Former iPhone owners, please step inside :)

[aihsela]

I have owned an iPhone for three generations, I'm ready for a change. I have a few questions for those that have made the switch:

How hard was it for you to transfer contacts and music? I have google music, and converted all my music from my itunes (m4a to mp3) to a flash. I also have all of my contacts saved in google contacts on my main gmail acct.

Do you miss iMessage? Does droid have anything similar to iMessage? Do the characters get broken up even if you send a text (a long one) to another droid user? I think my biggest concern (after the fact that I found out I can still use my grandfathered unlimited data) is the texting. I rarely talk on the phone, I prefer not to anyway. I text like crazy though, sometimes they are fairly long.

Any tips? Tricks? Comments, etc?

 

[OceanView]

I've had every version of iPhones except the new 5 and there are only a few things I miss.
I prefer the on/off button on the top, the note has it on the right side and I often touch it when I hold/handle the note.
Speaker is not as loud as the 4s but I hear the note 2 will have a much louder and better speaker.
I dont miss iMessage as it was not 100% reliable. If you ever were in an area that has bad data connection, your messages did not go out.
I put all my music on the micro SD card so no need to sync anymore. For podcasts, I highly recommend Pocket Cast app. Allows you to listen via stream or download without syncing.
I went to Apple last week to check out the iPhone 5 and it's really stale now. iOS is kind of boring and overall the phone feels like a toy.
I'm pretty happy with my move to the Note and plan on getting the Note II when it's released.

Good luck on your decision but I anticipate you will be happy with the change.

 

[aihsela]

Thanks for the posts guys. I too have played with the iPhone 5. It's just like my 4S except longer and has LTE. Just not feeling that "excitement" anymore. What about the androids OS? Am I being fair to assume that once you buy your droid device, you are pretty much sol when it comes to their updates? It seems like some get them, some won't. Example being, jelly bean and the original Note. From what I have read no one is positive that the original Note will get the update. I like how Apple's updates are pretty origanized, timely, and everyone can update as long as their phone isn't ancient.

 

[aihsela]

What is the reasoning for this?

 

[aihsela]

Not sure I understand your question.

What's the reasoning for the Nexus getting the update but not the other phones?

 

[OceanView]

In comparison to the plastic Samsungs?!? I just can't come close to agreeing with you about this. The chassis, feel of the buttons, fit and finish. They are all superior on the iPhone. It is definitely something you give up with Android unless you go with a Sony or Moto flavor (which I would never do unless they build a Nexus).

Well it's subjective. The iPhone looks great but when you actually handle it, it feels like a toy to me.
Maybe the reduced weight has something to do with it as I was use to the iPhone 4S which was heavier.
I'm also using the term "Toy" to the user interface. It's tiny compared to the Note and the experience from using it feels like a toy.
Unless you have a Note and have used it a while, you won't know what that means.

 

[GMJeff]

Updates to devices other than the nexus devices are carrier specific, and depend on the hardware as well as the life expectancy of the device.

For example, the samsung galaxy S2. No one thought it would receive the ICS update. Better hardware is allowing these longer update schedules as the OS can run on older devices. I also think the carriers are learning that they need to keep up with the iphone update schedule to keep some customers happy.

Some if it is just carrier marketing also. With new devices almost yearly now, there is no benefit to upgrading the OS on some devices due to people upgrading or switching carriers, monetarily. But on the other hand, people don't always have money to upgrade to new devices so they expect the device to last 2 years.

And as for Samsung devices, don't fear them. I have owned their phones for more than 3 years, from a Captivate, Galaxy S2, Galaxy Note, Galaxy S3, their Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Note 10.1. I do a lot of upgrading, and have never felt that their devices are inferior to the iPhone. I have also owned the iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4.

The Samsung devices feel light and plasticy (if that is even a word), but after using them for a short while, you get used to the feel of a thin and light device. I have dropped mine a few times and they show no damage. Besides, a thin device can have a case on it all of the time and not feel too thick.

Also, the last Nexus device was made by Samsung.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

 

[dorrien12]

I come from the iPhone 3GS then 4S. After using the Note for two months, I find it difficult to use the iPhone. I was let down with the iPhone 5, it was almost the same as my much 4S.

The only things I miss are:

SIRI (I used all the time),
dedicated mute button,
power button up top,
louder speaker (for phone calls)
and a few apps that I haven't found yet

But oh I gained so much more:

Bigger screen (gained real estate, beautiful screen),
Expandable memory,
Removable battery,
S Pen (I love being able to write like a pen),
Swype keyboard (love this option),
Can sync with multiple computers at once,
And so much more....

At one time I thought I would keep the iPhone but I may sell it. Each day I pick it up less and less.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Android Central Forums

 

[ramnitb]

I recently switched to a galaxy note from an iphone 4 and couldn't be happier. Although I was a faithful iphone user for the past 5 years, I became increasingly bored with IOS. Having never used an android, I jumped in and went for the biggest and baddest phone I could get my hands on and bought myself a galaxy note. I have had this bad boy for 3 months and I couldn't be happier. I don't miss my old iphone one bit. Loading songs is now such a breeze as I can transfer them directly and no longer have to deal with Itunes. Importing my contacts was very simple as well because I downloaded an app which automatically synced my contacts with my icloud contacts. I don't miss imessage at all because I use whatsapp and have unlimited texting so it's not an issue. Also, if you do not like the custom keyboard you can download the iphone keyboard from the google play store and it will give you a sense of familiarity. I love the widgets and have filled up my spare pages with awesome pictures.

