# Nexus One or iPhone?



## PabloTeK (Apr 17, 2010)

Note: The iPhone I'd be getting is the one that is rumoured for June/July; my contract is up in September.

Seeing as my university have just caused me to have a rather large surplus (thanks for cutting the rent short without asking first SAS) I fancy a new smartphone because I now HATE Symbian as an OS. I've been looking at the Nexus One (current favourite) and some rumours of the new iPhone, but usually they're fan-blinkered so are as trustworth as Lord Volde... NO MANDELSON.

Any views anyone? I want a terminal for SSH, email, decent screen. I do also rather like the Android Amazon MP3 app.


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## bkribbs (Apr 17, 2010)

PabloTeK said:


> Note: The iPhone I'd be getting is the one that is rumoured for June/July; my contract is up in September.
> 
> Seeing as my university have just caused me to have a rather large surplus (thanks for cutting the rent short without asking first SAS) I fancy a new smartphone because I now HATE Symbian as an OS. I've been looking at the Nexus One (current favourite) and some rumours of the new iPhone, but usually they're fan-blinkered so are as trustworth as Lord Volde... NO MANDELSON.
> 
> Any views anyone? I want a terminal for SSH, email, decent screen. I do also rather like the Android Amazon MP3 app.



Ive messed around with the android and they seem pretty good.  My choice would be the iPhone. It has everything you said you wanted. I have an iPod Touch and love it. I just wish i could use it everywhere instear of needing wifi. But, obviously, this isnt a problem with the iPhone as you get 3g. Imo, it is a sleek, fast operating system, which goes great with the hardware of the iPhone. I think you would be happy with whichever you choose, but i would go with the iPhone. Good luck! Oh, if it comes out on verizon like it has been rumored, go with verizon. If not, at and t is still ok. 
Enjoy!
Bkribbs


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## speedyink (Apr 18, 2010)

I'd go for the nexus one.  I much prefer the open platform it runs on.  Also, the Nexus has a higher resolution screen which is slightly bigger, and the camera is much better.  I also like the idea of expandable memory.  Note that the camera issue will most likely be resolved in the new iphone.  They might improve the screen as well, but I'm not so sure about that one.


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## linkin (Apr 18, 2010)

Don't get an iphone if you want to do anything with bluetooth, my dad learned that the hard way...


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## bkribbs (Apr 18, 2010)

linkin said:


> Don't get an iphone if you want to do anything with bluetooth, my dad learned that the hard way...



They are upgrading certain capabilites with the bluetooth. I would reccommend that you wait until it is closer to September and the new iPhone has come out with the new os-also around the same time as the iPhone- and then decide, as we dont know what exactly all is included in the os or the new iPhone.


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## speedyink (Apr 18, 2010)

We'll see how the bluetooth pans out.  Right now though it's shite


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## The Chad (Apr 18, 2010)

Nexus one > iPhone.


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## Ethan3.14159 (Apr 18, 2010)

The Chad said:


> This should helo your decision out, no iphone. (Ignore the HTC if you aren't into them)


Hmm, I think that's a bit *wrong* seeing has how I can copy/paste from Safari on my iPhone, transfer bluetooth files between my iPhone and Macbook Pro, and record video and audio with the camera. 

Not to mention there's the Skype App for iPhone for video calls.  

Anyway, go with the iPhone. The Apps available make it far more capable than any smartphone. I can do anything from spreadsheets to editing PDF's to using the iPhone as a remote control for my PC or Macbook. Also, the next iPhone OS will include multitasking, which is a plus.


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## The Chad (Apr 18, 2010)

Do you have the iPhone 3G or the iPhone 3GS?


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## Ethan3.14159 (Apr 18, 2010)

The Chad said:


> Do you have the iPhone 3G or the iPhone 3GS?


3GS. And don't say it's the 3G. Because the 3G has the exact same features as the 3GS. The only difference is the upgraded hardware for the 3GS.


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## The Chad (Apr 18, 2010)

Okay. point taken then. I'll remember that for next. I've removed the picture.
I'd still have the Nexus One though, as my personal choice.


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## speedyink (Apr 18, 2010)

Ethan3.14159 said:


> Not to mention there's the Skype App for iPhone for video calls.



How does that work with no front facing camera?  Do you have to choose whether to see or be seen?  Also found out it only works on wifi   Can't use it on my phone then.  Guess I don't need it though..since video calling is built in.  Just gotta wait for the inter-carrier thing to go through.


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## bkribbs (Apr 18, 2010)

speedyink said:


> How does that work with no front facing camera?  Do you have to choose whether to see or be seen?



it has been rumored that there MAY be a front facing camera on the new iPhone

EDIT: i was checking up on ipodtouchfans.com and on their front page is this: http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/blog/3978/ so it looks like there is a front facing camera


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## speedyink (Apr 18, 2010)

bkribbs said:


> it has been rumored that there MAY be a front facing camera on the new iPhone



I should hope it would get it.  I'm just wondering how in the hell you use skype on the current iphone.


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## bkribbs (Apr 19, 2010)

speedyink said:


> I should hope it would get it.  I'm just wondering how in the hell you use skype on the current iphone.



i have an ipod touch, and you cant do video calls. im pretty sure its the same with the iPhone, as i dont think there are two versions of skype. i think that for now, all you can do is the chat and talk. but they would reprogram it if the iphone has a front camera.


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## diduknowthat (Apr 19, 2010)

I'd go with Nexus One. I have the droid eris and I absolutely love Android.


