# iPhone as good as Android?



## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

jmiller said:


> I'd consider Sonos the Apple of networked audio, if that makes any sense to more than two ppl here.


J that would be the case if the Sonos API didn't allow third party control...


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Inner10 said:


> Huh? Blows it away? I can almost guarantee that a ZP90 would sound better than integrated airplay in your receiver.
> 
> I actually prefer to abandon C4 and AMX's multiroom audio system and integrate Sonos for distributed audio. As far as I'm concerned it is the best distributed audio system on the market.
> 
> I use a boxee box too, it's OK but I need to reboot it every couple weeks and power cycle it every few months...I wish it had an open API to allow for a bi-directional driver with my automation system and was built with better hardware. I like XBMC except for the lack of netflix support.


I can do much more with AirPlay across the amp and boxee than i could with sonos and boxee. My mate spent $25k on having his downstairs wired for multi room and my setup trumps it for what I can do without moving from my seat. I can stream video, audio and pictures from most apple apps I use via AirPlay to either the boxee or the amp for just audio. I can pick what what rooms have what feeds with a combination of amp and boxee and have full control of every input and output on the amps with the boxee's connected and I still have full use of a 9.2 surround sound system when my wife is sitting up stairs streaming audio to the living room. With the combination of Samsung remote app, denon remote app, boxee remote app and all the apps that support AirPlay there's not really anything you can't achieve with the system and I bet it still comes out cheaper than a sonos setup.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

BCConstruction said:


> I can do much more with AirPlay across the amp and boxee than i could with sonos and boxee. My mate spent $25k on having his downstairs wired for multi room and my setup trumps it for what I can do without moving from my seat. I can stream video, audio and pictures from most apple apps I use via AirPlay to either the boxee or the amp for just audio. I can pick what what rooms have what feeds with a combination of amp and boxee and have full control of every input and output on the amps with the boxee's connected and I still have full use of a 9.2 surround sound system when my wife is sitting up stairs streaming audio to the living room. With the combination of Samsung remote app, denon remote app, boxee remote app and all the apps that support AirPlay there's not really anything you can't achieve with the system and I bet it still comes out cheaper than a sonos setup.


More? Like what?

If by more you mean less, airplay is great for streaming music from your device to another...that's it. Want RDIO, Spotify, Sirius etc. you would have to sacrifice control of the source and use AirFoil. Plus it can digest and stream analog audio faster then anything else I've ever used. Sonos is a multiroom audio system airplay is a one trick pony...this is an apples and oranges comparison.

Your system would be very cumbersome to operate, the addition of an RTI, Control4, Savant or other would allow you to control everything you want with one app...so press one button and it does all the work for you without switching apps. It works fine for you but how the heck did you teach your wife how to use it? I get yelled at when I mess with the aspect ratio on the TV!:laughing:


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## Walker1 (Apr 22, 2007)

KennMacMoragh said:


> I decided to get a new iPhone. I don't see a need to take a chance with an Android, I am not the only one that had problems with an HTC, I checked some HTC forums and several other people had similar problems that I did with it. I think if you go with an Android, it's about a 50/50 chance you'll struggle with constant headaches from things not working right. And the advantages with an Android are pretty miniscule, not worth taking the risk when I can do just as much with an iPhone.


Can't go wrong with the iPhone. The screens are actually easy to replace. A new Screen with the tools needed cost around $30.00. There are many youtube videos and step by step instructions on the web. I had to replaced mine a year ago and then started replacing the screens for other people in my spare time. Nice little side business  It is very easy....There is a ton of information on the web about the iPhone Repair.


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## chris klee (Feb 5, 2008)

i have had an iphone for almost 4 years now. i love it. i am sure there are phones that do more, but i am not that much of a nerd to need all that.
airplay rules. the mirroring feature is the best while doing facetime or skype. its great for people like me who live 3 states away from the nearest family.


