Let me start this article by giving you a brief background on how I started shifting from one mobile ecosystem to another. Like most people, my first love was with Nokia and its Symbian OS. Not because it is a revolutionary OS but primarily because I don’t really have any choice.
On the positive side you get to choose from a wide variety of cellphone models since Nokia led the mobile hardware race back then.
I’ve had four Nokia phones before with the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic as the last one. It was also the device that introduced me to flashing custom ROMs, it was exciting. However, that excitement ran out when I had my first encounter with an Android phone. My then girlfriend (who’s now my wife) bought a Samsung Galaxy Spica running Android 2.1 Eclair.
I instantly fell in love with it but not because of the phone’s design or the widgets or the fluid interface. I fell in love with Android because of its threaded SMS system. If you’re an experienced Nokia user coming from the likes of 3210 then you’ll understand how wonderful threaded SMS is.
I immediately sold my 2 year old Nokia 5800 and planned to buy a Spica myself but for some reason I skimped and decided to wait for a better Android phone. I then had my sights on the HTC Hero until a friend came along with his iPod Touch 3rd Gen. I’ve seen the iPod Touch before and considered it as a great device. But I needed a phone, the iPod Touch is not a phone. And the iPhone 3G is too damn expensive at that time. I played with the iPod Touch and I fell in love again. This time because of the apps and the really neat UI. To cut things short, I went for the iPod Touch 3rd Gen and just used a really cheap “that-you-can-toss-it-around†Samsung phone that came as a freebie when my mom bought a refrigerator.
I was really satisfied with the iPod Touch and even went for the 4th Gen. If I have the resources I’d immediately buy the iPhone 4. All the while I kept in touch with Android with my wife’s Spica. I loved the idea on how you can customize Android in different levels – something that iOS cannot achieve even with a jailbreak. Like what I told a friend – “If you want elegant simplicity, go for iOS. But if you want complex badassery, go for Android.†I was lucky enough to play both worlds, until I bricked the Spica. Maybe I’m not badass enough.
And so I stuck with iOS and kept on tinkering with the jailbroken iPod Touch 4th Gen. Currently I have the iPhone 4S and things are great so far. I’ve jailbroken it and customized it to a point that it’s lagging and crashing. I was forced to restore it to its “pristine†state but decided not to completely go back. I want something better. I ended up updating from iOS 5.1.1 to iOS 6 beta 3. It’s neat, it has new features but I wasn’t completely satisfied. The geek inside me is screaming for something more difficult to tinker on. I flashed my wife’s Kindle Fire with a custom Android Jellybean and the voice subsided. What the fuck was that?? Is Android becoming the right kind of dealer for my needs?
I started comparing the philosophies behind iOS and Android. iOS is going for something that really works seamlessly but somewhat capped. Android, however, is accepted to be far from perfect but it is constantly evolving. A smartphone, in my opinion, is more than just a gadget. It’s an extension of who you are and its identity is how you want your life to work. As I remember holding the HTC One X on one hand and the Samsung Galaxy S3 on the other with my iPhone 4S in the middle, I just can’t reject the fact that I needed change. The question now is, it Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS that’s going to give me the satisfaction of change? Should I stay with iOS or shift to Android? To our dear readers, help me weigh in the options. Convince me, entice me, coax me. iOS or Android? Share your thoughts below.
Editor’s Note: At one time or another, we can all relate to this transition and have faced the same dillema. – Yuga
This is a very stupid article. I can not imagine that a staff writer from an American owned BPO company can write a waste article like this. My 8 year old nephew was able to decide by himself without asking for help or writing an article. You should know better than him.
As I read your article, I took note of the ff:
1. You have high regard for Steve Jobs
2. “I instantly fell in love with it but not because of the phone’s design or the widgets or the fluid interface. I fell in love with Android because of its threaded SMS system”
3. “All the while I kept in touch with Android with my wife’s Spica. I loved the idea on how you can customize Android in different levels – something that iOS cannot achieve even with a jailbreak.
4. “iOS is going for something that really works seamlessly but somewhat capped. Android, however, is accepted to be far from perfect but it is constantly evolving.”
5. ” I just can’t reject the fact that I needed change. The question now is, it Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS that’s going to give me the satisfaction of change?”
Your article is already very conclusive. You are tired of a simple and restricted OS and has a jealousy of Android capabilities. Isn’t obvious?
I think you will not leave the ios system because you have high regard with Steve Jobs. Good luck! You are stuck in mediocrity!
