What is the difference between IPhone and an Android Phone?

[bigfrank69]

All this hype about IPhone coming to Verizon well I dont know what is special with the phone. It was big deal before we had the Android phones and ATT&T come out with IPhone well it was the best out there but the Iphone with VZW wont work the same as AT&T. With ATT&T you can talk on phone and surf the web on their IPhone but not on Verizons network with CDMA so what really is different between IPhone and my Fascinate? Anyone have answer for us?

[mdram4x4]

fasciante

bigger screen

more options to customize

removable sd card

swappable battery

iphone

itunes

ipod music player

better apple integration

its all about personal tasts

the phone that works for one person does not work for another

[Cody21]

without rehashing this all over again, I would direct you to do a Search in this forum for "iPhone". The topic was hashed out in great details about 2 weeks ago here.

[vanessas_vzw]

Both phones have awesome features and fit the needs of different customers. Your Fascinate is an Android phone and has access to the thousands of Apps in the Droid Market place and the iPhone also has access to thousands of Apps in the Apple store. 

To compare your phones, click here and select the phones you wish to compare. This will take you to a full page of comparisons so you will be able to view exactly what each device has to offer.

Each customer is different and may have different needs for there wireless phone, which is the reason we provide many options to ensure you have the right device. Please do not hesitate to compare the different devices via our website.

Please feel free to contact us regarding additional comparison questions. 

Thank you,

Vanessa

[bigfrank69]

 Vannesac_VZW That  doesnt tell much and when I looked two days ago the Iphone wasn't on the phone page so anyways that still does not really help at all

[Wildman]

Basically the differences depends on the user and their preferences, In my opinion that the performance of both OS are comparable, each device has its incompatibles and unique features, I prefer Android because of the level of being customizable verses iphones limited options in this area.. Basically any app that one phone can run the other device can run the same app just as well and this is one reason that so many developers are porting a number of the apps over to the other platform. Basically once it becomes clear that each device has something that makes them stand out and the user decides what works better for them.

[droidsw]

As Cody21 said, this topic has been discussed and will never end. 

That said, the NEW AT&T commcercials touting the ability to make a phone call while browsing "advantage" of their network doesn't impress me.  And, that is not an adroid vs iphone thing, it's a Verizon vs AT&T thing.

I have no need for that, like I have no need to record a video and upload it to YouTube while making a call. I could use more examples, but it's just a desparate attempt by AT&T to grasp at ANYTHING now that they've lost their precious iphone.

[JustinAH91]

I have had both iPhone and Droid X (current phone)

I will point out a few key differences.

1. iPhone is a closed ecosystem. The only thing you can change are some little settings such as wallpaper, backlight settings, etc. They do not allow you to mess with as much as you can with an Android phone. Keep in mind though because of this closed ecosystem, iPhone is VERY easy to use and is very user friendly.

2. iPhone cannot be upgrade for more storage. If you get the 16GB model you are stuck with 16GB unless you buy a new model. Most Android phones have 8GB on board now and a microSD card installed.

3. iOS and Android have different notification systems. iPhone brings new texts and notifications straight to the middle of the screen whether you are in a call, or surfing the web. Android by stock settings puts notifications and previews up on the top status bar. Some prefer iOS notifications, but I personally prefer Androids notifications.

4. Hardware on iOS is simply up to Apple to make. The current iPhone models you see are what can and will run iOS. Android has spread to hundreds of handsets from HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and a few others.

5. Google has integrated Gmail into Android. Your contacts and calendars and a few other things will sync beteen your phone and Gmail. iPhone's equivalent to this is to sync with MobileMe. You can make iPhone sync with other sources and Android can also sync with other sources.

6. iOS does not support widgets currently. I love having weather and facebook and all that fun stuff right on my screen. With iOS you get rows of applications, and no real widgets.

7. Multitasking. iOS makes this user friendly but most don't think of this as real multitasking. Regardless iOS can now keep applications running in the background. Android doesn't really tell you what is running the background but it does let you multitask.

8. Applications. iOS has more applications available to users as of now. Android is catching up though.

9. Stock applications. iOS does not get the Verizon software treatment. You get what Apple has always put on the phone and nothing from Verizon without actually downloading and installing them.

I hope this helps. I prefer Android but I still firmly believe iOS is a good choice for some consumers. I enjoyed my iPhone but I also enjoy my new Droid X and it's features as compared to iPhones's.

Justin

[Wildman]

Nice review Justin, sounds like you covered all angles of the comparison very well..

[JustinAH91]

Thanks!

I just know how it is to get a phone and not be happy with it and end up stuck so I was trying to let the OP know all the key differences.