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## Groutface (Jan 20, 2011)

Walker1 said:


> Can't go wrong with the iPhone. The screens are actually easy to replace. A new Screen with the tools needed cost around $30.00. There are many youtube videos and step by step instructions on the web. I had to replaced mine a year ago and then started replacing the screens for other people in my spare time. Nice little side business  It is very easy....There is a ton of information on the web about the iPhone Repair.


Cause they always need it.......laughing


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## Walker1 (Apr 22, 2007)

Groutface said:


> Cause they always need it.......laughing


Not really, most people don't realize you need to protect your phone with a good case and a screen protector. Doesn't matter what type of phone you have. Most of the iPhones I fix never had a case or a good screen protector.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

Walker1 said:


> Not really, most people don't realize you need to protect your phone with a good case and a screen protector. Doesn't matter what type of phone you have. Most of the iPhones I fix never had a case or a good screen protector.


Funny Apple explicitly recommends against screen protectors.


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## Groutface (Jan 20, 2011)

Because they don't have a way to make sure its an apple screen protector.........all alone in a huge market sad


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Inner10 said:


> More? Like what?
> 
> If by more you mean less, airplay is great for streaming music from your device to another...that's it. Want RDIO, Spotify, Sirius etc. you would have to sacrifice control of the source and use AirFoil. Plus it can digest and stream analog audio faster then anything else I've ever used. Sonos is a multiroom audio system airplay is a one trick pony...this is an apples and oranges comparison.
> 
> Your system would be very cumbersome to operate, the addition of an RTI, Control4, Savant or other would allow you to control everything you want with one app...so press one button and it does all the work for you without switching apps. It works fine for you but how the heck did you teach your wife how to use it? I get yelled at when I mess with the aspect ratio on the TV!:laughing:


It's very easy to operate. You open the denon app and select which amp then which zone then which source you want. Its about as simple as it comes. I can then stream anything to any speaker or any screen. I'm not just stuck with audio. I can start a HD movie from anywhere within my wifi range and send it to what ever screen I'm watching. If I go from my living room to my home theater room I can switch that feed with just 3 button presses even whilst my wife is still streaming music through the same amp and I'm then listening to 9.2 surround without her audio getting messed with at all. The sonos can't get anywhere near doing this.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

BCConstruction said:


> It's very easy to operate. You open the denon app and select which amp then which zone then which source you want. Its about as simple as it comes. I can then stream anything to any speaker or any screen. I'm not just stuck with audio. I can start a HD movie from anywhere within my wifi range and send it to what ever screen I'm watching. If I go from my living room to my home theater room I can switch that feed with just 3 button presses even whilst my wife is still streaming music through the same amp and I'm then listening to 9.2 surround without her audio getting messed with at all. The sonos can't get anywhere near doing this.


You mean:

- open the samsung app, turn on tv, change input, open denon app, turn on receiever select input, open boxee app...

Sonos is audio only, so no it can't stream video.

If this system works for you and you think it's the best that's just great. All I'm telling you is there are a plethora of better, simpler, faster and better sounding ways of doing it.

It's like arguing with a guy who owns a pair of Bose 901's and is convinced he has the best sound he can get. :laughing:


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Inner10 said:


> You mean:
> 
> - open the samsung app, turn on tv, change input, open denon app, turn on receiever select input, open boxee app...
> 
> ...


I'm sure I could set up macros but it's so simple as it is that's it's not even worth me messing with esp seeings I do so many things between the whole setup. It would take me month to program macros in for all of it. 

Amp is almost always on so never really have to mess with turning it on and waiting for it to boot up. If it is off it has network on setting so if it senses any signal from the network it will boot up. As an example if i airplay anything to the amp it will switch its self on and then select the source and start playing at the level you have the volume set on the app. Takes less than 3 seconds to go from stanby to streaming something. 

