Tag Archives: Android

Android vs. iPhone: The New Mac vs. PC

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The irony here? I took this picture with my iPhone.

Look anywhere on the Internet for an article or blog post that mentions Android phones or the iPhone. Then, scroll down to the comments and duck as venom will begin to spew through your computer screen.

The vitriol, name-calling and idiocy that once were the hallmark of Mac vs. PC debates has been overtaken by fanboys of Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android devices.

It is one thing to enjoy your favorite mobile platform. It is quite another to ridicule and throw insults at users of the competition. It seems that many people (mostly men) get a ridiculous, Alpha Male attachment to their phone and must defend its honor when any perceived criticism arises.

The reality is each device has its distinct advantages and weaknesses. The iPhone benefits from Apple’s maniacal focus on design and control to create a smooth and minimalistic user interface. Its control of the App Store prevents some buggy and unnecessary apps from making it onto the device. Of course in exchange you surrender some freedom: your choice is only one device on one network (and for now just one color).

Android offers more flexibility and choices of devices and carriers. There is a good Android phone now on all four of the major carriers. Some have keyboards, some don’t, and two even have enormous screens. Heavy users of Google products like Gmail get tight integration with those services and are not locked into iTunes. Yet more and more Android phones are getting loaded up with bloatware and have ugly skins like Motorola’s BLUR or HTC Sense running on top of them. This forces users to wait for the latest version of Android while the carriers and device makers figure out when it won’t break their software. Continue reading →

Why the Google-Apple Marriage is on the Rocks

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It was a marriage of convenience. But like most such marriages, there comes a time when it just doesn’t work anymore.

So has been the case with Google and Apple. Despite the recent Steve Jobs-Eric Schmidt coffee date, the companies are going in two diametrically opposed directions – punctuated by Apple’s lawsuit against HTC.

Google’s primary aim is to get everyone on the web through its services to increase use of its search engine, thereby benefiting its online ad business. Hence the push for Google’s Chrome browser, Chrome OS, and Android. Apple’s cash cow comes through its proprietary hardware and software via iPad, iPhone, and iPod. If you use those devices, all official software comes exclusively through the Apple-controlled App Store.

To illustrate the point further, consider how both companies are working in the mobile space. If Google has its way by the end of the year many netbooks will be running its Chrome OS, which is essentially based on the Chrome browser. All data will live on the web, which means that developers are free to make anything they want for it as long as it’s accessible by a browser. Of course, most of your data will probably end up on Google’s servers in the form of Gmail, Docs, Calendar, etc. (I have already discussed how Google owns my soul.)

Apple, on the other hand, has created what will likely be another very popular device in the iPad. By all accounts it will have excellent apps and create a great user experience. The catch: everything goes through Cupertino. Developers from The Wall Street Journal to The White House must submit all their apps for approval. Continue reading →

iPhone App Roundup

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One of the coolest writing gigs I have is reviewing iPhone apps for AppCraver. It gives me a chance to check out what is new and exciting (and sometimes lame) in the app universe. I thought I would give a run down of some of the apps I’ve had a chance to play with lately. Links to the reviews are included.

Awaken – This is a pretty cool app if you are bored of the alarm clock settings on the iPhone. I was especially a fan of picking any song from your music collection to wake up to.

Night Recorder – Part sleep aide, part spy tool. This app records even when your iPhone is on standby, meaning you can finally catch your partner’s snoring or those spirits that haunt the attic.

The Inferno – Dante’s Inferno is all the rage with the launch of the new video game, but this iPhone game avoids turning Dante into a weapon-wielding steroid mutant freak. It’s a nice puzzle game that I found to be quite addicting.

**Shameless self-promotion here: My web site performs quite well on your iPhone or Android device thanks to the WPtouch WordPress plugin (The above logo is the button it places on your iPhone if you save the bookmark). If you run a web site in WordPress and want a super easy way to create a great looking mobile site, I highly recommend it.