[lug] Android comparisons

[Nate Duehr]

  On 8/15/2010 10:22 AM, Bruce Long wrote:
> It's about as bulky as an iPhone with a protective case. I think it's 
> funny that iPhone fans often claim to want a thin/sexy phone then wrap 
> it in a bulky, ugly case. LOL!
LOL... I wrap everything in Otterboxes. They kick ass.  :-)

My choice of iPhone over Android has more to do with the software 
available (specifically http://www.foreflight.com/ and 
http://coradine.com/ which are light years ahead of their Android 
counterparts, than the usual iPhone "fan" reasons.

But those of us with real reasons for using the thing often get lumped 
in with the "gotta have one to impress the neighbors" crowd, who'll be 
on to the next "ooh, shiny" device next month.  :-)

I really like the Motorola Droid X - the hardware is comparable or 
better than the iPhone 4, and if you can stand waiting for Verizon to 
"push" your OS updates to you when they feel like it, okay... very cool 
device.  Android ain't bad either.

And I for one, would love to be rid of AT&T in my life forever as a 
celluar carrier (as least here in Colorado where Verizon has them 
handily whipped -- and I see no mass-arrival of cell tower crews putting 
up sites to really compete with Verizon's much higher number of sites 
and coverage, especially in this economy where companies have lost all 
sight of "build for the future, not for the past")...

But the mix of syncing everything to the Mac personal laptop, and the 
choices already made in App purchases and their corresponding desktop 
software purchases (LogTen Pro has a desktop counterpart as do others I 
use regularly), mean I'll be on the iPhone for quite a while to come.

This is the most interesting part about "app stores" -- there's vendor 
lock-in not always so much because of perceived "evilness", but because 
the software actually works well, and one makes a conscious decision to 
stick with it for that software vs. having phone calls that don't drop 
2-3 times in a single trip from 120th & I-25 to Arapahoe Road & I-25 (my 
commute, which I can't make without a dropped call if I'm on the phone 
all the way).

Choices, choices.  If Apple does a CDMA device, and Verizon chooses to 
pick it up/deal with them/whatever... well, we'll see.  I'm squarely in 
the camp of "If Verizon gets the iPhone and doesn't totally screw it up, 
I'll pay the penalties and leave AT&T" camp.

Now if we just had a real local telco that was laying fiber to the 
curb... friends on FIOS regularly make me jealous.  Comcast is good, but 
FIOS pricing back East, even with Verizon's anti-competitive nature 
about how they install it (numerous reports of, "Oh sir, I noticed a 
problem getting into your house with the Fiber, so we removed your 
copper junction box... illegally and unethically... since FIOS has been 
deemed NOT to be a common-carrier...)... and the speeds, are downright 
eye-popping.

Comcast will work within the limitations of a shared copper last mile, 
but at least is spending money to move to DOCSIS 3, and well, we all 
know Qwest is a horribly bad joke in comparison to any other telco... so 
I'm not holding my breath on that one.

Nate