iphone 4 vs. android and the world

GENERAL PROS & CONS

flexibility

iphone is not very flexible. just like the mac-computers, stability seems to come with a price in the form of limitations. i miss android widgets and ability to change things around a bit.

stability

the stability is a major plus (occasional glitches do appear, but very short and not too bad), the phone doesnt go apeshit like android

baked

while not perfect, the iPhone is fully baked. i would expect some major improvements in updates (which i probably have to pay for to even hear about), but as such, its really quite ready. android is a work in progress. a very promising work. one that will hopefully turn into something beautiful because competition is really sorely needed in this field, i would like to see android stabilize and bloom... which reminds me of windows. speaking of which ...nevermind. i have some experience with WP 6, but aside from the smoothly running sms messages and messenger, i dont remember much about it.

limitations

....of all sorts. cant use the phone at all without registering with itunes first. being forced to use iTunes for file transfer and other things is just overall annoying, its a great option to give but shouldnt be compulsory. and i cant watch the most common video type, .avi, on iPhone. i need to convert .avi first -and those tools i need to dig up myself. and ringtones, i dont even want to start with that.

micro SIM card

REALLY?? this is the most outrageous disregard of the industry standard ive ever seen, making life more difficult for phone operators and consumers around the world.

warranty
iPhone doesnt have a global warranty. after mailing an iPhone to Finland and waiting for 3 weeks to get a new one in return -with the help of my friends- i think im allowed to say this policy sucks ass. my understanding is that a few other phone producers have/have had international warranties.

quick thinking

iPhone has some definitely smart functions to enhance usability. the ease of resending a message that failed to leave the first time. informing clearly for lack of network. offering a few different languages for the keyboard to toggle between - with androids keybord apps i got really confused as to which parts where in the original OS, which app i could safely remove and all that.

apps running
apps seem to work (so far) - with android i had issues as the apps were (i guess) designed for bigger screens occasionally and i was left with somehow butchered versions on my wildfire... also i had much more crashing happening with android apps.

MORE DETAILED PROS & CONS

ipod and stocks-app

they cannot be removed. htc android also comes with a stocks-app but at least i dont need to see or hear it. on the apple screen it haunts me at least from the "ishit" folder where i put it in. i think there are a few other compulsory apps too.

back up/sync

backing up & syncing seem easy. after getting my new iphone from the service i connected it to the computer, and iTunes suggested to sync it with my old backup, which i didnt know i had made. in a couple minutes my phone was just like before. im sure backing up with Android is possible too, with separate apps and a lot of hassle, i think i even tried it but only managed halfway.

installing/removing

apps are easily installed or removed. very easily. this is naturally an implication of the strict limits that the apps need to stay within, whereas in Android its one beautiful mess. a beautiful mess in which u could move ur apps out of sight or to the memory card and probably program them all over again if u had the time and talent.

shortcuts

iPhone doesnt enable shortcuts for wifi or mobile network on/off settings (or any other settings for that matter) on the home screen. because naturally if i am an iPhone owner i have an unlimited data plan, right? because if i dont, im probably not even worthy of lé phone. some people really need these settings, often...

social media

iphone seems less a little less "connected" than my android. android was very google-everything (of course), offering "share" everywhere and linking contacts to fb-accounts and pulling pictures for them there, etc. all this very pro-actively.in iphone the apps do it, the phone doesnt really.

credit card
i was forced to enter my credit card number to even download free apps. that felt uncomfortable, i might want to keep that info to myself if im satisfied with free apps only. not to mention, everyone has a credit card, right? RIGHT? i mean what kind of a homeless hobo are you if u dont have a credit card? sorry, iphones are only sold to reputable western people! also, everytime i download an app (free one), i need to give my apple account password. and the password is needed for the updates (of those free apps)! wtf...

OS separated apps
having apps clearly separated from the OS makes life easier sometimes. i can remove stuff without wondering what it might affect - Android was a little messier in this aspect. then again, some apps have settings within, some are found listed under the main settings. hmm...

for dummies
i dont need to be a programmer to update my phone or change something (not that could even if i was, due to limitations).

no photo sync
iTunes syncs pretty much everything but not photos. umm, how is this possible? if i want to back up the photos from my iPhone, i should send them to myself via email or... go to My Computer/iPhone/internal storage/DCIM/800AAAA -folder...?? thats not very appleish.

for the 50th time,my email address is...

iPhone is not proactive in guessing my email address. all apps that connect to online accounts require writing email or username and pass. since my email is always the same (and even if it wasnt), why cant the phone/app suggest my email, as android does?

bling! message delivery

iPhone shows the sms's and other notifications in the middle of the screen as they arrive. good. by clicking it i get to where it came from, very smoothly.

