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
android can has the native ability to handle torrent. thats it right there! :D
I’ve been an iOS and android user since the original iPhone and the G1. 2012 saw me adapt to a HOX, 4s, and S3 – what I can say is that iOS apps are more polished and the 4s just functions out of the box. Android presents you with the option to push your mobile experience a bit more, with some compromise on the android apps’ “spit and shine”. It also requires you to know what you’re really looking for and where to look for it (i.e. rooting, roms, kernels et al)
if infinity blade 2 gets ported for android, that would be the end of iOS. :))
*android has the native ability to handle torrent files.
sorry grammar police :)
Infinity Blade: Dungeons for Android – i’m in!
i’ve never felt attracted to iOS for some reason. i have a ton of friends who have iPhones amd iPads, and i’ve tinkered around with them. although i love the ecosystem and the variety of apps, the fact is that i can’t make it my own. i’ve owned a sensation xe and i’m now using a HTC One X, and i’ve never been happier with a phone. when i bring out my phone, people tend to ask what my phone is because they admire how i’ve set it up to cater to what i need.
How’s the HTC One X? I’ve read complaints about the white model easily getting stained and some units having WiFi problems. Have you experienced any of those?
for me, if you want a long term gadget, go for iOS, because of the software updates, 3GS will have iOS 6 while S1 has only Gingerbread.
if you want simplicity go with ANDROID but dont tinker with it
if you what customizations go with ANDROID and go all out with it
in short ANDROID can be both while iOS ca only be simple
if you want simplicity go with ANDROID but dont tinker with it
if you what customizations go with ANDROID and go all out with it
in short ANDROID can be both while iOS ca onle be simple
I have nokia n8, but i got to play with ipad and android phones of my classmates.. c’mon… I love nokia, though it lacks a fast processor, yet it is cheap, and you got a high quality camera at the same time…
I am also facing the same dilemma right now. The only things keeping me from making the switch is the cost of a new phone and the time it takes to setup
Had a 2 Nokia at first, then a Samsung phone, then a Blackberry then an Android. I have the HTC Sensation right now, and I’m inlove with it. I still have the days wherein I want to switch back to a BB since I’m a social butterfly -person chorva and I miss the type phones. Though Android gives complete customization which I prefer. My mom has an iPhone though I prefer not to tinker with it since it’s glass back makes me want to be 100x careful (lol) and it’s hardware is “secured”.
go for android. I have the samsung s3 and its almost perfect. not saying that apple’s phones are obsolete (hardware wise) but you can do so much with the android phones. seamless fluidity goes to iOS however at the end of the day its what and how many things you can do with your phone.
If you want to be simple go for iOS.
If you want to tickle your ass go for Android!
Get high on Android everyday!
It is called lust of the flesh. Have them both, you would be still not satisfied.
Having everything best in this life is not contentment.
If you’re just after the apps of iOS then just get an ipod touch or an iPad.
I dont see the point of buying an iPhone with its microscopic screen just because of the iOS apps.
I own a jailbroken iPad and an android phone (SGSII). What I can say is that even though SGSII is only a mobile phone, it still feels more of a handheld computer than my iPad which has all the cydia tweaks, boosters, customizations etc. that I like. What iOS delivers, Android does more. Android can mount USB flash drives, download everything off the internet, flash video player (only in ICS, but you can still integrate it in Jellybean by installing the adobe flash apk found in several sources in the net), send files over bluetooth to other devices, access file systems, files can be viewed between apps and view almost all file formats available; all these out of the box. If ever some features are still lacking, you can just flash or tweak stuff from xda-developers.
Yes iOS has cydia and its tweaks. But I still find it lacking.
Having experienced both OS and surmising from your post, I’d definitely suggest Android to you. iOS maybe a little bit more stable than Android out of the box which is why it is a famous choice for casual buyers but Android’s capability and its community tweaks are what makes it wonderful, thereby it truly the star choice of geeks. :P
Go for the android ecosystem.
It seems you thrive from complexity, and when it comes to complexity, android delivers.
just wait for windows phone 8 and you will get half android and half ios.
technology is never simple.
I have been tinkering with my iPad for some time now, and never had my geek cravings been satisfied. iOs isn’t perfection for me..it needs a lot of room for improvement. Only android can satisfy our craving for customization.
yOne thing I noticed, there are some apps which work well without any problems on my Iphone 4, but which either crash often orwon’t function at all on my galaxy nexus. Viber, facebook, tipidcp are only some of the apps.I don’ know if mine is an isolated case.
late(as in 2012) adapter + old man perspective:
you just have to have something that works and you’ll like using all the time for your needs
cupertino fans will recall the words “intersection of arts and technology and user experience” ….this from a man who also said
“I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong,”
“I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.”
‘course you have the inner geek in you and just want to really tinker around….do things your way….because that’s how you’re wired.
but when times comes you just have to put the phone down and really spend some face time with……(insert your dog, wife or kids’ name)
well….they’re just phones….
even if it REALLY is the Jesus Phone
reminds me of the saying “Galit ang magnanakaw sa kapwa magnanakaw”
If you are a Software Engineer, then grab them both, develop apps, and generate money. If not, don’t complicate things. Just simply go with what you feel. After all, based on your article, you’re just tinkering not developing.