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## Roykov (Apr 19, 2010)

Ive heard many problems with androids, they lag, they freeze & they crash. Ive used one and the touch screen isint as sensitive and easy to use because it works by pressure points where as the iphone works by tiny heat sensors, giving it a better user experience 

Although it is a rumor that a new iphone will be released, its pretty much a %100 chance that it will. Seeing as tho they update their products yearly untill it gets to a standard they think is the best they can achieve, I think that this new iphone will be the last. for many years to come

Many people hate the iphone just because apple makes it, this is a stupid reason lol its like saying "I hate food because the ground grows it"

I would pick the iphone because it is a much more stable product, not to mention it isint a phone, its more than that, its a hand held computer.

I hope this helps


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## Geoff (Apr 19, 2010)

I prefer the Android OS to the iPhone OS after having both, my vote is for the Nexus One.


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## Tuffie (Apr 19, 2010)

Pablo what about the N900.

I just got mine, and I love it. As far as I can see, it's designed as a nerd phone, 600mHz ARM CPU, infrared transceiver (it's so much fun changing the channel with your phone you wouldn't belive.), FM transmitter, 802.11 b/g, not to mention the fact it can be used as a phone almost anywhere (GSM 850/900/1800/1900, UMTS 900/1700/2100). 

Its even got a terminal lol.


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## massahwahl (Apr 19, 2010)

Nexus One! Open OS which means a lot more independent content will be available down the road. Does the Nexus have flash? This is an irritating issue with the iphone, even my blackberry browser can do flash.


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## Geoff (Apr 19, 2010)

Roykov said:


> Ive heard many problems with androids, they lag, they freeze & they crash. Ive used one and the touch screen isint as sensitive and easy to use because it works by pressure points where as the iphone works by tiny heat sensors, giving it a better user experience


I had an iPhone 3G for almost 2 years, and have had my Motorola Droid for a few months.  The iPhone is great in the sense that everything just works, and the media interface is fantastic since after all, they did create the iPod.  

My iPhone froze and crashed all the time.  As for the screen, I can't say for sure about the Nexus One but my Droid has a capacitive touch screen, it is not pressure sensitive, meaning it will not accidentally open things up if you have it in your pocket.  It has the same type of screen as the iPhone, the iPhone does not have heat sensors, they use capacitive touch screens.


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## tlarkin (Apr 19, 2010)

The iPhone is the better rounded phone in my opinion.  Having played with and owned several smart phones.  The only downside is AT&T.  I hacked my iPhone for T-Mobile, and it never crashes and it runs like a champ, but I don't get all the features and updating can be a pain when it's hacked.

However, I save $40 a month on T-Mobile, that adds up to $480 a year because AT&T has really over expensive rates.  If I had to go out and buy a phone today, I would buy the Nexus, but not because it is a better phone, but because I can get a cheaper plan with it.  

The iPhone has better app rates too.  Pay for apps off the android store are almost all subscription based, meaning more monthly bills to pay, where as the iPhone you just out right buy the app.  

I hear all this talk about open platform versus the apple gestapo for apps.  However, no one has been able to prove that is really a huge feature over the iPhone.  Sure, open platform, so that means you just get more crappy apps, since there are no standards.  I have yet to see any app that doesn't have the exact iPhone version, or an iPhone counter-part that does the same thing.

The thing is, with the iPhone, it just feels more innovative.  Multi touch + gyroscope-like interactions.  I mean shaking the iPhone reloads a web page, that is awesome.   

However, in the end it is all about $$$ to me, and since my current iPhone with my current plan is about $60 a month compared to the $99 a month AT&T plan (and they are the same plan almost) I will stick with T-Mobile, because spending nearly $500 a year is not really worth it to me - for a phone.  Some people it may be worth it, but not me.


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## compp (Apr 19, 2010)

Personally I like  iPhone.


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## Geoff (Apr 19, 2010)

There are a few apps out there that you can not get due to Apple's strict application policy.  One is a tethering app, you can not get a WiFi tethering app on the iPhone without jailbreaking.  A second app that I always use is a wardriving app that plots opens wireless access points on a map and uploads them online, neither of which are available on the iPhone.  On the flip side, everything I had on the iPhone, I have on my Droid.

For rates, I don't know how you save $40, I talked to T-Mobile and for a similar plan (450 minutes, unlimited texting, unlimited data), it would only save me $10-$15 a month, plus their coverage is horrible around here.  Verizon has the best service, that is the main reason why I switch.  Why have a good phone if I can't use it because I don't have service anywhere?  Verizon is $7 less per month for better service then ATT.

Being able to swap a battery is a godsend for me, I bought a spare battery to keep in my car and I've had to use it on several occasions if I had to go out after using my phone all day when I was planning on being able to charge it when I got home.

The only things I miss about my iPhone over the Droid is the awesome media interface, being able to open PDF's and doc/docx formats without any special apps, and that when jailbroken it was an awesome phone.


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## tlarkin (Apr 19, 2010)

[-0MEGA-];1457426 said:
			
		

> There are a few apps out there that you can not get due to Apple's strict application policy.  One is a tethering app, you can not get a WiFi tethering app on the iPhone without jailbreaking.  A second app that I always use is a wardriving app that plots opens wireless access points on a map and uploads them online, neither of which are available on the iPhone.  On the flip side, everything I had on the iPhone, I have on my Droid.
> 
> For rates, I don't know how you save $40, I talked to T-Mobile and for a similar plan (450 minutes, unlimited texting, unlimited data), it would only save me $10-$15 a month, plus their coverage is horrible around here.  Verizon has the best service, that is the main reason why I switch.  Why have a good phone if I can't use it because I don't have service anywhere?  Verizon is $7 less per month for better service then ATT.
> 
> ...



