I've been reading for weeks now the breathless news reports about how Android phone sales are outpacing the iPhone, but I haven't had a chance to see up-close what all the Android fuss is about. Now I have. For the past few days, I've been test-driving the HTC Incredible, one of the newer models in a growing stable of Androids. Bottom line: I'm impressed. (But then again, I own a Blackberry Curve 8330, so hey...). Still, the Incredible is a seriously nice device. Light (4.59 ounces), fits in the pocket nicely, and the resolution of its 3.7-inch HD touchscreen makes my poor little hard-working dinosaur of a Blackberry look like yesterday's news -- in grainy sepia tones. As someone who types for a living, I tend to want physical keyboards, but the Incredible's HTC Sense touchscreen is perhaps the first phone that makes that a non-issue for me. The Web browser also has one of the most helpful predictive typing features I've seen.
The battery life left much to be desired, though. Running simultaneous apps is great, but the downside apparently comes when your battery can barely make it through a day. (My Blackberry can go two days easily uncharged). Still, that doesn't seem to be hurting sales. Verizon's Web site says customers trying to buy it now online can't expect shipment until July 16. And that's all before the next big Android, the Droid X, is expected to be unveiled during a press event on June 23 -- the day before the iPhone 4 hits stores. The X appears to be drawing even better first-look reviews than the Incredible -- at least from the supergeeks at Engadget.
Apple, the king of digital media, is finally getting a run for its iPhone money -- and is responding like a champ. The iPhone 4, coming out June 24, boasts so many nice tweaks (videoconferencing capability doesn't hurt) that people are almost literally beating down the Apple Store doors to get in line for them. So many pre-orders have gone in that Charlotteans who have reservations to buy one aren't sure they'll be honored come D-Day. Some say they're prepared to camp out in front of SouthPark Mall if necessary to get in the Apple Store early.
The Apple vs. Android war is officially on. And you need only take a look at this wireless industry chart to see that we're talking about the kind of upward-spiraling revenue stream any corporation would fight to the death to dominate. So, we'll see what happens.
Who do you think will end up on top?
ANDROID BABY!!! I'm expecting shipment of my Incredible next Tuesday that I've had ordered for a month. But I've been at the Verizon store playing with their demo many times and it ROCKS!
ReplyDeleteJust got my Incredible yesterday. A little getting used to, the iphone is definitly smoother and has the "you already know how to use it" feel. But I'm starting to figure this thing out.
ReplyDeleteGo Android b/c Apple needs to get their head out of their A$$
Android will definitely take over the iPhone - its just a matter of time.
ReplyDeleteWith the number of Android offerings by Verizon and the other cell providers and that apps are very widely available and growing every day (its nice not to have one entity taking control over that - sorta like the VHS vs Beta videotape battle some time back)its a given that Droids will rule. Besides, you only get a new version of the iPhone every couple of years while there are multiple Droid offerings being pumped out to meet everyone's needs several times a year.
Droid does and it will overtake the iPhone. It rocks and as far as battery life, just download the Advanced task killer and manager your apps. My wife and I have had ours for about month and we love it.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, Android is an operating system, not a phone! You can't compare the iPhone sales to the total Android sales! If Apple made their iOS4 software available to other handset makers, then you could make a comparison. There is not one single Android phone that can or will touch the total sales anticipated for the iPhone 4 (estimated to sell over 2 million opening weekend).
ReplyDeleteWhat many people fail to mention is that manufact. like HTC and Motorola have to dress-up or "skin" the android OS to make it attractive and usable on their handsets. By doing this, it makes updates difficult (even impossible) and can cause less than optimal performance and issues with such things as the touch screen (see HTC EVO). Not to mention there is a different android phone released every other month, which makes those who've committed to a particular devise mad or envious that they didn't wait longer and unable to upgrade to a new device without paying list costs (which are absurdly high).
Bottom line, Google has ripped Apple off in almost every aspect of it's business and are continuing to do the same with Android. However, I think competition is good. Had it not been for Apple's intro of the iPhone and App store, there wouldn't even be an Android or Android Market now.
I'll stick with the iPhone 4. It's a slick and fast UI, has a perfect HD touchscreen, camera and HD video recorder/editor, fast processor, beautiful and quality design, native video chat built in (no other phone has that now without a third party app), and it's super fast. Oh and with Apple's new multitasking solution, you won't have to worry about battery issues like the ones with Droid and EVO........"but I have a task manager to help with that"...HA, if you have to use a task manager to maintain your phone's battery life, you've already failed.
Get an iPhone 4! No brainer!
