I'm having 2nd thought on jumping to EVO from iPhone

[Justin V]

I currently have an iPhone 3gs in New England where AT&T coverage is pretty good. I'm having 2nd thoughts on switching for the following reasons. Love it or hate it, the iTunes eco system just plain works and is really convenient. I worry about how I can get my 3500 songs onto the EVO easily and how can I update my podcasts as easily.
More importantly however, I'm in sales and rely on my calendar and ToDo (from Appigo) for tasks heavily. Will Android with Sense lend itself to someone like me in sales as opposed to a user who is more concerned with media and social networking? I think the Sense method of grouping all the different modes of contact history under the person in one place will be a big benefit but I'm very concerned about managing my tasks, of which there are many, without as evolved of a community of task apps to choose from on Android.
I'm new to the gmail, google calendar, google etc etc programs so any insight as to how the pgms google offers, how they integrate with Android and how those might benefit someone in sales would be great to hear.
I plan to buy the phone and test it for a while knowing that I can return it within 30 dys if needed.

On the plus side, Sprint is cheaper and would save me $20 month so even with some sort of AT&T termination fee I would be re-couping $$ each month.
Bottom line: Why would you switch if you were me? Viewpoints from sales people or business owners and how Android helps you manage your business would be great to hear.
Thanks all!

 

[lindseybp]

I say you are doing the right thing. Give it a shot for 30 days and by that time you will know whether or not to switch. If you decide not to switch it basically costs you nothing since you don't have to pay for the 30 days. Just wait to port your number over until after you make up your mind.

 

[Sovvy]

Wait for next iphone, if EVO still looks good, try it for 30 days.

 

[Caitlyn McKenzie]

By the way, iTunes in general is considered pretty poor at music management anyway, so other solutions compatible with USB drives (which the EVO will appear as) will probably offer a better experience for you. Winamp and Windows Media Player off the top of my head are some of the most common, but there are many to choose from.

Keep in mind as well that there are many great alternatives to the iTunes store for music as well.

 

[Jeremy]

By the way, iTunes in general is considered pretty poor at music management anyway, so other solutions compatible with USB drives (which the EVO will appear as) will probably offer a better experience for you. Winamp and Windows Media Player off the top of my head are some of the most common, but there are many to choose from.

Keep in mind as well that there are many great alternatives to the iTunes store for music as well.

I'm not sure why iTunes gets such a bad wrap. I've never had issues with it and if you own a Mac everything just works fine. Granted before I switched over to Mac I never used iTunes ever...

 

[ImmaSlave4U]

I agree you should try it for 30 days. With Sprint Free Guarantee, you have nothing to lose.

 

[Justin V]

I guess I'll try it and see. As many of you can relate every 6-12 months a particular device just catches your attention. This one did it for me. But I'm also intrigued by Android and especially the customization options. Love the sense UI and the Scenes. Can't wait to "change" my phone for the weekend etc. Sounds trivial but as an iphone user looking at the same home screen all the time I get bored. The lack of customization on iPhone didnt bother me initially but once you see all the customization on Android and Sense you realize what you are missing.

Would still love to hear what benefits any of you sales people find with Android specifically. Thanks all

 

[ecaggiani]

For tasks, I use Touchdown Exchange, but that only works if you're tied to a corporate Exchange server. There are apps out there for general to-do list management, as well as syncing with Google Tasks. I say buy it, test it for 30 days, and see for yourself what you think.

Also, look at DoubleTwist as a way to sync your iTunes library to your phone. I haven't tried it yet, but others say it's great

 

[Dgree03]

Isyncr 2.99 in the app store... its a godsend for itunes/android users.

 

[forumsid987]

FYI there are tons of programs out there that will convert your itunes library to mp3's that don't have DRM (copyright protection).

It's sad that people on here are so oblivious to google searching for that.

Hope it helps you though!

 

[Prkl8r]

Music: I am a fan of Subsonic. You can run it on your cpu and get all of the music on your phone. When you have a monster of a music library, it is quite handy. Also, since Android uses an actual file system (I know crazy advanced right), all you need to do is copy your music to your Android devices Music Folder from your USB. Doubletwist is great for syncing from Itunes (other people have told me, I have an Itunes free CPU).

Podcasts: Doggcatcher and BeyondPod are two great podcasting apps.

Work: Astrid, great Task Tracking Software
Calander: http://www.androidcentral.com/quick-app-pure-calendar works with Astrid

There are a bunch of others, but I think you get the point. Android is starting to get to the point where functionality in apps is equal to Apple's Apps Store. Granted, you may not find exactly the same app, but most of the time a similar solution is out there, with improvements coming daily.

 

[TreyDaPrince]

Wait for next iphone, if EVO still looks good, try it for 30 days.

