features about each that I like. The Samsung is rather large, which has its benefits, but I'm not looking for something that takes up so much space in my purse.

I decided to think about it a bit more and make my decision in a couple of weeks. I'm still leaning towards the iPhone.   It's a pricey purchase so I want to make sure.

I have another question.  Apple told me about a plan that extends the warranty by a year. It's $99.00 on top of the price of the phone.  Is it worth getting the extra service protection or whatever they called it?

I personally wouldn't. The product has a good track record and mine has taken quite a beating without even a scratch. Save the $99 and by the time the phone breaks you'll probably want a new one anyway.

I have the Samsung Galaxy S, Love it!! (Except it doesn't have a flash for LED/light/camera purposes)

I will never touch an apple product. Too much hype, price, and for what you get- just not worth it.

I love android!!

The sync is cool.. You can sync (combine) your calendar, gmail etc... So if you change your calendar either place, it shows up in both.

 
It's also open source.

If you aren't very technology savvy, I would go with the iPhone. It's very user-friendly for those who don't spend a ton of time playing with their gadgets, or for those who didn't grow up using computers every day.

OTOH, my generation prefer Android gadgets, mainly because they're highly customizable (aka open-source) and in general they're significantly cheaper than the iPhone.

I'm not saying you're old -- I don't know how old you are :lol3: -- but my dad is 47 and just got an iPhone. He loves the Siri feature.

I have an HTC One S with the latest Android operating system (Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich) and I much prefer it to the iPhone.

speakhandsforme said:

If you aren't very technology savvy, I would go with the iPhone. It's very user-friendly for those who don't spend a ton of time playing with their gadgets, or for those who didn't grow up using computers every day.

OTOH, my generation prefer Android gadgets, mainly because they're highly customizable (aka open-source) and in general they're significantly cheaper than the iPhone.

I'm not saying you're old -- I don't know how old you are :lol3: -- but my dad is 47 and just got an iPhone. He loves the Siri feature.

I have an HTC One S with the latest Android operating system (Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich) and I much prefer it to the iPhone.

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Funny, I felt like the iPhone had a bigger learning curve. Took me forever to figure out what I was doing. It's easy once you figure it out though.

I suppose I could tolerate the iPhone, but I hate the despotic tyranny of Apple on the subject of apps, etc.
 

I have an Android and l'll be upgrading to another in October.

HTC used to make the iphones for Apple so they jumped on the bandwagon and they became a massive hit!

Natalie_ca said:

I had a chance to compare the Samsung Android and the iPhone 4 at work.  There are features about each that I like. The Samsung is rather large, which has its benefits, but I'm not looking for something that takes up so much space in my purse.

I decided to think about it a bit more and make my decision in a couple of weeks. I'm still leaning towards the iPhone.   It's a pricey purchase so I want to make sure.

I have another question.  Apple told me about a plan that extends the warranty by a year. It's $99.00 on top of the price of the phone.  Is it worth getting the extra service protection or whatever they called it?

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It already comes with a year warranty doesn't it? The $99 warranty would bring it up to two years? If that's the case, I would suggest it if you are hard on your phone. I forget that my phone is in my purse all the time, then just drop my purse where ever, I sit on my phone, I drop it constantly and I've accidentally thrown it a couple of times too. I have the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, I made a decision years ago to stick with Samsung products because they've always been really durable for me. Before I got it, I was thinking about switching to the iPhone but my cellphone guy talked me out of it and I'm glad he did. The value of the extra warranty will depend on how you treat your phone and what the warranty covers. Say you treat it like I treat mine, lol, if that warranty doesn't cover cracked screen, etc then it's probably not going to be worth it. Just another thing to research, lol. 

odiakkoh said:

Funny, I felt like the iPhone had a bigger learning curve. Took me forever to figure out what I was doing. It's easy once you figure it out though.

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I still have no idea what I'm doing when I use Mike's phone. I can never remember how to close apps, how to access all of his apps, and the screen always looks really cluttered to me. With my phone, I can have my games and stuff in folders on the screen, so if someone else has to use my phone to make a call, they won't instantly know that I have a game called Hide The Fart (I don't have it, but Mike does, so when you turn on his phone it's one of the apps on the main page).

Which Samsung phone were you playing with? I have the Nexus, it's a big phone, bigger than the iPhone but slimmer. It fits nicely in the back pocket of my jeans and doesn't take up as much room as I thought it would. It's also slightly curved so it's really comfortable to hold and talk on.

I'm not sure what model of Samsung she had. It might have been a Nexus. She bought it around Christmas or later, so it's relatively new.

So far as apps go, the girl at work with the iPhone, said all of the apps available work for either of the iPhone and Samsung Android phones.
 

I think it's going to come down to a size thing with me.  I like the larger text on the Samsung.  But I like the smaller phone of the iPhone.  So I think it's those 2 things that I really need to think about.

