Why Google’s Android phones are better than the iPhone?
There are too many reasons why Google’s Android phones are better than iPhone or any
other “Smartphones” on the Earth.
One main reason can be simplify in just one word: CHOICES !
Imagine a phone that is as capable and better than the iPhone but without the monopoly
of one company, Apple. That is what Android is all about. The ability to run tens
of thousands of apps just like the iPhone but with choice of phone models that you
can choose from. The choice of with or without physical keyboard, shape, color, phone
size, screen size, manufacturer, features, and phone carrier. No more monopoly by
one company on one carrier. Choices drive competition. The competition within Android
phone manufacturers itself will inevitably make Android phones even better than what
it is today, and in a short period of time. Just take a look at the Android’s historical
timeline and news event page on how fast events are rapidly unfolding and how Android
phones are evolving.
ANDROID vs IPHONE
FEATURES
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iPhone
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Operating System (OS) made by:
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Google, Open Handset Alliance (mostly cellphone manufacturers), and the Open Source
community. Android is still being released by Google. It is open source but it is
still under strong guidance from Google. It is not the wild wild west like open source
Linux that has no central control. Android has the advantage of BOTH open source
and central control of a powerful and innovative company.
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Proprietary to Apple.
Only Apple can make changes to the iOS.
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Phone carrier / network:
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Depending on phone manufacturer: You can now choose Android phones from ALL 4 major
U.S. networks: T-
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One choice: AT&T (GSM).
Unless you are technical minded enough to hack/root it. Still, you are limited to
GSM only network and with slower Edge only connection without 3G. How about CDMA
networks like Verizon? No possible way.
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4G data network.
4th generation cellular standard for digital data that is much faster than current
3G network. This give your 4G device a full broadband speed similar to home’s Cable-
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Yes.
If you are with Sprint 4G “Wi-
First cellphone to utilized the 4G capability is the HTC EVO 4G (WiMAX) “Supersonic”.
(4.3” screen, 1GHz).
Second phone 4G phone will be the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S Pro (4” screen with slideout
keyboard) for Sprint.
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No.
Many confused the new iPhone 4 with the 4G network. The 4 has nothing to do with
4G. The 4 just indicate the 4th generation iPhone introduced since 2007 and it is
only 3G capable. AT&T does NOT have the 4G network.
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Hardware design:
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HTC, Sony, Motorola, Samsung, LG, Garmin, Dell, Archos, Acer, Asus, Kyocera, and
the list is growing. Click here for the list of some the older Android phones (pictures
and specification).
This is one significant advantage over the iPhone: CHOICES.
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Only one choice: from Apple.
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Number of phones make and models to choose from (cumulative total):
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2007: Number of Android phones = 0
2008: Number of Android phones = 1
2009: Number of Android phones = 8
2010: Number of Android phones = 25
Above total does not include those models that come in different colors or any different
models sold outside the U.S. 4 largest network.
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2007: 1 (June 29, 2007) iPhone.
2008: 2 (July 11, 2008) iPhone 3G.
2009: 3 (June 19, 2009) iPhone 3GS.
2010: 4 (June 24, 2010) iPhone 4.
Total: 4 different phones introduced since 2007.
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Stock Price:
(July 15, 2010)
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Google (GOOG): $459.61
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Apple (AAPL): $249.90
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Where can I run my apps?
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Everywhere.
Manufacturers are making many devices not limited only to cellphones. Android OS
is now running in cellphones, tablets, Android cars, HDTV, desktop phones, microwave
oven, washing machine, set-
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Limited.
Limited to only one phone and one tablet made by one company.
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Text Entry: (Touch-
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Both: Touch-
All of them have touchscreen virtual on-
Some people love the physical keyboard while others don’t. With Android, you have
the choice and that choice is yours.
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No choice, only a touch screen virtual keyboard.
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Switching from iPhone to Android:
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PC World magazine: Why I Switched from iPhone to Android (May 24, 2010).
Computer World: Switching from iPhone to Android (June 9, 2010).
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Processor or CPU (Central Processing Unit):
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Depending on manufacturer, from 500 MHz ARM Cortex A8 to 528 MHz Qualcomm processor
to 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 512 MB of processor’s RAM (found in Nexus
One and many others). This is almost twice the power and speed of the iPhone’s processor.
June 10, 2010, Motorola announced that there will be a new 2 GHz phone by Christmas
2010.
