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Five reasons Android is superior to the iPhone

I agree with all of the above and am very much an Android person, although I do know one benefit that iOS has: all of the applications which are placed on the device need to be audited by Apple. This has a massive cost overhead, but also provides an additional layer of security to prevent malware. Couple this with jailbroken phones (a fairly common feature, until an Android is released that supports native app-on-external memory and CPU scaling) and you have a recipe for disaster.

Nonetheless, I think it is inevitable that Android will implement some sort of screening of code, if only through automated processes, together with decent internal security (such as built-in encryption for password storage) through which they will improve consumer (and geek) confidence.

I've used Android for two full years and have never, ever run into a problem with an insecure app despite all the sky is falling posts I see. Maybe that's because I stay away from unknown app authors and apps that haven't been around for a while. I also use Lookout which does a pretty good job vetting apps. So for me, the whole iOS walled garden really isn't a game changer.

The best thing about Android is, as the author hinted, all the cool things your phone can do without even needing to touch your Android phone. Loading apps, turning off your ringer in church, reminding you of groceries you need as you pass the grocery store, understanding and speaking back spoken commands, uploading your photos automatically to Google+. The list goes on and on.

I don't care about Google+, but everything else you list can be done on iOS, even better. For example, in HTC SenseUI, you have to drill down several layers in the UI to do something as simple as turn off email notification sounds. This is done much better in iOS. The grocery list notification has been done on iOS for some time, but in iOS 5 there will be a built in app for that. Downloading apps? Sorry, but iOS pwn's Android on apps. Mops the floor with Droid. Even major banks like Capital One only make iOS apps, everyone else -- use your WebKit (uh, open source Safari donated by Apple) based browser to surf to the bank's website, because they don't trust your native app technology enough to, ahem, bank on it...

If you hold down the home button on an iPhone, it launches voice command, which can do thinks like dial the phone, control media playback, etc. I haven't used it that much. Many Phandroids claim that speech-to-text is built into Android. No. Like all mobile speech-to-text, it sends an audio file to a web service, and the web service returns text. Just putting a button to launch this on the keyboard, does not mean it is "built in". If you are offline, it will not work.

A Phandroid Google-phile I know told me to download the Google search app for my iPhone, because it would be the best app I would have on my iPhone (he's on an anti-Apple jihad because they rejected his iOS app because it is drug related). The Google app on iOS is awful. I used it a few times. The speech-to-text isn't as good as dragon and can only do a few words to launch a search. Any search criteria I speak in that is more than a few words is truncated. Then the browser it uses is portrait only, does not go into landscape. Total beta-quality Google crap. I deleted it...

I think google is a good search engine, but their other products are not so good. Check out the reviews for Google TV, like the Logitech Revue, and many people complain it is alpha quality, not even beta. Half of the menu items don't work because Google didn't make deals with the content providers, so they pulled the plug. You can't search Netflix titles on the Netflix app... You have to use the browser, go to the Netflix site, add the selection to your queue and access it that way... Oh, and it costs over twice the price of Apple TV. Are they evil or just incompetent? Well, I'm sure they had some top school Ph.D. explain how Google TV will change everything...

And Google TV runs on Android, so just another example of Crapdroid in action. Apple TV runs on iOS... Works flawlessly. Check out the reviews, it kills Google TV... So let's chalk up another victory for iOS...

I think you ran the table on trying out names for the "other guys." The only problem with Apple I have is insurmountable. You have to become an iSheep. It's a no go...

As far as apps, Apple could offer ten million and it wouldn't make a difference. How many can you load and use?

iBa IBa no no uBa. It's true,funny I was just writing about that iSheep this morning. I am thinking of converting I'm fed up with Apples chains restrictions,there thinking they know whats good for us and I've had more problems with iPhone and iPad in three years then....,well I never had any problems with any other phone I've owned...

It appears the slaughter is in Android's pens as barely 50% of Android users claim satisfaction with their devices while WinPhone7, iOS and even RIM demonstrate much higher ratings by their customers.

Haven't you already beat this empty claim to death? I remember having this discussion over about three weeks with you over a month ago. If Android users were really dissatisfied with their phones, they would change them. The sales figures indicate that Android sales are growing, while Apple sales have plateaued. That means that it is going the other way from where you claim. NO?

