[Schaumburger]

Originally Posted by memason

Well, I'm "was" iPhone user, who went rogue and got an Android phone, but now I'm back to an iPhone...

I had my first iPhone in Germany, when I lived there from '08 to '11. It was the iPhone 3G and was on the Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile) network. Was a great phone and a fantastic network, in Europe. With a 2 year contract, I paid 1 Euro for the iPhone, but sold it for 200 Euros when I left... Good deal, for me ...

Once I got to the States, I was not able to wait until Verizon got the iPhone, so I got a Motorola Droid X smartphone. For the first few months, all was well. Then, Google decided to push out an updated Android Operating System (OS). Once the upgrade hit my phone, the camera stopped saving photos and video stopped working completely. The camera would appear to function, but when you'd go to see the photos, they weren't anywhere to be found. I went to the Verizon store and talked to their representatives and all they knew to do was "reset to factory defaults", which means I lost everything on the phone and/or replace the phone. In my case, they did both. Once the new phone arrived, I not only didn't have a functioning camera, I also couldn't access the memory card for anything...photos, videos, music, etc... I go back to the Verizon store and they performed another Factory Reset, which didn't help, but they did inform me that they wouldn't replace the phone again...so, now I'm stuck with a $200 smartphone that isn't very smart anymore.... OK, whatever! Then, Google decide to start rolling out their newest OS, Ice Cream Sandwich, so I thought it might fix some of my issues, but I was informed that my phone would not get the update...it was too old at 10 months old...OK, whatever! ...again

Pros:

• Google Turn-by-Turn Navigation (free)
• Lots of apps in the Android Marketplace

Cons:

• No real support from Verizon
• Fragmented OS (Google lets Verizon add their own stuff to it)
• Phone rebooted itself regularly, without warning
• Short battery life (~ 8 hours)

Once I was able, I upgraded to the new iPhone 4S, which I have had no trouble. Apple has created an entire ecosystem, where all of their products compliment each other. The iPhone is also on the Verizon network, but if I were to have trouble with the iPhone, I would go to the Apple Store, where I could get help.

Pros:

• Apple ecosystem
• iOS Stability
• Hundreds of thousands of apps in the app store
• Good battery life (> 10 hours)
• Apple iClub in the Villages

Cons:

• No free Turn-by-Turn navigation

These are my experiences and they may or may not be typical. There are lots of Android phones out there, by lots of different manufacturers. Apple controls every aspect of Apple products, from manufacture, to the iOS, to testing the apps in the apps store. I like that; some folks don't.


Good luck, in your quest to get the best smartphone.


Mike

Oh wait....so what did I do with the Droid X ??? Well, it's now a permanent part of my stereo system; connected to my WiFi network and streaming music from the net using Pandora or Tunein Radio.

Mike,

Can you buy an app for the iPhone for turn-by-turn navigation? My GPS is almost 3 yrs. old, and I haven't downloaded any updates to it, so when I go to TV, and I get to one of the newer villages (anything built after 2009), my GPS is no help. It's fun to just drive around, but I like to be able to get somewhere without driving around too long...