X verses the iPhone

[itguy09]

Keep in mind, you're using two pieces of hardware that are native to each other. You're giving the iPhone a couple legs up over the X already just because of the computer you're using. If you are going back and forth already with the iPhone having that kind of advantage, I'd say the choice is pretty clear.

Put them on the same playing field.

I don't think being on a Mac is giving either platform an unfair advantage. I think the advantage is iTunes which is the same regardless of if you're on a PC or a Mac. I know if I were on Windows I'd need some app to sync my iTunes library to the DX too. And there are plenty of apps that will sync my calendars, music, and other stuff to the DX. I'm using one of them as a Demo, The Missing Sync. It works very well so far and I'm not opposed to buying things to make it work.

I already got Google Listen based on the feedback in this thread and it will work great for my Podcasts.

I'm thinking this will be like when I first switched to the Mac in 2002 - the first week I almost took the machine back it was so different and "out there". But after the second week things just started clicking and working well. I'm already liking the customization that Android gives me but it's a lot of the "little things" that has me scratching my head. I wish we could have the polish of the iPhone with the power of Android.

 

[droidntn]

Well, I know this:
A coworker told me that her husband just got an X and he takes it to bed and plays with it.
And, I've been known, on the first nite or two, to take mine to bed and see what's going on with it. I tried to include the wife in the newfound exploration and she just rolls her eyes.
Now, we've been married 28 years, so we know each other pretty well and the 'taking the x' to bed has subsidded as the new has worn off.
But....
If we were newlyweds or not on good ground, I'd recommend getting an iPhone.
Why?
Cause it's boring and not a lot to have to explore.

Just my two cents.

 

[ipsadixit]

I don't like AT&T and that they cap data, but I like the iPhone. The X will be my first smart phone and I am a little intimidated by how complex it seems. I like that the iPhone "just works" if you know what I mean (I have only played with an iPhone 3GS, not the 4). If it weren't for AT&T, honestly, I probably would have gotten an iPhone. I am still really looking forward to getting my X though, don't get me wrong!

 

[gspeed]

As an owner of both an iphone 4 and droid x I have to say that for the average person the iphone is a much easier device to understand and easily use. You have to be more tech oriented to really understand how to do the things on the DX that are extremely easy on the iphone.

That being said i think the droid has plenty of potential but the iphone is a much easier device in both setup and use.

ya I call the iphone 4 a smartphone with training wheels.

 

[anon(41845)]

So, I am a long time Verizon and Blackberry Customer. I have avoided the iPhone due primarily to the connection with AT&T. The plan was to go order my Droid X this weekend. But - at the prompting of some friends and family I went to an Apple Store (first time for that - very cool place) to test out an iPhone4. I went on Friday night. Man...the iPhone4 is unbelievable. I got to try FaceTime with my brother in law and that was a very cool experience. The phone was fast and all the UI was perfectly smooth. Over wi-fi the internet browsing was lightning fast. So...I left the store feeling like I had seen/used the coolest smart phone ever. On Saturday I went to a VZW store to test out the Droid X - as the ones I had seen in Best Buy were dummies that didn't work. First impressions...cool looking phone but didn't blow me away like the iPhone4. Nice and thin feeling and I loved the big screen. But after I turned it on...things went south. First off, the phone was laggy in transitioning from screen to screen and using pinch to zoom. I immediately turned off the live wallpaper which helped a bit - but the phone still wasn't as fluid and smooth as the iPhone4. I stood there contemplating "could I live with these glitches and choppy UI for the next two years?" I really saw the Droid X being to the iPhone4 as my current Storm1 was to the iPhone3G. Yes...my Storm did things that the iPhone3G didn't - like MMS, video recording, cut and paste, camera with a flash, multitasking and the ability to edit play lists away from the computer...but the long term experience has been poor. I hate the click screen, I hate the UI and I long for the days when I can have a snappy screen transition between landscape and portrait. Back in November of 2008 I opted for function over form. And I can say today that I can't imagine life without multi tasking so I still think at the time there were enough function things missing to prioritize that over form. Now...I have to ask myself the same thing. Is going caseless that important to me? I mean, I hate cases...why sell a phone that needs such a device?! But - when I list the things that the X does that the iPhone4 doesn't...it isn't the same situation that it was two years ago with my Storm1. Yes, the iPhone doesn't have a micro HDMI out, a 4.3 inch screen, FM radio and expandable memory. But...it has a high resolution display that simply blows away the 4.3 inch screen. There really is no comparison. Size doesn't make up for the lack of resolution. Until Friday I agreed with so many people on this site (and others) that said the screen size more than made up for the resolution. Now I question if they have actually seen the retina display. Secondly, FaceTime. Enough said. If you use this feature alone makes the iPhone4 worth it. My wife's family has iP4's - so with FaceTime - my kids can talk to cousins and to grandparents easily - in an experience that I would have loved to have had as a kid.