@yab: Allow me to mention an article that came out just yesterday.
http://9to5mac.com/2011/09/22/survey-89-percent-iphone-users-loyal-one-in-three-android-users-likely-to-switch-to-apple/
The article states quite clearly, "... more than half the smartphone switchers are in the market for an iPhone while only one in ten iPhone users plan on defecting to other platforms."

This news came out on several sites sourced from an analyst independent of any one manufacturer or platform. Another article points out, "... The green robot actually slipped from 61% in July," "As of August, Android ... accounting for 54% of the impressions on Millenial???s ad network."

Yes, Android still owns the lion's share, but due to a combination of announcements this month it appears that Android is losing steam and may fall into rough parity with as many as four different mobile OSes, including WebOS (reports hint that HTC is planning to purchase it from HP) and Bada from Samsung to reduce competition from developers. Don't forget that WinPhone 7 and 8 still have a chance to rise into the marketplace and of course, iOS is not going to stand still. If you ask me, Android is riding a roller coaster right now and we really don't know where it will finally level out.

Yes android is perfect

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The demos are hilarious. It is still very limited compared to iMovie, even the iPhone version. Watching the guy drag a clip on a Xune is like watching old people eat...
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Yes, they have video editing on Android, for the few Xune users and others who hack away to make it work...
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Nothing like garage band, though. At best they have some multitrack recording software, but without a decent hardware i/o interface, you can just make electronic music... Nothing even close to garage band or iMovie. Everybody dance now... Dance like an Android to some poorly made techno...

I agree with you on your comment about the apps, I run a website giving away a free iPhone 5, however I wouldnt want one myself because even though my android phone has severley less space than an iPhone, I make the most of the memory card and it's other great customisation features - long live android

To turn off email notification sounds in HTC SenseUI
Option 1 Pull down the notification bar at the top of the screen, choose quick settings, choose All settings, choose sound
Option 2 Tap the personalize icon located on the bottom of any screen, Choose Notification Sound
Option 3 Tap the sound widget

How hard is that?

The Capital One Android App was released yesterday.

I have an app on my Android that takes automation to the 10th degree. It will perform any function, run any app, change any setting based on the location, network connected to, and / or date or time.
For example:
My phone automatically goes to vibrate mode, on Friday's only when I am at work (based on GPS and / or WiFi connections available) between 12 PM and 1 PM and then it turns the sound back on after 1 PM. Hands free
And I ported it to my Android tablet simply by emailing the app and setting files to myself.
Now that is automation to the 10th degree.

I have read this blog and posted a few entries.
One more example to add....
Just updated on Win7 to the latest iTunes version. It showed Quicktime+iTunes as a single option.
Clicked yes.... Allow it to change settings? ... Clicked yes.....
It finished.

Then a surprise.
I have Safari open asking me if I want it to be my default browser.
Problem is I didn't have Safari installed.
Now I do. It wasn't an option and I never was asked if ZI wanted it installed.
It just showed up Grrrrr,,,,,,,,,
I never have issues like this with Android, phone or tablet.

Yes, another great example of why Android is better than iOS.

I find that very hard to believe since your desktop doesn't use Android. That's using a redirect to hide your lack of knowledge.

that getting something installed on your desktop that you didn't specifically ask for can be annoying.
Android does not require a computer. That is a plus.

That android its the life out of a battery faster than anything else out there, and its essentially a desktop OS ported to a mobile platform. You also have to admit the reliability of android and its apps. add the ton of lawsuits against it and you have to wonder, will its future sales continue at the rate they are today?
WP7 Mango, then WP7 Apollo will no doubt take a lot of the android sales over this next year.

"You also have to admit the reliability of android and its apps."
Based more and more on what I've been reading and personal conversations with non-technical Android users, neither the OS nor its apps are all that reliable. Now, I'm not necessarily blaming Android itself here, but rather the fact that non-technical people tend to get lost in the OS when trying to do something out of the ordinary. One of the biggest reasons for device returns according to Motorola wasn't the hardware or even the OS itself, but rather the applications that customers had loaded and lost control of. Essentially, Android, as a flavor of Linux, has the same issues in mobility that Linux itself does on the desktop--too tweak-reliant which requires at least some "geek" capabilities which most users simply do not have or want. I would never give my mother an Android smart phone because she simply would not know how to use it. On the other hand, I would (and will) give her an iPhone simply because it is so easy to use. To emphasize the point, the latest word processing technology she uses is an electric typewriter. She won't touch a computer.