I agree with this guy. If you're in a spot where AT&T is good and on 3g then I would go with that. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think 4g is available in your area which would make the purchase and switch pointless seeing that iphone 4 will have all the same features. Plus you're already comfortable with what apple offers i.e. itunes, apps, and tasks as you stated. So stick with what you know if you're that comfortable. Iphone 4 is right around the corner and anyone that doesn't wanna admit that the EVO and iphone won't be on the same level are fools.

 

[anon(4936081)]

Do the math - the amount you'll save each month is significant on Sprint. Devices are all "bait" to get you on a particular service. I am shocked when people don't realize this. You pay a monthly service fee. That never goes away.

I compared to a friend's iPhone plan one time (granted I get a 23% corporate discount on my Sprint plan - full disclosure here fellas) and to get an equivalent (well not really, since ATT mobile to mobile is only to other ATT devices) on an iPhone I would be spending ~$50 more post-taxes/fees PER MONTH!?!?!?! Woh. That adds up.

So, full retail on a 16GB iPhone is $600. So every, 12mo I could buy a full-priced iPhone with the amount I save per month for the service. Oh, but wait....if you are Premier (which you will be if you do an Everything Plan for the Evo) you get full rebates every year, so no need to blow all that money you saved each month to get a new phone. Keep that money in the bank, or invest it, or buy yourself some icecream. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Last week, my friend with a 2yr-contract iPhone 3GS was like "wait....you're getting another new phone? What are you made of money or something? Didn't you just get the Pre???" My reply: "Nope...I get full upgrades every year on Sprint....oh, and I'm paying $50 a month less than you. Is your iPhone really that cool? You think you're gonna blow another $700 on the new iPhone? No, you're stuck with the 3Gs for another year...too bad, so sad." It made him stop and think for a min....and he's really looking at the true numbers now. Maybe he'll get smart and get an Evo. Oh that clever ATT has really stuck it to him now though raising their early termination fees....suckers.

Remember people - DEVICES COME AND GO! Evo is rockstar now, but in 6mo, there will be another fabulous device....it's the nature of the business. Figure out how to get your monthly expense as low as possible and then you win.

Thank you Sprint. And thank you for 1yr upgrades so I can get another amazing phone without paying full price

Do the math.

 

[6tr6tr]

iTunes is pretty poor and once froyo (Android 2.2) comes to the Evo later this year, you'll be able to synch your music wirelessly! Yep, you'll be able to dump that USB connector (well, except for plugging it in to the wall).

For calendar, etc do you have MS exchange? It'll work with that. But really if calendar, contacts and todo stuff is what you care most about, believe it or not NOTHING beats WebOS.

 

[forumsid987]

Also, sprint customer = upgrade every year, not every two years. If you like new technology...this is the way to go. Last year sprint ppl had the latest and greatest (palm pre) and this year they are getting the evo.

 

[TreyDaPrince]

Also, sprint customer = upgrade every year, not every two years. If you like new technology...this is the way to go.

This is something I did not know...

 

[forumsid987]

Yeah, I mean technically you have to be a premier customer but to be premier just means your plan is 70/month which you will obviously be doing if you have the evo or any other smartphone.

 

[flyawaymike]

But really if calendar, contacts and todo stuff is what you care most about, believe it or not NOTHING beats WebOS.

actually, being that he is on a Mac, the iPhone beats Palm/WebOS, with offerings from Mobile Me OTA sync with his his native mac contacts/calender apps, or using CardDAV (now included in the OS 4 beta), and CalDAV support on it, syncing up to a Mac server (or another platform supporting those open standards).

 

[Caitlyn McKenzie]

actually, being that he is on a Mac, the iPhone beats Palm/WebOS, with offerings from Mobile Me OTA sync with his his native mac contacts/calender apps, or using CardDAV (now included in the OS 4 beta), and CalDAV support on it, syncing up to a Mac server (or another platform supporting those open standards).

Mobile Me isn't free, and Google Calendar/Contacts is far more open.

 

[Justin V]

wow, a lot of info here folks. thank you. I do have a Mac and currently sync OTA via Mobile Me to the 3gs but the yearly upgrade feature is so tempting. Like many of you I'm sure, since you are frequenting this forum, I love to try new devices.
Correct no 4G in the Hartford CT area so no benefit there for now.
Much of my desire to switch is curiosity over Android with HTC Sense and learning a new OS as well as how sweet the phone looks coupled with the ADD need to have the "new gadget". C'mon, you know so many of us have this affliction. I'll test it out and see. During my 30 day period the 4th Gen iPhone and the new iPhone OS will come out so the timing is right to use Android for 30 days while being able to compare it to the next gen iPhone's capabilities.
I'll post my observations after the 30 day test drive as I'm sure there's a thread or 2 related to a switcher's perspective.