question about android, apple, and windows operatings systems on smart phones

[brad353]

sorry to be posting another thread on smart phones, i did do a search and read some older threads but couldn't find the answer i was after.

i'm in the market for my first smart phone which i'll be buying outright as my contract is up and i'm on month by month now and don't want to start another one.

the main thing i want to know is which is the best operating system for me if i want to be able to load avi files onto my phone to watch movies and tv shows? i spend a lot of time on planes so being able to watch my movies is a must. after checking out some phones on the weekend it sounds like most of the operating systems won't allow you to do that because they want you to actually buy the movies? screw that i say. is it possible to get something similar to vlc so that you can watch all different formats on your phone?

have been recommended the samsung galaxy s 2 which is coming out soon and is an android phone. i also looked at the htc hd7, which i really liked, but it's a windows phone meaning there's no apps. do i really want apps? sorry if that's a silly question but as i said it's going to be my first smart phone....

 

[chapdaddy]

Personally I think the apple and windows phones are still light years ahead of android. Windows does have an app store, it's just not as massive as apple's or android's. You can get VLC for the iphone, it is just an app download but it is a bit buggy. It's not difficult to transfer movies to an itunes format using converters like handbrake. Is your computer a mac or PC?

 

[brad353]

i have a pc, but my girlfriend has a brand new mac book pro. i also like the fact that the windows phone has xbox live as i use xbox live at home. what are the prices of the windows apps like compared to their competitors?

 

[hazza6542]

This is going to be such a bias thread.. I know nothing of windows phones so I can't really talk about them.

Anyway, I'm running android and it seriously couldn't be better. The amount of times I'ver heard friends talking about how they haven't got a phone because their iPhone is coming back under warranty is insane. iPhone's really aren't that great. Anything iPhone can do, Android can do really. If you want movies on your android, you use the app Handbrake aswell, just the android version. Oh, and the android market is insane, it's fantastic. Plus there are lovely easy ways to get the paid app's free anyway, just a little google search will set you straight.

As for apps, first day I got my desire I downloaded so many apps it wasn't funny, played with them all, deleted the majority within the week. Honestly you don't need them and you wont want them. The only downloaded apps I use are the shortcuts to turning on/off bluetooth (mmmm, bluetooth, cos android can actually use it...) and wireless etc..

I say Android, it runs well, it's developing a lot faster than iOS and so far it's more reliable than an iPhone. Have a play with each though, iPhone's are incredibly easy to use and almost anyone aged 2 - 99 could help you out with one. Android is a little harder to learn but once you have it's easy, and it's layout is a lot cleaner.

 

[Plankosaurus]

This is going to be such a bias thread.. I know nothing of windows phones so I can't really talk about them.

Anyway, I'm running android and it seriously couldn't be better. The amount of times I'ver heard friends talking about how they haven't got a phone because their iPhone is coming back under warranty is insane. iPhone's really aren't that great. Anything iPhone can do, Android can do really. If you want movies on your android, you use the app Handbrake aswell, just the android version. Oh, and the android market is insane, it's fantastic. Plus there are lovely easy ways to get the paid app's free anyway, just a little google search will set you straight.

As for apps, first day I got my desire I downloaded so many apps it wasn't funny, played with them all, deleted the majority within the week. Honestly you don't need them and you wont want them. The only downloaded apps I use are the shortcuts to turning on/off bluetooth (mmmm, bluetooth, cos android can actually use it...) and wireless etc..

I say Android, it runs well, it's developing a lot faster than iOS and so far it's more reliable than an iPhone. Have a play with each though, iPhone's are incredibly easy to use and almost anyone aged 2 - 99 could help you out with one. Android is a little harder to learn but once you have it's easy, and it's layout is a lot cleaner.

i'd take that with a grain of salt. i'm an android fanboy, BUT get the wrong hardware and its going to be a nightmare. the desire is an exceptional phone, super fast, choc full of features, relaible and supported by probably the best android phone manufacturer, HTC. on the other hand though, i've got the first samsung galaxy, decent hardware but no support at all from samsung and if it wasn't for the awesome geek community out there, i'd still be running version 1.5 of the OS instead of 2.3 (there has been 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 since its release which they havn't seen fit to give us).

