Android Most Desired By Non-iPhone Users Until They Get One

[morestar]

Well! I can safely say that although it's easy to desire the an Android phone (http://searchengineland.com/survey-android-most-desired-os-by-non-iphone-users-69406) if you don't have an iPhone, that's simply because you've never owned one!

I have, I bought two android phone in the past year and I really suffered. Everywhere I go, I shout it from the rooftops that all non-iPhone smart phones that are trying to compete with they iPhone are simply knock-offs.

Last year, sometime in October I believe, I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S - this is my review (http://www.webproworld.com/webmaster-forum/threads/104145-Review-Of-Samsung-Galaxy-S?p=533520&viewfull=1#post533520). I know I was asking a lot, but I believe I was disgruntled at the way it functioned for the most part - knock-off-ish. Thankfully I lost this phone in a bar brawl and was forced to make another purchase.

So I bought the HTC Desire. I thought I would give an Android phone another chance but it was worse! OK it wasn't really worse - it sort of 'felt' like an iPhone, but buggy buggy it was, intrusive and controlling. After a few weeks of owning it my experience was nothing but disturbing.

Then finally, a door was opened for me and I was pushed through. Fido, the great mobile provider (now owned by Rogers) re-vamped the CityFido plan where all local calls are free, so I jumped on it and in the midst of starting a new mobile plan (and cancelling my current Bell Mobility plan!) I decided to purchase the iPhone which was on sale - cheap.

Here I am, over a month later with the iPhone, completely and utterly satisfied.

Wait! There's more!

Well I decided to do a little survey. For months, one of my brothers who is a previous owner of a Blackberry had been trying to convince me to get the iPhone because even he's a completely satisfied x-blackberry user and I have to say, in all truth, so far, everyone I have asked (except for the guy who sold my the HTC Desire) who once owned a Blackberry (BBM) or any other kind of phone and who has finally purchased an iPhone is completely satisfied and would never go back. I feel the same.

Sorry Google, sorry android and sorry those users who believe they want an Android OS phone over an iPhone but yet haven't had one. The knock-off novelty will wear off soon enough. I promise.

P.S. If I have offended anyone! Feel free to vent your opinion but remember I'm not reviewing you as a person, just your phone and your reasons for buying it.

;)

[rah]

While I have no problem with any iOS device, what exactly was wrong with the Android phones you had? I'm a x-BlackBerry user who switched to Android a while back and I've had nothing but a pleasant experience with it. I've had my Verizon Droid Incredible (HTC) for a about a year and a half now and not one single issue. ( Well I've had some issues but that was because I was playing around with custom roms and tinkering with things before I knew fully what I was doing. ;) )

I will give you that the Galaxy series was crippled. That's not Android's fault, it's Samsung's with their custom software and lack of updates.

[morestar]

It's true, my complaints should actually be directed towards Samsung and HTC and their custom software as the Droid is an operating system - yes - but most people or a lot of people (including myself at one time) associated the phones like so:

HTC Desire/Android = a phone
Samsung/Android = phone
iPhone is a phone...

So when Samsung messed with my user experience I was dismayed, the same with the HTC Desire and so in essence it puts a bad taste in my mouth regarding "Android" phones in general.

With the HTC desire, I was at first absolutely exited and bragging about it to everyone, bragging that it was even better than the iPhone (of which I hadn't owed yet) and shortly thereafter things just started not being nice. As my phone was sitting still it would open apps on its own, open chats and even shut down on its own.

And of course that could have very well been only a problem with my phone but in the end, my user experience was shot.

I hope by writing this I don't jinx myself with my iPhone but I tell you I'm so happy with it right now...

I don't believe they sell the Droid Incredible up here Rah...maybe they should! the biggest thing up here with Android installed in it is the HTC Desire right now...

[rah]

It's true, my complaints should actually be directed towards Samsung and HTC and their custom software as the Droid is an operating system

I actually like the custom HTC theme called "sense" they use for their phones. Even after testing all kinds of custom roms I still settled on a modified version of sense. I'm glad you like your iPhone though, but I wouldn't completely write off Android just yet.

When you are up for getting a new phone look at one that does stock Android next time around so you can truly experience what it has to offer.

One advantage iOS does have over Android is how user friendly it is. No other phone software I've seen to date can claim that. My only complaint with iOS (or Apple in general) is how restrictive it is about what you can and can't do. A lot of this can be worked around through Jailbreaking but it just seems like a lot of trouble.


So when Samsung messed with my user experience I was dismayed, the same with the HTC Desire and so in essence it puts a bad taste in my mouth regarding "Android" phones in general.

With the HTC desire, I was at first absolutely exited and bragging about it to everyone, bragging that it was even better than the iPhone (of which I hadn't owed yet) and shortly thereafter things just started not being nice. As my phone was sitting still it would open apps on its own, open chats and even shut down on its own.