So....in the end I think I will be making the jump to AT&T. There is something about the level of execution on the iPhone4 that the X and Inc are missing. Sure - I think Apple has gone off the deepend trying to prove to everyone that they don't have an antenna issue when you don't use a case. It has proven to be a PR nightmare that business classes will discuss for years. But I think the core features of the iPhone are just better than the X or Inc.

Finally - one of the things that really made me think twice about having an Android Phone was the pod cast hosted by this site last week. They talked about searching for a puzzle application for his daughter and most of the applications being returned were porn or soft porn related. Give me a break. I do not want my six year old to be able pick up a phone and accidentally pull up a soft porn application in the app store. That alone made me think that the Android environment is lacking the professionalism and polish that comes with a mature business model. I have to agree with Steve Jobs...if you want Porn - go somewhere else.

Finally - Competition is good. And clearly Apple is feeling the heat. Some of their recent moves have made them look desperate and worried. I think Froyo will help keep the pressure on to keep them innovating to stay ahead. So...in the end Android is a good thing. I just don't see it for me and my family.

 

[MoreGeeBeez]

I came from an iPhone 3g and ATT. I love the X so far. I do miss a few things on the iPhone but I'm finding that I can do them on Android it just takes a little more work. I can really see the difference between the 2OSes and anyone who uses Gmail or other Google services really needs Android. The integration is great.

I will say the main reason I switched was the service. It got so bad that my wife would call me twice because she couldn't tell if the first call went through. Ringing on ATT's network doesn't mean a thing. After 2 years with my iPhone I really believe it was a combination of ATT & the phone. I had ATT for 7 years and never had issues until the iPhone. My wife had a Samsung Blackjack and never experienced the issues I had. Instead of speculating on which one was my problem I took them both out of the equation and got the X of VZW. Calls are more clear, they don't drop when I walk outside with full bars, never get a network busy drop, data doesn't hang. Overall I'm very happy I switched. I also disagree with a lot of things Apple & ATT are doing. I just don't trust them.

 

[gspeed]

So, I am a long time Verizon and Blackberry Customer. I have avoided the iPhone due primarily to the connection with AT&T. The plan was to go order my Droid X this weekend. But - at the prompting of some friends and family I went to an Apple Store (first time for that - very cool place) to test out an iPhone4. I went on Friday night. Man...the iPhone4 is unbelievable. I got to try FaceTime with my brother in law and that was a very cool experience. The phone was fast and all the UI was perfectly smooth. Over wi-fi the internet browsing was lightning fast. So...I left the store feeling like I had seen/used the coolest smart phone ever. On Saturday I went to a VZW store to test out the Droid X - as the ones I had seen in Best Buy were dummies that didn't work. First impressions...cool looking phone but didn't blow me away like the iPhone4. Nice and thin feeling and I loved the big screen. But after I turned it on...things went south. First off, the phone was laggy in transitioning from screen to screen and using pinch to zoom. I immediately turned off the live wallpaper which helped a bit - but the phone still wasn't as fluid and smooth as the iPhone4. I stood there contemplating "could I live with these glitches and choppy UI for the next two years?" I really saw the Droid X being to the iPhone4 as my current Storm1 was to the iPhone3G. Yes...my Storm did things that the iPhone3G didn't - like MMS, video recording, cut and paste, camera with a flash, multitasking and the ability to edit play lists away from the computer...but the long term experience has been poor. I hate the click screen, I hate the UI and I long for the days when I can have a snappy screen transition between landscape and portrait. Back in November of 2008 I opted for function over form. And I can say today that I can't imagine life without multi tasking so I still think at the time there were enough function things missing to prioritize that over form. Now...I have to ask myself the same thing. Is going caseless that important to me? I mean, I hate cases...why sell a phone that needs such a device?! But - when I list the things that the X does that the iPhone4 doesn't...it isn't the same situation that it was two years ago with my Storm1. Yes, the iPhone doesn't have a micro HDMI out, a 4.3 inch screen, FM radio and expandable memory. But...it has a high resolution display that simply blows away the 4.3 inch screen. There really is no comparison. Size doesn't make up for the lack of resolution. Until Friday I agreed with so many people on this site (and others) that said the screen size more than made up for the resolution. Now I question if they have actually seen the retina display. Secondly, FaceTime. Enough said. If you use this feature alone makes the iPhone4 worth it. My wife's family has iP4's - so with FaceTime - my kids can talk to cousins and to grandparents easily - in an experience that I would have loved to have had as a kid.

