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Iphone vs Droid

NoahDriver

By NoahDriver
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instudiocity Mentor

instudiocity

Posted
Posted
So BUILD TOWERS.

 

Building towers won't solve the problem in SF and NYC and other cities with plaster wall construction or steel-frame construction. There is also the problem of property acquisition and the environmental impact of those towers.

 

Cell phones radios are line of sight. If the tower can 'see' the phone, it works. If the tower can't see the phone it won't! Walk to a window in your home or office and your signal will get stronger. Hmmm, maybe you're inside a steel cage that prevents radio waves from penetrating.

 

I know from experience that in San Francisco, most older apartments have plaster walls - plaster that was pressed into metal lattice. Good for you, bad for the CIA and your cell phone.

 

The same principle is true for steel framed buildings, except the steel frame allows a far larger area of penetration than the plaster lattice work does.

 

AT&T's "Microcell", Verizon's "Network Extender", T-Mobile's "WebConnect", and Sprint's "AIRAVE" are all devices intended to overcome the providers inability to position towers so that can can penetrate metal walls of every home and office.

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instudiocity Mentor

instudiocity

Posted
Posted
Love my iPhone! However Droid has better coverage, flash on its camera, and a flip-down real keyboard...

 

Methinks that little fest coming 6/7 is going to add to Droid's competition.

 

One thing that's not competitive - Buy any iPhone and you've got an automatic path to iPhone OS upgrades - my 2007 iPhone 2.5G runs OS 3.1.3 just like my iPhone 3GS - with the limitations of the hardware.

 

Buy any Droid phone and you're limited to the Android OS that came with the phone - there is no upgrade path - each phone lives in it's cybervironment in perpetuity.

deej Grand Master

+ deej

Posted
Posted
Methinks that little fest coming 6/7 is going to add to Droid's competition.

 

There is only one thing anyone can absolutely guarantee: maybe, maybe not. :rolleyes:

 

One thing that's not competitive - Buy any iPhone and you've got an automatic path to iPhone OS upgrades - my 2007 iPhone 2.5G runs OS 3.1.3 just like my iPhone 3GS - with the limitations of the hardware.

 

But any Droid phone and you're limited to the Android OS that came with the phone - there is no upgrade path - each phone lives in it's cybervironment in perpetuity.

 

There is actually benefit to NOT being part of perpetual updates. The phone becomes a known and stable (hopefully) entity, instead of a device where you don't know how it's going to act on any given day.

 

Whenever I buy a new computer I spend an inordinate amount of time either disabling or taming automatic updates. Their only purpose is to make sure you have absolutely no idea what state your computer is in when you power it on.

 

I'll take my updates on MY schedule rather than when I'm up against a deadline when having the printer disappear or stop working would be REALLY inconvenient.

 

Updates are not necessarily a benefit.

newatthis Experienced

+ newatthis

Posted
Posted

android OS IS upgradable

 

...But any Droid phone and you're limited to the Android OS that came with the phone - there is no upgrade path - each phone lives in it's cybervironment in perpetuity.
From what I've been reading on various tech blogs, that's not (or no longer) true. For example, Android 2.2 is being downloaded (pushed out?) to many phones right now. See, for example, http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/22/android-froyo-nexus-one/
instudiocity Mentor

instudiocity

Posted
Posted

There is actually benefit to NOT being part of perpetual updates. The phone becomes a known and stable (hopefully) entity, instead of a device where you don't know how it's going to act on any given day.

 

Updates are not necessarily a benefit.

 

I'm guessing here, but you don't go with a new Windows version until after Service Pack 1 comes out?

 

I'm totally Apple - maybe even a fanboy. I am an early adopter but then I support a full range of Macs and iPhones for users with varying levels of expertise/experience.

 

I'm always running the newest stuff, but I've got my hourly automatic backups to restore from just in case I run into trouble.

instudiocity Mentor

instudiocity

Posted
Posted
From what I've been reading on various tech blogs, that's not (or no longer) true. For example, Android 2.2 is being downloaded (pushed out?) to many phones right now. See, for example, http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/22/android-froyo-nexus-one/

 

I wasn't aware of a 2.1 to 2.2 push. But what I was trying to explain was this statement I read on the blogs:

 

"Developers have reported that it is difficult to maintain applications working on different versions of Android, because of various compatibility issues between versions 1.5 and 1.6, specifically concerning the different resolution ratios of the various Android phones."

 

and

 

"The rapid growth in the number of Android-based phone models with different hardware capabilities also makes it difficult to develop applications which work on all Android-based phones. As of May 2010, only 32% of Android phones run the 2.1 version, and 37% still run the 1.5 version."