Also By the time the tv is turned on and showing the picture I already have my source selected and audio coming through the speakers so how long it takes to press a few buttons makes zero difference to how I use the system. When the TV's on it take less than 10 seconds to say switch from the PS3 to the boxee and this includes turning one of and the other on. The boxee will still be booting up by the time I switch the source on the amp and then when I switch back to the boxee remote app I can select what ever content I want. Switching between apps is instant as well. No lag between going from denon remote app to boxee remote app so it works as quick as you can press the buttons. 

If the sonos would have been able to do what my setup could do with the small amount of equipment I have and and be as cheap and work so seamlessly I would have gotten it for sure. Like I said I recommend the system for people who want to keep it simple but it's very limited on what it can do compared to what my amps doing. Each amp has 3 zones on its own so that alone was a great selling point to me.


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

I haven't tried airplay yet. I'm seeing some pro's and con's to my iPhone over the Android I had. Google Calendar actually works better on the iPhone, which is strange since Google made both Android and Google Calendar. iPhone lets me see all my activities in month or week view, whereas the Android would only show me a colored block. I don't know why they would make the iPhone Google Calendar better than the Android Calendar. 

But a disadvantage, which is a big one for me. Is Google Voice for iPhone does not work as well as the Google Voice for Android. When I make a call via Google Voice from my iPhone, the person on the other end only hears a ring for about two seconds before it hangs up, it doesn't take me to the persons voicemail either. Which means every person I call through Google Voice, I won't be able to talk to them. My only hope would be that they see my phone call and call me back. 

I don't know why they did that with the iPhone. If I can't figure out a way to fix that, I will probably take it back and swap it out for a Droid, they give me 14 days to decide if I want to switch to different phone.


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## Groutface (Jan 20, 2011)

Drooooooooid! Can't beat it!......I'm a lifer with droid.....too many free games, apps, and the OS imo, is easier to use than iPhone. You have 1000' s of developer's trying to compete for the best android apps.....and u have an exclusive group of developers for Apple......gonna say numbers are going to win over....thumbsup


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

BCConstruction said:


> I'm sure I could set up macros but it's so simple as it is that's it's not even worth me messing with esp seeings I do so many things between the whole setup. It would take me month to program macros in for all of it.


See, that's the thing...setting up macros is the majority of what I do...when it comes right down to it. I could program those in a matter of minutes with a third party controller. How would you do it without a control system?


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

The people at the Apple store managed to fix my problem with Google Voice. All I had to do was delete the app and redownload it, and it worked fine, something I should have thought of to begin with. 

That's one nice advantage with Apple, the tech support. If there's a problem you can go to the Apple store and they set you up with an appointment to see an expert at whatever it is you're having trouble with, then they fix the problem for you. You can't get that kind of support with any other phone or device, can you?


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

KennMacMoragh said:


> The people at the Apple store managed to fix my problem with Google Voice. All I had to do was delete the app and redownload it, and it worked fine, something I should have thought of to begin with.
> 
> That's one nice advantage with Apple, the tech support. If there's a problem you can go to the Apple store and they set you up with an appointment to see an expert at whatever it is you're having trouble with, then they fix the problem for you. You can't get that kind of support with any other phone or device, can you?


The reason apple have to do this kind of tech support is because of the exact reason you took your phone in. I'm not saying your stupid but most iPhone users ain't got the first clue how to even operate their phones even though they are extremely easy to use. Most android users seem to be a little but more tech savy when it come to issues so even though there's more android phones out they need less tech support for them. You can still go into the store and get help with your phone but apple make you feel like your important by getting an appointment. What's funny is the apple tech support is possibly some of the worst I have ever had to deal with to date. If they can't fix the issue they jump straight to its not their fault it's the other company's fault.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Inner10 said:


> See, that's the thing...setting up macros is the majority of what I do...when it comes right down to it. I could program those in a matter of minutes with a third party controller. How would you do it without a control system?