I've been with T-Mobile since 2000, so I get this

unlimited data
750 anytime minutes
500 texts (I can upgrade to unlimited for an additional $6, but I never use over 500 a month)
nights and weekends free
Plus the standard, call waiting, three way calling, yadda yadda yadda

total cost:  $50 and after taxes and fees, $60 to $65.  Their coverage here is fine, and I have traveled all over the US with T-Mobile and I hardly ever have issue with it.

Tethering?  Um, wasn't that released as a native feature last OS update?  Maybe not?  War driving?  That is, not a feature that makes or breaks a phone, and if I were to war drive I would do it with a netbook, not a smart phone.

Oh and this is the rumored, new iPhone right here

http://gizmodo.com/5520164/this-is-apples-next-iphone

Apparently Apple did lose a prototype of their phone...


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## diduknowthat (Apr 19, 2010)

Roykov said:


> Ive heard many problems with androids, they lag, they freeze & they crash. Ive used one and the touch screen isint as sensitive and easy to use because it works by pressure points where as the iphone works by tiny heat sensors, giving it a better user experience



I'm pretty sure there was only 1 android phone that used a resistive touch screen. All others, including the Nexus One, uses capacitive touch screens.


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## Geoff (Apr 19, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> Tethering?  Um, wasn't that released as a native feature last OS update?  Maybe not?  War driving?  That is, not a feature that makes or breaks a phone, and if I were to war drive I would do it with a netbook, not a smart phone


Yes it is a function of OS 3.0, however ATT has it disabled.  As for war driving, it's just one of those things that I think is pretty cool, and being able to use it on the Droid vs iPhone was just as an example.  As I said before, I had an iPhone 3G for 2 years, so I knew quite a bit about what it can and can't do.

The purpose of the war driving app is to let it run in the background (can't do on the iPhone, at least not without OS 4.0), and it will plot the access points along with GPS data on a map, which you can then upload and view on a computer or on your phone.  The GPS functionality is very handy.


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## CrayonMuncher (Apr 19, 2010)

i just found this about an i phone 4/hd that has been found in a bar and apple has also now reported a missing prototype gizmondo have a video of it showing it is not to good looking as it is bulker anyway take a look for your self

http://www.techradar.com/news/phone...-phones/apple-s-new-iphone-is-that-it--684528

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/357352/iphone-4-found-in-bar

i would personally go for the nexus one


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## CrayonMuncher (Apr 19, 2010)

sorry i missed the post above by tlarkin


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## PabloTeK (Apr 19, 2010)

Bugger it Apple, that iPhone changes thigns slightly. I'm with Vodafone UK (contract due up in September) who do have the iPhone so by then they'll in theory have both of the phones! Might wait till then anywayz!


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## tlarkin (Apr 19, 2010)

You gotta look at what Apple stresses to accomplish.  End user ease and efficiency.  Long, long, long battery life.  Mobility, and sleek design.  Those are their goals when designing a product.  

My 1st gen iPhone still holds a decent charge, a lot better than almost all my previous phones (maybe minus my last Nokia, that thing would last weeks with out charging).  

Then they want to build a complete and simple infrastructure to deploy new features and apps.  The ITMS and iTunes does that.  I mean you can manage all your features from iTunes and next sync bam, you get whatever you set.  It is so easy my grandma could probably figure it out and robust enough to keep power users entertained.

War driving?  Yeah, so you are gonna sniff wifi on a phone battery?  Good luck, not to mention the antenna sucks say, compared to something that is actually used for war driving.  I am not saying that you are wrong, but more so that the point is kind of invalid.  I was asking for features that were not possible on the iPhone, and while you did give me one feature, a simple jail break changes that.  Jail breaking is soft modding too, so no voiding the warranty.   You got an issue, restore the phone take it in to Apple.

I am looking for a specific feature the iPhone just cannot do, that the Android can.   Don't get me wrong, I will probably end up getting an Android for my next phone just because I am tired of hacking my phone and want native support for my carrier, and I will NOT switch to AT&T.


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## bkribbs (Apr 20, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> Oh and this is the rumored, new iPhone right here
> 
> http://gizmodo.com/5520164/this-is-apples-next-iphone
> 
> Apparently Apple did lose a prototype of their phone...



this has been confirmed now to be the new iPhone.. whoever lost it is going to need to find a new job... haha



tlarkin said:


> You gotta look at what Apple stresses to accomplish.  End user ease and efficiency.  Long, long, long battery life.  Mobility, and sleek design.  Those are their goals when designing a product.
> 
> My 1st gen iPhone still holds a decent charge, a lot better than almost all my previous phones (maybe minus my last Nokia, that thing would last weeks with out charging).
> 
> ...



Hold on until this year is over, as the iPhone may be coming to Verizon Wireless!


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## speedyink (Apr 20, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> I am looking for a specific feature the iPhone just cannot do, that the Android can.



Complete customization.


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## CrayonMuncher (Apr 20, 2010)

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/357361/apple-asks-for-its-iphone-4-back


theve sent a letter to gizmondo asking for it back and have now identified the empolyee that lost it lol


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## Geoff (Apr 20, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> You gotta look at what Apple stresses to accomplish.  End user ease and efficiency.  Long, long, long battery life.  Mobility, and sleek design.  Those are their goals when designing a product.
> 
> My 1st gen iPhone still holds a decent charge, a lot better than almost all my previous phones (maybe minus my last Nokia, that thing would last weeks with out charging).
> 
> ...


