Got an Iphone 4 yesterday VS Android

So, I have an Iphone 4. I also have the HTC Droid incredible from Verizon. A 2.2 Android device. This is NOT a biased series of questions. I WANT to like the Iphone better. But I can't find many reasons to.

The weather app doesn't find my location by GPS like the weather app on my droid. Now there may be one to download that does and if there is then let me know.

I don't see any free navigation like my droid has. Google navigation.

When I loaded websites up both when the same amount of bars of 3G service the Android loaded the website much faster. The same with the same wifi.

The text messages are in bubbles and I can only see so much without scrolling back up. The apps don't seem multi task as well as the android ones.

Basically I'm asking, as a noob to the iphone, what do I need to do to enjoy this phone? Again, I WANT to enjoy this phone. I own an MacBook pro and am very impressed with apple's products.

Also where was it that I'm not supposed to hold the phone while talking on the iphone 4 to damage the signal?

Any cool FREE apps that might make me enjoy this phone more please point them in my direction.

Subscribing. I own an Incredible too. It's a little flakey compared to my iPod Touch, but I've never owned an iPhone, so no doubt I'll run into questions like this myself whenever I do make the switch.

cwa107 said:

Subscribing. I own an Incredible too. It's a little flakey compared to my iPod Touch, but I've never owned an iPhone, so no doubt I'll run into questions like this myself whenever I do make the switch.

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Yeah, well you hear people talk about the Iphone 4 like it's an amazing device and so far I'm seeing not much evidence of it. I do like the phone so far but compared to my incredible it doesn't do half of the stuff nowhere near as well.

logan78511 said:

Yeah, well you hear people talk about the Iphone 4 like it's an amazing device and so far I'm seeing not much evidence of it. I do like the phone so far but compared to my incredible it doesn't do half of the stuff nowhere near as well.

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Slightly OT, but just out of curiosity - have you had issues with the 3G turning off intermittently following the 2.2 upgrade?

Well my wife has the 3rd Gen iPod Touch and I have a Wi-fi only iPad. So my experience with iOS is limited to those devices.

I know the Weather Channel has an app that does use your location. I use it on the iPad. The iPod Touch comes with its own (which I'm assuming is the same as the iPhone) but I haven't used it yet. You can try searching the App Store for that Weather Channel app.

There is a standard Google Maps app that comes pre-installed on the iPod Touch and iPad. Works fine. But as far as actual navigation (like Garmin) you can do an App store search for "navigation" and you'll find some options, including some free Apps. No idea on how any of them work as I haven't tried any of those.

Web browsing is very quick on my iPad and the iPod Touch, but that experience is limited to wi-fi in my house. I have a fairly generous internet provider so my download speeds are good.

To avoid attenuation, do not cover the lower left side of the phone... or just get a bumper or case of some sort so that your hand doesn't make contact.

cwa107 said:

Slightly OT, but just out of curiosity - have you had issues with the 3G turning off intermittently following the 2.2 upgrade?

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No not really. It goes to 1x and then to 3g sometimes but no more than it always has. It mostly stays on 3g. And wow Verizon has 3G in way more places than AT&T for sure.

Enjoy the iPhone, they are very nice. Also, I hope you have a thick skin, as these posts tend to go South at some point. You might try doing some searches on this forum on iPhone apps as I'm sure there are some that will meet your requirements. They may not be free, but they likely exist.

logan78511 said:

So, I have an Iphone 4. I also have the HTC Droid incredible from Verizon. A 2.2 Android device. This is NOT a biased series of questions. I WANT to like the Iphone better. But I can't find many reasons to.

The weather app doesn't find my location by GPS like the weather app on my droid. Now there may be one to download that does and if there is then let me know.

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I used the Weatherbug application on my iPhone and neither free version "follow" the iPhone like the free Weatherbug for Droid. Perhaps the paid version for iPhone does?

logan78511 said:

I don't see any free navigation like my droid has. Google navigation.

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Not sure what you mean here. There is a map/navigation application native to the iPhone by Google. You can search for turn by turn directions pretty easily. I prefer it to the same Google application on the Droid. However, the iPhone does not have a native Car Dock application like many Droids do (one that behaves like a TomTom head unit).

logan78511 said:

When I loaded websites up both when the same amount of bars of 3G service the Android loaded the website much faster. The same with the same wifi.

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I think you will find 3G speeds vary widely throughout even the same city for the same carrier. The handheld doesn't seem to impact this as much as the carrier. For example, my iPhone had quicker speeds, but more dead zones here in Minneapolis. My DroidX has slower speeds, but works absolutely everywhere except underground parking structures. WiFi seems to be the same speed (on wireless N) on both.

logan78511 said:

The text messages are in bubbles and I can only see so much without scrolling back up. The apps don't seem multi task as well as the android ones.

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I don't text, Twittypage or Facebook so I'm not much help here. Sorry.

logan78511 said:

Basically I'm asking, as a noob to the iphone, what do I need to do to enjoy this phone? Again, I WANT to enjoy this phone. I own an MacBook pro and am very impressed with apple's products.

Also where was it that I'm not supposed to hold the phone while talking on the iphone 4 to damage the signal?