So....in the end I think I will be making the jump to AT&T. There is something about the level of execution on the iPhone4 that the X and Inc are missing. Sure - I think Apple has gone off the deepend trying to prove to everyone that they don't have an antenna issue when you don't use a case. It has proven to be a PR nightmare that business classes will discuss for years. But I think the core features of the iPhone are just better than the X or Inc.

Finally - one of the things that really made me think twice about having an Android Phone was the pod cast hosted by this site last week. They talked about searching for a puzzle application for his daughter and most of the applications being returned were porn or soft porn related. Give me a break. I do not want my six year old to be able pick up a phone and accidentally pull up a soft porn application in the app store. That alone made me think that the Android environment is lacking the professionalism and polish that comes with a mature business model. I have to agree with Steve Jobs...if you want Porn - go somewhere else.

Finally - Competition is good. And clearly Apple is feeling the heat. Some of their recent moves have made them look desperate and worried. I think Froyo will help keep the pressure on to keep them innovating to stay ahead. So...in the end Android is a good thing. I just don't see it for me and my family.

what a diatribe? Couldn't you have condensed all that to one paragraph?

If you choose the iphone4 then great. But what are you still doing here posting? Do you want confirmation of a good decision? because that will most likely not happen.

Enjoy your iphone. Also no point in visiting an Android forum as it's not the platform for you and your family.

 

[gspeed]

I came from an iPhone 3g and ATT. I love the X so far. I do miss a few things on the iPhone but I'm finding that I can do them on Android it just takes a little more work. I can really see the difference between the 2OSes and anyone who uses Gmail or other Google services really needs Android. The integration is great.

I will say the main reason I switched was the service. It got so bad that my wife would call me twice because she couldn't tell if the first call went through. Ringing on ATT's network doesn't mean a thing. After 2 years with my iPhone I really believe it was a combination of ATT & the phone. I had ATT for 7 years and never had issues until the iPhone. My wife had a Samsung Blackjack and never experienced the issues I had. Instead of speculating on which one was my problem I took them both out of the equation and got the X of VZW. Calls are more clear, they don't drop when I walk outside with full bars, never get a network busy drop, data doesn't hang. Overall I'm very happy I switched. I also disagree with a lot of things Apple & ATT are doing. I just don't trust them.

Welcome to Android. Hope you enjoy the new platform and its not too difficult for you to adapt as it is others.

No one hear trusts Apple, well except for those trying to play the fence. Some people take a first visit to an Apple store and they can't help but drink the kool aid and get hypnotized by the bright lights of the store.

Glad to see you made a rational decision.