 

So maybe there is an upgrade path and maybe there isn't.

 

There again, I'm an Apple guy. I like working with computers that are built by the guys writing the OS, too. There aren't as many variables and you can't get a 'cheap' computer, but living in the environment is easy.

bobchitown Collaborator

bobchitown

Posted
Posted

I have a first generation G1 Android, which is essentially and earlier version of the Droid. I've always felt that the operating system was very beta (to be kind). After several upgrades it's still gnarly - crashes fairly frequently, goes into odd little tailspins - just not stable. I've also never bonded with the hardware, it just feels cheap. Available apps are very limited (compared to the iPhone) and I feel like I did when I was an early Mac user when all the cool stuff came out for the PC.

 

I got the G1 since I refuse to ever again give AT&T a penny of my money, and have been a happy T-Mobile customer for years. The Android works well overseas - just watch the bills. But, I will gladly toss it off the end of Navy Pier the second it goes out of contract.

 

Meanwhile, I bought an iPod Touch just to have the apps and reliable email service and adore it. It took me hours and the purchase of a marketplace app to get outlook to work on the G1, the iPod was set up in about 5 minutes and works flawlessly. In contrast with my G1, the iPod is a thing of beauty and I smile every time I hold it in my hands.

 

So, what will I get when the G1 ends it's life? I don't know. I'm holding out hopes that the iPhone will be available for other providers by the time I need to decide.

ArVaGuy Veteran

+ ArVaGuy

Posted
Posted
Yeah, a lot of pundits and talking heads snuff and whuff about what a bad idea that deal was, but I suspect Steve Jobs is perfectly happy with the money it put in his bank account.

 

And it's very likely that Verizon agreed to very favorable terms when Jobs negotiated this deal. Like he needs more money though. ;)

 

I will give Jobs credit, he knows how to build market demand for his products.

instudiocity Mentor

instudiocity

Posted
Posted
So, what will I get when the G1 ends it's life? I don't know. I'm holding out hopes that the iPhone will be available for other providers by the time I need to decide.

 

A jail-broken iPhone will work on T-Mobile's GSM network. I've got 3 friends doing that now.

instudiocity Mentor

instudiocity

Posted
Posted
And it's very likely that Verizon agreed to very favorable terms when Jobs negotiated this deal. Like he needs more money though. ;)

 

I will give Jobs credit, he knows how to build market demand for his products.

 

I'm still not seeing a Verizon iPhone until Verizon migrates to LTE/GSM. I don't see Apple investing in a product that will not be forward-compatible with LTE like the GSM phones will be.

deej Grand Master

+ deej

Posted
Posted
I'm guessing here, but you don't go with a new Windows version until after Service Pack 1 comes out?

 

When a new version of Windows releases I've typically been running it for many months in beta form, on various machines (real and virtual).

 

I'll run it in production for my *personal* computer when I've bought a computer built for it.

instudiocity Mentor

instudiocity

Posted
Posted

AdMob: iPhone OS market still twice as big as Android in US

 

A new report by Google's AdMob subsidiary details that the installed base of iPhone OS devices visible on its ad network in April is twice as large as Android in the US, and 3.5 times larger globally.

Sparky12 Rookie

Sparky12

Posted
Posted

Um, when I got my droid it was running Android 2.0. Then the update was sent for 2.01 and I was given the option to accept or decline it. Then the update to 2.1, which is the current general release with 2.2 on the way. Yes, some of the older phones are stuck with 1.5 and 1.6 but they're not doing it that way with the newer phones. Plus I can mod the phone, add features outside the sphere of what's included in the updates, what's called "rooting", without the manufacturer claiming that I'm doing something illegal the way Apple does if you do that on an iPhone. Not that I need to root the phone anyway, it has more than I need as is. I'll take the 2.2 update though, even if only for the flash support.

Guest DickHo

Guest DickHo

Posted
Posted

I was an iPhone user from the very first model. Hated AT&T but loved the phone. This January, when Google debuted the Nexus One, I decided to switch. I love it. The service is with T-Mobile and, in NYC, it is a better service than AT&T. The phone is outstanding and it has almost all apps the iPhone had and it has some apps the iPhone doesn't have. The T-Mobile service is cheaper than AT&T...and the phone come unlocked. I was in Europe in March and I was able to use local SIM cards, with local phone rates, with my Nexus phone. No hassles at all.

 

A friend just switched from the iPhone to Verizon's Incredible, another Android phone, very similar to the Nexus One. He loves it too.

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