yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Vibrant General] MrGibbage:
Not a flame thread... I promise.

I've never had an iPhone, but I have a few friends that do. Every time I ask them if their phone can do this or that, it seems that it can. Has the gap closed significantly? Is there anything an Android phone can do that an iPhone can't? Or vice versa?

For the record, I'm not a ringleader of the holy war against iPhones. I mean, I think they are pretty decent phones. Of course, I do like the Android phones.. a lot. But I don't see myself switching to an iPhone any time soon.

So, keep the flames down and just list the facts.

The only two differences that I really know of is 1) Android is on all of the US carriers, where iPhone is AT&T only; and 2) it is much easier and friendlier in the rooting of the device for Android phones (that is, carriers and manufacturers don't care).
[Vibrant General] gravis86:
You only touched the tip of the iceberg with the "rooting" part. Take a look in the Dev section of the forum and you'll see why Android totally owns iOS. This is the main reason I chose Android. If this was an iPhone forum that whole sub-forum wouldn't exist. The only thing iOS has is apps.

Plus (until recently) iPhones were stuck with crappy screen resolution: 320x480 while many Android phones had screens at 480x800. The Android OS isn't restricted to just one piece of hardware so we get many manufacturers competing against each other. When companies compete the consumer wins. The only thing iPhone competes against is the previous iPhone model. If Apple releases a new iPhone it only needs to be marginally better than the previous model for people to buy it.

I used to be an Apple fan-boy. I had an iPod, bought the 17" MacBook Pro when it was released, had an iPhone, all that stuff. And while I still respect Apple for pushing cutting-edge technology, there is no way a single company can release cutting-edge products as fast as multiple other companies combined.
[Vibrant General] zephiK:
Not to mention that Android is capable of using widgets. As well as a more "open" market for applications compared to Apple's review process before a application gets published. However, it is up to the user's responsibilities to take a look at what permissions the app is asking for. But if you're tech savvy enough, this shouldn't be a problem and there aren't many applications that are malicious.

The most significant difference is that Android has A LOT more customzation compared to iOS. The iOS is so limited on customization where Android we can change just about everything: the virtual keyboard, home screen, app drawer, and just pretty much everything.
[Vibrant General] boodies:
to be honest with you, you can't go wrong with either phone. i have to say, iphone4 is a great piece of hardware and apple, like Samsung knows a lil something about design. good luck.
[Vibrant General] samoelito:
no comments in other things but when i hold my dads iphone 3gs, it feels like too small... and fat.. I mean, the display looks small compared to my vibrant :P
[Vibrant General] rogerchew:
well in terms of customization, i know a jail broken iphone or ("rooted android") phone can also get the customizations that aren't available out of the box. So in that regard, I would have to say both are just as customizable.
[Vibrant General] s15274n:
LOL.... tell that to all the left handed people of the world :)
[Vibrant General] nick_karstedt:
Sure, with the exception of the lack of widgets on the iPhone, as well as Live Wallpapers.

The Android desktop is like the desktop on your PC

The Apple iOS 'desktop' is like your start menu
[Vibrant General] xplanowestx:
iOS Customization is no where close to as diverse to Android. iOS you can jailbreak it, however the UI still stays generally the same. For android, your able to create completely new interfaces (ie: different launchers/home screens) iOS you can sorta do something similar with designing templates w/ blank icons and such but it still isn't the same and is a rather stupid way of going about it. Android has the ability to customize down to the system level, which is why i see it as a superior OS.
[Vibrant General] boodies:
Which device are you talking about? :D
[Vibrant General] SeanFloyd:
Apple's main appeal to consumers is sleekness. The iPhone is a sleek looking piece of hardware that bedazzles the average person (i.e. retard). When I go around a college campus and see every person with a 13 inch Mac Book that was $1500+ I have to laugh. If it was not for the sleek presentation and general "coolness" of the brand they would not be able to get away with half the crap they pull.
[Vibrant General] tengtengvn:
nothing a bumper can't fix LMAO
[Vibrant General] cashless:
Off-topic:

??? Seriously ???

The 90's called they want their inaccurate arguments back.
[Vibrant General] SeanFloyd:
This is America, exaggeration is perfectly legal!
[Vibrant General] nearblack:
well when talking about the two, you have to understand the iPhone is a piece of hardware and software and Android is software...

the iPhone and the Vibrant are generally the same in terms of hardware... however the Vibrant has some huge advantages in having an expandable memory and replaceable battery.

iOS is much more limited than Android in terms of customization, but also has an advantage as it works perfectly with the hardware.

in my opinion, the iPhone is a much more user friendly device whereas Android devices are more exciting and feature filled.
[Vibrant General] joshthewaster:
I think this sums it up perfectly. The other thing is that if you don't plan on utilizing the potential of Android the difference between the two is even smaller and comes down to stock features (like- do you want a FFC or removeable storage? Tmobile or ATT?). If you plan on rooting Android will far and away kill the iphone in terms of customization and extra features.