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It is allegedly the lower left hand side if you are looking it the front of the phone. Some adamantly claim there is no issue, so your mileage may vary. Apple suggests using one of the fine cases to fully enjoy the enhanced antenna design. The free case program ends soon, so grab one ASAP if you are in the minority of people who have antenna issues.

logan78511 said:

Any cool FREE apps that might make me enjoy this phone more please point them in my direction.

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There are a ton, so I'll leave that to others to tout their favorite apps. The FoxNews app is nice.

The navigation that comes default on Android is turn by turn directions. It talks to you. Just like a GPS you buy for a car. It opens up in Google maps, like the maps you see that's default on the iphone. But then when you hit directions and navigations it brings you into a separate thing called google navigation. In which it talks to you, tells you where to turn, follows you, the same thing as a GPS you would purchase for a car.

also even over 3G without wifi, Verizon plays youtube in HD. AT&T doesn't. Low quality.

logan78511 said:

No not really. It goes to 1x and then to 3g sometimes but no more than it always has. It mostly stays on 3g. And wow Verizon has 3G in way more places than AT&T for sure.

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Yeah, it seems to vary widely depending on the area you're in. Here in Central PA, Verizon easily has the best network. My 3G speeds blow away that of my friends and coworkers on AT&T, showing full strength.

It's weird, I'll turn on my phone and the 3G symbol is just not there in the menu bar at the top. If I open a connected app, it will say there's no connection. I can turn off and back on the 3G radio, but it never comes back on. I just have no connectivity whatsoever until I reboot the phone and then I'm good for a couple of days. I tried wiping and doing a firmware update via the file (rather than the OTA), but the problem persists. Never happened until 2.2 for whatever reason.

cwa107 said:

Yeah, it seems to vary widely depending on the area you're in. Here in Central PA, Verizon easily has the best network. My 3G speeds blow away that of my friends and coworkers on AT&T, showing full strength.

It's weird, I'll turn on my phone and the 3G symbol is just not there in the menu bar at the top. If I open a connected app, it will say there's no connection. I can turn off and back on the 3G radio, but it never comes back on. I just have no connectivity whatsoever until I reboot the phone and then I'm good for a couple of days. I tried wiping and doing a firmware update via the file (rather than the OTA), but the problem persists. Never happened until 2.2 for whatever reason.

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Well they are supposed to put out yet another update next month that should fix everything.

Are you planning on switching to the iphone? I'm sitting here messing with both of them. Theres so many things the droid does that I wish the iphone would do. For one like the notification menu at the top. Why do they not have that? When someone sends you a message on the iphone it just pops up in the middle of whatever you're doing. You can turn that off but then you can't read the message. On the android it's at the top and doesn't bother you.

I don't know man!!!!

logan78511 said:

Well they are supposed to put out yet another update next month that should fix everything.

Are you planning on switching to the iphone? I'm sitting here messing with both of them. Theres so many things the droid does that I wish the iphone would do. For one like the notification menu at the top. Why do they not have that? When someone sends you a message on the iphone it just pops up in the middle of whatever you're doing. You can turn that off but then you can't read the message. On the android it's at the top and doesn't bother you.

I don't know man!!!!

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I'm on the fence myself. Had you asked me that question when I first got it and was getting used to the OS, I would have said resoundingly "YES!". But now that I know how to use it and have it customized to my needs, iOS feels a little quaint (running on my 2nd Gen iPod Touch). Also, I've been tethering occasionally using PDANet with my MBP and it works great. I can't imagine having to give that up or pay an extra fee.

I do think iOS has a lot going for it. For one, you have to admit that 3rd party apps on iOS are generally of MUCH higher quality. Most of the stuff I've d/l on my Incredible are junky Java apps. They take forever to load and are often clunky to use, since the Inc doesn't have a trackball. Additionally, I will say that iOS feels more refined (if less customizable). I've also rarely had iOS crash on my iPod Touch. I find myself rebooting the Inc often.

Other than that, it's kind of a wash.

I don't own either an iPhone or an Android device but I do have one piece of advice. Don't force yourself to like a device on the basis that most people do. If you prefer the Android device, go with it. There is no reason that you have to choose the iPhone as it sounds like the Android device more than meets your needs.

Mapquest offers a free nav app with voice to tell you about upcoming turns. I still prefer the google maps that it comes with.

cwa107 said:

I'm on the fence myself. Had you asked me that question when I first got it and was getting used to the OS, I would have said resoundingly "YES!". But now that I know how to use it and have it customized to my needs, iOS feels a little quaint (running on my 2nd Gen iPod Touch). Also, I've been tethering occasionally using PDANet with my MBP and it works great. I can't imagine having to give that up or pay an extra fee.

I do think iOS has a lot going for it. For one, you have to admit that 3rd party apps on iOS are generally of MUCH higher quality. Most of the stuff I've d/l on my Incredible are junky Java apps. They take forever to load and are often clunky to use, since the Inc doesn't have a trackball. Additionally, I will say that iOS feels more refined (if less customizable). I've also rarely had iOS crash on my iPod Touch. I find myself rebooting the Inc often.