(you have to admit) That android its the life out of a battery faster than anything else out there,
assuming you mean "eats the life..." According to this study http://cell-phones.toptenreviews.com/smartphones/
there are several Android phones with much better talk time than the iPhone 4 or Blackberry Torch. So no, I don't have to admit that Android is any worse.
and its essentially a desktop OS ported to a mobile platform. I am not sure what your point is. Android works on a smartphone. I don't care if the OS came from a microwave oven as long as it works.
You also have to admit the reliability of android and its apps. This is an incomplete sentence. I am not sure where you are going with this. Yes, I admit that quality apps are reliable and poor quality apps by implication are not reliable.
add the ton of lawsuits against it and you have to wonder, will its future sales continue at the rate they are today? Lawsuits in the smartphone industry are a nuisance that may never go away but I don't see any sign of the Android phone sales slowing down as a result.
WP7 Mango, then WP7 Apollo will no doubt take a lot of the android sales over this next year. My crystal ball says WP7 may take as slice out of ALL smartphone sales. (iPhone, Android, and Blackberry)

Finally, what has any of this got to do with getting annoyed when something you didn't ask for gets installed on your computer?

If you learn about your phones os then android really doesnt kill battery life. I have an extended battery which you cant get for iphones since battery swap isnt even an option, and I can charge it all thursday night and not plug it back in til monday and make it with quarter life left. i use the htc evo rooted stock sense and just froyo 2.2 still. I make calls each day use the gps everyday, stream videos and use it as an mp3 player and never have a dead battery. You just set your settings and optimize the usage. pretty simple. If i do need more juice though I just carry 2 spare extended batteries in my pocket since you can get 2 new ones for under $13 shipped with 3 year warranties on ebay.

You can get the iPad activated at the store when you buy it and from then on you no longer need a computer. On the other hand, I prefer at least having the capability to tie to the PC for backup and updating simply because it uses less bandwidth. You also have the ability to encrypt the backup.

However, that still doesn't excuse his complaint that Android is better because Apple installed Safari on Windows.

Can you set up your iPad at Best Buy? BJ's? WalMart? The store at the airport? hmmm
You can tie an Android back to a pc and Motorola has a free desktop app that even gives you a way to access your iTunes music, videos and pictures and sync them on your Android smartphone. (if you want to)
But who needs that when the Windows OS sees the Android as an external storage device and lets you simply use any utility to backup/copy/transfer/synchronize/encrypt files?
I will never use iTunes to manage my music again. It is way too slow and awkward for transfering music to another device.
I agree that it doesn't excuse his complaint. I think his complaint was that Apple did something to his computer without asking him. If that's true, I think it is annoying. The last time I installed iTunes on a Windows machine, I had the option to install ITunes, QuickTime, and Safari and I went with just iTunes. He's implying that those are no longer options. I am not sure if that is true.

Thats sort of now included in iOS5 though

got the same meaning here i preffer android systems too. i'm not that Apple or iphone fan. die internetagentur heilbronn Suchmaschinenoptimierung Heilbronn f??r Webdesign & Online Marketing.

You can even set the default to external with adb tools:
adb shell pm setInstallLocation 2

I like my apps to be native, not running in a java runtime engine on a low powered device like a phone! That's why Android apps seem to be sluggish or choppy. Have no idea how they can be pleased with Flash on it.

Android works do you. Low power CPU ??? My android runs circles around my wifes Iphone. The only thing I like better about the iPhone is voice dialing. It works on my android but worked better on iPhone.

I have never noticed any lag or slowness on mine or any of my friend's phones, and they don't all have top end phones. You just know how to use them, and yes, not all apps work for every phone.

If you've used WP7 or even better ,WP7.5, for any considerable amount of time, you'd know that WP is much smoother and snappier than Android for sure, and even iOS to a lesser degree. All on 1 single core 1 GHZ snapdragon platform. Why? Because the code is a lot more optimized!

What we are seeing is a trend towards Android device manufacturers providing their own prescreened app markets - see Lenovo's app market (for the IdeaPad and the ThinkPad) and to a lesser extent "HTC Likes".