Good morning Phil,
Thank you for reading the article.
As for your comment this is the most helpful so far: “You are tired of a simple and restricted OS and has a jealousy of Android capabilities.”
You’re right. That’s why I’m a little inclined towards Android but I’m considering what the new iPhone or WP8 can offer. Maybe I should wait a little more.
iOS is solid, cool, sturdy and simple while an android device is crazy, fun and no dull moments :)
I have an LTE Galaxy Nexus. I didn’t even consider the iPhone since its screen is tiny and stuck in slow-poke 3G.
iOS for its straightforward / simple UI and for its resale value.
Android for customization, etc.
I’ve owned both before. iOS – Android – then back to iOS. I call myself techie too. But you know what? I got bored tinkering with an Android as well (that’s just me though). Yes I know it continues to evolve but something inside me just wants to go back to the simplicity of the iPhone. Even though the iOS may get boring, at least the HUGE selection of apps on the App Store makes up for it. Apps are one of the things that make a smartphone fun. Sadly, Google Play’s apps are nowhere near the number of apps in the App Store. That’s probably the number one reason I switched back to iOS.
I have a Google Nexus 7 Tab, Iphone and a BB Playook. I am not being biased since ang first phone ko was Android but based on my experience Ill go for iOS simply because of the apps and the quality it posses, but this is just my opinion although I do love my BB and Android.
iOS.
Widgets.
Different launcher options.
If you want an ‘it just works phone’ go for the iPhone but if you are bored easily and want to spend time tinkering things go for an Android phone.
You can change widget styles every week. Change your launcher every month. Adapt a new animation of the launcher if your bored with the horizontal-sliding icons.
No need to root nor flash.
With just widgets and launcher options your customization is almost endless.
This will make you decide real quick.
Keep your iPhone 4S, hold it tight, and never let go, caress it, whatever, then send over your S3 and One X!
Here’s my address:
@#$%!@#$
=)
Simple lang yan, piliin mo kung ano mas feel mong gamitin.
But for me, I’d definitely choose android. Android teaches you to be adept with the evolving technologies unlike Apple that spoon feeds you almost everything. You can say that apple offers simplicity but android could do so well at the right settings and you could always customize it to your liking.
my opinion here is that coming from ios what really gives me a hard to give up my iphone 4 are the wide variety of apps aside from that wla na ako naging reklamo lalo na nung niregaluhan ako ng xe naenjoy ko din lahat lalo na yung customization that never fails to surprise me mga bagong launcher that never fail to give me a brand new look di nman ang lag nmn kasi sa android telerable na di tulad dati na sbrang bagal if your into apps stick with apple if your into customization at kung ayaw mo magpalit ng magpalit ng phone go for the highend droids kasi customization pa lng feeling mo parang nagiging bago yug phone mu every time you change themes and launcher yun ung astig yung itsura kc ng apple interface nakakaboring na eh kung galing ka sa apple di mahirap magustuhan ang android kng sa android ka galing hira magustuhan ng apple..
IOS = for kids, and the wifey. Simple, easy, captivating and more entertaining selection of aps. Being an Android loyalist, I;m now considering the iPad simply because it’s got richer apps for kids ( Mickey Mouse, Dora, etc. )that might take years for Android to get. I’m getting one, not for myself but for my wife and my kid.
Let me enumerate why I will stick with Android for my personal primary phone.
– Practicality, Android might be a notch below IoS in terms of selections but the Android Grey Market virtually offers all Android apps for free. This means you can have life-saver apps without spending a dime. ( GPS, Navigation, Flightrak, etc.)
– Productivity: As an IT or a business professional, you just can’t live without flash enabled on full browsers. This lets you work as if your’e working on a desktop PC, without resulting to mobile-versions of websites or apps dedicated to improvise content for the lack of Flash.
– Photography – Android phones have better cameras, better camera utilities and the ability to replace a real digicam in the absence of one.
– Micro-Firmware updating: you can even update your modem’s driver. True Story: I was getting 2.5-3MBPS max on my phone with H+ data. When I found a kickass mod for my phones modem driver… I all of a sudden got max speeds dwelling into the 4-5mbps range off-peak. Which means, there are tons of thrills you might experience which will never happen on an IOS. Sky is the limit for what possible update or download that can appear any minute to improve your phone’s abilities. With IOS, you are almost at the mercy of updates from Apple.