Not sure what you are talking about really, my iPhone 3G needed to be charged 1-2 times per day, after all who buys an iPhone to just keep in their pocket all day?  It will only last a few hours if you use it for music/videos and using apps.

I gave you two things that the Droid can do, one was wardriving, the second was tethering.  On the flip side, tell me something that the iPhone has that the Droid doesn't?

And what happens if the issue is you can't restore back to the original software?  I've never had that happen, but it's always possible.



speedyink said:


> Complete customization.


+1  Before OS 4.0 there was nothing you could customize, no background, no custom themes, no folders, and very little system settings that you can customize.


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## linkin (Apr 20, 2010)

My Dad has the iPhone 3GS. It's a nice phone, don't get me wrong, but for me it's just not customizable enough, or supportive enough (think bluetooth)

And it's a little big, if i may add.


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## Ethan3.14159 (Apr 20, 2010)

linkin said:


> My Dad has the iPhone 3GS. It's a nice phone, don't get me wrong, but for me it's just not customizable enough, or supportive enough (think bluetooth)
> 
> And it's a little big, if i may add.


What's wrong with the bluetooth on his? Mine works perfectly fine.

I think the sheer number of apps makes it more customizable than any other phone.


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## bkribbs (Apr 20, 2010)

Ethan3.14159 said:


> What's wrong with the bluetooth on his? Mine works perfectly fine.
> 
> I think the sheer number of apps makes it more customizable than any other phone.



i agree. well at least with customization. i have never messed with an iphones bluetooth. i have an ipod touch and it works well. especially with os 4.0 coming out this summer with customizable themes, it will be fine.


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## speedyink (Apr 21, 2010)

Ethan3.14159 said:


> What's wrong with the bluetooth on his? Mine works perfectly fine.
> 
> I think the sheer number of apps makes it more customizable than any other phone.



Try using a bluetooth speaker, or bluetooth headphones with audio controls.  Or try bluetoothing a song or a picture to another phone.

Take person with iphone A and person with iphone B and look at their main screen.  Chances are they look identicle except for maybe the icons are different/different order.  Number of apps is a stupid example.  I can get over 4,000 apps for my sony ericsson k850i dumb phone.  iphone is far from the only one with apps.


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## bkribbs (Apr 21, 2010)

speedyink said:


> Try using a bluetooth speaker, or bluetooth headphones with audio controls.  Or try bluetoothing a song or a picture to another phone.
> 
> Take person with iphone A and person with iphone B and look at their main screen.  Chances are they look identicle except for maybe the icons are different/different order.  Number of apps is a stupid example.  I can get over 4,000 apps for my sony ericsson k850i dumb phone.  iphone is far from the only one with apps.



i cant speak about bluetooth, as i dont use it. but, in 2 months, apple is giving us themes. so everyone needs to be patient...


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## speedyink (Apr 21, 2010)

bkribbs said:


> i cant speak about bluetooth, as i dont use it. but, in 2 months, apple is giving us themes. so everyone needs to be patient...



It doesn't get themes, you'll just be able to set a background on your main screen.



			
				[-0MEGA-];1457975 said:
			
		

> Not sure what you are talking about really, my iPhone 3G needed to be charged 1-2 times per day, after all who buys an iPhone to just keep in their pocket all day?  It will only last a few hours if you use it for music/videos and using apps



+1  My best friend who had an iphone 3g always had to carry around his charger.  It was strange to me, as my charger stays put, since I only have charge every 2-3 days.  And I've owned this phone for just over 2 years now.


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## bkribbs (Apr 21, 2010)

speedyink said:


> It doesn't get themes, you'll just be able to set a background on your main screen.



it definitely gets themes. this is a basic one below, and more complex ones will follow:


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## speedyink (Apr 21, 2010)

A) That's a wallpaper

B) I've searched and searched...background ability is all I come up with.  

Would love to see a link or something mentioning themes.  Unless our definition of theme differs.


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## Geoff (Apr 21, 2010)

speedyink said:


> A) That's a wallpaper
> 
> B) I've searched and searched...background ability is all I come up with.
> 
> Would love to see a link or something mentioning themes.  Unless our definition of theme differs.


I didn't hear anything about themes either, just being able to set a home screen background.  On the Droid you can have live wallpapers, which is pretty cool.


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## tlarkin (Apr 21, 2010)

[-0MEGA-];1457975 said:
			
		

> Not sure what you are talking about really, my iPhone 3G needed to be charged 1-2 times per day, after all who buys an iPhone to just keep in their pocket all day?  It will only last a few hours if you use it for music/videos and using apps.
> 
> I gave you two things that the Droid can do, one was wardriving, the second was tethering.  On the flip side, tell me something that the iPhone has that the Droid doesn't?
> 
> ...



Not all droids support true multitouch, but in the end there is nothing really one can do over the other, which was my point.  I am not sure how the droid synchronizes calendars, contacts, and other data to multiple computers, but the iPhone does all of that rather seamlessly.  

I think people try to pull out ridiculous statements preferring one phone over the other, when they both pretty much do the same thing.  It is the application of the features is what I am talking about.  Also, jailbreaking your phone doesn't mess with any of the server side (AT&T ) settings.  The other thing I find more common with the Droid, is that their apps you pay for are all subscription based, where as on the ITMS it is usually flat rate.

Everything that gets mentioned both phones can do.  You can war drive with the iPhone, but to be honest, I am not interested in such things.  I use maybe a few apps on my phone and not much else, voice, text, email, and some web surfing.  