.com and other buttons

iPhone is missing the ".com" button always and "@" button usually. when im writing email-address or web address id appreciate both, and a simple period (in other words it should recognize the field properties and change keyboard accordingly. writing an email address with iPhone's keyboard is a long and painful process. points to android.

keyboard/dictionary

iPhone is quite smart in learning the new words i write in an sms, not repeating a suggestion as i return to change the automated correction, and without a big "word saved" note or such which appears on the android screen (right on top of the text) for like 2 seconds, and therefor slows down writing. i didnt really find other remarkable differences in the dictionary or suggestions. but without any additional apps (note!) iPhone gives me finnish keyboard when i change language. i could note that writing with my Nokia E71's qwerty was as fast as it gets with phone but so while we wait for the hovering projected screen...

touching

iPhone's reaction time to touch is a tad bit faster and it seems more accurate when using keyboard. i also noticed this when browsing the web and using the pinch gesture. i had some (ok, a lot) issues regarding that when i was on android.

free apps
lack of free apps (vs android). i understand that paid programmers are happier programmers and quality and blah blah but im a user who is used to getting their free shit and wants to keep it that way. i havent seen significant differences between the free android apps and paid iphone apps either. the free blogging app for android was just as great as the one i paid like 2euros for yesterday.

weather
the bloody weather app on iphone won't show u anything if it doesnt have wifi/data connection. so, if i had a connection earlier and looked at the weather, ok...but once the internet is gone, i dont even see the previous weather info -it disappears. dumb.

ringtones
i cant choose the ringtone for my sms messages! wtf! not to mention getting a ringtone in general is a pain in the ass. Apple has a great business in selling a limited amount of mp3's as ringtones, or u can be without. if they cant make money on it, u cant have it. (the artist could still get share if the purchase was made through any other legal app)

sim card slot
creating a mini sim card wasnt enough, it also has to be hidden in a tough place. luckily the phone comes with a mini stick-needle to open the slot, haha. remember to carry with with. i guess iphone users are not supposed to change sim cards.

sms
the plus is that when an sms comes, it shows fully on the screen. on android it quickly passes by on the top. however, if i dont notice the sms, iphone quiets down and thats it :( i appreciate the blinking light of android, u can see it from afar and it makes it easy to see if there is anything waiting...(of course this function goes for emails and other notifications too). in general the whole sms thing in iphone is quite nice. android is very similar.

wifi/data attention whoring

if wifi and data connection are turned off the phone keeps bugging me about it even if im just sending an sms. im sorry, but there are situations in life where one cant have either. these situations occur outside the stratosphere where apple operates, i guess. on the plus side, iPhone offers to connect to wifis it finds, which i like. yet, it wont automatically connect to open wifis, for android i can get an app to do that.

users
since having a phone makes you a part of a group using that phone, its worth noting that iPhone users are on average way more obnoxious and snobby than the users of other types of phones. in addition, iPhone users live in a collective illusion where facts are distorted through an iFilter - the iPhone is perfect. any faults are not really there, or not really meaningful, or not really valid... point out that the phone isnt willing to play .avi and they will just say that .avi is a shit format anyway! oh, ok then! android users then again vary from average joe's to tech enthusiasts who dont have a hobby other than trying to fix the phone. Nokia users, well, its a sad story at this time and date, i dont really wanna go there. but back in the day, Nokia users were happy and content users. Windows Mobile users are either oblivious, fanboys (similar to iUsers) or just happen to like that type of...hmm, phone.


look & feel
iphone 4 looks -as is typical of apple products - the coolest and most stylish, however it also looks more fragile and i have seen way too many "omg i broke my iphone's glass and it costs me $$ to get it fixed" shrieks on the internets to make me paranoid about dropping it. im sure htc's and nokia's break too but perhaps it isnt so bloody hard or expensive to get them fixed, i dont know. iphone just looks like it would break easier, too. as for ergonomics, i give a slight advantage to my htc wildfire, or the late E71. the rounded forms make grabbing from a pocket or a bag easier, as well as holding it more pleasing. iPhone is also a bit heavier which u could think is plus because it feels more serious than the plastic-phones, but really its just a minus, plain and simple.

LAST WORDS
there are issues in the usability, functions and 'ethics' of the iphone that i disapprove of. these are mainly: compulsory credit card, micro-sim, phone assuming unlimited data plan and wifi, crazy ringtone control.

however it seems indeed quite stable and that is what i was desperately after. some user friendly details and for-dummies ideology 95% of the time offer extra comfort.

the perfect marriage would be Nokias general stability and durability with androids flexibility mixed with iPhone's innovations and user friendliness. iPhone's looks could be the sugaring on the cake. but, thats a fantasy world so ill just have to make do with reality now and get along with my iPhone as i best can.