Anyone that would buy an iPhone at this point needs to have their head checked.
ReplyDeleteDion said "Bottom line, Google has ripped Apple off in almost every aspect of it's business and are continuing to do the same with Android"
ReplyDeleteThis statement does not even make any sense. If you are insinuating Google ripped off its entire business strategy from Apple, Apple is not in the search or advertising business. Even if Apple does leverage the iPad/iPhone/iPod market to enter advertising, it will do so AFTER Google.
If you are insinuating Google has ripped off almost every aspect of Apple's business, then the only market segment you have a remote case for is the Android OS. Google has not made or marketed a media player, tablet PC, laptop, desktop, etc. Moreover, Android OS is freely licensed to other manufacturers - unlike Apple's phone OS.
iphones are so yesterday's news and will continue their decline in popularity unless apple lifts the iron curtain that prevents developers from doing great things with the device. The weakness of the iphone, super-proprietary hardware and OS, and Steve Job's dictatorial control of development, is what will ensure its loss in the war. Wake up fanboys, Apple used to be great but not anymore. C'Ya Apple.
ReplyDeleteOh, don't forget about AT&T's crappy network that makes it practically useless on the road in the US. The only "advantage" is using it in Euro-markets, where AT&T can screw you in international fees because it is locked and they won't let you put a new SIM card in it. In contrast, you can use your Droid on Verizon's network which has almost complete US coverage and in European markets you can make wi-fi voip calls for free back to the US using SIP Droid. Droid wins hands down.
ReplyDelete"Anyone that would buy an iPhone at this point needs to have their head checked."
ReplyDeleteAgreed, I would wait until the 4has been out in the market for a few weeks, then they will be better than ever.
I find it absolutely hilarious that people try to compare Android sales with iphone sales. You are comparing an operating system on multiple phones sold by multiple companies to ONE phone by one company.
Like someone else said, the only reason Android exists is because of the iphone. Apple was years ahead then and will probably continue to be.
Blah blah blah, "but my network is better." Conceeded - there are better networks than ATT, and has still been in the lead for years. Imagine if the iphone were on Verizon and ATT had Android phones, who still wants to claim they would rather have the Android based?
ReplyDeleteNetwork is the only argument against iphone.
Open standards and systems always beat closed, proprietary ones.
ReplyDeleteApple will lose this race for the same reasons they lost to the MS-DOS PCs in the computing arena.
I got my HTC EVO from Sprint last week at Best Buy and it is by FAR the coolest, best device I've ever owned. I can't believe how awesome this device is! 4G speeds, video calling, tons of apps, big beautiful screen. The EVO wipes the floor with the iPhone. Battery has been fine and as long as you don't expect it to last as long as a Blackberry or reg phone you'll be happy. (trick is turn wi-fi off when not in use and turn 4G radio off when not in 4G) GREAT DEVICE!!!
ReplyDeleteEVO! EVO! EVO! EVO!
I own an HTC Incredible. Awesome phone. I'm very happy with the 8 megapixel camera. Web browsing is extremely fast. The task killer really isn't needed. Maybe most important, it's an excellent Verizon cell phone. no dropped calls. excellent call quality. It's good enough where it doesn't need to be better than the iPhone. it's close enough.
ReplyDeleteYou Apple people should be happy. Without Android your precious iPhone would just stagnate. Remember how giddy you got when you *finally* got cut-n-paste and they unlocked the bluetooth capability in your 2nd Gen that was there all along? You still don't have memory card expansion and have to buy a new phone to expand storage...nice. Talk about SLOW progress. But with Android lighting a fire under Jobs, you will benefit in the long run. The iphone will evolve faster than ever, but from now on, Apple will be playing catch-up in development. You snooze you lose, Apple.
ReplyDeleteWas there even and android phone on the market when the iphone added cut and paste?
ReplyDeleteThis is a stupid title bud. Iphone is is a phone Android is an operating system. You comparison is like saying can HP overtake Microsoft.
ReplyDeleteBesides you can a do a quick google search and see that Iphone comparisons have been beaten to death. The bottom line is they all have their pro and cons.
Cool isn't everything.I'd like to have my iPhone on a different carrier for sure. The only reason I'm not sold on the Android is that it runs across several hardware platforms and I'm sure that makes App development much more difficult and App selection more confusing for the consumer. I can easily see a situation where an app runs seamlessly on one phone, and crashes a different model due to the variety of processor speeds, memory, etc.
ReplyDeleteI own a iPhone 3G, and I like it as a mobile device, but let's be truthful. Apple is an arrogant bully and has this "holier than thou" attitude. Always has. The iPhone's many updates and new features are really common things that should have been there to begin with Most of these things came from hackers or 3rd parties before Apple took the idea and released it as a new feature (like it was their idea to begin with!)