I was looking for specific things each phone can and cannot do.  And as far as themes goes, I have several themes for my iPhone.  I mean a simple GIS will display to you all the themes out there

http://www.google.com/images?client...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCwQsAQwAw


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## tlarkin (Apr 21, 2010)

Actually, there is one thing the Android phones will have over iPhones, and that is porno apps.  Jobs already said the ITMS will not support any pornographic applications.

So if you want that app that allows you to see lots of porn on your phone, get an Android.

Beyond that, it is personal preferences because there is nothing either phone can't do.

http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/19/steve-jobs-android-porn/


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## Geoff (Apr 21, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> Not all droids support true multitouch, but in the end there is nothing really one can do over the other, which was my point.  I am not sure how the droid synchronizes calendars, contacts, and other data to multiple computers, but the iPhone does all of that rather seamlessly.


As you said both phones have pros and cons.  The Droid syncs everything with Google, so if you use Google calendar then anything you change on the phone or on a computer gets synced almost instantly over the air without needing to sync.  One thing I found pretty cool was that it syncs with the facebook app, so if you want to call or text someone that isn't in your contact list but is on facebook, when you start typing in that persons name it will pull it from facebook, if available.  You can also backup and restore texts in the event you accidentally delete something.

It was a bit of a pain switching from the iPhone to the Droid, since I used to use Outlook for everything, but after migrating to Google Calendar I prefer it since everything is synced between all my computers, and my phone.

I don't know much about paid apps on the Droid, but I believe they are just one time purchases just like the App Store.  Everything I want I've found for free so I haven't needed to find out.


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## tlarkin (Apr 21, 2010)

[-0MEGA-];1458637 said:
			
		

> As you said both phones have pros and cons.  The Droid syncs everything with Google, so if you use Google calendar then anything you change on the phone or on a computer gets synced almost instantly over the air without needing to sync.  One thing I found pretty cool was that it syncs with the facebook app, so if you want to call or text someone that isn't in your contact list but is on facebook, when you start typing in that persons name it will pull it from facebook, if available.  You can also backup and restore texts in the event you accidentally delete something.
> 
> It was a bit of a pain switching from the iPhone to the Droid, since I used to use Outlook for everything, but after migrating to Google Calendar I prefer it since everything is synced between all my computers, and my phone.
> 
> I don't know much about paid apps on the Droid, but I believe they are just one time purchases just like the App Store.  Everything I want I've found for free so I haven't needed to find out.



See I sort of have a personal problem with that.   I avoid all the social networking sites as long as I can, but ultimately get sucked in at some point or another.  Either to keep in touch with friends who live out of the country or far away in another state from me.

So, I signed up for FB, and facebook says oh hey, you got a gmail account do you want us to scan for anyone on FB you may know?  That is all it said. I click sure, why not.  Next thing I know it sends out friend requests to every damn person that was ever in my gmail account.  The people I sold stuff to on Craig's list, the ebay buyers, it even sent out requests to customer service email addresses, which obviously have no FB account.  

I like to control my data, and I like to control where it goes and how it is managed.  I am not sure how I feel about the auto synchronization and Google apps.   I already have reservations about how Google handles data, and with a third party involved, say  a phone carrier, how are they not abusing such things as well?

How exactly does the data sync and how can you manage it?  At least with my iPhone I can control what syncs and what doesn't, and I can make sure only certain things are automatic and others aren't.  For example, my work calendar is automatic, so it syncs with every Mac I own, but my personal calendar, only syncs on my personal Macs at home.


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## Geoff (Apr 21, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> See I sort of have a personal problem with that.   I avoid all the social networking sites as long as I can, but ultimately get sucked in at some point or another.  Either to keep in touch with friends who live out of the country or far away in another state from me.
> 
> So, I signed up for FB, and facebook says oh hey, you got a gmail account do you want us to scan for anyone on FB you may know?  That is all it said. I click sure, why not.  Next thing I know it sends out friend requests to every damn person that was ever in my gmail account.  The people I sold stuff to on Craig's list, the ebay buyers, it even sent out requests to customer service email addresses, which obviously have no FB account.
> 
> ...


Pretty much everything you stated has an on/off feature.  With facebook, when you first launch facebook it will ask if you want it to sync with your contacts, then it will also ask if you want to add people who aren't already in your contacts (yes for the first, no for the second).

I can understand what you are saying about Google, there is quite a lot of info that is stored on their servers.  I have the option to sync with Google calendar, Gmail, and other Google apps.  I can select it to only sync my personal calendar and not my work calendars, I just have to say again I really love that feature.  Sure some may not want Google to know everything about them and their schedules, but for me it's just personal stuff, and I really love being able to make a change on my phone and have it automatically sync with the online calendars.  There have been many times where I make a change on my iPhone, but because I haven't synced it when I look at Outlook on my PC I still think I am free that day.

I don't see how a phone carrier is really involved here though, it's just a data connection between the apps on your phone and Google's servers, it's just like saying that Microsoft is a third party on PC's.


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## tlarkin (Apr 21, 2010)

You know enough about networking to know what I am talking about.  The provider can view everything that goes on their network, and now it is tied into google.

I know I am stretching the paranoia here, but I mean it doesn't sit right with me.  I am just waiting for the super huge class action lawsuit to hit, that forces legislators to either endorse or deny our rights to privacy, and I think the latter will be the case considering they passed the Patriot Act in this country no problem.

What I like about the services for the iPhone is that you can anonymize your sync'd data by just subscribing to an aggregated hyper link over a third party service.  So basically, since everything is hashed out to random numbers, you'd have to send an invite to someone to subscribe to your calendar.  

I get cloud computing, but there is a lack of being able to control your services.  When you do it yourself and in house, the total cost of ownership goes up because you own it, you are responsible for it.  When you use third party the total cost of ownership goes down because you don't own it, but that also means you can no say in how it's done.

