Let me start with a disclaimer: I have never owned an iPhone. So, when I talk about comparing iPhone to Android, what I really mean is iPod Touch. So I can’t give opinions about call quality or even the feel of an iPhon handset. All I want to talk about here is the two operating systems. I have spent a long time with the Touch and use it extensively for work and play. I have access to wi-fi at home and in the office, so I’m able to send lots of email, browse the web, get Twitter and Facebook updates, and even work on this blog from the iPod.
For a long time, I wanted that same level of functionality on the road. That meant getting into one of the established smartphone devices. I had a Blackberry Pearl 8130 which was bad for so many reasons. No proper keyboard, no html browser, no wi-fi, etc. I knew the iPhone OS inside and out and had a great relationship with iTunes and the iTunes shop. App development for the iPhone OS is outstanding, and many of the selections are well worth the price. As I have previously described, BeatMaker is pretty much pro-audio and you can hear for yourself what Fretbuzzdotnet has been up to with SoundGrid.
So, why not just get an iPhone? After all, everybody’s doing it. I guess it was that very fact that made me suspicious. I have also been lectured by smart friends and family members that the way Apple does business doesn’t make sense. If Apple would license the iPhone OS to other hardware makers, the sky would be the limit, just like with the apps. Instead, Apple locks everything up in its own hardware and its own software to keep firm control. I hate to say this, but it is a bit fascistic.
Along comes Android, open source, digital democracy. The first phone came out a year ago there hasn’t been much excitement during that time. While Apple has marched on with millions of downloads and lots of updates for the OS, Android is, only now, starting to look like a contender in this market sector. This Fall a number of Android devices are coming out on several different manufacturers’ handsets and carriers’ networks. Meanwhile, Apple stays locked in with AT&T and one lonely device.
When the Blackberry contract came up for renewal, I knew I wasn’t getting another. I was very comfortable with the iPhone, but curious about Android. Many months ago, I heard of HTC’s Hero, which was going to have a specially customized version of Android called Sense, and it just looked beautiful. The idea of an open-source OS is great for developers, but I needed something that I could work with easily out of the box, and Sense on the Hero seemed to fit the bill. Now, all I had to do was wait for an American carrier to pick it up.
One week ago, my wait ended. I am the proud owner of an HTC Hero on Sprint.
It’s only been a week, but I’m a pretty happy boy. Sense is everything it was cracked up to be. Stunning to look at and highly customizable. The camera leaves a bit to be desired, but works well enough for a cell phone and it’s so much better than what I had on the Pearl. The wi-fi is not nearly as speedy as on the iPod Touch, but that’s not an Android issue. HTC has sort of overpacked the Hero with stuff that stresses out its ho-hum Qualcomm processor. The slower processor makes sense because the battery life is already shortened by the big, bright screen.
I’m not giving up my iPod Touch. Android Market is on its way, but free-for-all means that there’s a lot of nonsense to sift through in order to get your paws on the killer-app. Apple’s rigid control over developer submissions means that there’s a slightly higher degree of quality and fit-n-finish to what I’m seeing at the iTunes App Store. Also, I buy most of my apps from a computer and not a phone. I miss being able to browse on a computer when looking at what’s in the Android Market. Finally, I don’t know if this is true for other Android phones, but the Hero does not permit apps to be saved to the memory card.
For the moment, the apps are better on the Apple, but I am so excited to be part of the Android revolution. It was easy to set up all three email accounts and I have instant and any-time access to Twitter, Feacebook, Flickr and any number of other services in the cloud. The Google integration is stunning. I update contacts in Gmail from a computer and they automatically show up on the phone. Same with calendar entries. The syncing is seemless. Android’s browser needs some work, but I’m still mucking about with version 1.5. 1.6 is already available on some phones and 2.0 was recently announced. Hopefully these newer versions will bring a better browser. Safari for iPhone is still the best I’ve messed with.
Android’s customize-ability is it’s true genius. The more a device can be made my own, the more likely I am to have a strong feeling about it. With Apple, you can only change the lock screed – with the Hero, you can change everything. As I spend more time with this thing, I’m sure to find more faults and more to be excited about, but for now, it’s a lovely OS and it’s fun to use.
UPDATE: Verizon takes the gloves off as it gets ready to roll out its Android powered iPhone killers – OUCH!!