ReplyDeleteThe App store (which didn't arrive until a year later) was preceded by the jailbreak community and their availability of 3rd party apps. Video, folders, sorting apps on the computer screen, voice memos, wallpaper, cut & paste, etc...the list goes on. They were all developed by someone else before Apple took the idea, then expected us to "ooh & ahh" and worship them because they're so original.
Personally, I'm very glad for the competition, because that's the only way Apple will innovate. Maybe they will finally implement full Bluetooth capabilities so I can change music tracks using my wireless headphones. But I'm not holding my breath.
Loved how Jobs was left with egg on his face when he couldn't get service trying to show off the new iPhone. It IS the network and we all know how badly AT&T's is
ReplyDeleteThat aside, phones with the Android OS will overtake the iPhone. As previously posted, apps for the Droid are growing daily because of the open OS versus Apple's stupid proprietary - that is going to be what sinks them.
so many idiots posting here! Continue to be anonymous!
ReplyDeleteIt's a known fact that Google ripped off many of Apple's ideas when their CEO sat on their B.O.D. Google went from just a search engine to inventing it's own desktop OS, acquiring YouTube (which now rents and sells movies), developing a phone, to making video editors (via YouTube and very similar to iMovie), and just announced Google Music and GoogleTV. All of these have directly followed Apple's introduction of it's own products into the market. For anyone to say Google is only an OS and not copying Apple, is idiotic!
Continue to tell yourselves that Google is innovative and a great company.
I'll just continue to sit back and listen to the complaints about the Driods horrible battery life, poor build, screen separation issues, grainy and choppy video from their "HD video recorders", and horrible low-light pictures. The list goes on and on.
Go back to your holes, trolls!
......anonymous, the network problem from the presentation had nothing to do with AT&T's network. It was the facilities WIFI network and all of the connected WIFI devices! Not to mention Google had the exact same problem at their I/O presentation at E3! Know your facts before you start spouting off lies!
ReplyDeleteI bet no one on this thread is getting laid! lol
ReplyDeleteIF apple had opened up, or will open up, the network instead of being locked with AT&T, I would own the iPhone4.
ReplyDeleteThat is my only complaint. The reception is horrible and made me dump the 2G iPhone.
Droid, while cool, is just an OS. Not an actual phone.
Just waiting on Verizon to pick up the Apple!
Had my Incredible for several weeks now, can't say enough positive things about it. It's the iPhone with all the extras I felt it lacked. I'd strongly recommend checking them out before tossing a ton of money at Apple's latest gadget. Ignore the fanboys, go see for yourself.
ReplyDeletehmmn I have a Samsung Moment.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is a brilliant device, running Android, at the end of the day when I plug the charger in...... it is still just a phone.
I'd like to buy an iphone but as long as it continues to be only available on At&T I will spend my money on something else.
ReplyDeleteWe went from a Motorola flip phone, to the Droid several months ago. It's incredible, but takes a bit of getting use to. We compared our Droid with several friends who all have the iPhone - and internet access was far superior. What I'm really waiting for is the new Slate from HP which will surpass the iPad.
ReplyDeleteDion = Apple Fanboy. As soon as Apple stops forcing everyone to do it their way, and their stuff plays nice with everything else, I might support them. Until then, I'm all for something a bit more open-sourced, ie: Android.
ReplyDeleteDion is an idjit who gets a woody over his Apple product.
ReplyDeleteWhat matters is that Android based phones are miles ahead of the iPhone and will continue to advance with each new generation which happens in months, not years like the iPhone
iphone has a much larger selection in the comparison of androids,both has multitasking features.Digital Video Recorders
ReplyDeleteI thinks two mobile are may be same. but which one is attract the people that one can reach very quick. so must be need attractive the people. iPhone Application Development
ReplyDeletei don,t think that they overtake the iphone because iphone is the best all the time i have used it and it has shown great results.....
ReplyDeleteCool isn't everything.I'd like to have my iPhone on a different carrier for sure. The only reason I'm not sold on the Android is that it runs across several hardware platforms and I'm sure that makes App development much more difficult and App selection more confusing for the consumer. I can easily see a situation where an app runs seamlessly on one phone, and crashes a different model due to the variety of processor speeds, memory, etc.
ReplyDeleteThis blog provides readers with a greater understanding of the current issues in Canadian healthcare. Thank you for the interesting read.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteTrès bon blog et merci d'en faire profiter.
voyance email