I recently sold my iPhone and switched to an HTC Eris, which uses the Android OS. Here are some thoughts about 3 weeks in to the switch:
On the iPhone:
Last year, I was given an Apple iPhone 2g, 8GB. I had previously been on Verizon, using a Blackberry. When that contract was up, I switched to AT&T and activated the iPhone. As a Mac user for 4 years, there was a seamless transition, “it just worked”. When not around a wireless hotspot, it connected to the web via the Edge network. When I was in the middle of nowhere, it connected via two aluminum cans and a string. The plan was $80-ish/month for 450 minutes, 1500 text messages and unlimited data. A glaring disappointment was the inability to send texts with photo or video, or view them if people sent them to me. Multi-tasking was also missing, I could not listen to Pandora and do something else. Other than those two things, I thought that it was the coolest thing since sliced bread. I love the apps, and the interface was top notch. Finally, this iPhone would not be receiving the new OS update in the Summer. So, my original plan was to sell this iPhone and buy a new 3gs iPhone, then I found out that the service was going to be an additional $10/month, with the phone itself being $199. So, after selling it on eBay, I returned to Verizon, and got an HTC Eris.
Without being the total Apple fanboy that I am, there are indeed some things I miss. The ease of use, the obvious thought process that went in to making the product “simply work”, the sync process (HTC has a desktop software, but it is PC only-lame), the inability to play my entire music collection in iTunes (yes, I know how to convert to mp3), as well as a few specific apps.
Battery life is about the same, I feel like I use a lot of data, so it goes on the charger every night. I don’t play games or anything like that, so my app use is primarily music-driven, with one or two exceptions. I can send photo and video texts, and view them without problem. The camera is 5mp, which I’m fairly excited about. The 8GB micro sd card can be upgraded to 16GB, which is the next purchase. Additionally, it syncs with the entire Google world; calendar, maps, gmail, etc. Sadly, the calendar does not yet sync with the various sports calendars online. Prior to last weekends OS update, it was a little slow and quirky moving between apps. Multi-tasking is sweet.
Over the past weekend, there was an update to the Android 2.1 OS. At first, all of my contacts were gone, but soon it syncd with Google and they were all back. And then…Google Navigator. Built-in GPS. Not only a map view, but satellite view. The ability to add “layers”, to see what businesses are around me…gas stations, restaurants, you name it. The GPS in my car just became obsolete. I’ve also noticed that web browsing is faster since the update.
Because the rest of our family is on Verizon, monthly cost will be half of what it was with AT&T.
Snapshot: There are some things I definitely miss about the iPhone. But, at the end of the day, it is simply a phone.
Downsides:
Music
Simplicity
Miss a few apps
iPhone defaulted to Wi-Fi when a network was in range
Upsides:
5mb camera
Google Navigator is unbelievable.
Photo and video texting
Monthly cost is less
What do YOU think?
The Cost, The Joy 