 

[1088933]

So, I am a long time Verizon and Blackberry Customer. I have avoided the iPhone due primarily to the connection with AT&T. The plan was to go order my Droid X this weekend. But - at the prompting of some friends and family I went to an Apple Store (first time for that - very cool place) to test out an iPhone4. I went on Friday night. Man...the iPhone4 is unbelievable. I got to try FaceTime with my brother in law and that was a very cool experience. The phone was fast and all the UI was perfectly smooth. Over wi-fi the internet browsing was lightning fast. So...I left the store feeling like I had seen/used the coolest smart phone ever. On Saturday I went to a VZW store to test out the Droid X - as the ones I had seen in Best Buy were dummies that didn't work. First impressions...cool looking phone but didn't blow me away like the iPhone4. Nice and thin feeling and I loved the big screen. But after I turned it on...things went south. First off, the phone was laggy in transitioning from screen to screen and using pinch to zoom. I immediately turned off the live wallpaper which helped a bit - but the phone still wasn't as fluid and smooth as the iPhone4. I stood there contemplating "could I live with these glitches and choppy UI for the next two years?" I really saw the Droid X being to the iPhone4 as my current Storm1 was to the iPhone3G. Yes...my Storm did things that the iPhone3G didn't - like MMS, video recording, cut and paste, camera with a flash, multitasking and the ability to edit play lists away from the computer...but the long term experience has been poor. I hate the click screen, I hate the UI and I long for the days when I can have a snappy screen transition between landscape and portrait. Back in November of 2008 I opted for function over form. And I can say today that I can't imagine life without multi tasking so I still think at the time there were enough function things missing to prioritize that over form. Now...I have to ask myself the same thing. Is going caseless that important to me? I mean, I hate cases...why sell a phone that needs such a device?! But - when I list the things that the X does that the iPhone4 doesn't...it isn't the same situation that it was two years ago with my Storm1. Yes, the iPhone doesn't have a micro HDMI out, a 4.3 inch screen, FM radio and expandable memory. But...it has a high resolution display that simply blows away the 4.3 inch screen. There really is no comparison. Size doesn't make up for the lack of resolution. Until Friday I agreed with so many people on this site (and others) that said the screen size more than made up for the resolution. Now I question if they have actually seen the retina display. Secondly, FaceTime. Enough said. If you use this feature alone makes the iPhone4 worth it. My wife's family has iP4's - so with FaceTime - my kids can talk to cousins and to grandparents easily - in an experience that I would have loved to have had as a kid.

So....in the end I think I will be making the jump to AT&T. There is something about the level of execution on the iPhone4 that the X and Inc are missing. Sure - I think Apple has gone off the deepend trying to prove to everyone that they don't have an antenna issue when you don't use a case. It has proven to be a PR nightmare that business classes will discuss for years. But I think the core features of the iPhone are just better than the X or Inc.

Finally - one of the things that really made me think twice about having an Android Phone was the pod cast hosted by this site last week. They talked about searching for a puzzle application for his daughter and most of the applications being returned were porn or soft porn related. Give me a break. I do not want my six year old to be able pick up a phone and accidentally pull up a soft porn application in the app store. That alone made me think that the Android environment is lacking the professionalism and polish that comes with a mature business model. I have to agree with Steve Jobs...if you want Porn - go somewhere else.

Finally - Competition is good. And clearly Apple is feeling the heat. Some of their recent moves have made them look desperate and worried. I think Froyo will help keep the pressure on to keep them innovating to stay ahead. So...in the end Android is a good thing. I just don't see it for me and my family.

Well I'll have to agree with you yes, Android probably isn't the way to go for your family, especially your young family. It's open source and isn't held back for the most part. If you feel that the iPhone is going to be the best decision for you and your family then you need to go with that, family first

But if you want to have a phone out of the box and that isn't going to keep you held down, then go for Android.

 

[MoreGeeBeez]

Welcome to Android. Hope you enjoy the new platform and its not too difficult for you to adapt as it is others.

No one hear trusts Apple, well except for those trying to play the fence. Some people take a first visit to an Apple store and they can't help but drink the kool aid and get hypnotized by the bright lights of the store.

Glad to see you made a rational decision.

Thanks for the welcome. So far the only major downside are the so so options for media syncing. I've found MediaMonkey to be my favorite so far. Other then that I'm adapting quite well, already rooted and on my way in the Android world.

Funny you bring up Apple stores. I can see an Apple Store out my office window and I've seen some crazy things. I've witnessed 2 iPhone launches and the iPad launch out my window. It makes me sad for society. I love gadgets and tech but waiting 24+hours for a phone is nuts. It is nice to go over during lunch and eff with the Apple "geniuses".