plusses of the android system are:
choice of hardware (small, big, fast, slow, cheap, expensive, etc.)
availability of spares like batteries (i have 2 spares for when i'm using the GPS tracking app for hours on end)
expandable memory in case the memory you bought the phone with isn't enough
massive developer community thats not just interested in profit
pretty much limitless customization
apps for EVERYTHING, and normally for free too.
you're not forced to like what steve jobs says you will like

i still think that all the irubbish is more user friendly and better polished in most respects than android. i dont like giving them any points, but i have to give them that. as for windoze phones, i think they're playing catchup, not the other way around. windoze have been in the game much longer, but until recently, didn't seem interested in making anything decent. i havn't had a play with windoze mobile 7, but 6.5 was so far behind the mark it didn't even rate.


but whatever you get, dont just expect to throw an avi from your pc on the phone, you will need to convert it first for use on the phone. theres a massive selection of simple to use converters out there and a massive selection of player apps for the phones aswell. i can absolutely garauntee that you'll be able to get movies and what not on your phone whatever you buy.

 

[Ben-e]

have been recommended the Samsung galaxy s 2

I've had my Galaxy for about 4 months now and im very pleased with it. Its definitely the best and most highly recommended off all the Android smart phones, but its also one of the most expensive too, but quality wise its second to none.

The second generation Galaxy is apparently going to be a revelation or something, designed specifically for Android Honeycomb and running higher ghz and ram - I would definitely go for this phone if I had the choice. Im also on my second Samsung and im in the construction industry - both phones have been abused pretty badly but they still work perfectly.

Reliability: IPhones are pretty awesome obviously, particularly for the media side of things, but as an actual phone they suffer from many issues (interference, cutting out etc) as a result my workplace has stopped using them as work phones, replacing them with Galaxy's, Nokias and HTC's.

Then there is the market share of smart phones - more people are moving over to android phones because they are simply better.

 

[brad353]

thanks to everyone, some great advice there. android is certainly looking like the way to go. almost disappointing because i really liked that htc hd7. the samsungs do sound very good, except for the lack of support from samsung. after sales support counts for a lot i believe.

i should also mention i'm with telstra. is the htc desire hd much better than the standard desire? and can it be used with telstra? and is there any other phones that are soon to be released that may be worth holding out for?

 

[Alec McJo]

I once had Android.

I then spent 14 months without Android.

I now have Android again as of around 2 weeks ago.

Holy fuck I missed Android.

I have it on a Motorola Milestone 2 - I'd recommend getting a HTC if you can. I wanted a physical QWERTY keyboard ontop of the big touch screen, and the HTC Desire Z I couldn't get as it's Vodafone exclusive atm, but I do still like my Milestone.

(My original phone was a HTC Dream, btw. Miss it alot. The keyboard was amazing )

 

[hazza6542]

i should also mention i'm with telstra. is the htc desire hd much better than the standard desire? and can it be used with telstra? and is there any other phones that are soon to be released that may be worth holding out for?

I'm with telstra on a standard desire, and it's fast and has reception everywhere. The difference between desire and hd is pretty vast.

The HD is larger in every way, except it's 0.1mm thinner, WIN!
Screen is S-LCD, desire is AMOLED. Dunno what it means, but, google is your friend.
HD has almost triple the RAM, and more ROM.

Personally I like the desire over the hd, purely because of the size and it has buttons over touch sensitive keys. Oh and I dropped it into a fire and it only cracked the screen in a straight hairline. HTC > iPhone

 

[chapdaddy]

Then there is the market share of smart phones - more people are moving over to android phones because they are simply better.

I think the fact they are cheaper has more to do with it than anything. here in New Zild you can pick up a starter android for 299... a heck of a lot cheaper than the grand for a iphone or windows phone.

 

[Rider_of_Fast]

Is the HTC Desire HD the duckz nutz?

I'm also looking at tapping into the smartphone market and facing the age old iPhone vs Andriod.

Which specific HTC model are we talking here?