I love my macbook but there is no way I'd get an iphone with a sweet phone like the Vibrant running Android as my other choice.
[Vibrant General] rudeguy:
cell phone companies don't care about freaks.
[Vibrant General] MrGibbage:
This is so much more interesting than I thought it would. before I posted this, I thought the answers would be "Android has such-and-such app" where iPhone could never do this (or vice versa) and here's why.

Rooting and tinkering are what I love to do, and when I bought my G1 on day one, I honestly did not realize that rooting would even be an option. I just somehow knew that Android was going to be the way to go. I kinda lucked out on the fact that we can root our phones. Without root, then these are good phones. Add root, and you have an awesome phone.

You know how sometimes you look at a really interesting photograph and you know it is interesting, but you don't know why it is interesting? And then you take a class in photography and you learn why that photograph was interesting--composition, lighting, etc? Well, now I know why I love my phone.

Bottom line is, I guess people who just want a phone to work, and not have to do anything, or deal with small, annoying "issues", then the iPhone may be a better way to go. But you have to realize that iPhone will never be the best HW/SW out there any more. I think Android will always have the edge now, due to all the competition. So if you are an above average user, or an advanced user, then the choice is easy: Android.
[Vibrant General] christpuncher:
Android definitely does more, you just have to go out of your way to figure it all out (which is why we are all here). IPhone makes doing cool stuff more easily accessible (which works for the masses that just want a sweet phone that does sweet stuff outta the box), but the level of customization is nowhere near android. I've told my diehard iPhone friends if they were to just use an android phone for a month, they would switch. The only credit I give to the iPhone is the sick lineup of games. Android pretty much blows in that department.
[Vibrant General] zephiK:
It'll start to catch up, Gameloft games are available on Android but the way that they deliver their games are terrible especially for people who root their phones and things of that sort. I just wish they would offer their games on the market.

But to an extent, you're totally right.. I hope that game developers will move on the Android platform and take advantage of the hardware that is always improving and improving on Android whereas Apple releases new hardware for their phone once per year.
[Vibrant General] nearblack:
the major turn off for me personally was AT&T. it's so overpriced and the service is so bad, it's a huge waste of money imo.

but of course Apple has a brand name attached to it that is actually a really big deal to some people.

I have an ipod touch as well so I can see how things progress on both sides of things.
[Vibrant General] PaiPiePia:
It will take a while though, sure, for the last year so android has pick up in popularity tremendously. However, the hardware fragmentation is going to scare off some potential devs. For example, it is not easy to develop game that will look sharp and run well on our sweet sweet new vibrant :D, while working smoothly on the aged G1 or even the Magic handset.
[Vibrant General] kizer:
Must I say it?

We are not limited to iTunes. ;)
[Vibrant General] MrGibbage:
Can iPhone do 3D games like Android? I admit it, I'm too lazy to look it up.
[Vibrant General] chandlerw88:
Yeah iphone games are legit. I say that's the only real thing they got on our apps. They have amazing graphics.
[Vibrant General] bdveteran18:
I do not like the iPhone. I use d to want one badly, but once the G1 hit I no longer was stuck in the Apple trance. Not to take anything away from Apple or the iPhone. It's a great device that has pushed all these other companies to step up a bit but there is no way I would ever choose the iPhone over my Vibrant. Android is growing rapidly into a serious roadblock in Apples way and the level of customization with Android is going to continue to lure more people in.
[Vibrant General] nearblack:
maybe it's just me, but the 3D games never did it for me...

they usually involve heavy gameplay, and it just doesn't make sense to me. the situations in which I would want to game on my phone would be really casual places on the go.

that's why games such as "Angry Birds" and "Doodle Jump" are masterful because they really do a great job in casual gameplay.

I leave the 3D FPS to my Xbox. just sayin'.
[Vibrant General] funeralthirst:
for app development android can be done on any computer/os, ios requires osx.
[Vibrant General] quest4fire:
I gotta give props to Apple, the Iphone started the smart phone revolution. It basically made your phone into a mini computer. Smart phone development ramped up because of Iphone. You could say that Iphone led to the birth of Android. Google wanted in on the action.

Iphone is closed source, everything is tightly controlled by Apple. Android is open source and the sky is the limit with what can be done with software and hardware. Open source always wins.

Iphone has tons of accessories--cases, extended batteries, etc. Android because of multitude of phone models/sizes makes accessories options limited.

Iphone App store has tons of apps and many great games. Android apps is catching up, Android is still young.