And of course that could have very well been only a problem with my phone but in the end, my user experience was shot.

I hope by writing this I don't jinx myself with my iPhone but I tell you I'm so happy with it right now...

I'm inclined to say you just got a bad phone from HTC, and on top of that you got screwed over by Samsung's software on the other. A very bad streak of luck if you ask me.


I don't believe they sell the Droid Incredible up here Rah...maybe they should! the biggest thing up here with Android installed in it is the HTC Desire right now...

Yeah, Canada didn't get the Droid Incredible as it was built just for Verizon by HTC.

[morestar]

One advantage iOS does have over Android is how user friendly it is. No other phone software I've seen to date can claim that.

Ya and that's pretty much what it boils down to. My programmer head said to get an Android - open source - sweet - so I did but in the end it was my user-experience that mattered most.

I will say though that I believe the Android is going to pretty much rule right up there with Blackberrys and the iPhone, in due time simply for the fact that it truly is a good OS but the phone makers need to get their acts together so as to ensure everyone's getting the most from the Android and the least amount of problems.

Oh and the jailbreaking, yes that does seem like a lot of trouble and maybe not safe for the phone, not sure. I don't want to try jailbreaking either but as it stands everything seems nice enough for the regular user which in essence is the majority.

There are some pretty good stats stating that the Android is catching up! We shall see!

[LD]

I'm a recent ex blackberry user and was encouraged to upgrade (meaning, tie me in for two more years). I was steered away from the torch and decided to go either windows or android. I went to the Desire Z, because of the resolution, ton of free apps, but mostly because of the swing-out keyboard. I'm not a fan of the touch keyboard , just yet as I think my thumbs still think it's a blackberry. :) I was warned it may not synch with Outlook very well, but its pretty good so far. I was also told it will take some getting used to but hey, a challenge. Well after the first afternoon I was thinking I may have made a mistake, but 4 days later I'm beginning to like it, the apps, the interactivity and actually glad I made the change. I'm not sure about the battery usage - could be the wi-fi searching or TSR apps (if you can call it that) draining it. I've got it set for being battery-wise in terms of the usage, but still, a day of texting, calling, emailing etc put the battery in a low state. Could be the newness, perhaps it didn't get a good proper charge in the beginning? I'll be watching it as I go.

[morestar]

Same here. When I lost the first phone I mentioned, my plan was to just stick with the 'trusted' but an iPhone wasn't a part of the plan. The Desire, combined with an early renewal enabled was a good deal especially since I wanted a pull-out keyboard as well. I was about to get a blackberry just because of the keyboard the Android brand sucked me in one more time.

I then found though that the bugginess (which may have only been a bug in my phone) combined with having to flip this way and upside down whenever I wanted to use the phone eventually got irritating. I bagan to doubt my purchase and wish I had purchased a blackberry - at least the coveted (at the time coveted) thimble keyboard was in the same place as the screen and all the other functions. The novelty wore off fast and I couldn't help the words that kept popping in my head - knock-off. Everything began to feel knock-off-ish. The commercials were great and really sell the product but it's just not as good - to me.

The one beautiful automatic function (I say automatic because I'm trying to convey my experiences from what I'd consider an average user between ages of 27 and 41 who's involved in the social sphere but doesn't know or care that Google and Facebook are in the boxing ring and isn't a user who might tinker with jail-breaking or the sort) the HTC Desire gave me was in the calling function. When you open the dial pad all your facebook friends who have a phone number listed in their facebook account are displayed. Suddenly your entire contact list grows after one synch. I didn't find that happened with the iPhone but I'm much content with how easy it was to migrate my contacts from the Desire over to the iPhone, lickety-split!

[LD]

I also purchased the extra warranty plan. Normally I don't purchase these extras for any electronics, but in this case apparently just replacing the battery is $80-$90 and was told someone replaced theirs after only 4 months. That, to me, seems like it's way too soon for a battery to go south, but these things really do a heck of a lot of "stuff" requiring a fair amount of juice, I assume. So the warranty made sense in this case. We'll see how it goes. I'll tell you, I really like the apps - scanner, bar code reader, Places - just to only name a few I've checked out. But the kicker was the plan with average minutes, but much earlier any-time evening start and with the Fab 10 and 1gb download, it made it attractive to me.

[jannmirch]

I have had my Motorola Droid for over a year already and love it. One of the main reasons I picked it was because of Google; I was quitting MS Outlook because syncing between my desktop, laptop and phone (at the time a Motorola Q) was such a huge pain in the rear. I liked that I didn't need to sync anything because all my emails and contacts were right in my G a/c. (Yes I know about mobileMe)

The other reason I liked it was because it was on the Verizon network, which at the time didn't have the iPhone. Verizon provides much more reliable service in my area.

I've been very happy with it; love the slide out keyboard. There have been some buggy apps but the OS in general seems to be pretty solid.