iPhone vs Android

[graylocks]

a friend of mine is wanting a smartphone and asked what would be the differences between an iPhone and an Android phone. well, i only know the iPhone and, like all Apple products, it's elegant and it just plain works. it's not my favorite phone but it's damn sure the best computer i've held in the palm of my hand.

she's a pc user. yes, i've tried. she had a mac for a while but when she needed a new laptop she saw this PC on sale and has regretted the purchase ever since. you know how that goes. she's not very techie oriented.

would the Android OS serve her as well as the iPhone for a user with simple needs?

[silvarios]

Yes. If the needs are making calls, texting, web, GPS, and the like. If there are specific apps she wants, then you might want to check availability of the same app or suitable replacements before purchasing an Android phone.

I'm quite happy with my Android phone.

[mattkime]

I've been developing on android so my view might be a bit slanted but its only made me appreciate the iPhone more.

its the mac vs. pc choice all over again, plain and simple. i think the vast majority of people would be happier with an iphone. but i think most people would be happier with Macs and the behavior of PEople simply hasn't agreed with that.

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That said, I'd state my preference and then say that it doesn't really matter.

[Trouble]

graylocks wrote: would the Android OS serve her as well as the iPhone for a user with simple needs?

I wouldn't think so.

[St. Bernard]

I use both fairly extensively and--at least for my hardware--I'd go with an iPhone, esp. now that iOS 5 should resolve some of the sillier problems with the OS (notifications, I'm, uh, notifying you). They are more comparable than you might think (perhaps Win 7 v. OS X as opposed to Win 98 v. OS 8.x?) but I've found Android to have many more little niggling oddities and bugs that make me happier using the iPhone.

[RAMd®d]

I'm a 'Phone fan.

My main concern, if I were to consider recommending an Andriod product is that the OS is fragmented among manufacturers and models.

I don't know that it won't eventually be the same among all makes and models of Android phones.

But until then, one would have to be sure a particular model of phone has the features the buy wants, because I don't think it's a universal, identical experience across the platform.

To me, the Android OS seems more suited to geekier users than consumers.

[Article Accelerator]

graylocks wrote:
a friend of mine is wanting a smartphone and asked what would be the differences between an iPhone and an Android phone.

The iPhone is good and all Android-based phones are bad.

would the Android OS serve her as well as the iPhone for a user with simple needs?

No.

If she chooses an Android-based phone, she will have have to cope with its malware, poor battery life, and bad interfaces.

[silvarios]

Article Accelerator wrote:
[quote=graylocks]
a friend of mine is wanting a smartphone and asked what would be the differences between an iPhone and an Android phone.

The iPhone is good and all Android-based phones are bad.

would the Android OS serve her as well as the iPhone for a user with simple needs?

No.

If she chooses an Android-based phone, she will have have to cope with its malware, poor battery life, and bad interfaces.
Wow! FUD much? I suppose all the pro MS FUD writers have migrated to the new King of the Mountain, Apple.

graylocks,
Android is fine for basic use. Try to better understand her needs and then see what phone best meets them. People use smartphones differently, really we are all stabbing in the dark.

[rgG]

I bought my daughter the Optimus T, and Android phone for T-Mobile. It seems simple to operate and quite nice. She was able to download the apps she needed, she didn't need 400 apps on her phone, and they seem to work well.

She would rather have had an iPhone, but the Optimus T was a refurbished phone from T-Mobile for $119.00 and it came with $30 in airtime, and I was paying for it, not her. She uses it with their $50 unlimited talk, text and web plan. For the difference in price, mainly for the plan cost each month, this will serve her needs just fine and was a much better deal.

As others have said, it depends on what your friend needs in a phone and how much she is willing/able to spend.

Edit: I will also say that I really like the way Google integrates with the Android phones and my Palm Pixi. It syncs with all your Google stuff, which I use more than iCal and address book. If your friend is a heavy Google user, an Android might be a good fit for her.

[MartyStickle]

I've used both, but now that I have an iphone, I wouldn't ever change back.