I'm really easy on my phone.  In all of the years I've had a cell phone (Nov 2008) I've never ever dropped mine, and I don't carry it in my hand. When it's not being used, it's off and tucked safely into the phone pocket of my purse.  And when it's charging, it's safely at the back of my desk where it can't be pulled off to the ground.  And I use a soft glass cleaning cloth to wipe the screen.

Natalie_ca said:

I mentioned in another thread that I was purchasing an iPhone 4 this weekend and I was told to not get the iPhone and to get an "Android" instead.

I've never heard of an Android. What makes it better than an iPhone 4?

Thoughts and opinions please.

Click to expand...

Are you looking at the iPhone 4 or 4s?
The reason I ask is because depending on which one you get, that determines how old your phone will be when you upgrade in two years. If you get the iPhone 4, you've got a phone that is already 2 years old. In technology time, that might as well be a decade. When you upgrade, it will be 4 year old technology. Now, you might say that doesn't matter, but hear me out:
The problem with older phones is not that they are slow when you open the box. Look at any iPhone 4 and you will see that they are quite speedy. The problem happens when the software used for the phone and the apps on the phone steadily enhance with time. When an upgrade comes out for your phone, it will demand more resources. And there comes a point where the phone simply can't keep up. Now, this happens for every phone. The difference is, if you buy a phone with better technology now, the better chance you have to make it through those two years without any hiccups. (And to make it clear, when I'm talking about your phone slowing down, I'm talking about the entirety of the phone. I had to remove every single app from my old Droid Charge because otherwise the phone would freeze just trying to make a call...)

Now with that said, I will never say to someone whether iPhone or Android is better. It is mostly a matter of preference. However, there are things that I do and don't like about each Operating System.
iPhones are very easy to use. There's almost no way to get 'lost' in the phone. Androids come in every shape, size and color and you can customize them to your hearts content. Androids have a back button. (I cannot live without a back button.) They are available on T-Mobile.
iPhones don't have voice navigation. You have to deal with iTunes. No flash support. No 4G. Androids tend to crash more. Lots of menus to navigate. Varying qualities of phones.

Natalie_ca said:

I have another question.  Apple told me about a plan that extends the warranty by a year. It's $99.00 on top of the price of the phone.  Is it worth getting the extra service protection or whatever they called it?

Click to expand...

100% yes. I used to work at Radioshack so I've seen my share of broken phones and the phone that comes in the most for a broken screen is the iPhone. And that tiny piece of glass is $100 to replace. It's much better to pay $99 up front to know that no matter what happens to it, it will be covered for two years. Btw, the one year warranty that it comes with does not cover any accidental damage.

speakhandsforme said:

If you aren't very technology savvy, I would go with the iPhone. It's very user-friendly for those who don't spend a ton of time playing with their gadgets, or for those who didn't grow up using computers every day.

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^This.

Natalie_ca said:

 
I think it's going to come down to a size thing with me.  I like the larger text on the Samsung.  But I like the smaller phone of the iPhone.  So I think it's those 2 things that I really need to think about.

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My friend from work has Always been an Apple fan. Until he started working at Radioshack. He finally had the chance to upgrade to the GSIII the other day and he said "looking at this massive screen compared to my iPhone, I feel like I was shortchanged."

I'm really easy on my phone.  In all of the years I've had a cell phone (Nov 2008) I've never ever dropped mine, and I don't carry it in my hand. When it's not being used, it's off and tucked safely into the phone pocket of my purse.  And when it's charging, it's safely at the back of my desk where it can't be pulled off to the ground.  And I use a soft glass cleaning cloth to wipe the screen.

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Don't ride on luck. Believe me, I've had those customers. "Do you want a case ma'am?" 'No thanks, I never drop my phone.' Couple months later, in they come, iPhone cupped in their hands, asking me if there is anything I can do.
Take my friend from above. I commented months back how he should put his iPhone in a better case. "Nah, I'm always careful with it." He got hit in the leg with a soft ball. Back of the phone shattered inside the case. Who could have predicted that?

The iPhone 5 is supposed to be released soon and it will have a lot of new features, including a bigger screen. 

SwampWitch said:

The iPhone 5 is supposed to be released soon and it will have a lot of new features, including a bigger screen. 

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Can´t wait!........

SwampWitch said:

The iPhone 5 is supposed to be released soon and it will have a lot of new features, including a bigger screen. 

Click to expand...

I am going to wait too, so I can see what the new one is like.  

I don't really need a different phone. But I just can't stand the one I have because it is constantly locking (it auto locks after 5 seconds and you can't change that time)and you have to press and hold a button to unlock it. If you hold it too long, it either relocks, or it shuts off. If you don't allow it to auto lock, it randomly dials numbers.