Those who have been following me on Gear Diary know that I was an early Android lover. I had the very first Android phone, the G1. While it was not without its foibles, I loved the phone even with it’s Jay Leno chin and chunkiness. About 18 months ago, I replaced my beloved G1 with a Droid 2 and switched from T-Mobile to Verizon. Early on, I was extremely satisfied with my Droid 2. It was easily faster than my G1 ever was. I was able to run applications my G1 would choke on and I never had an issue running out of application storage.
However, as time has passed, my enthusiasm for my Droid 2 has waned. Some of this is that it’s not new and shiny, but most of this is the issues I continue to have. Random rebooting, occasional unexplained sluggishness and Google Play issues are rampant on my Droid 2. Also, since Motorola has brought out a Droid 3, Droid 4 and umpteen other Droid branded phones since I purchased my Droid 2, well let’s just say I am less than impressed with Motorola’s dedication and support to any device they make. So, the only thing I can say is: my next phone will not be a Motorola device.
So where does that leave me?? Basically, other Android devices or the iPhone. Windows Phone 7 is a non-starter on Verizon as the only phone they have is the HTC Trophy which is almost one year old. I will investigate the choices I am considering below just like I did when I bought my EeePad last year. The only exception here is the phone has to be on Verizon as I am not switching carriers.
iPhone 4S
My wife has an iPhone 4. She loves it. Every time I use it I cringe a little. However, the one thing that is starting to change my tune is that it’s always been very stable. It’s RARE when my wife has an issue with her phone. Also, I am impressed that Apple seems to have the power to keep iOS relatively crap app free when it comes to pre-loaded apps. Also the selection of accessories available to the iPhone are second to none.
With that said, I do have my pet peeves about iOS. I share many of the hates that Josh Smith at Gottabemobile has about the iPhone. Why does it take 4 taps to enable/disable Bluetooth?? I always wondered why my wife doesn’t use the hands free Bluetooth calling built into our new car and now I know why. If I had to do 4 taps just to toggle Bluetooth on, I’d never do it or I’d just leave it on all the time and let my battery life suffer. Also, I dislike the positioning of the back button in most apps. The upper left hand corner is just out of my thumb’s reach even on the smaller screen the iPhone has versus other Android devices. I am sure I could get used to it, but it just doesn’t feel right to me. I also use and abuse Gmail and most of its features. Priority mail and tags are fixtures in my Gmail box. Plus I have at least 3 e-mail accounts on my Droid 2 and it’s easy to keep them separate. It’s not as easy on the iOS, unless you iPhone people have a way to do this that I don’t know about (PLEASE share your ideas below…I’d be interested in hearing them.)
Galaxy Nexus
Ahh the Nexus. I really wanted the Nexus One when it came out. Initially it looked like the Nexus One was going to be on all the carriers, but then by the time I was ready, it was announced that it was not coming to Verizon. I was disappointed, but I figured that something better would come along and it did in the Droid 2. The only thing I really hated about the Droid 2 at the time was Moto Blur. As time went on, this continued to still be my one of beefs with the phone. So that is why I was really excited when the Galaxy Nexus was announced on Verizon. Straight Android 4.0 with no custom interface. What’s not to like? Well, I’ve had some friends report issues with reception. One had reception so bad, he returned the device. Also, the Verizon version of the Galaxy Nexus has some issues with its developer phone status. The Verge did report that ROMs will continue to come from Google so while this makes me feel better than I initially did about looking into the Galaxy Nexus, there are still some things that don’t work on the Verizon version without some hackery. Google Wallet being the biggest example.
And that’s it…
Really. That’s all. Since I will not buy another Motorola device and the other phones they have are all mid to low-end phones with the possible exception of the Rezound, those are really the only two I am even interested in. So it really comes down to: iOS or Android.
Talk to me.
Do you like the Galaxy Nexus or the iPhone? Can you give me apps that will help me transition to iOS if I choose that route? Can you help me fix the issues I have with Android?? Is there something else I am completely missing? Let me know.
Once a choice has been made, I will reveal it right here on Gear Diary and list first impressions.