 

[gspeed]

Thanks for the welcome. So far the only major downside are the so so options for media syncing. I've found MediaMonkey to be my favorite so far. Other then that I'm adapting quite well, already rooted and on my way in the Android world.

Funny you bring up Apple stores. I can see an Apple Store out my office window and I've seen some crazy things. I've witnessed 2 iPhone launches and the iPad launch out my window. It makes me sad for society. I love gadgets and tech but waiting 24+hours for a phone is nuts. It is nice to go over during lunch and eff with the Apple "geniuses".

I went to the iphone store(yes i know its called apple store, i just choose to call it iphone store) during the weekend launch of the 3g ipad. First time there. Left completely unimpressed. Actually I felt dirty and never ever have I wished to ever go back.

For music I'm using an app called mecanto. It allows you to stream your entire music collection from your home pc to your android device anywhere you are. No need to sync the device or to even have any music stored locally on your Android device.

Music quality is ok and I don't have to worry about sync or running out of storage space. I also find it inefficient to store that much music on a device. We might as well use the internet as we are already paying for it.

MeCanto - Listen to your music collection on the web and your mobile phone

pass the word if this is the first time hearing about this app.

 

[Itlan#AC]

Their such different beasts its not really fair to compare IMO. iPhone is def more mainstream at this point. Even with Gingerbread its still a ways off and nobody knows what manufacturers may or may not do to it. Will they add their usual crap bloat? Possible and from what HTC says almost guaranteed.

The three main things I can tell you that are vastly different, and unfortunately in favor of the iphone are:

1.) Indoor camera use. The DroidX is just sad when it comes to indoor shots. Why they even bothered to include a "flash" is comical and why the shots are so grainy and poor to the 3Gs that came out what 2 years ago is beyond me.

2.) The speaker for a media phone is just sad on the X. Tinny, blown out and Im not sure they could put in a cheaper sounding one if they tried.

3.) Responsiveness. The X for all the claims of it being a fast phone will slow down and experience some horrendous pauses and lockups that I have to power the phone down and up to get out off.

But having said that, the customization makes it truly a beast. If you have no interest in widgets, customizing what info is put on screen then the iphone is a better phone. If you do then the X is a better phone.

 

[MoreGeeBeez]

I went to the iphone store(yes i know its called apple store, i just choose to call it iphone store) during the weekend launch of the 3g ipad. First time there. Left completely unimpressed. Actually I felt dirty and never ever have I wished to ever go back.

For music I'm using an app called mecanto. It allows you to stream your entire music collection from your home pc to your android device anywhere you are. No need to sync the device or to even have any music stored locally on your Android device.

Music quality is ok and I don't have to worry about sync or running out of storage space. I also find it inefficient to store that much music on a device. We might as well use the internet as we are already paying for it.

MeCanto - Listen to your music collection on the web and your mobile phone

pass the word if this is the first time hearing about this app.

I'll be checking that out when I get home. I was excited when Google bought Simplify media. I wish they would implement it already! This seems like a good alternative.

 

[gspeed]

I'll be checking that out when I get home. I was excited when Google bought Simplify media. I wish they would implement it already! This seems like a good alternative.

np. I've been using the app since late December/early January. I keep about 1 gig of music stored locally in case I don't have a network signal or wifi. Cover my ***.

Overall the app works great. 3g can be finicky but it usually gets the job done. This way I don't have to ever worry about syncing or duplicating my data(music) on the Android headset. Everything remains in one location and I'm able to access it effortlessly through the internet.

be aware though that I was never an itunes guy and sort my own music through the use of folders on my desktop. I have folders for Albums and folder for each individual album as sub folder. I have another root folder for singles that I like. Another folder for unorganized music collection, etc...

Actually quite surprised more Android users are not using this app. Really helps resolve memory constraints and syncing issues.

 

[Dubbayoo]

I moved from a non-smart phone and an iPod Touch to the Droid X. I use the Touch A LOT. I love the Droid X but so far the apps I use most - Facebook, Paypal, Ebay - are behind IOS4. The keyboard is irritatingly narrower but Swype makes up for that.