Facebook options suck, and when you are first signing up you don't, or at least I did not get those options.  I got a check box that said do you want to search for people in your gmail contacts, yes or no?  That is all it said. I skimmed through the privacy statement and EULA, and no where did it say it gives FB the right to use your contacts, nor was that ever mentioned.  

Eric Schmidt from google is starting to make me feel at a bit unease too with all the shit he is saying in interviews and in TV, and he always uses the Patriot Act as the catalyst and justification for his actions, yet I somehow feel he is using that as an excuse to do something else.


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## speedyink (Apr 21, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> I was looking for specific things each phone can and cannot do.  And as far as themes goes, I have several themes for my iPhone.  I mean a simple GIS will display to you all the themes out there
> 
> http://www.google.com/images?client...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCwQsAQwAw



That's like saying the xbox can play backup games because you can soft mod it.  You have to hack the iphone to do it, which is A) a pain in the ass and B) Makes your phone less stable.


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## tlarkin (Apr 21, 2010)

speedyink said:


> That's like saying the xbox can play backup games because you can soft mod it.  You have to hack the iphone to do it, which is A) a pain in the ass and B) Makes your phone less stable.



Jailbreaking is not a pain in the ass and it doesn't make it all that less stable, but if you want to talk about quality control, Apple has way more of it.


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## speedyink (Apr 21, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> Jailbreaking is not a pain in the ass and it doesn't make it all that less stable, but if you want to talk about quality control, Apple has way more of it.



Yes but jailbreaking effectively cancels out the quality control.  And the phone isn't the most stable phone in the world to begin with.

It's been a while since I've had to jailbreak, but i remember it becoming a big pain in the ass when new OS updates came out.  Kinda like how it's a pain in the ass to use illegal copies of windows, it isn't all the time, but it sure can be.


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## tlarkin (Apr 21, 2010)

speedyink said:


> Yes but jailbreaking effectively cancels out the quality control.  And the phone isn't the most stable phone in the world to begin with.
> 
> It's been a while since I've had to jailbreak, but i remember it becoming a big pain in the ass when new OS updates came out.  Kinda like how it's a pain in the ass to use illegal copies of windows, it isn't all the time, but it sure can be.



No, not entirely.  All the apps on the ITMS are still available and held to the same standards regardless if jailbroken or not.  The only major down side is updating your jailbroken phone can disable 'jailbroken' features, but in my experience every iPhone update was hacked and pretty stable with in a week.  I have only had my phone crash once in over 2 years.

They don't use any DRM like MS does, but they do overwrite certain system files in place with new ones that can undo certain things.

I think no matter what you say, it comes down to personal preference on what phone you want as they can both do pretty much the same things.  Android phones do give you more choice of carriers, but I find the touch screens to be not as good as the iPhones.


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## speedyink (Apr 21, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> No, not entirely.  All the apps on the ITMS are still available and held to the same standards regardless if jailbroken or not.  The only major down side is updating your jailbroken phone can disable 'jailbroken' features, but in my experience every iPhone update was hacked and pretty stable with in a week.  I have only had my phone crash once in over 2 years.



What about all the extra apps you specifically jailbreak for?  They are out of Apple's control.  So basically, if you were to be as careful as you would be on a windows computer your jailbroken iphone will be stable.  Needless to say my best friend who is decent at f-ing up his computers got his jailbroken iphone to be completely useless because it crashed so frequently and was way too slow.  He ended up reverted to the original OS.

But yes, I do agree, it all boils down to personal preference, or whichever is labeled as 'cooler', depending on the person buying it.


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## Geoff (Apr 21, 2010)

I personally believe you are being too paranoid about this tlarkin.  Sure it's on Verizon's network, but what about when you use public WiFi hotspots, or even your internet at home?  The ISP is in the middle and could see what you were doing as well.  Also, I could care less if Verizon knew that I was going to my parents for dinner next Wednesday, now if I had extremely sensitive data I would be more concerned.

I jailbroke my iPhone and it was much less stable, but I couldn't stand reverting back to the factory OS.  My phone crashed several times per week.


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## bkribbs (Apr 21, 2010)

[-0MEGA-];1458787 said:
			
		

> I personally believe you are being too paranoid about this tlarkin.  Sure it's on Verizon's network, but what about when you use public WiFi hotspots, or even your internet at home?  The ISP is in the middle and could see what you were doing as well.  Also, I could care less if Verizon knew that I was going to my parents for dinner next Wednesday, now if I had extremely sensitive data I would be more concerned.
> 
> I jailbroke my iPhone and it was much less stable, but I couldn't stand reverting back to the factory OS.  My phone crashed several times per week.



there are different methods of jailbreaking. if you use redsn0w, it is really stable. blackra1n is slightly easier, but does cause crashes. which did you use?


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## tlarkin (Apr 21, 2010)

[-0MEGA-];1458787 said:
			
		

> I personally believe you are being too paranoid about this tlarkin.  Sure it's on Verizon's network, but what about when you use public WiFi hotspots, or even your internet at home?  The ISP is in the middle and could see what you were doing as well.  Also, I could care less if Verizon knew that I was going to my parents for dinner next Wednesday, now if I had extremely sensitive data I would be more concerned.
> 
> I jailbroke my iPhone and it was much less stable, but I couldn't stand reverting back to the factory OS.  My phone crashed several times per week.



I use best practices, so no I am not afraid of using my cell phone or public wifi, but what I am afraid of, is someone  I know not using best practices.  There have already been documented cases of people following other people on twitter to see their location, and when they noticed they were out of town, they robbed the other people.