Justin

[trekker44]

I have both phones (ATT iPhone 4) and the Droid X which will be THE phone of choice for me. I eventually want to drop AT&T completely.   The iPhone does not do flash and probably will never due to Jobs' dislike of Flash.  I could neer get Windows Media Files (wmf) to play either.   This bothers me when reading email and I can't open those files and have to use a PC to view them.  Good luck on your choice.  My wife like her iPhone 'cause it's easy to use.

[ripplecutbuddha]

---

trekker44 wrote:

I have both phones (ATT iPhone 4) and the Droid X which will be THE phone of choice for me. I eventually want to drop AT&T completely.   The iPhone does not do flash and probably will never due to Jobs' dislike of Flash.  I could neer get Windows Media Files (wmf) to play either.   This bothers me when reading email and I can't open those files and have to use a PC to view them.  Good luck on your choice.  My wife like her iPhone 'cause it's easy to use.

---

I'm gonna get in trouble for this, but here goes anyway....

The IPhone was the premier smartphone when it came out, and for good reason. Apple jumped ahead of the curve by quite a lot, and it took Motorola, BlackBerry, and others by surprise.  However, so many years down the road we see that the IPhone just hasn't made any similar jumps since then. 

Because of the exclusive AT&T contract, this gave the competition room to catch up. Let me explain what Apple was doing then. Jobs likes things simple and functional. By utilizing this mindset, reliability is amplified because fewer things can go wrong. The contract with AT&T was an extension of this by only having to gear the phones up for one network. Simple, quick to troubleshoot, and quick to implement....win/win/win for Apple, AT&T, and the customer because everything is streamlined and efficient.

However, Apple's advantage was overestimated, because everyone and everywhere that didn't have the IPhone were given the chance to catch up.  The strategy was to offer everything Apple/AT&T didn't offer. To sum it up in one word, -options-.

Google developed the software to compete with Apple, and they deliberately left it open to 3rd party app development. Why? Because it would help fill their app market faster, in order to catch up to Apple. This meant more work on a more complicated system. How to address that? Open the OS to any manufacturer that wants to use it. How many phone manufacturers DON'T have an android based phone besides Apple and BlackBerry?

The final issue was units sold. Easy fix there...get on every network you can...including AT&T. Now Android based phones are everywhere, in several dozens of styles and capabilities, ranging from free w/ new contract to the standard 200 bucks with a new contract.

So what has that done to apple? Here's where I'm gonna get into a little trouble. It makes the IPhone look like the jitterbug/trackphone of the smartphone segment.

It is ONLY available from Apple. It was ONLY avaliable from AT&T until very very recently. It will ONLY do what Mr.. Jobs wants it to do. It will ONLY run apps approved by Big Brother Jobs, and if you have an app on your IPhone, paid for or not, and that app is removed from the apple store....Bye bye to your app.

Apple wanted to be in control from start to finish, and with good reason...it makes the product more appealing because "It just works" happens to be the truth.  By and large, the IPhone is reliable to a fault compared to Android phones. But....

You really have less to work with on an IPhone.  By switching to a different analogy, look at a basic folding knife...built well, safe to use, holds an edge well, sharpens quickly. This would be the IPhone.

Now look at a Swiss Army Knife (Now called Victorinox). Same quality, same safety....but far more options and capability built right into the product.

Which would you rather have?  Just as has been said before, it depends on what you want/need. Each will do everything you want them to do. You may just want a simple to use smartphone that you don't have to worry about tinkering with. Go with the IPhone. If you want more options and capability, and by connection, if you want to fiddle with your phone to maximize your personalization, then get an Android phone.

Thank you for your attention.

[mortb]

Well put.

[Cody21]

I have a friend (and her husband) that recently bought 2 Droid X's ...  She tells me that she really likes the phone. On an outing with her, I watched as she sort of fumbled her way around the phone, couldn't figure out varios settings for the Music APP, and had WiFi ON even though we were out driving around. I asked her why she had WiFi turned ON all the time, and her reply was that she "needed it for email, right?"  .... uh NO ... I (tried to) explain to her that she didn't need WiFi on to get email or internet web browsing - albeit in her office it would probably be faster ...  not sure if it sank in.

Anyway, I guess my thought that I went away with is just maybe - MAYBE - this is a situation where an iPhone would have been a better choice for someone. The DROID X is very very powerful and allows for so much control that it can defintely get someone into trouble by not understanding specific or BASIC things; and in her case is a bit overwhelming. Leaving WiFi & GPS on all the time probably is sucking (some) life out of her phone.  Maybe there is a need for a "DO's and DONT's and Cautions" for the DROID X.  

[gerio]

Agreed. Here, here.

Geri O