 

[darreno1]

The three main things I can tell you that are vastly different, and unfortunately in favor of the iphone are:

1.) Indoor camera use. The DroidX is just sad when it comes to indoor shots. Why they even bothered to include a "flash" is comical and why the shots are so grainy and poor to the 3Gs that came out what 2 years ago is beyond me.

I've seen and taken out very good indoor shots that were hardly grainy. I agree the iPhone's sensor seem to be more sensitive to low light and thus easier to take better pictures with, but the Droid X has proven to be a decent contender - with a little patience. It also comes set to 6mp by default. Changing it to the max 8mp can make a noticeable difference.

2.) The speaker for a media phone is just sad on the X. Tinny, blown out and Im not sure they could put in a cheaper sounding one if they tried.

It's not very loud, I agree and they may end up solving that with an update, but blown out? Here I have to disagree. To me it's very clear, clearer than my Droid was. I wouldn't call it cheaper sounding either. If it sounds blown out then there could be a problem with that particular phone.

3.) Responsiveness. The X for all the claims of it being a fast phone will slow down and experience some horrendous pauses and lockups that I have to power the phone down and up to get out off.

The X does have some stutter at times when scrolling especially with the default Moto Blur Launcher. But that seems to have absolutely no effect on app performance. Also Launcher Pro and ADW are excellent replacements that take care of most of the UI complaints.

If you're having to reboot your phone because of lag (something some others have reported) then you have a problem that needs to be addressed because that is not normal. If it's not an app causing your issue then you should perform a factory reset.

You can choose to believe it or not, but since June 15, I have only restarted my phone 2 times: once because I let the battery drain all the way and the 2nd time was for the OTA update. This phone has been solid for me, no reason it can't be for you.


I'm not implying here that the iPhone isn't a nice toy. It is, but as an all-round smartphone, I consider it inferior mainly because of the OS, the small screen, and the glaring antenna defect. Yeah the screen is great on paper but if I can't tell the difference at normal viewing distances, I could care less what res it is. I'd rather browse and look at videos and pictures on a larger screen. And It takes a lot more than an eye-candy to impress me. But that's totally my opinion.

 

[ottscay]

There are lots of reasons to buy a smartphone, just like there are lots of reasons to buy a car, or choose a hobby. I remember well how exciting my iPod Touch seemed (I used several iPhone 3/3GS, but they just seemed like oversized iPods with bad reception). While I wouldn't call it intuitive, the learning curve is none-the-less very small to the point of being almost non-existent if you're at all computer savvy. And because Apple maintains such a tight leash over the experience they do indeed make sure that the features they choose to give you "just work".

Of course if you want a feature they don't choose to give you, then it "just won't work" no matter what. And if you don't really want endless pages of apps staring at you, or if you'd like to customize your phone to get lots of useful information at a glance, or if you find iTunes obnoxiously constraining and kludgy (sorry, my wife HATES that program to the point that she wants me to jail break her iPod for her or else get her a different brand of mp3 player) you're just screwed.

So if the iPhone gives you more than you ever thought you'd want/need (and to be fair, there are a lot of end users like that) then it probably is the superior OS right now. Android 2.1 is not as polishished, and while 2.2 will be a lot faster and have some more polish, and 3.0 this fall will apparently have a lot of polish plus Gmusic integration, I'm sure it will always feel a bit more like a really cool version of Windows or Linux than it will feel like the totally-closed Steve-Jobs-wet-dream do-over of the Mac OS where they control it all.

It's the nature of Android's distributed business model, and while my preference for it is clear, it's not really an insult to Android users that some people like the other style of OS. I suspect that as Android 3.0 (and beyond) rolls in that the difference will get to be quite small, and either way Apple seems to be making all the same mistakes (sometimes magnified) that they did in the initial PC wars, so at this point their marginalization in the mobile computing space seems almost inevitable to me...but in the meantime, we really ought to be more civil to people who choose other OSes. After all, there are real trade-offs in our choices, we should just articulate clearly why we feel those trade-offs are worth it.