 

[Ivan]

i'd take that with a grain of salt. i'm an android fanboy, BUT get the wrong hardware and its going to be a nightmare. the desire is an exceptional phone, super fast, choc full of features, relaible and supported by probably the best android phone manufacturer, HTC. on the other hand though, i've got the first samsung galaxy, decent hardware but no support at all from samsung and if it wasn't for the awesome geek community out there, i'd still be running version 1.5 of the OS instead of 2.3 (there has been 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 since its release which they havn't seen fit to give us).

plusses of the android system are:
choice of hardware (small, big, fast, slow, cheap, expensive, etc.)
availability of spares like batteries (i have 2 spares for when i'm using the GPS tracking app for hours on end)
expandable memory in case the memory you bought the phone with isn't enough
massive developer community thats not just interested in profit
pretty much limitless customization
apps for EVERYTHING, and normally for free too.
you're not forced to like what steve jobs says you will like

i still think that all the irubbish is more user friendly and better polished in most respects than android. i dont like giving them any points, but i have to give them that. as for windoze phones, i think they're playing catchup, not the other way around. windoze have been in the game much longer, but until recently, didn't seem interested in making anything decent. i havn't had a play with windoze mobile 7, but 6.5 was so far behind the mark it didn't even rate.


but whatever you get, dont just expect to throw an avi from your pc on the phone, you will need to convert it first for use on the phone. theres a massive selection of simple to use converters out there and a massive selection of player apps for the phones aswell. i can absolutely garauntee that you'll be able to get movies and what not on your phone whatever you buy.

I agree with everything 99coconuts has said.

the apple gadgets are probably a bit more polished (I have both android and apple OS products) but one thing I do think they are missing is the optical scroll button like on the Desire. It kicks ass over the little magnifying glass thingy on the apple OS.

 

[hazza6542]

but one thing I do think they are missing is the optical scroll button like on the Desire. It kicks ass over the little magnifying glass thingy on the apple OS.

HD doesn't have that, dunno how it works, all HTC products I've used so far had one

 

[donthucktoflat]

android android android.

convert files? no just chuck em on ya sd and away you go. plays avi straight out of the box, always rotate eps of top gear and big bang theory for lunch break boredom kill.

im using a samsung galaxy s with android 2.2 . was crap with the supplied android (2.1) but once the froyo (2.2) update came out epicness ensued. 2.3 is out soon also so should just keep getting better.

the new galaxy s HD comes with 2.3 already installed though

 

[mr_casual]

im dale kerrigan and this is my story....

when i decided prepaid wasnt my thing, i decided i may as well go all out on something epic. the iphone was getting a bit old, and i didnt rate it anyway. iPhone 3gs screens where mediocre, and the whole itunes for sync thing is just stupid, along with bluetooth being the most useless thing for the device to even have without being jailbroken.

the HTC HD2 had just been released, and in the stores, it was just as fast, and the screen was amazing, not to mention it is REALLY well made. its a few mm's thinner than a iPhone and was ver solid. so i bought it.

then i realised windows 6.5 with sense wasn't very nice, it worked sometimes, and then it would crash when you needed it, and its multitasking was too much (processing endless crap in my pocket and running out of batteries within a few hours).

then the nice people on XDA cracked it for android gingerbread (2.3) and my life is complete.

it scores higher than a galaxy S, and in my opinion is a nicer phone, the galaxy feels too plasticy, like a 3gs.

i ran windows phone 7 on there for a while, and that was great, just wasnt very fun, didnt have any apps...

the new larger screen HTC's coming out look to be where the market is heading, keep an eye out on www.engadget.com ... they keep everything tech wise up to date to keep you dreaming!

 

[Steve-0]

the galaxy feels too plasticy,

That's a win! It's got to be the lightest phone ever and it never breaks! It bounces for miles but will never crack. The screen is made out of like bullet proof kevlar.

If you want super hacker software for playing copyrighted movies and the likes, Definitely go Android. It's so open it ain't funny.

Symbian (Nokia) is horrible and Previous Windows software just packs up as soon as you open another window. Not sure about 7 though...

iPhone would be pretty sweet for videos but it's got the 3.7" screen and it might stop you from watching anything but apple format videos. Unless you want to jailbreak it.

