First, let me preface one thing. Anyone who knows me knows I am undoubtedly an Apple nerd. Four years ago, my family invested in an Apple desktop, and we've now grown to have a Macbook, iPad, and the aforementioned iMac desktop.
That being said, I truly agonized about making a decision on a new cell phone. Previously, I had a Palm Pre, which I adored, but lost it. I replaced it with a Blackberry Curve (the cheapest replacement smartphone I could find) and had issues with that device right away.
So... As an Apple nerd, I obviously had my eye on the iPhone for quite some time and waited anxiously for it to come to the Verizon network. Thursday was that day, and I got up at 3am to be the first in line to get the iPhone 4. I couldn't be happier with my decision at this point. Below lists the pros and cons on why I decided to make the iPhone 4 mine, all MINE!
iPhone vs Blackberry: Blackberry is great for business purposes. You get emails, text messages, and push notifications with ease. It's a device to keep you connected to others in the utmost sense. I know, that's what a phone is for, but RIM's dominance in the smartphone world is a testament to how well their device helps you organize clients, contacts, and keep in touch. Where Blackberry falls grievously short is in your ability to surf websites online and in the applications it offers. I know there are other devices other than the Curve, but I found the camera, both for still photos and video to be subpar as well. Neither device supports flash video, so it's a moot point there, but the Blackberry wouldn't even display most pictures I got in an email. iPhone won out simply by having a great online interface, killer camera that records and can upload to YouTube in HD clarity, and more apps than anything else on the market. Really, if you look hard enough, there is literally an app for EVERYTHING in the Apple app store, which comes installed on your phone and you can download content quickly either over Wifi or a 3G connection. In addition to owning a Curve, I researched and played around with a Storm, World, and Pearl before deciding that the iPhone was clearly my choice over anything Blackberry had to offer. Oh, and one more thing, only select songs could be ported from my iTunes over to the Blackberry. When you're looking for one thing that does "everything," the Blackberry is very, very limited...
iPhone vs Palm Pre: I had a Pre and loved it. A mobile hotspot is built into the device and can be used for free for 5 gigs of info a month without any other charges from Verizon. However, rather than get another one of those, I had to compare the two devices honestly. The iPhone also has a WiFi hotspot built in, but if you want Verizon to activate it, it will cost you another 20 bucks a month. Not worth it in my opinion, so Pre has the advantage there. Pre is much, much smaller than the iPhone, with a too small for my taste slide out keyboard. After going to the Pre from my old 8130 Blackberry, I felt cramped typing on it. The virtual keyboard on the iPhone is a little cumbersome at first, but after having an iPod Touch, I'm used to it by now. You adapt to it quickly, you really do. Pre also has virtually no apps available. I know I griped about the number of apps above, but I'm looking for something to do everything, remember? Camera was very similar to the iPhone, but only had a rear facing camera, and not one on the front to make Skype and FaceTime a player.
iPhone vs. Android: Here's the hardest decision of them all to make. I took a hard look at the Droid 2, Droid X, and Samsung Fascinate. The biggest place Android had a clear advantage was Swype. OMG, Swype is cool. Those devices that have virtual keyboards (again, not a fan of the slide, they seem too flimsy for me) come with Swype installed. You can drag your finger around the keyboard to type instead of clicking or "pushing" buttons, and it makes texting or e-mailing super fast and easy. iPhone does not support Swype at this time, and after having tried it, that's a definite disadvantage. Android displays are also a smidge brighter and more in detail, but with the screen being so small, you really have to look to tell the difference. Android also supports Flash video, which the iPhone doesn't, which can get annoying if you go to a website where the pictures and video are formatted in Flash. Why doesn't Apple support it? Battery life. Flash sucks up a TON of juice, killing your battery life and forcing you to stop what you're doing and either change batteries or charge. Android phones also come with a battery that can be removed and swapped out. iPhone does not. However, I put it through the ringer today with use, and I can confirm the battery life on the iPhone with constant use is close to 8hrs. Android phones don't come close to that. Then again, as I already have an iPod dock in my car, I can easily throw my iPhone in there, listen to my music in the car, and charge it all at the same time. The "Maps" app that comes installed also doubles as a turn-by-turn GPS navigation, which is awesome. Where the true advantage came in was the plug and play aspect of the iPhone. iTunes just works with it. There's no reformatting of songs or video I have stored there, and the apps I put on my iPod Touch and iPad are also compatable. Not to mention, to get around the Flash setback for YouTube, you simply use the YouTube app that comes installed and watch video in QuickTime format. Simple...
A couple other things... Although FaceTime is limited (since it's a Mac/iPhone only application) Skype is awesome, and you feel like Dick Tracy talking to someone and seeing them at the same time.
The iPhone 4 is a little heavier than I thought it would be, and isn't the most comfy fit in your jeans, but what smartphone is?
I still prefer surfing the net on the iPad with the larger screen, but when you're out and about, the Safari browser is crisp, quick and does the trick.
I LOVE the text message format. When someone texts you, the conversations with each person are saved so if you want to text them again, you go to the previous conversation, reply and viola! Blackberry and Android are similar, but the iPhone seperates your comments on the right, your responders are on the left, and color codes them so it's really easy to tell who said what...
Having either 16 or 32 gigs of internal memory is awesome. Previous devices mentioned above have required a data card to carry a paltry 2-4 gigs. That's just not enough for something you want to use as a mobile contact device that also stores your music, video, pictures, books, apps, etc...
Hope this helps. I've rambled on long enough. I couldn't be happier with my choice. It's not without a glitch or two, but in my opinion it's the best overall device on the market. Steve Jobs and crew have done it again.
