Android (HTC Incredible) vs. iPhone (3G) my thoughts
I posted an entry a few weeks ago regarding my switching from AT&T to Verizon and more specifically leaving my iPhone to get an Android phone (HTC Incredible). My phone arrived in time for a trip up to Ithaca, NY where we are moving this summer. I really wanted to see how the differing networks behaved in the area as I don’t want a phone I can’t use where I live…what good is that.
Let me start by saying that I got my first iPhone a week after they hit the street. I LOVED it. It was the best phone I had ever used. Years ahead of anything that was on the market at that time. The network sucked, but I could live with it because everything about the phone was perfect. I upgraded to the 3G when available skipped the S and was waiting for the iPhone 4. However lately the AT&T network has really started to be an issue. I noticed this the most as I purchased a Verizon Wireless MiFi last fall and love it. I often have it on and am using the WiFi tether on my iPhone because the AT&T network sucks so bad. And having the proverbial apples to apples comparisons of the AT&T network to the VZW network has really opened my eyes to how bad the AT&T network truly is.
Let me start with the negative. The things that the Android is lacking that the iPhone just does better:
- not integrated well – Apple did a phenomenal job with the iPhone interface. No instruction manual is really necessary for someone with a bit of a technical aptitude. It doesn’t take a geek to add apps, browse, search, email, setup, etc. The HTC sense UI downloaded a bunch of contacts from Facebook (like high school friends) that I don’t want or need in my contact list.
- not very slick – it just seems a bit clunky. It’s not really the resolution, but it just looks kind of glued together. Icons too small, text is a bit too tiny. Having to scroll through the “all programs” I’d tedious.
- Keyboard – the touchscreen based QWERTY keyboard isn’t near as fast as the iPhone. The keys are slightly smaller and I fat figure much more frequently. I’m getting better, but it’s still not as polished as the iPhone keyboard.
- BATTERY!!! – OMG the battery SUCKS!!! My first day of heavy usage netted me 4 hours and 19 minutes. Next day about 5 and a half. Best to date has been less than 24 and that was with light to moderate usage and turned off while on a plane. I already have battery/charge anxiety … This may be the show stopper for the incredible for me.
- Mobile me and address book synchronization – I’m missing my contact list big time. Looking for some alternative synchronization capability (like plaxo), but the iPhone with MobileMe is such a killer.
- No iTunes – this is a blessing and a curse. iTunes and synching your iPhone to your computer is a hassle, but a blessing in disguise. Making it mandatory is the hassle part, the fact that a new device can’t be used until the initial sync is a pain. I have an iPod so i never really used my iPhone as a music or video device, so i could live without the music synchronization, but apps, backups, photos taken on the phone, etc are great to synch with iTunes. And without MobileMe the synching of contacts and calendar entries is vital.
Here are the good and sometimes great things that Android and Verizon do that the iPhone does not (and some of these are fixed in the upcoming OS upgrade):
- coverage and data speed – noticeable on my very first use. Even more noticeable as I drive around in areas where I previously had NO data and often not enough of a signal for a voice call. The VZW network is just better. Hands down. And if the device is only as good as the network it is on… I really don’t think i can stress this point enough.
- Multi-tasking – though this will be moot for 3GS and iPhone 4 users this week, this is a substantial delta. Being able to listen to your streaming media (Pandora, NPR, Stitcher) while continuing to use other applications and browsing is such a huge thing. Likewise, keeping Skype or IM running while doing other tasks is vital. I’m surprised that Apple has not already come up with multi-tasking prior to iOS4.
- voice transcription – is a beautiful thing. It even makes up for the crappy screen based keyboard as I can send SMS and chats with Skype without relying on the keyboard. I think this will be more and more noticeable as i use it while driving. I try not to drive and text often, but sometimes I slip up and the voice transcription will be a valuable safety tool.
- google voice – I am an avid Google Voice user. I use it for business as the dialing from the computer and keeping track of incoming and outgoing calls is great. Hiding or masking my called from number is also a great feature. Avoiding SMS charges is a bonus, but since i went with an unlimited plan not all that necessary (but having a record and continuity between a chat / SMS session on your phone and on your computer is a huge benefit). Granted you can use google voice from an iPhone thanks to the Ajax web app, but it isn’t like dialing natively like it is on Android .
- integrated Skype – i didn’t think this would be such a bit advantage, but it is. The free Skype to Skype calling actually uses a voice call to a Skype server and then Skypes your contacts. We use Skype for work so this is a great addition. Having the Skype application running in the background (multi-tasking) is great because i get notified of an incoming chat even if using another application. I did discover two problems with the integrated Skype. One is that you have to disable WiFi to run Skype, which since the VZW network is so much better AT&T it might not be a big issue (until they do away with the unlimited data plans). The other is that using both the free Skype to Skype and Google Voice is not possible if you have selected to force all calls out of google voice. The dialer dials some Google Voice number and then calls the Skype number which never completes the outgoing call.
- Friends and Family (combined with Google Voice) – all outgoing calls are free!!!
- No iTunes – as i mentioned this is a benefit and a curse as the iTunes synchronization had some great features. There is a disk that came with my Incredible, but it only runs on Windoze (and I use OSX or Ubuntu as my preferred desktop OS and only boot Windows XP when I have to (which is getting less and less frequent)).
I’ll post more and/or add comments as I discover more things or when I have something to update (like Froyo).
I solved the address book sync issue. All I had to do was enable Address Book to sync with Google on the Mac. I have also got my local calendars synching. Working on corporate CalDav server (Leopard) now.
Ok, so I am just now stumbling upon your review. Its of interest to me as I switched to an incredible precisely because I was so exhausted by the ATT network and the countless dropped calls in the same spots every friggin day on my drive to and from work. Got the incredible and was in heaven for the first 6 weeks – not one dropped call – simply awesome. My wife has an Iphone and I agree with your assessment of the two – the iphone is just a much slicker working package – its complete – the droid interface – work in progress – but hey, I was willing to live with the limitations because of the network. And yes, you are spot on – the iphone is so intuitive – never once did I need an instruction manual where as the incredible….was incredibly clunky to use,,and the keyboard sucks.
Oddly though – I am now singing the praises of the ATT network…why? because unless you drive exclusively on I-35, the verizon networks sucks. If you go 60 miles past weatherford on I-20, good luck getting a call on Verizon. And god forbid you go off an interstate -then you get ZERO coverage with Verizon for phone calls – and you can forget about data. AT&T on the other hand works pretty much anywhere in Texas you go. Case in point – I took a group of 10 people pheasant hunting in the middle of no where Texas (1 hour past Brownwood…nothing but mesquite trees, bobcats and coyotes – see Santa Anna, TX). Everyone with ATT phones could make/receive calls, surf the net, etc. The poor schmucks with Verizon could only day dream of what #4 shot would do to an incredible.
When the iphone 5 comes out, I may have to swallow my dislike of ATT and switch back……
Hey … my blog is not very active, but thanks for the note.
The VZW LTE phones will be out before the iPhone 5.
In VA the AT&T network did not have coverage in many of the small towns and rural counties where I spend most of my time on client projects. Up in NY and the Northeast, the AT&T network is suboptimal. I work a lot in NH and drive through NY, MA, and VT and the VZW network is rock solid (with the exception of the approach to Hogback Mountain from the east….ironically, I’ve held a call driving from the west over Hogback all the way to Brattleboro, but drop EVERY time going west (go figure).
We’re relocating to Knoxville soon and I will have to see how the VZW network performs.
sid.