I can't possibly know every person any of my friends associate with.  I have a core of close friends and I know what they do, but the friends I just see out and about or grab a beer with, I don't know all their other friends.  

Let me give you an example of how I don't like certain things.  I've been to a few house parties where girls bring cameras and I have had my pic taken, and something "not so legal," was being done in the background.  Then I get tagged on social networking sites with this pic, where I am not doing anything illegal or amoral in the pick, but the background things are probably not appropriate for certain things.  Then it hits google and google associates my name with my website, my linked in profile, and so forth.   You think potential future employers don't check you out on Google, social networking, and professional networking like Linked IN?  They do, and even though you can set your privacy to the max, that doesn't stop someone else from sharing it and tagging your name to it.

I don't fear it, but I think there are people that don't really respect your privacy, and that feeling extends to the corporations and the people that run those corporations.  Schmidt already admitted he would give up any info google had on anyone to authorities.  Doesn't that violate the 4th amendment?  

Then you have the bored employees of said communication companies.  You don't think they dip into private conversations?  There are plenty of documented cases that have gone to court over this.  So, you may not care if someone reads your text message to your parents, but I do.  Do I care that they know I text my parents, or what I said?  Nope, not really, I just don't like the fact that they can, and in some cases some people do.

It is like the first time you work on someone else's computer and they have a folder labeled "porn," you are curious enough you take a quick look at what is in there.  I used to work with guys who loved looking at people's personal data on their computers.  I don't do that crap, but I know it happens.


**Edit**

All jailbreaking does, is that it takes the full image of the iPhone, the factory image, and wraps it up and modifies a few certain things to load the Cydia package manager on the phone.  Then once that is installed, Cydia can install "non approved" Apple apps.  I ued iPwn or something like that, never really had any problems people reported, but I never ran alpha or beta releases of apps on my phone, and I read all the read me files.  Maybe that is the difference, I dunno...


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## speedyink (Apr 21, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> All jailbreaking does, is that it takes the full image of the iPhone, the factory image, and wraps it up and modifies a few certain things to load the Cydia package manager on the phone.  Then once that is installed, Cydia can install "non approved" Apple apps.  I ued iPwn or something like that, never really had any problems people reported, but I never ran alpha or beta releases of apps on my phone, and I read all the read me files.  Maybe that is the difference, I dunno...



Maybe the difference is you're very meticulous.  

It could be cause I don't live in the States..but I don't even think about stuff I text or say on the internet being used against me.


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## Geoff (Apr 22, 2010)

bkribbs said:


> there are different methods of jailbreaking. if you use redsn0w, it is really stable. blackra1n is slightly easier, but does cause crashes. which did you use?


I've used them all.  redsn0w was only for a few versions of the OS, and likewise was blackra1n.  I used whatever was available to jailbreak the latest OS.

And tlarkin, I know what you mean, people brought cameras to some of my parties and I specifically tell them NOT to upload any photos of me, I then check their facebook to make sure that I am not in any, because I don't want my co-workers, employer, or future employers to see any of that.  You just need to use common sense.  If you call out of work sick, don't post on facebook that you are out partying.  I typically do not post my location online anyways, and although I am signed up for Google Latitude, I've never had any issues.


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## tlarkin (Apr 22, 2010)

[-0MEGA-];1459133 said:
			
		

> I've used them all.  redsn0w was only for a few versions of the OS, and likewise was blackra1n.  I used whatever was available to jailbreak the latest OS.



How iPwn worked is that it just modified the actual image of the iPhone OS and modified a bit of code to let the Cydia package manager run.  I have had zero problems for the most part.  To be honest though, I would rather it run native than to hack it.  So, I do gotta agree with Speedy on that regard.  Hacking it can get annoying...



> And tlarkin, I know what you mean, people brought cameras to some of my parties and I specifically tell them NOT to upload any photos of me, I then check their facebook to make sure that I am not in any, because I don't want my co-workers, employer, or future employers to see any of that.  You just need to use common sense.  If you call out of work sick, don't post on facebook that you are out partying.  I typically do not post my location online anyways, and although I am signed up for Google Latitude, I've never had any issues.



You can't control friends of friends, and for the most part I am the same.   I also have untagged myself from a few photos that were a bit risque.  I do have several professional contacts on my FB page, but for the most part, those people only use it for social networking and not work.  If I were to hand a resume out today, I would link my personal website as the go to site, which is one of the reasons I created it.  So that I can use it as a resume and provide all the info a employer would want to know, all the while avoiding the social networking sites.  Though, as a standard procedure these days, HR will check all of the social networking sites.  At my previous job we had 3 candidates that were dismissed from an open position because something on their myspace or FB did not sit well with the supervisor.  

Oh, and Google Buzz?  That automatic opt in, with automatic publish to the general public???  Hmm, what about that?  That should be proof Google doesn't care all that much about your privacy. Then all Google said, was "Oh dang, our bad..."  That was only after someone filed suit against them, otherwise they would most likely still be doing it.


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## The Astroman (Apr 22, 2010)

Even though it's not part of your original choice, I would recommend the HTC Desire. It's basically a friendlier, better-looking and more ergonomically friendly device than the Nexus One and is open-source.


