[General Questions and Answers] pmcqueen:
Apple makes something that just works. but if you don't like the way it works, too bad. Android devices work just as well, albeit differently, but it's nice to know that if there is anything in the UI that isn't to your liking, you can simply change it. in the early days of Android, the UI was sluggish and riddled with incompatibilities and crashes, which gave the iPhone a heightened sense of 'perfection.' this is a thing of the past. new, high-end Android devices are well-polished and just as snappy as any iPhone. ICS will further bridge the gap, especially in dual core devices.

one area Android cannot compete with Apple in, though, and I don't know if it will ever be able to: battery life.. and when you consider what the device is (above all else, it's a phone.. you probably need it to communicate, and therefore you probably want it to be powered on at all times), that's as important as any other feature. there's just no comparison. even if you spend 5 hours tweaking settings to minimize draw, your fancy shmancy Android device's battery will never last as long as an iPhone's. of course, again, we come back to the customization thing: with Android devices, you could just get a ludicrously overstuffed battery replacement and probably come near iPhone uptime, something you cannot do with Apple devices.

my honest opinion? (keep in mind I have owned 6 android devices since the Dream first came out.. I'm not an Apple fanboy at all - I'm not a fanboy of any fancy telephone. it's a phone, not my life) I would own an iPhone 4S over any current Android offering if I hadn't boycotted Apple years ago. they're not the type of business I willingly support... but give them respect when it's due: they make fantastic mobile devices.

for now, I'm more than happy with my MT4GS. I like the phys keyboard, which is superb, and I don't have to look like a halfwit when I'm sending e-mails on the go to the executive team. I like the hardware, which is identical to the Sensation's. I like the 3.7" screen coupled with HDPI resolution, which gives me plenty of viewing area on webpages and whatnot without crazy battery draw like you'll get from these gimmicky 5" HD screens. the camera is phenomenal for a phone. and even though it ships with the most disgusting form of Sense imaginable (T-mo's espresso), as I've said, it's easy to change things around to get the experience to my liking thanks to Android's ease of customization.

to all of the Android zealots who have posted here and will surely continue to post: get over it. the iPhone is the benchmark, that's the way it is, and in the foreseeable future, that's the way it will be. there's a reason for that, and it's not just because people who are Apple loyalists are idiots... ALL of apple's products are highly refined and very user friendly. if you're the kind of person who doesn't have the patience for technology, but wants to stay connected, you'd be dumb to go with anything but Apple. if you don't fit into that category; if you like to tinker, if you don't like feeling locked down by your mobile OS, buy an Android device and enjoy it... quit getting your panties in a bunch because the entire world doesn't see eye-to-eye with you concerning your choice in the realm of glorified telephones. if it works for you, that's all that matters, and who cares what your buddies with their iThings say? it's all just stuff in the end... stuff that will end up in a landfill just like the rest of the stuff you own.

just my $.02 (more like $.05, that was a novella)