That's the reason I wouldn't do it. I want to keep the cost down but still have control of multiple rooms from one device. Now if there was a control app for iPhone or iPad that would work with all my networked devices then I would prob use it but I'm not going to pay silly money to have a machine make 3 button presses for me a day. Just like all this voice controlled stuff. I'm sure it's nice and easy to not have to press any buttons and tell your lights to come on and you tv to turn on but I really have no problem with pressing a couple of buttons. I have macros setup on the stock denon remotes so it can switch on any set of devices with 1 button touch but after that I would need thousands of macro setups as I use so many different apps across so many different platforms and have so many different albums and movies. I would hate to think how long it would take to program a tv on, amp on, boxee on, amp source select, boxee app select, boxee station select, amp zone select. The amount of macros would be mind boggling and I would then have a display with Millions of buttons to go through and find the macro I'm looking for lol.


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

BCConstruction said:


> The reason apple have to do this kind of tech support is because of the exact reason you took your phone in. I'm not saying your stupid but most iPhone users ain't got the first clue how to even operate their phones even though they are extremely easy to use. Most android users seem to be a little but more tech savy when it come to issues so even though there's more android phones out they need less tech support for them. You can still go into the store and get help with your phone but apple make you feel like your important by getting an appointment. What's funny is the apple tech support is possibly some of the worst I have ever had to deal with to date. If they can't fix the issue they jump straight to its not their fault it's the other company's fault.


Apple is a lot more knowledgeable about their stuff than anyone else. When I walked into a T-Mobile store and asked them about Google Voice, no one even knew what that was. When I walked into the Apple Store, he knew exactly what Google Voice was and how it worked and how to fix it, even though it's a third party app to them. 

Have you been to Apple's Genius Bar? They are a lot more organized than anyone elses tech support that I have ever seen.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

KennMacMoragh said:


> Apple is a lot more knowledgeable about their stuff than anyone else. When I walked into a T-Mobile store and asked them about Google Voice, no one even knew what that was. When I walked into the Apple Store, he knew exactly what Google Voice was and how it worked and how to fix it, even though it's a third party app to them.
> 
> Have you been to Apple's Genius Bar? They are a lot more organized than anyone elses tech support that I have ever seen.


i have only ever dealt with apple tech support through calls and never once got an issue sorted. Ended doing my self with just help from people on forums. 

like i said Apple have to have a good support network for the iphone because most people who use the phones ain't got a clue. goto any phone store around here except a apple store and you wont see a sales person using a IPhone. they big them up as if they are the best phones yet why do they use android when they can have any phone they like. i asked them about this and they said Apple are extremly strict on how we function when we sell their products. To be able to sell them you have to give the phone the best area in the store, you have to push them more than any other brand and you cant answer certain questions about the phone so they have to say i cant comment on that technical feature or some bull crap line like that. they cant be negative in any way or forum about the phone and you have to have an appointment to get help with the phone. its all about giving the the perception of a quality product. 

Like car dealers though you have your good resellers and your bad ones. the 2 verizon stores near to me have proper geeks working in them. i could ask them anything about either android or iphone and they will know the answer or where to get the answer yet the ntelos stores have some of the dumbest people working in them i ever spoken to. they cant even tell you what type of data connection the phone uses let alone how to use the phones they sell.


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## J F (Dec 3, 2005)




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## wallmaxx (Jun 18, 2007)

After iOS 5.1 my company provided 4S started showing 4G instead of 3G.

The iPhone 4S supports 14.4 Mbps HSPA+. Yes it's faster than 3G but it's not in the range of LTE. (Long Term Evolution)

REAL LTE is in the 50 Mbps d/l range and what most people consider true 4G.



http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-57408432-266/is-the-at-t-iphone-4s-a-4g-phone-or-not/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G


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## Donohue Const (Dec 31, 2011)

HUI said:


> I have dropped my iPhone 4 and submerged it and it is still going strong. I dropped it in a hole full of muddy water. It did have an otter box on it but I would say it was under water for about 10 mins and that has been over a year ago. So far the only phones that have even come close to holding up as well as the iPhone were the old Nextel phones. They sure had some rugged phones back in the day


I know what you mean about the nextel phones they sure would take a beating:thumbup:


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

wallmaxx said:


> After iOS 5.1 my company provided 4S started showing 4G instead of 3G.
> 
> The iPhone 4S supports 14.4 Mbps HSPA+. Yes it's faster than 3G but it's not in the range of LTE. (Long Term Evolution)
> 
> ...



