Small survival guide to leave the iPhone and embrace Android

Many people love to say how much they love the iPhone, while others' lives seem to be based on a crusade to justify their mortal hate on the Apple smartphone. You have to think that it is the only really smart phone in the world, to the point of implying that Ma has a monopoly on the cell phone market. Of course, and Sony also monopolizes the production of the PS3.

Ultimately, modern smartphones exist in droves today. When the first iPhone hit the market, it was really unique and centuries compared to all other brands, but this difference has dropped significantly from last year, thanks to competition. In the United States, for example, just look around and you will find fascinating devices being sold in “pay one, take two” promotions and many of them have in common the fact that they use Google's mobile operating system, Android so much that their market share doesn't stop growing.

HTC smartphones with Google Android

But is it possible to get rid of the iPhone and hug the little green robot? The answer is a resounding “yes”, however there are caveats: anyone who wants to make this change must know what awaits them on this new platform. Below you will find a small survival guide, based on a very interesting post from Lifehacker plus some details and comments.

Before proceeding, however, know that we will go through three facets of Android: o Good side, The Bad side it's the Other side. Each of them highlight certain aspects of the platform that every consumer needs to keep in mind before leaving the Apple smartphone, marked by a unique vertical integration in the industry, and entering the small jungle that are the devices of several manufacturers running the same written operating system. by a company that does not produce hardware. Ready? So come on.

The bad side

Let's start with the bad news (and there are a few). One thing that ordinary users need not worry about on iOS with malware: if you installed an app from the App Store, it's safe, period. On Android there is the option of installing software from any source, which many see as a blessing, but it will turn into a headache if you do not have extra attention on what you are going to put on your phone. Unless you already comfortably use an iPhone with jailbreak and be well developed with the darkest corners of the internet, Android can bring this concern.

Multitasking on Google's system works almost like a PC, that is, if you are not careful, your phone's CPU will devour the battery in a short time (and look that autonomy is not the strength of these devices, especially those that are coming out with 4G ), not to mention that the RAM will be lacking and everything can be slow. This can be worked around if you can figure out how to end a process without running it in the background or, alternatively, you can install a task manager to end processes manually. Pure diverse.

(Image: TechCrunch.)

The hardware that runs Android is also not exactly worthy of odes: close to the precision and refinement of the iPhone (especially the 4), no smartphone comes close. The iPhone 4 may have been less charming than the previous ones, in my opinion, but it is still light years ahead of all Androids on the market. And, if you don't take taste into account, Apple still gives a bath in the competition, either by the choice of materials (plastic does not have the same appeal of glass and steel) or by the precise and solid construction of its product.

There is also the case of screens: their sensitivity is to that of the iPhone like an ax is to a scalpel. bad that much. "Ah, but there are devices with high resolution OLED screens!", You can say. Great thing: they are terrible outdoors and on top of that they have only half of the red and blue subpixels. After the appearance of the Retina screen on the iPhone 4, then, it became complicated to claim that display quality is a reason to switch from iPhone to Android.

And document size? There are Android smartphones with larger screens than iPhones, but is that an advantage, as they wanted to claim with DROID X? Remember that you are going to carry this device in your pocket and, if you choose a screen because of its gross size, perhaps smartphones are not the ideal product for you.

What about Android updates? Google is releasing one batch of sweets after another (the next one, "Gingerbread", is already going to the oven). The advantage of this is that the market doesn't stop, but the (IMMENSE) disadvantage is that smartphones are falling behind very quickly. With iOS 4, Apple abandoned the first iPhones and iPods touch after three years of support.

On Android, buying a device today does not guarantee that it will be possible to install any updates that are already circulating: Google determines the minimum specifications arbitrarily, passes the base of Android to the manufacturers, who adapt the code with the operator and maybe (perhaps) your smartphone can be updated.

It is good to think carefully before moving from one platform to another, as everything that has DRM from Apple, especially apps, will be lost. If you have spent dozens (or hundreds) of dollars on purchases on the App Store, everything will disappear in a cloud of dust when you start using Android and, if you want, you will have to buy everything again if these apps exist on Android. Marketplace, of course.

The good side

After hitting, let's blow: with Android, you will have access to things that are either just a dream, or are paid solutions on iOS. For starters, Google Maps Navigation is integrated into the operating system of these devices. Then there is the fact that all text fields support speech recognition instead of the keyboard (only in English, for now, which is a shame).

Another very good thing is the integration of Android with the web. Unlike an iPhone, an Android-powered smartphone can exist only in contact with the outlet. No USB cables to sync contacts, calendars or to update the firmware! All of your data can be pulled directly from the cloud without ever having to connect to a computer as long as, of course, you use Google services.

What about notification systems? At this point, Android puts iOS in your pocket: you can collect more information at a glance than three taps, one swipe and going through five apps wouldn't do it. Not to mention the blessed connectivity controls on the Home Screen seriously, turn on / off Wi-Fi without having to dig two levels of preference a gift. Speaking of Wi-Fi, how about turning your device into a walking hotspot? On Android, you can!

Those who enjoy being always with the most modern and innovative features will certainly feel more comfortable with an Android. And there is always a friendly port for you to connect some HDMI and USB cable, for example. In general, Google has a very different attitude from Apple in terms of functionality: the iPhone s gets a feature if it can be classified as “the best in the market”; Android, on the other hand, is packed with things, be they perfect or not.

Finally, and here comes something less palpable than these other advantages, comes the question of whether you are on the “opposition” side. It doesn't matter so much to know that it was invented first, but one thing is certain: Android came on the market with a mission to destroy Windows Mobile. Or rather, Windows Mobile had already been buried under seven feet of lime by the iPhone. Since Android is the main rival of the iPhone: Apple “situation” in the modern smartphone market (Nokia and RIM forgive me, but you stopped being relevant, only have quantity).

Using Android to defend “freedom”: developers do not need Apple's approval or paychecks, users are not tied to iTunes. But will you think about freedom when you want a screenshot?

The other side

There are things on Android that aren't exactly worse or better than on the iPhone; they are just "different". Can you get used to inconsistency in apps developed by third parties? On the one hand, this can be good, since it gives freedom to the creators of the software; on the other hand, you never know for sure where certain commands are.

How about a physical or virtual keyboard with a completely different key layout than iOS? How do you feel about the fact that Android has four "physical" buttons (some are clickable, others are just touch sensitive) always present at the bottom of the screen? Detail: what closes apps is dangerously close to the space bar on the virtual keyboard. Would having an equally removable battery really be an advantage?

One thing that all Androids have in common: memory cards. If their presence is a merit or a defect, it is up to the user. If in a way it is good to have removable memory, things can be quite chaotic if you don't know how to organize yourself.

Completed

So, is it possible to leave the iPhone behind? There are people who want and succeed, contrary to the expectations of certain Ma fans. Is it easy? What's the big deal: Never easy. Whether moving from Windows XP to Mac OS X, Linux to Windows 7, iPhone to Android or vice versa, changes are always a little traumatic.

Ultimately, no company forces anyone to buy product X or Y. We are all free to consume what we want, but that freedom carries with it the responsibility of knowing what we are buying. Informing yourself is always the best way to avoid unpleasant surprises: as they say, “information is the consumer's greatest weapon”.

Enjoy the comments in this post and tell us a little about your experience with transitions of this type! What were the first difficulties, the good side, the bad side, the things that were different, but that over time became habitual This post talks specifically about smartphones, but if you want to talk about an exchange of the operating system or even a car brand , feel free.