Other than that, it's kind of a wash.

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Yeah true. I use PDA net also. But I'm not even worried about that. The thing I'm worried about is when I travel to rural areas there is NO 3G service on AT&T and there is with Verizon. **** anywhere you go on Verizon there's 3G service. The bill is a bit cheaper with AT&T than it is with all the same features as Verizon. There is no unlimited internet anymore with AT&T though. The most you can get is 2GB a month. But most people don't go to that point even though it seems like you could easily you probably won't. And if you're at home you have the wifi on anyway so it's not using any of it.

Battery life seems pretty great on the iphone 4 so far. I like the fact that it has a camera in the front and the back. The thing looks amazing. It's very sleek.

AT&T didn't offer insurance on it either. They told me to go to state farm or something if I wanted to get insurance on the phone! so if the thing breaks I'm screwed. I mean I could drop it or something and then I'd be stuck paying like 700 dollars for a new phone.

Another thing is with the Droid I have two extended batteries with external charger. The iphone you can't switch out batteries. It's built in. Also you can't switch out SD cards. The memory is built in. So you can't have two 16 GB cards with different stuff on it.

They told me at the at&T store the iphone 4 has full flash on it but it doesn't seem to do all the flash stuff that the droid does. And the web browser is not as fast.

Yet for some reason I'm still thinking about keeping the thing. I'm even thinking about keeping both of them. I'm such a nerd.

I got 30 days to try it out.

vansmith said:

I don't own either an iPhone or an Android device but I do have one piece of advice. Don't force yourself to like a device on the basis that most people do. If you prefer the Android device, go with it. There is no reason that you have to choose the iPhone as it sounds like the Android device more than meets your needs.

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Well, it's not because other people do. It's more of "Trying" it I guess. I've always heard about it so I wanted to try it. I can try it for 30 days and then get out of the contract if I don't like it. There are things I do like about it so far.

I mean I don't know the phone well enough yet so I can't make a decision. I'm gonna give it about 2 weeks and see where I'm at.

logan78511 said:

Yeah true. I use PDA net also. But I'm not even worried about that. The thing I'm worried about is when I travel to rural areas there is NO 3G service on AT&T and there is with Verizon. **** anywhere you go on Verizon there's 3G service. The bill is a bit cheaper with AT&T than it is with all the same features as Verizon. There is no unlimited internet anymore with AT&T though. The most you can get is 2GB a month. But most people don't go to that point even though it seems like you could easily you probably won't. And if you're at home you have the wifi on anyway so it's not using any of it.

Battery life seems pretty great on the iphone 4 so far. I like the fact that it has a camera in the front and the back. The thing looks amazing. It's very sleek.

AT&T didn't offer insurance on it either. They told me to go to state farm or something if I wanted to get insurance on the phone! so if the thing breaks I'm screwed. I mean I could drop it or something and then I'd be stuck paying like 700 dollars for a new phone.

Another thing is with the Droid I have two extended batteries with external charger. The iphone you can't switch out batteries. It's built in. Also you can't switch out SD cards. The memory is built in. So you can't have two 16 GB cards with different stuff on it.

They told me at the at&T store the iphone 4 has full flash on it but it doesn't seem to do all the flash stuff that the droid does. And the web browser is not as fast.

Yet for some reason I'm still thinking about keeping the thing. I'm even thinking about keeping both of them. I'm such a nerd.

I got 30 days to try it out.

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The iPhone doesn't have Flash at all. Period. Apple has recently opened up their development to allow development suites that produce fully compiled apps (i.e. you don't need a "player" to run it), but that doesn't mean it supports Flash.

You brought up a good point about the battery life. I can't compare it to the iPhone, but I get pretty short run-time (about 24 hours under light use) even with my Seidio 1750mAH battery. But at least I can carry a backup with me. I also like having internal and external storage, that is another plus.

Another thing I just thought of - doesn't it tick you off that there isn't a "Photos" app on the Inc? There's a Videos app, but you have to go into the Camera app to look at your photos, which is kind of a PITA.

cwa107 said:

The iPhone doesn't have Flash at all. Period. Apple has recently opened up their development to allow development suites that produce fully compiled apps (i.e. you don't need a "player" to run it), but that doesn't mean it supports Flash.

You brought up a good point about the battery life. I can't compare it to the iPhone, but I get pretty short run-time (about 24 hours under light use) even with my Seidio 1750mAH battery. But at least I can carry a backup with me. I also like having internal and external storage, that is another plus.

Another thing I just thought of - doesn't it tick you off that there isn't a "Photos" app on the Inc? There's a Videos app, but you have to go into the Camera app to look at your photos, which is kind of a PITA.

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No, just click "gallery" in your apps and it'll show all your photos. Sometimes if you just took them it might take a second to show them though. Let it load when you click it.

Mapquest offers a free nav app with voice to tell you about upcoming turns. I still prefer the google maps that it comes with.

logan78511 said:

No, just click "gallery" in your apps and it'll show all your photos. Sometimes if you just took them it might take a second to show them though. Let it load when you click it.

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Duh! How did I miss that!

I've had the phone since April and never noticed that before. Thanks a lot!