iPhone or Android?
 

I'm needing, wanting to upgrade to a smartphone. Something else smarter than me.

Our firm has a small discount on monthy charges and some deals on phones.

Android or iPhone? Any real differences (besides shiny vs. SHINY)?

Stupid question #1 Data Plan, I have options of 300Mb ($20) of 3Gb ($30) and I am assuming that much difference is well worth the $10 difference.

Do I go with an older 3G phone or a 4G? Obviously a 3G phone is much less expensive up front. Since I know nothing about 3G and 4G, will a 3G phone be instantly outmoded?

I know it sounds silly, but I am trying to justify the approximately $100 a month. My brain keeps kicking back in, you're not yet out of cc debt and do you really need this or simply want it because it's a cool toy?

So, I come to the wisdom of LoT for advice.

How picky are you about user interface on your devices? Are happy to just have something that works-as-advertised consistently without much thought on your part, or do you prefer things to be set up JUST SO, annoyed when some function is not easily accessible or doesn't look the way you want it to?

If the former, go for iPhone. The latter, go for Android. That is probably the biggest difference. Android is about customization. You can tweak the look and feel and layout to precisely how you like it. The drawback is that it requires more effort on your part and can run across compatibility issues if you're dealing with a lot of 3rd party customization apps.

iPhone is about a stable, reliable, functioning device (not to imply that Android isn't, at its base, stable, reliable, and functional. Just that it gives you the option of messing with lots of stuff, which RISKS unreliability and instability). The drawback is that you can't do much to "improve" on the usability if there's something that isn't comfortable for you.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever had about using Apple portable products (in this case, it was an iPod, but holds true for the iPhone) is choose the i-something because most other people have one - and if you ever have a question about anything, you can ask almost anyone!


The Android has gained tremendous ground, but I still believe you can toss a coin in the air and there's a 94% chance it will hit someone with an iPhone on the way down.


I love, love, love my iPhone and find my boyfriend's Droid a bit confusing. For whatever that's worth. ;)

Thanks Steve and Greg!

Now, what about reasonable data usage? The discounted rate option has 300 Mb. Is this a reasonable amount?

Again, depends.

Do you anticipate downloading music on the go (remember, that includes podcasts)? How about uploading photos? If you expect you won't be doing much of that, or if you do that you'll be somewhere with access to wifi (as opposed to the mobile network), than save the $.

If you expect to be using it as a point-and-shoot often, uploading photos as you go (if you get android, it might be doing it automatically to your Google+ account - a very nice feature). Or if you expect it to be a daily podcast listening device that you'll want to grab the latest episodes on...then it's worth it.

Can you change your mind and upgrade after the initial order? Ask if you can. Go with the cheaper plan, and keep an eye on your usage. If it seems like you are going to hit your limit, upgrade.

I would go for the higher data plan. Once you get a smart phone, you'll find it's good for all sorts of things like streaming something to watch while you wait at the dmv, or listening to pandora or using Skype (although I'd recommend google + instead as Skype has been giving me nothing but pixelation and dropped sound issues.) What's the point of getting a smart phone, to have all those cool features available to you on a whim, if you're not going to use them because you're afraid you'll go over your data limit. (assuming there is some big penalty and it doesn't just switch you to the higher priced plan automatically)

As far as which one? My husband has had both and I liked them both. I liked my android phone when I had it and my son has a pad that runs android and enjoys it immensely.

Sorry, Snowflake, but I say listen to your brain (only because that's the way you phrased it).

The technology will still be waiting for you when you've taken care of your debts. And you might just enjoy it that much more when you're in the clear and the money issue is not still hanging over your head.

See why I picked this name?

Yes, that was very Sam-like of you

Who is your provider?

If it's AT&T go with the iPhone. If it's Verizon listen to all the advice here (and only look at LTE 4G "droid" models from Verizon.

Keep in mind buying new technology will enable you to keep your phone long past the 2 year point (software upgrades/enhancements/support) If you get an older iPhone it will only become more and more obsolete.

sweet talker ;)