I commend Apple for keeping a watch on their App's to make sure that there are not any malicious code, but I think the recipe for disaster is at the same level as it was and still is with the PC, and laptop. Security is only as strong as the user at the keyboard. Since smart phones are designed to do, mimic, or support the processes of PC's I apply the same rule.

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Pronky111

.

The hate of iTunes and freedom of application installation are certainly separate. You can install apps from the app store OTA right? No iTunes needed there. It does seem silly that the iPhone is managed more like an iPod and less like a phone.

Instead of Android versus iPhone.

Only the Iphone runs the iOS, so it makes no difference.

The iPod touch also runs iOS and is not a phone.

iPad and Apple TV both also run iOS

nt

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Item #2 implies that app updates have to happen through iTunes. That's not true, you get app updates over the air through the app-store app. Yes it's true that OS updates come through iTunes, but logically there are lots of reasons you might not want an OS update to be done over the air (e.g. bricking the device).

Item #3 implies that your life is run by iTunes, but personally I don't use that app very much at all. There are lots of third-party utilities that allow you to manage files on the iPhone without iTunes.

Item #5 implies that you cannot install apps OTA or that the 'Android Market' is fundamentally different from the 'App Store'. That's not true, really.

Personally, my iPhone is locked, and I trust that apps from the App Store are not going to do harm to my phone or data. If I choose to unlock my phone, I can install apps all day long, just like Android. Of course with this freedom comes the risk of malware, poorly written apps that crash and take your data with them, etc.

iOS 5 is also supposed to support OTA software updates.

who cares what will be - it's about currently available features. it's not like Android's going to stop development in the meantime. there will be a different set of features and improvements on the Android platform by the time iOS 5 is out.

don't get me wrong, iPhone is a nice device, I even used one for 2 months. I switched back to Android. and I'm a Mac user.

I don't hate Apple, not much, but some of their stuff on the iPhone is so backward and counter-intuitive. for all the things I liked about it, I found the iPhone platform way to restrictive and clunky. granted, it had the best voice quality of any device I've ever used, was a smooth, slick interface, and there are some apps specific to iPhone that I miss on the Droid, but it just wasn't worth the lockdown to me; I gotta have widgets, man - instant access to frequently changed settings, and at-a-glance access to info like calendar agenda and weather without having to open an app, or jailbreak. HTC's devices have this nailed as far as I'm concerned.

"who cares what will be - it's about currently available features."

"Who cares" would be just about every writer who has worked at any Z-D publication (and many other computer publications) over the last 2 decades. Nearly every one (with only a few exceptions) have compared Microsofts "what will be" in DOS, Windows, Office, et cetera, against "currently available features" of competitive products. This is just more of the same except now the focus is not so much to promote Microsoft as it is to destroy Apple. Call me biased after having lived in a Redmond dominated and manipulated environment for 20-plus years but I am sick and tired of the computer media licking Microsoft's boots and then getting hypocritically huffy because someone uses their own "what will be" comparison tactics against them.

And no, I still haven't forgiven Microsoft for killing OS/2 in favour of that worthless piece of junk called Windows, which still doesn't match many of OS/2 2.1's features.

You worry too much. ZDNet will not destroy Apple. Apple fans will continue to be Apple fans. They will continue to buy Apple products. End of Story.

But, I do like Android better than the iPhone. It is more flexible.

If I could submit any improvement for the Android for the future, I would like to have better voice command, and access to a decent scripting language for quick scripts of things that I do.

I don't see such a feature coming soon to any of the phone systems. But, a guy can dream.

From the Manufacturers perspective, Android may just be too good. I can see no reason right now to upgrade from my original Droid. I hear that a lot of others are feeling that way too.

Apple lost all chance with me when they told people they were holding the phone wrong.

Get real people! the first thing a smart phone needs to be is a phone!.

Android isn't flexible. What you are referring to is simply UI cusomizaton. Great, you can put some glitter on turd.

Can you make music on your Android device with decent software and accessories made by companies like Moog, Korg, Roland, and Alesis? Can you edit video on your Android smart phone? My bank, Capital One, only makes an iOS app. I can go on and on (and have done so, ad nauseum) about the deficiency of apps and media in the Android ecosystem... Yes, all the people, corporations and third party developers who have clearly preferred iOS are wrong, and the desktop support geeks are right? Come on, you got a cheap phone and signed up for 2 years of crap... Good luck, but let's not get delusional, ok?