3G Smartphone
My husband and I each bought a 3G smartphone a few months ago. We intentionally picked two different phones because he is a software developer and hopes to create some apps for both phones down the road. I have the iPhone and he has the Android. I am more familiar with the iPhone while he is more familiar with the Android. I’ve come to my own conclusions and have also researched online to find the pros and cons of both phones.
The pros of an Android phone is that it is not limited to the Safari browser which does not have flash as this point. The default browser is faster on the Android. Also while working on Facebook, for example, the notification system alerts you to incoming voice messages, or email. Also, the Android has an open source access so anyone can improve on applications because it is transparent to various possibilities. And various carriers can sell the Android phone. It’s not limited to AT&T as a carrier as the iPhone is.
My personal experience with the iPhone will highlight what I like about it. It’s one component whereas the Android has a separate keyboard. The screen on the iPhone is a bit bigger than the Android. I seemed to have learned the functions of the iPhone faster than my husband has with becoming familiar with the Android. I love the ease of the iPhone, especially downloading apps from the app store. There are developers for the iPhone now so the system is not totally closed off to Apple workers. The sound that comes through on the iPhone is amazing. I have not checked out the app store for apps for the Android but that is equally good in both phones.
Basically, I love the iPhone but there are some drawbacks I don’t like. I have not figured out a way to leave one application and go to another without pressing a button to get me back to the icon page. Any page that is up when I am not using the phone will be the first one up next time. I must admit I don’t know if there is a possibility to change that in the settings so I can’t determine that for sure. It would be nice to have other carriers for the iPhone because that is limiting. My 8 gigabyte phone does not have a flash when taking picture nor does it have video.
However, the Android does have that. I would conclude that both phones have pros and cons but being a person who likes simplicity, I am totally happy with my iPhone. It would take some good convincing to give up my iPhone for an Android and down the road, who knows that might happen but not right now.
Three G Phone: Droid Eric by HTC
There are many 3G phones out there, and the list keeps increasing. They have proven to be very useful and highly reliable. I am currently using the Droid Eris, which runs on the Andriod platform. I love this phone! It is sleek, compact and easy to use.
The sound quality is great for both me and the person I am speaking to. It fits very well in a pocket or purse and doesn’t take up a lot of room. And The battery life on it is spectacular compared to past phones that I have used! I had the G1 from T-Mobile for about a year before I got this phone and I like the Eris a lot more. I was skeptical at first about using the touch-screen keyboard, but have found it very easy to use and accurate. I love the predicted text in the keyboard function which tries to guess which word you are trying to type. From my past experience with T9 and other predicted text programs, I didn’t think it would be very accurate, but I was proven wrong. It has helped me out on many occasions when I accidentally type one letter wrong.
The camera and video recorder on the Eris are very good quality. The SD card holds quite a bit of information, although I would like to see a larger gig capacity on them in future versions. I also like that it has a standard headphone jack and is compatible with most headphones and auxiliary connections.
Also, with the separate headphone jack, you can charge the phone and listen to music at the same time. The Android system on the Eris is hands down the best. Anyone can make an application and there are plenty that are free to download. There are only a handful of apps that I have actually purchased: the majority of them are free. This system also makes for a wide variety of apps, even on the same subject, so you can find exactly the features that you are looking for specifically.
I also like the compatibility with Google. I can receive my e-mails from Gmail straight to my phone. If you don’t use Gmail, however, you can also stream e-mails from other sites (i.e. hotmail, yahoo, etc) straight to you phone as well. I like using Gmail and I find it simple and easy to manage my contacts that way. If you end up needing to get a new phone, your contacts are synced through Gmail; no more having to obtain contacts from scratch or waiting in the store while they transfer them via their machine.
All things considered, I have very few complaints about the Droid Eris. I chose it over the Droid from Motorola simply because I liked the design better and was familiar with the HTC line of products. I would highly recommend the Eris to anyone looking for a good, easy to use, reliable three G phone that also looks great!
iPad 3G: Was it Worth the Wait?
Apple’s latest device has been turning heads for over a month now and just before hype began to subside, the iPad 3G was released, bringing the spotlight back to the it. The iPad 3G is nothing more than a copy of the original with 3G connectivity (to AT&T’s 3G Network) added. Therefore, a review of the iPad 3G cannot be accomplished without first reviewing the iPad’s core functionality and then including a review of the new 3G technology which has been integrated.
In the words of Apple, the iPad is a way of bridging the gap between the smart phone and a laptop. The iPad does an excellent job at combining a pleasant web browsing and media viewing experience, while placing it in a portable package. But it’s capable of so much more too, with the ability to run games, view eBooks and perform just about any other basic computing task. It also has a gorgeous, minimalistic design, not far off the from the design of the iPhone, on a much larger scale. Paired with a nice leather iPad case the iPad is a sleek and sexy piece of technology.
The iPad runs on a modified version of the iPhone OS which allows a few significant changes. The iPad is capable of navigating in a much quicker manner with the ability to display multiple tabs and panes of information on the same screen. Pop-up preview windows allow users to preview information without leaving the original content source, something that is limited on the iPhone’s tiny screen.
Apple’s software suite, iWork, which is viewed as an answer to Microsoft Office, enables users to perform similar functions on their iPad. iBook enables magazines and written literature such as books to be displayed and stored on the device. The iPad ships with a 1GHZ processor which enables a smooth experience and very little “lag.” The beautiful and large LCD screen makes viewing media and navigating the web a pleasure.
The original iPad shipped with Wi-Fi capability which was hit or miss. The Wi-Fi chip was often described as “having a mind of its own” and would frequently drop or loss signal with just a slight movement or change of position. The problems typically occurred in areas with low Wi-Fi signal strength. Aside from the minor flaws with the Wi-Fi chip one of the biggest gripes was the lack of mobility. Wi-Fi ties users to areas where Wi-Fi signals are available and does not enable freedom.
The 3G chip enables users to connect to AT&T’s high speed 3G network. The 3G performance of the iPad is quite surprising, to say the least. The device connects flawlessly to the 3G network. Of course, the iPad 3G is limited by AT&T’s network coverage which can be spotty in some areas. Users within markets that offer strong 3G coverage will be able to enjoy freedom with their iPad, similar to using a 3G mobile phone. In theory speeds of up to 1.5 MBs are possible with AT&T’s 3G service; although the iPad 3G is aimed more towards freedom and mobility than speed. Wi-Fi service which is connected to a decent broadband connection will still provide better speeds on the iPad. However, for portability the iPad 3G is the ultimate choice enabling users to connect to both the Wi-Fi and 3G networks.