Iphone restricted to AT&T with data hogs clogging up the network. Android works on all carriers.

You can get Android phones cheaper than Iphone, some carriers give away for free in exchange for 2 year contract. You don't see AT&T giving away Iphone for free.

Bottom line is Iphone is a great phone and it started the revolution but growth is limited while Android has unlimited growth because its open source.
[Vibrant General] dex1701:
The biggest deterrents to my buying of Apple products are their pricing and their doctrine of locking down their devices.

The lock-down concept is great for non-technical users, because it prevents them from accidentally screwing up their devices. For me, however, it's really, really annoying. I want to be in control of my devices...the Apple products I've owned over the years (not counting my Apple IIc) have felt like I was renting them from Apple rather than owning them myself. I have to use iTunes to load music on my iPod? Really?

The fact that I'm forced to use my devices strictly in the manner allowed by the manufacturer is an unacceptable limitation for users that demand flexibility. This is acceptable in the appliance world, but not in the personal computer and smartphone world...well, not for power users, anyway. Don't even get me started on non-replaceable batteries. That's just planned product failure from where I'm standing.

On the pricing front (not necessarily applicable to the iPhone specifically) when I see a product that doesn't offer anything more than competing products outside of a sexy finish and is priced significantly more I steer clear. This goes doubly for Macs...I can build a system with the same specs for roughly 1/3 - 2/3 of the price. I'll go ahead and make the sacrifice and run Linux or Windows...MacOS is nice, but not worth paying through the nose for the hardware (which I can barely upgrade without buying a whole new computer) by far.

I won't get into the fact that their advertising is so misleading that it borders on outright lying at times or the various other anti-consumer policies they have that more than rival anything MS has been guilty of. I won't cite all of the frivolous lawsuits. They have an amazing PR department, I'll give them that.

I'm really not biased, it's just that Apple does so very many things that steer me away from their products. Then again, it's probably just me, because I feel the same way about Sony. :)

If you look back at what MS was doing with WinMo (yeah, I know, WinMo is waaay outdated, but it was there before iPhone) and what was happening with Symbian years and years before iPhone was a glimmer in Jobs's eye iPhone doesn't really look like a novel idea. What Apple did well is the execution for the non-techy user and, most importantly, marketing.
[Vibrant General] Sane1:
I have used both for 2 years now. G1, MyTouch 3G, Samsung Vibrant and iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, iPhone 4G and have used other android phones like the hero, nexus one and droid, along with every new ipod touch released.

My thoughts, the iPhone has 2 things going for it. 1.) A massive amount of very well polished games from big names and even amazingly inventive games from lesser known devs. 2.) UI consistency and intuitiveness. Every app you download no matter what it is or who it's from feels and looks "iPhone-ish" and anyone can pick one up and after a few minutes of poking around will feel right at home. All the settings for just about every app in one place and common navigation and UI elements are consistent no matter a default application or 3rd party application. In contrast android is lacking in the game department, the UI has a slight learning curve and consistency within the UI and 3rd party applications is.. well.. lacking.

Android on the other hand is extremely customizable, even without root. If you don't like a default application, replace it. If you don't like the look or feel or the launcher, replace it. Want a way to see status updates or tiny bits of info at a glance? Add a widget. The openness of the OS and the market allows for some pretty amazing applications that you just will never get from an iPhone, like tasker for example. You'll never have to worry about a dictatorship telling you NO you can not have that and NO you can not do this.

I could nitpick the differences in default applications and general UI differences, which is better then which, but they all pretty much do the same **** and are pretty close to equal at this point. Or you could say rooting or jailbreaking add this and that, thus making one better, but, I could make my desk into a go cart with enough effort.

If you like games and OCD like consistencies and you have some kind of learning disability that would make figuring your way around android very difficult and don't mind big brother telling you what is okay then the iPhone is for you. If you like openness and doing things and having things the way you want, not the way someone wants you to then android is for you.

The games are coming to android soon enough. At that point the only reason someone would have to pick up an iPhone is if they are mildly retarded.
[Vibrant General] MrGibbage:
I know that Apple must approve any/all apps for the iPhone (some call this a feature; I certainly call it an inconvenience at best). Is the U/I something that Apple takes a hard look at when approving/disapproving an app? Would they disapprove an app because they used a drop down selection instead of a page of selection buttons or vice versa?
[Vibrant General] zephiK:
If you're referring to me. I didn't call it a feature. I was just comparing the app markets.
[Vibrant General] MrGibbage:
No, I did not mean to imply that you considered it a feature. I have had this discussion with iPhone owners and they consider the approval process a feature. Malicious apps won't make it to the market, they believe. Sure, android has had at least one malicious app make it to the market, but with the open process here, it isn't long before they are outed. I do not consider iPhone's approval process a feature, and most of us here would not either.

