I have been an iPhone user for just over a year. It has been my link to have the “world” in my pocket. The applications and ease of use has always been a phenomenal experience on the iPhone. Since apple introduced the iPhone back in 2007, it has been like a status symbol for people. Everyone has wanted an iPhone. Like always though, when apple brings something revolutionary to the game, everybody tries to go after it and beat it. Over the last couple of years we have seen several companies try to compete against the iPhone. The most promising though has always been Google’s Android platform. The first Android handset was set to go head to head with the iPhone. Unfortunately the hardware is what held the G1 back. But now things are about to change. I have recently become an android user with the HTC hero.
So let me tell you about this great device that has won me over. The HTC hero runs the HTC version of android called “Sense” The UI is absolutely beautiful. Instead of using push for services, they actually run in the background. This is super handy for little things like google latitude or loopt for location services. But benefits for running in the background get much better. If you have to leave an app for something, when you go back it is where you left off. Another great part is if you are a last.fm user, when listening to your music on the device, the last.fm app scrobbles live! I don’t have to sync and wait for my computer to do it’s thing. The Android Market place is simple to use and again, after you purchase your app (free or paid) it downloads in the background while you do what you want to do. Purchasing music couldn’t be easier either. Android uses amazon mp3 for music purchases and downloads directly to your device. To get the music on your computer just hook up the phone through USB and mount the disk, then just drag your songs out of the music folder. But the biggest thing is expandable memory and replaceable battery. The HTC hero uses Micro SDHC cards, it comes with 2GB but I recently just replaced it with a 16GB.
The android platform in my opinion blows the iPhone OS out of the water. I really enjoy using it and the customization is fantastic. Unlike with the iPhone, the android platform is not locked down, I can do what I wish with my hero and not have to worry. I can stream video too and from the phone, and most the apps from the apple app store are actually in the android market place. So in closing, if you are thinking of leaving your iPhone, or you have never purchased an iPhone and are just looking for a new phone, look into the android phones. More are coming out, and android is gaining momentum. Android is a true competitor to apple.