You must be on AT&T because they are the only iPhone cell provider That supports hspa+. The rest don't.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

BCConstruction said:


> That's the reason I wouldn't do it. I want to keep the cost down but still have control of multiple rooms from one device. Now if there was a control app for iPhone or iPad that would work with all my networked devices then I would prob use it but I'm not going to pay silly money to have a machine make 3 button presses for me a day. Just like all this voice controlled stuff. I'm sure it's nice and easy to not have to press any buttons and tell your lights to come on and you tv to turn on but I really have no problem with pressing a couple of buttons. I have macros setup on the stock denon remotes so it can switch on any set of devices with 1 button touch but after that I would need thousands of macro setups as I use so many different apps across so many different platforms and have so many different albums and movies. I would hate to think how long it would take to program a tv on, amp on, boxee on, amp source select, boxee app select, boxee station select, amp zone select. The amount of macros would be mind boggling and I would then have a display with Millions of buttons to go through and find the macro I'm looking for lol.


Yeah that's why people pay me to do it...keeps wife's happy and saves marriages.


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## GregS (Oct 1, 2006)

KennMacMoragh said:


> That's one nice advantage with Apple, the tech support. If there's a problem you can go to the Apple store and they set you up with an appointment to see an expert at whatever it is you're having trouble with, then they fix the problem for you. You can't get that kind of support with any other phone or device, can you?


I don't want that type of support. 

Example: My iPhone got washed. I took it to an Apple store on a Sunday to send it for repair. Can't do that. You have to schedule an appointment with one of their experts to evaluate the problem and deal with it.. Next appointment? Tuesday. The phone is dead.. you don't need an expert to tell you that. Take the phone, give me a receipt and get the process started.

Nope. Make an appointment.

I said forget it and left. 

Called Apple tech support on the phone when I got home, explained the issue and they said they would send me a new phone and a return envelope for $250. Sold. 

I got the new phone on Tuesday when it would have been at least Thursday if I tried to do it through the store. Turned it on, entered my AppleID and everything floated back to it as if nothing had changed.


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

GregS said:


> I don't want that type of support.
> 
> Example: My iPhone got washed. I took it to an Apple store on a Sunday to send it for repair. Can't do that. You have to schedule an appointment with one of their experts to evaluate the problem and deal with it.. Next appointment? Tuesday. The phone is dead.. you don't need an expert to tell you that. Take the phone, give me a receipt and get the process started.
> 
> ...


Wow, Apple tech support is much better around here. They have about 30 to 40 employees at my local Apple store. I walk in and they all wait on you, can't find that anywhere else.


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

BCConstruction said:


> i have only ever dealt with apple tech support through calls and never once got an issue sorted. Ended doing my self with just help from people on forums.
> 
> like i said Apple have to have a good support network for the iphone because most people who use the phones ain't got a clue. goto any phone store around here except a apple store and you wont see a sales person using a IPhone. they big them up as if they are the best phones yet why do they use android when they can have any phone they like. i asked them about this and they said Apple are extremly strict on how we function when we sell their products. To be able to sell them you have to give the phone the best area in the store, you have to push them more than any other brand and you cant answer certain questions about the phone so they have to say i cant comment on that technical feature or some bull crap line like that. they cant be negative in any way or forum about the phone and you have to have an appointment to get help with the phone. its all about giving the the perception of a quality product.
> 
> Like car dealers though you have your good resellers and your bad ones. the 2 verizon stores near to me have proper geeks working in them. i could ask them anything about either android or iphone and they will know the answer or where to get the answer yet the ntelos stores have some of the dumbest people working in them i ever spoken to. they cant even tell you what type of data connection the phone uses let alone how to use the phones they sell.