Sorry for the confusion.
[Vibrant General] All~G1:
In my eyes its as simple as form over function. Form, how one works, over function, how well it works.

The android OS lets us control both. Iphone doesn't.

Vibe the XDApp
[Vibrant General] jeremiah_mn:
What about widgets? AFAIK they don't have that ability on the iPhone? that's pretty huge when it comes to customization.
[Vibrant General] Propheous:
Even with Jailbreak the I-Phone is only customizable to a certain degree. Android phones go well beyond simple software customization. We have to remember that software is only half the story. With I-Phone you are basically locked into a hardware configuration as well. With Android you are not. You can start on the G1 move to the N1, tumble a droid around, and land on a vibrant. Even if you follow each evolution of I-Phone you are still pretty much using the same phone. While the I-Phone has a nice form factor and all it is not the be all and end all of form factors.
[Vibrant General] lqaddict:
I think we can all agree that if you want no brain cool looking device and don't mind spending money to line steve's pockets and paying for a sub par overpriced service iphone is the winner. (speaking on the condition you don't want to void your warranty by jail breaking, etc.)

The advantages of Android phones include but not limited to:

- different hardware choice

- different provider choice

I am not even mentioning the customization of the software.
[Vibrant General] Maverick777:
I agree.

Android = power of choice (carriers, hardware, software).

iPhone = App store. Accessories (this is a big one for a lot of my friends. Things like iPod/iPhone integration on BMW's.). Hardware design (this is debatable, but it's hard to argue Apple's designs are very sleek. Price is a different debate).

I'll also add that Apple does one thing better than anyone else. In general, everything just works. It's very easy to use. Whether or not you agree with the closed environment that their products operate in is up for debate. But it's hard to argue in the case of the iPhone about simplicity of use in both the UI and hardware and software integration. iTunes may be a resource hog on Windows and lockdown like no other, but it works very well for what it does and it's easy to use.

Apple's 2 main strengths has always been ease of use and marketing. They live and die by the K.I.S.S. method of doing things. Keep It Simple Stupid.
[Vibrant General] couped:
Closed vs open

/Thread

Sent from a Samsung Vibrant.
[Vibrant General] trunkstar1:
Great thread, great perspectives.
[Vibrant General] MrGibbage:
I am surprised that so many of my friends and coworkers have iPhones. Some of them have never even heard of Android. Really strange. Apple is VERY good at marketing, that's for sure.

At least now I can tell them some real reasons why Android is better.

Is that true that iPhone does not support widgets? That is remarkable!
[Vibrant General] dex1701:
That's pretty much how Apple took over the consumer electronics market. Digital music players had been around for years before the iPod, but Apple marketed theirs in a way that got the attention of the non-techies.

That's the trick. You can talk about how cool digital music players are, show yours off, etc., and nobody will notice. Now make one that comes in pretty colors, integrate it with software that doesn't require anything but a credit card number, and add a marketing campaign that makes you feel hip and sexy (instead of nerdy) for owning one, and *bam*...goldmine!

Now everybody thinks Apple invented the digital music player, even though they came into the market as a 100% "me too" maneuver. Heck, I was showing someone my (now aging) Creative Zen player the other day and could not, for the life of me, figure out how to get people to understand what it was. Finally someone asked, "so, is it an iPod?" I said, "yeah, it's just like that but not made by Apple." Their eyes glazed over. I finally had to say, "yes, it's an iPod," and they were all like, "ooooooooh, I get it. Cool."

Their entrance to the smartphone world was no different, and why should it be? It works, apparently.
[Vibrant General] solidkundi:
Very True!!! :eek:
[Vibrant General] Droidicus:
OH MAN! If I didn't laugh I'd cry. Your post is dead on. And it points out the mission statement for apple. I don't know what the official MS is but it certainly seems to be something along the lines of making tech so simple a caveman can use it! I mean seriously they reinvent the wheel all the time and make loads of cash doing it!
[Vibrant General] MrGibbage:
Heh, I started a new thread on Mac Rumors to get the opposing point of view:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=10932341

One poster pointed me to two other threads that discussed the same thing (I guess I should have searched first :) )

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1000748

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=999347
[Vibrant General] LovellKid:
I LOVE getting in these arguments with apple fan boys... I bring up all points above and ill add a few other ones - tethering out of the box(no root/jailbreak needed), the HOME AND BACK BUTTONS! That is huge for me because some iphone apps you have to exit out of the program to get back due to the lack of a back button in the app interface.

Also this is the single most important in my mind-Android is Google's baby. Google is putting its hands in a million different baskets and we will reap all the benefits. Not to mention their free services like maps and voice among others.

On a venting note, I've given up correcting newly converted android Co workers on calling Android "Droid" #blameverizon