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## Geoff (Apr 22, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> You can't control friends of friends, and for the most part I am the same.   I also have untagged myself from a few photos that were a bit risque.  I do have several professional contacts on my FB page, but for the most part, those people only use it for social networking and not work.  If I were to hand a resume out today, I would link my personal website as the go to site, which is one of the reasons I created it.  So that I can use it as a resume and provide all the info a employer would want to know, all the while avoiding the social networking sites.  Though, as a standard procedure these days, HR will check all of the social networking sites.  At my previous job we had 3 candidates that were dismissed from an open position because something on their myspace or FB did not sit well with the supervisor.
> 
> Oh, and Google Buzz?  That automatic opt in, with automatic publish to the general public???  Hmm, what about that?  That should be proof Google doesn't care all that much about your privacy. Then all Google said, was "Oh dang, our bad..."  That was only after someone filed suit against them, otherwise they would most likely still be doing it.


Well, the advantage of living in a small town is that I know almost everyone.  I usually know everyone at the parties and such, and since we are all friends on facebook it hasn't been an issue.

I also opted out of Google Buzz.  I did read an article though that Google is collecting data with Google Maps installed on their phone to help report traffic on secondary roads, and there is no way to disable that as far as I know.  The way I see it, there are so many people that are in a similar situation that it doesn't really bother me, and since I'm not doing anything bad I could care less.


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## tlarkin (Apr 22, 2010)

[-0MEGA-];1459158 said:
			
		

> Well, the advantage of living in a small town is that I know almost everyone.  I usually know everyone at the parties and such, and since we are all friends on facebook it hasn't been an issue.
> 
> I also opted out of Google Buzz.  I did read an article though that Google is collecting data with Google Maps installed on their phone to help report traffic on secondary roads, and there is no way to disable that as far as I know.  The way I see it, there are so many people that are in a similar situation that it doesn't really bother me, and since I'm not doing anything bad I could care less.



That is exactly Eric Schmidt's stance on it.  If you aren't doing anything wrong, then why bother?  I know it is mostly harmless right now, but who is to say it won't cause damage in the future.  This all reminds me of a famous quote:



> "THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
> and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
> 
> THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
> ...



Just because it doesn't affect you doesn't mean you shouldn't speak up for others that it may.  You never know when you may need them to speak up for you.


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## Geoff (Apr 22, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> That is exactly Eric Schmidt's stance on it.  If you aren't doing anything wrong, then why bother?  I know it is mostly harmless right now, but who is to say it won't cause damage in the future.  This all reminds me of a famous quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Just because it doesn't affect you doesn't mean you shouldn't speak up for others that it may.  You never know when you may need them to speak up for you.


That is a very good quote, and I do see where you are coming from, but it's not just Google.  Even though I seem nonchalant about this whole thing, I would never get an RFID chip.  I do feel as though with everything being moved to the "cloud", that all it takes is some hacker or some major mishap to clear out my bank account, IRA, add a few extra digits to my mortgage, and for all my E-Mails, calendar events, etc. to be erased with no local or hard copy for me to refer to as proof.  I'm surprised this hasn't been more of an issue, and if it wasn't for the simplicity of doing everything online, I would do everything locally.


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## tlarkin (Apr 22, 2010)

[-0MEGA-];1459170 said:
			
		

> That is a very good quote, and I do see where you are coming from, but it's not just Google.  Even though I seem nonchalant about this whole thing, I would never get an RFID chip.  I do feel as though with everything being moved to the "cloud", that all it takes is some hacker or some major mishap to clear out my bank account, IRA, add a few extra digits to my mortgage, and for all my E-Mails, calendar events, etc. to be erased with no local or hard copy for me to refer to as proof.  I'm surprised this hasn't been more of an issue, and if it wasn't for the simplicity of doing everything online, I would do everything locally.



Whenever anyone asks for my social security number I ask why they need it.  If they cannot give me a valid answer I say nope.  I don't want some idiot putting it into an unsecure database to have it stolen, mined, and then my identity being hijacked.


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## speedyink (Apr 22, 2010)

tlarkin said:


> Whenever anyone asks for my social security number I ask why they need it.  If they cannot give me a valid answer I say nope.  I don't want some idiot putting it into an unsecure database to have it stolen, mined, and then my identity being hijacked.



Why would anyone need that other than an employer?


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## Geoff (Apr 22, 2010)

speedyink said:


> Why would anyone need that other than an employer?


People ask for your SSN all the time.  When you sign up with a new cell phone provider, apply for a credit card, want your credit score, open a bank account, heck even my college used to identify people with their SSN's.


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## speedyink (Apr 22, 2010)

[-0MEGA-];1459213 said:
			
		

> People ask for your SSN all the time.  When you sign up with a new cell phone provider, apply for a credit card, want your credit score, open a bank account, heck even my college used to identify people with their SSN's.



Whhhat??  Thats insane.  I guess it's used a lot more down there.  Here it's usually just 2 pieces of valid ID.


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## The Astroman (Apr 22, 2010)

Man, this is getting really off topic you guys!


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## tlarkin (Apr 22, 2010)

The Astroman said:


> Man, this is getting really off topic you guys!



Not really, but yes in some ways it is.  Being aware of how telecom companies handle your information is valuable, but doesn't really affect the decision making process when buying a phone.   

If you buy Android, you get all those Google apps built in and turned on by default.  So, it is relevant somewhat to the decision making if that is a deal breaker or deal maker for you.


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## speedyink (Apr 22, 2010)

Screw it, i'm waiting to see what windows phone 7 is like first hand before i even think about this decision again.


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## bioevo (Apr 23, 2010)

In my opinion- Nexus is much more useful and Android beat Iphone OS.

Android is developing very fast, I heard its already most popular OS on phones, so choice is rly simple to me.


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## WeatherMan (Apr 23, 2010)

Why not get a Nokia 3310? I heard theres now a way to get Polyphonic ringtones working on it


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