Well whatever the reason for Apples tech support, I prefer it over nothing.


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

The iPhone pretty much works the same as the Android. The only thing I miss about my Android is the maps. The maps that comes with the iPhone does not work very good, it covers up the names of the roads with a blue line so I can't see where I'm going, and it doesn't tell me where to turn so I just get lost trying to navigate. With my Android I could see the names of the roads and it told me where to turn. I never got lost once with my Android, with the iPhone maps I get lost every time so it's basically useless. 

Does anyone know of an iPhone maps app that works like the Android?


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Google Maps available for iOS?


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## coolflatroof (Jan 26, 2008)

I had:

nokia e71 (crap) 

*3gs* - was great when i got, since there were no alternatives (summer 2009), but then it was pissing me off more and more, because you can't do ANYTHING on it unless apple approves it. it's now used to hold up a window from sliding down... and as a development phone - I will never buy another iphone (unless i need it for app development, and my 3gs dies or is no longer supported by new iOS).

*HTC Inspire 4G* - really love it, and still use it as wireless broadband modem, wifi hot-spot, second / backup phone, development phone (for android 2.3 and 480x800 resolution)

*Galaxy Note (N7000* - international unlocked) - this is the BEST phone I ever had ... lasts 2-3 days, huge screen (2x as big as iphone screen :clap: ), great-working stylus (S-pen) - take roof diagrams with it, great camera, GPS, Tablet (to show pictures to customers), internet is super fast (AT&T version comes with LTE)... etc., etc., etc.

Here is a video of using Note for contractors: 






As far as new HTC - I am really disappointed - I love Inspire - what a great piece of hardware... but they try to follow stupid apple in making no option to add storage.

I have a 64 gb mSD card in my phone and it has 16 gb of its own storage. Iphone like that would cost $800 or even $900 (for a phone???)

... and my storage is more than half full - i had to toss 32 gb, because there no more room on it. Back to htc - unless they come back to their roots, they will go to instinction - because GNUSMAS (samsung  )will eat them alive ... 

If htc hould have a phone like Note and with expandable storage, I would get it over Sammy ... but they dont - so my next $700 will go to sammy for Galaxy Note 2


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## CSB (Nov 17, 2007)

I've had four Android based phones and one iPhone. I've yet to run into a situation where I've said to myself "Damn, I wish I had my Droid". A jailbroken iPhone does everything I want it to do, probably more than the majority of users will ever need it to do. Memory is a non-issue in my opinion; unless you're storing a bunch of music and video on your iPhone you're never going to use up all the memory. My iPhone is also quite a bit faster than any of my Android units.

As far as durability goes, the jury is still out for me but so far, so good. I've dropped my iPhone a bunch and haven't had any issues, but I'm going to play it safe and get a case for it.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

An iPhone is absolutely fine for a lot of people. They wouldn't have sold as many as they have otherwise. My personal issue is the lack of options. A color and storage capacity is not enough to lure me in. The screen is way too small for me if using it for anything else than a phone or MP3 player. I'd also had physical keyboards on my last 5 phones.

The debate will rage on but I don't like a company telling me my device needs to have 3.5" display and touch screen keyboard....and I must like it.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

I had the iPhone and traded for a droid because the iPhone is not compatible with 2011 Chevy Bluetooth


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Californiadecks said:


> I had the iPhone and traded for a droid because the iPhone is not compatible with 2011 Chevy Bluetooth


That's stupid of them not to support the iPhone.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

BCConstruction said:


> That's stupid of them not to support the iPhone.


That's how I feel when some idiot developer makes an iPhone only app.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

angus242 said:


> That's how I feel when some idiot developer makes an iPhone only app.


I don't get why they wouldn't do both platforms.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Exactly!


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