New upcoming HTC Scorpion is rumored to have either a Qualcomm 1.5GHz, or perhaps
the new dual-
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Samsung S5PC100 ARM Cortex-
iPhone 4 has a ARM Cortex-
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GPU (Graphic Processing Unit):
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28 million triangles per second.
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Adobe Flash:
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Yes.
Full support for latest Adobe Flash 10.1 on Android 2.2 (Froyo).
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No.
Apple banned any Flash technology on its iPhone, and iPad.
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Syncing (synchronizing):
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Android devices can sync wirelessly, continuously, and to multiple services. It could
also sync by plugging in should you choose to do so.
Example, Apps are available to allow user to sync their Android phone to an older
Palm Desktop software or Microsoft Exchange server.
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"Automatic syncing" for the iPhone is misleading. Syncing the iPhone is a cumbersome
process that requires plugging in.
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Camera resolution:
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Most older Android phones support a 3.2 Megapixel camera. It varies from 2 Megapixel
(LG Etna) to 5 Megapixel (Motorola DROID) to 8 Megapixel (HTC EVO 4G, HTC Incredible,
Motorola DROID X).
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iPhone and iPhone3: 2 MPix.
iPhone 3GS: 3 Megapixel.
iPhone 4: 5 Megapixel.
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Take picture in the dark:
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Many phones now come with a built-
The new Motorola Milestone XT720 (coming) will have a more powerful Xenon flash found
on real cameras.
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All previous iPhones: No choice, No built-
iPhone 4: finally comes with an LED flash (copy Android hardware starting June 24,
2010).
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Phone Thickness:
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9.9 mm (Samsung Galaxy S) to 11.5 mm (HTC Nexus One) to 11.9 mm (HTC Incredible).
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iPhone 3GS: 12.3 mm.
iPhone 4: 9.3 mm.
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Screen size:
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Depending on manufacturer, from 3.2” to 4.3” on a cellphone to 4.8” on a media tablet
to 7” or larger on tablets / netbooks.
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Phone: One choice, 3.5”
iPhone 4 still uses 3.5” screen.
Tablet: One choice, 9.7”
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Screen resolution:
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From (480 x 320) pixels to (854 × 480) pixels. This is almost twice the resolution
of iPhone 3GS. Android supports multiple screen sizes and screen resolutions. A few
phones support the new OLED (Organic LED) which is brighter and has a much more vibrant
display.
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Two choices:
(480 x 320) pixels for the 3GS.
New since June 24, 2010: (960 x 640) pixels for iPhone 4.
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Contrast Ratio:
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The Samsung i9000 Galaxy S Android phone has a contrast ratio of 50,000 : 1
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iPhone 4 = 800:1
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On-
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Yes.
‘Sprint TV’ from Spint network or
‘V CAST’ from Verizon network.
Soccer fans using Sprint can watch 2010 FIFA World Cup Soccer Matches Live with ESPN
Mobile TV on Android’s HTC EVO 4G.
Verizon customers’ will get to watch all 64 matches via live streams from Univision
(a Spanish-
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No.
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GPS:
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Yes, since the first Android phone.
There is a free Android app that allows you to do voice recognition turn-
NYbreakingnews.com article comparing GPS navigation between Motorola DROID and the
iPhone:
“The Droid gives smooth navigation experience which the iPhone doesn’t manage to
do. TomTom's 3D map images are simple but Droid has higher resolution display. The
Droid defeats the iPhone in giving the right refreshing directions and also compensates
for wrong turns. In the end, Android’s navigation tool was simply superior giving
better count on the price range too. While both devices offer voice directions, Droid's
directions to the iPhone's, had much more clarity. Droid was also miles ahead in
pronouncing street names than the iPhone”. Full article here.
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Yes.
Navigation software is not as advanced as Android.
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Electronic compass (hardware)
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Yes, since the first Android phone, the HTC G1 in 2008.
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Yes, only on the newer iPhone 3G model (starting from June 2009).
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Copy and Paste feature:
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Yes, since the original Android version 1.0 in 2008.
This feature is so basic and essential that even the original first generation Palm
Pilot PDA (small pocket device) from 1996 (yes, over 14 years ago) supports it.
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Finally on newer iPhone OS version 3.0 release in June 17, 2009. Another copy from
Android. Apple was so proud of this feature that it was included on their press release
presentation.
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Multitasking (ability to run multiple apps at the same time):
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Yes from day one (since 2008), on all applications and background services. See below
for specific example.