 

[anon(40252)]

Interesting. A couple thoughts.

1. What makes Android (Dx) more difficult to use? Everyone keeps saying it but give me examples. Personally, I think it is more perception than reality. Is it that it syncs with iTunes? See Next...

2. People keep touting the 'advantages' of iTunes. I find iTunes to be a terrible product and difficult to use. There are much better alternatives and abilities to sync. In fact, what makes dropping songs onto the phone harder than syncing?

I like being able to drag and drop. I can move files between computers at work/home and use it as a USB drive for other data. People use USB drives, folders etc.. all the time .. but moving data to their phone is hard? I don't get it.

 

[anon(40252)]

Their such different beasts its not really fair to compare IMO. iPhone is def more mainstream at this point. Even with Gingerbread its still a ways off and nobody knows what manufacturers may or may not do to it. Will they add their usual crap bloat? Possible and from what HTC says almost guaranteed.

The three main things I can tell you that are vastly different, and unfortunately in favor of the iphone are:

1.) Indoor camera use. The DroidX is just sad when it comes to indoor shots. Why they even bothered to include a "flash" is comical and why the shots are so grainy and poor to the 3Gs that came out what 2 years ago is beyond me.

2.) The speaker for a media phone is just sad on the X. Tinny, blown out and Im not sure they could put in a cheaper sounding one if they tried.

3.) Responsiveness. The X for all the claims of it being a fast phone will slow down and experience some horrendous pauses and lockups that I have to power the phone down and up to get out off.

But having said that, the customization makes it truly a beast. If you have no interest in widgets, customizing what info is put on screen then the iphone is a better phone. If you do then the X is a better phone.

1. Agreed. The indoor shots are not as good and honestly ... pretty terrible on my Dx. Outdoor shots are gorgeous.

2. I disagree and agree. The speaker for phone calls and media playback (music, videos, games) is really loud and clear on my Dx. Louder than most phones I have used including the iPhone. However, in some apps, ringers, alarms, alerts .. it is really soft. Not sure what is going on here.

3. I am not seeing this. I have yet to see a lock-up or a freeze. The scrolling is not as smooth in some areas but other than that I find the Dx to be extremely responsive and fast.

 

[ottscay]

Well, iTunes is a pre-existing ecosystem left over from iPod world domination, so a large number of potential customers already have their music (often including purchased mp3s) on iTunes and in Apple's proprietary format, plus are in the habit of sinking their device to it. Otherwise, starting from scratch I don't think the music experience is actually significantly worse.

As for smartphone usability, an iPhone arrives with all usable apps in icon form already on the front page wher you don't have to look for them, and when you finally stumble into the app store the installation automatically installs an app icon at the nearest opening on your pages. When you get a Droid, there is software and widgets you don't have to keep on your home page (but you have to know how to remove them), and while the app store installs to your phone just as easily, you have to navigate a window to get a quick-launch icon to put them there.

I purposely picked the most basic part of the experience...because if people are using their first smartphone these are the sort of things they will experience in the first 2-30 minutes of use. Now, I know that Android has a little robot that explains a lot of this stuff to you, and it was obvious enough to me that I turned the little robot off before I left the store (DX is my first Android device), but if you aren't a teching the Apple hand-holding model definitely provides a soft landing when you first starting playing with it. There's just less to learn.

Likewise, whether Apple's installed apps have the features or not that you want, you never have to worry about seeing if there are better apps in the market, because Apple doesn't allow that sort of competition. But if you want a good email client on Android (aside from Gmail) you have to look at the Android market, perhaps find some sites on line to read reviews of (or else spend time reading the not-always-helpful marketplace reviews) and try to figure out which one will suit your needs. Or else try them both. All of these are ideas that take more confidence in your own skills and knowledge of the device.

When people say "it just made sense" what they mean is "I had no other options so I could quickly learn what it did". And while as a power user it's easy to look down on that sort of response, a lot of consumers want that in a device they rely on.

I personally almost always recommend Android over iPhones, but that's because the people who ask me are also reasonably savvy with technology. If my parents decided they really wanted a smartphone, I'm not at all sure I'd recommend Android to them.