android vs. iPhone

[nsamouroux]

I very much doubt it'll work at all over there... even in europe or china where they have more widespread cell coverage a new sim card would be required. The iphone isn't really a "world" phone since at&t uses a different frequency for their data / 3g network but voice should still work provided a new sim card is purchased for whatever carrier might operate in the area.

 

[edwing206]

You would have to get a plan for another country. Even if you buy a pay-as-you-go sim card.
OurReef-
A simple solution would be to download a program call "Skype". It allows you to speak with someone via microphone and even set up video chats(granted you both will have access to a computer with a microphone and or webcam). Best of all it's free. I use it all the time to talk with my friend from Berlin. The voice is as clear as a phone call.
Click the "download" tab in the upper left hand corner.
http://www.skype.com/welcomeback/

 

[OurReef]

we knew we needed a new plan, ATT said it was a "global phone" like our BB storms, however, the more and more research I do, sounds like he should just wait and buy something they have over there. Would be cheaper too, from what I am gathering. Thanks.

 

[Scooterman]

The friend of mine with the 3GS is waiting for the expected summer release of the new Iphone before he makes the switch to Android, but he's fed up with the closed format / nanny policies and is just waiting for a good device on the AT&T network.

This is the biggest gripe I have with the Iphone, they make you pay for all that memory & you can't use it like a flash drive etc. You pay for it you should get to use it anyway you want. I think they all have one or another issue, I played around with ways around this but it is just a pain IMO. The phone part works really well, solid unit, many many usable features & free apps. Surfs the net very well, the att network is reliable down here. I think we're on a verge of technology that will burst open more & more as time passes & these things will be second nature, better prices & more user friendly as they compete to dominate the market, that is the best thing to happen, eventually it will be open.
I think by the time my contract wears out It will be very different & at some point you just have to jump in & ride it out until bigger/better comes out LOL! I still have my wifes account with an open contract, so we can upgrade anytime but I'm going to wait until things change significantly to get my monies worth.
JMO, 2cents, YO!:badgrin:

 

[sapperfitz]

By the 23rd of March the CDMA version of the Nexus One should be released on the Verizon network (it just cleared FCC approval a few days ago), which should be pretty huge in terms of market share jump.

Do you know if you will be able to get on the web while talking with the Nexus One on the Verizon network? We are trying to figure out what smartphone to get as well and this is the only point that is making me lean towards the iphone at the moment.

Meg

 

[nsamouroux]

The nexus one by default (all Android devices I believe) allow multitasking, but I don't know if the verizon network itself places a limit on things like what you're wanting to do... I have my N1 on Tmobile (Even More Plus plan, unlimited phone / data / text for $79 a month and no contract) and I'm able to use GPS / web browsing / data / etc while on phone calls and have a bunch of apps and such running at the same time but that example probably doesn't help with the Verizon network...

 

[sapperfitz]

Thank you for the help--we both really wanted the Nexus One, but we need to stay Verizon for now, your news about it coming out the end of this month makes me happy!

 

[nsamouroux]

The oddity about the N1 on Verizon's network is that the primary benefit of the phone is that it isn't tied to a specific carrier (although Tmobile does offer subsidized pricing on it for new activations) but the CDMA version of the phone coming to Verizon can't be used on any other carrier other than perhaps Sprint? Hopefully Verizon will subsidize it since they're making heavy forays into the Android smartphone market

 

[sapperfitz]

Yeah, my husband just needed a phone that does all of this stuff like yesterday, but we have a contract with Verizon for the next year so if we can get a great phone that can do all of the things he needs and not have to pay anything to get out of a contract then it will be good.

Meg

 

[TotalVapor]

iPhone is a single processor computer. I dont care how fast your network is, if your phone process the download fast enough the network speed is worthless.

Android is dual core cpu and can handle the downloads so fast. With the open source of the phone it makes the apps endless and free. Not all but most, if you wait it for free make a request in the forums and someone will do it just to see if it can be done.

I am waiting to pick up one of these phones as soon as the apps for controlling my tank is done.

 

[nsamouroux]

Ummm... Where the heck did you get that bit about Android being dual core? there isn't a single dual core phone out there at this time (a couple in testing however). Android isn't anything to do with hardware, it's the operating system... Different Android devices have VASTLY different specs, not all are "smartphones". On the middle ground is phones like the Verizon / Motorola Droid which is a 600 mhz processor (the same speed as an Iphone 3GS although the Iphone underclocks it a bit to 400mhz). The upper end and fastest Android device on the market right now is the Nexus One which uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor at 1.0 ghz.

 

[Scooterman]

Hey man, I crammed a quad core i7 into my Iphone, the battery last a whole 8 seconds LOL!

Amazing how much power these phones have, I remember it would take a full room to do a 1/1000th of what these do!

 

[jrgilles]

I have a G1 phone, first edition google phone, and I love it.

I've played with the droids a bit, and I'm not sure I like their keyboard layout that much.

I'd go with the android OS all the way though. Plus, on android, 95% of apps are free. With the iPhone, they have people so trained to buying things, almost everything costs money. I'm all about open source, a way better future in it.

 

[nsamouroux]

I wonder if the Android or Apple markets have punch card reader functionality? :badgrin: I remember looking at my TI-83 graphing calculator when I bought one for a math class and thinking fondly of my first "computer", a TI-99/4a

Heck, for that matter, I remember when I was excited to get a computer with a Pentium processor in it and then thinking that an AMD 400mhz chip was "FAST! I can play the original Warcraft and Dos-based Win98 games now!". Now my cell phone has a 1ghz processor, 512 ram / 512 rom, and up to 32gig removable storage. Progress!

 

[TotalVapor]

Ummm... Where the heck did you get that bit about Android being dual core?

Maybe they were just trying to sell me the phone, I can't remember if it was bestbuy or one of the phone places in the mall.

Either way I didnt buy yet.

 

[ango917]

my vote is for the droid. att service sucks, especially with the iphone. so many of my friends have the iphone / att combo and i have to have many my conversations with them in pieces because of the dropped calls.

 

[reedman]

FWIW I have had zero dropped calls on the iphone to date. full bars at work and at home. Not saying it's the best option out there, but I haven't experienced the same problems that people in the past have.

Android's biggest advantages in my mind are the ability to multitask, availability on other carriers and the open source (for people who like to tinker with it). Other big advantage is the battery is replaceable by the user whereas the iPhone is only replaceable by the Apple folks. Not a big deal to me, but some people are really put off by this.

For me, the fact that it just integrates with my mac so well made it the easy choice.

 

[Scooterman]

Two questions, one how hard is it to jailbreak the iphone & where do you get it?

Oh I guess three questions, what exactly will it do for the phone?