My 2c.
p.s. Galaxy S. $29 cap. 4" SAMOLED screen with great resolution. Plenty fast enough for anything you want to do, Battery lasts minimum 10hrs with constant youtube streaming on max screen brightness 1.5years after I bought one. If I try, I see 3 days of battery with just phone calls and txting.. Galaxy 2 would probably be the go.

 

[Ben-e]

I think the fact they are cheaper has more to do with it than anything. here in New Zild you can pick up a starter android for 299... a heck of a lot cheaper than the grand for a iphone or windows phone.

Actually, that pie chart indicates that people are moving from iPhones to Android (I forgot to mention that..) - apple are losing market share. But I agree with you wholly - more bang for your buck, plus it will actually work as a phone, yay!

 

[chapdaddy]

Actually, that pie chart indicates that people are moving from iPhones to Android (I forgot to mention that..) - apple are losing market share. But I agree with you wholly - more bang for your buck, plus it will actually work as a phone, yay!

Fer shits sake.... that pie chart shows market share. Fair call. But it's not comparing apples (forgive the pun) with oranges. If apple brought out a $299 phone (like some of the android phones which make up the numbers in that pie chart), then their market share would go up. If you only compared phones that were $1000 or greater, apple would make up a greater proportion.

iphones have a high level of functionality as standard, which comes at a premium. Android phones go from the very cheap and not very functional, to expensive phones that are the equal of (or outperform) the iphone.

The statistics of the oft quoted pie chart above don't take the variability of product into account. So all I'm saying is the numbers in the pie chart are likely to be inflated in favour of android, because you can pick up a cheap android.

Another interesting graphic can be found here... this one shows a lot lesser share for Blackberry and more for apple.

 

[brisneyland]

BUT get the wrong hardware and its going to be a nightmare. the desire is an exceptional phone, super fast, choc full of features, relaible and supported by probably the best android phone manufacturer, HTC. on the other hand though, i've got the first samsung galaxy, decent hardware but no support at all from samsung and if it wasn't for the awesome geek community out there, i'd still be running version 1.5 of the OS instead of 2.3 (there has been 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 since its release which they havn't seen fit to give us).

Definitely something to be aware of.

If you're doing long haul flights, you'll want an extra battery or battery extender for an iPhone, so take that into consideration.

The reliability concerns re: iphones are way overblown.

 

[wombat]

i should also mention i'm with telstra. is the htc desire hd much better than the standard desire? and can it be used with telstra? and is there any other phones that are soon to be released that may be worth holding out for?

If you're with Telstra, and shopping locally, best to get a phone from Telstra. The Optus and Vodafone 3G networks run on a different band (UTMS2100) to Telstra (UTMS850), and most handsets sold by the networks won't be cross compatible.

As for the original question, I'm using an Android phone, and I love it; there's definately nothing in the OS that's driving me to switch to an iPhone (then again if someone gave me one I wouldn't necessarily turn it down).
Personally, I think the big difference between the two is down to the approach the companies are taking. On one hand there's Apple, who have locked their OS down to their own hardware. You've got next to no choice in handsets, but you've also got very little to worry about with compatibility: the software matches the hardware, so it should do everything it says on the box.

Android is a lot more open so you've got tonnes of choice in phones at lots of different price points, but not all of them are going to give the same experience. What I've recently discovered too is that that experience may change with time too, as you update the OS.

I updated my HTC Legend to 2.2 last week (yeah, it's taken forever, thanks vodashit) and I'm finding the interface to be noticably laggier than it was with the old build. Obviously, the new OS version is asking a bit more of the phone's hardware, and it's showing. It's not to say it doesn't work, but for the small benefits I'm seeing (flashier graphics mainly) it's not worth the hassle.

Actually, my contract is about to end and since my phone has had a few high speed impacts with the road it's probably time to look at a replacement.

I think I'd like to go with either a Galaxy S II, or a HTC Sensation. The HTC is probably at the top of my list, largely because I've gotten used to the Sense UI and I like it, and because my current phone has been pretty damn solid, despite my mistreatment of it. That said, they both seem to be a little way off, so I might just end up making the jump to Telstra and getting a Desire. At least I'd have a working network...