When I had my iphone the battery was begining to degrade and would die very fast. I love that android phones allow for easy battery replacement as I have since purchased 3 extra batteries with a battery charger for about 10 bucks from ebay. I also bought a 16 gig sd card for like 5 bucks so it makes storing files a lot easier. I love the screen size of the note, it is amazing. I had recently played around with my friend's iphone 5 and all it did was reaffirm that I can never go back to an iphone... ios is just simply too boring and restrictive compared to an android and it does not fulfill my needs anymore.

Get a galaxy note 2, you will love it

 

[aihsela]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I truly appreciate it. You have helped me feel more at ease about my decision .

 

[Mystichrome447]

I made the switch from iOS to Android after owning 2 generations of iPhones. The phone that sold me was the Galaxy Note. I love being able to customize my phone to my needs. The screen size is great and the app selection is huge. Plus I have noticed that iOS has been getting buggy since iOS 4. I love ICS and Jelly Bean on my Note and Nexus 7.

 

[aihsela]

I made the switch from iOS to Android after owning 2 generations of iPhones. The phone that sold me was the Galaxy Note. I love being able to customize my phone to my needs. The screen size is great and the app selection is huge. Plus I have noticed that iOS has been getting buggy since iOS 4. I love ICS and Jelly Bean on my Note and Nexus 7.

Thanks for the comment Mystichrome. Your user name intrigues me...you wouldn't happen to be a mustang (cobra) owner would you?

 

[LuvHorses]

About #2 & #4 above... Can anyone explain these further?

Not sure why one can't completely back up a Samsung note?

And why can't one reply or forward?

 

[LuvHorses]

Can't one backup everything to cloud?

 

[LuvHorses]

http://www.androidauthority.com/android-phone-backup-guide-remote-cloud-how-to-75653/

 

[Teyshablue]

Happy to?

With regard to #2? say you get an email from a colleague at your personal address that contains info you wish to forward to a customer, but you don't want to forward it to him using your personal email address (you would prefer the "from" to be your customer support address). In iOS, this is a simple popup on the outgoing mail to change the from address to a different account. No way to do this in Android Email app.

Moreover, if you simply wanted to forward an excerpt form the original message you can not. You have to send the forwarded message in its entirety or nothing at all.

Regarding #4: there is no backup facility within the core of Android. In iOS, your device is backed up with every sync, allowing you to "fully restore" a new or reset device. There is no like mechanism in Android. There are alternatives to this ranging from third party apps to back up some of it here and some of it there, some involving additional cost, a removable SD card, and/or uploading your data to their servers. Or, you can root your device (and risk bricking it if you don't know what you're doing) and use the only complete back up solutions (Titanium or Nandroid).

So while there are solutions for backup on Android, none of them are seamless, some won't do everything, and the only really thorough method involves hacking your phone.

Now if Sammy has something designed to do this, great! But it is not something that is supplied by Android.

Hope this helps.

I think there are some alternate email apps available that include this functionality. I think Kaiten Mail does. Been awhile since I've used it tho.

As for backing up your phone, it's actually pretty simple once you root. But without root, you can do this thru Samsung Kies. Not a big Kies fan tho...too clunky for my tastes.

 

[Mystichrome447]

Thanks for the comment Mystichrome. Your user name intrigues me...you wouldn't happen to be a mustang (cobra) owner would you?

Indeed I am, number #837 of the Mystichrome Cobra's produced.

 

[khool4]

I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to make a few comments. I have been an iPhone user for about 4 years and loved having it to move into the smartphone arena. I liked being able to use the cloud service and that my iPhone, iPad and computer could all match up. At the time, the Android platform was not really offering this. Last year I bought the iPhone 4S and really liked it. However, I grew tired of the small screen and even smaller keyboard. My 6'4" frame and big hands demanded a larger phone. So, I thought, surely the iPhone 5 would be a bigger and beefy phone - wrong. The first time I held the iPhone 5, I knew I would soon be abandoning the iPhone cult. I traded my iPhone 4S for a Galaxy S3 last October, but was not super impressed with it. I didn't like switching over to Google and messing with various settings. I wasn't really impressed with the size either. It was a step up, but it left me still wanting more. So...I switched back to the iPhone 4S in November. Yes, I did a 30 day challenge and couldn't get used to Android. About 5 weeks ago, I decided to post on Craigslist that I was interested in switching my iPhone 4S for a Samsung Note. It took me about a week to find someone, but I finally swapped again to the Note and I still feel like it is Christmas morning. I love my Note. I have grown familiar and even comfortable with my Note. I only wish that my mail hyperlinked dates to my calendar, like I could do on my iPhone. That is the only thing I miss. My kids send me their work schedules and it was so nice to hyperlink direct to my calendar. With Android I have to go from my email into the calendar and manually type it in because the intuitive setting on Google doesn't always get information correct. So, I am very happy with my Note and look forward to upgrading to the Note 2 (or maybe 3) this fall.

 

[nrm5110]

Indeed I am, number #837 of the Mystichrome Cobra's produced.

You lucky man

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

[nrm5110]

I love woz lmfao

http://www.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57568219-71/woz-apple-now-somewhat-behind/ Woz: Apple now 'somewhat behind'

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2