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No. It can only multitask on built-
New iOS4 on iPhone 4 (starting June 24, 2010) finally supports multitask in a limited
way. Another copy from Android. It is not a true multitasking like Android. User
can only multitask certain aspects of each application. Some apps may suspend if
switched, unless if its hardware related such as microphone, audio, GPS, etc. Apps
does not truly run in the background.
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Notification:
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Background services allow apps to have access to the notification background services.
Notification bar can alert you if you have new e-
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Only way to check if Twitter or Flickr is updated is by opening each individual apps
and check it manually.
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Interchangeable batteries:
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Yes, depending on manufacturer.
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No.
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Apps development:
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Article above is about comparing Android and iPhone development with a focus on tools,
platform, and the developer’s experience.
New evidence has shown more developers are interested in developing for Android.
See graph here.
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More difficult than Android.
“Apple’s developer tools are shockingly bad by comparison” -
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Application software:
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Open. More than 50,000 apps (May 2010) and rapidly increasing as more phones are
being introduced and more adoption by the public. This is incredible considering
that most Android phones did not even come out until October of 2009. Just look at
the timeline.
This comparison should not even be listed. Microsoft’s Windows platform has perhaps
billions of apps. Do Windows user install all these apps on their PC? How about a
thousand of these apps? Not even close. It is better to have a few quality apps than
thousands of junk apps.
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Open. About 4 times more than Android at this time. Apple had a 2 year head start
with the iPhone.
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Apps. Store
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Not limited to the ‘Android Market’ (an App Store created by Google). A few other
independent app stores are springing up for Android platform as well.
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Only one choice: iPhone App store.
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Apps. Installation:
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Installing apps is easier than iPhone. Free apps don't require a password each time
you try to install anything. You don't need iTunes. With paid Apps, you are only
required to enter your info on Android Market once.
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Easy, but not as easy as Android. Need iTunes the first time you activate the iPhone.
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Web browser:
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Android supports multiple web browser, like Opera Mini and Dolphine. Android's default
browser supports Flash (like older YouTube videos done using Flash. New videos uses
H.264 instead of Flash). It also loads pages faster than Safari. No separate apps
needed to view YouTube video. Dedicated YouTube app. do exist on Android. Flash enable
browser is an important since it allow user to run Flash apps. Web traffic data has
increased exponentially for Android (see graph).
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iPhone's Safari web browser does not support website using Adobe's Flash animation/video
or Flash apps. For Flash content iPhone needs to rely on dedicated apps.
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PC connection:
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No proprietary software needed.
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Dependent on Apple’s proprietary software iTunes just to connect and managed your
iPhone. This is the same problem with iPod, and iPod Touch.
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Turning ON and OFF data connection:
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Just one page to turn ON or OFF bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, 3G cellular network. Fast way
to conserve battery if you are not using those specific connections. This is good
for security protection as well. One of Android Apps also allow you to automatically
turn off Wi-
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Use settings screen and navigate through multiple layers of options to access data
connection status.
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Desktop:
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Uses Widgets to perform specific task like the ability to instantly read your e-
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Icons clutter the entire desktop of iPhone.
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Personalization:
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Allow user to configure the desktop look and behavior the way you want it. You can
have an entirely different desktop if you wanted to.
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Limited to how Apple dictates it.
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Google Intergration:
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Well, somewhat an unfair comparison since Google created Android. Naturally all Google's
application are seamlessly integrated.
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Not so good.
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Now: Yes (official) since Feb 2, 2010.
Before: Yes and No.
Multi-
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Yes
In January of 2009, Apple was planning to sue Palm over multi-
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Allows user to make a Voice over IP (VoIP) phone call over the network connection.
This means you can make free long distance and extremely low International calls
using local cellular or simply using a Wi-
Here is an article from one person’s perspective: How I Learned To Quit The iPhone
And Love Google Voice (August 9, 2009).
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Google Voice app for iPhone was rejected by Apple's iPhone app store. It was rejected
on July 7, 2009 (Wired Magazine).
AT&T claim that it played no role in this app getting rejected. Apple disagree.
Apple rejected it because "it appears to alter the iPhone's distinctive user experience
by replacing the iPhone's core mobile-
Apple insinuate that AT&T is not just an innocent by stander when Apple made a statement
that "There is a provision in Apple's agreement with AT&T that obligates Apple not
to include functionality in any Apple phone that enables a customer to use AT&T's
cellular network service to originate or terminate a VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol)
session without obtaining AT&T's permission".
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Who do you think won?
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