SD Card Slot: Self explanatory.
Replaceable Battery: you can upgrade to a 3rd party manufactured batt, 3x your phone’s stock battery capacity. Who does’nt want that??? Again, this goes to your productivity as a professional.
USB connection – Explorer Drag and- drop abilities.
Play all media formats without crappy itunes software.
Really Useful Accessories: IOS wins with most cute looking accesories, but there are tons of accessories the Android phones have that Iphones will never get, USB on the go cable adapter, HDMI connector, Controllers.
— Deep integration of almost all popular social networking apps.
–Seamless rock-solid data connection tethering
Conclusion:
Android: Freedom, Practicality, Upgradability, Productivity and flexibility.
IoS: Simplicity, Entertainment. Worry free easy software updates.
“If you want elegant simplicity, go for iOS. But if you want complex badassery, go for Android.â€
— I believe the above statement says it all! ;D
Stay with both, if possible. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and they sort of complement each other, actually.
I have been an avid reader of this site and I have been too lazy to comment. I spend time reading fanboy comments though, well until you asked about our opinion.
You’ve seen how Jellybean works and how Android is constantly evolving… there’s a downside to that however. Updates are harder and harder to get especially since Android’s Hardware is evolving too. Can you imagine that we got to Quad-Core as fast as a few years, beating netbooks? I have an Xperia Play and a Asus Transformer Prime and I’ve held a lot of devices but there always comes a time where you need to try new things and updates have been very slow. Flashing ROMS may be a solution but bugs will be found with unstable ones. I’ve been with many Android devices, Galaxy Vibrant, Captivate, Atrix 4G etc and I never got contented but I still loved Android.
My sister on the other hand, who is a starting celebrity btw, just sold her iPhone for a Galaxy Nexus and I’ve seen her very happy with it.
We all need a new breeze once in a while. I, being a name at concept-phones and all that, am a very die hard Android fan, but right now I have made a decision to keep my Asus Prime but sell my phone for money – planning to get an iPhone 5 or the PureView Lumia soon — OR a Nexus. The Nexus Line really is the best around… The Galaxy Nexus with JB owns the S III. Or you can also wait for the Next Nexus which will be out before 2013 comes. Speculations say it will launch on Android’s 5th Year Anniversary on November 5.
Thanks for keeping this Philippine Technology Site Active! If by any time you need a contributor, you can contact me! :) Thanks,
Three words, man.
WINDOWS.
PHONE.
EIGHT.
Bow.
P.S.: Avoid the next iPhone. Leaks suggest that it will look essentially the same as the current iPhone 4S, just stretched out.
P.P.S.: And no current Android device ticks all the boxes for what a perfect phone should be, but that’s subjective. (Samsung Galaxy S3 looks like a cheap phone; HTC One X has no usage flexibility [storage; removable battery] at all; Sony Xperia S, Exceptional design, but Sony botched it with an outdated processor and Gingerbread(!) )
Windows Phone 8 :)
try to use a blackberry for a month… kung bumalik ka sa iphone, you will see thats it’s still very good…
cause anything is good compared to a blackberry
Come over to the dark side. We have cookies.
After using a larger screen, like the S3, GNex or htc One series, going back to a 3.5″ screen (even 4″) feels like going backwards in time. I use all the devices, but the larger screen clinches the deal for me. Plus, with JellyBean the OS is faster and smoother than ever.
You have a high regard for Steve Jobs, so stay iOS.
You fail to mention two important elements: your age and what do you want to use the phone for.
Age: if you’re 18-20 yo I understand. I’ve been there and it’s fun wasting time playing with gadgets for no particular reason. Kills time and makes you look smart. If you’re past that age I would say: grow up.
Use: comes after growing up. The smartphone is just a tool. You have to figure out what use you have for it. Email? Documents? Certain apps? Then you will know what to chose. If you need a phone to text and call people then you don’t even need a smartphone.
But yeah … grow up. Reasons like “i like to flash the firmware everyday” and “i can jailbreak and customize a lot” look cool when you’re in college. After that it’s just silly and it might lead others to believe you have nothing better to do with your life. I’m just saying.
Agree!
Use: comes after growing up. The smartphone is just a tool. You have to figure out what use you have for it. Email? Documents? Certain apps? Then you will know what to chose. If you need a phone to text and call people then you don’t even need a smartphone.
in this category … i like windows phone a lot … more comprehensive than any other OS and integration in a day to day use…