In reading my daily tech news I came across "10 Reasons Why iPhone 5 Doesn't Stand a Chance Against Motorola Droid Bionic" (via daringfireball.net).  It got me thinking, how many of these types of articles have been written over the past years comparing the latest Android superphone versus the current (or in this case future, unreleased) iPhone.  Not only that, but the points listed within said articles are often the same set of features that Android handsets have offered since inception.  But the best part of this type of article is the Apple vs. Android fight that goes on in the comments.

The article covers the basics, the Bionic has a bigger screen, HDMI output, SD card slot.  I've written a few times how I feel about bigger screens, as well as the fact that the bigger screen STILL does not carry a Retina Display PPI (pixels per inch).  Having used the iPhone 4 for over a year now it's hard for me to accept anything less.  I sorta get the HDMI output and why someone would want that, but honestly I've never heard someone say "Gee, good thing I have this HDMI output so that I can pull out my micro-HDMI to HDMI cable and plug in my phone to a TV and show you what's on it."  If you desperately need HDMI output for an iDevice, Apple does sell an adapter for iPhone 4 and iPad.  I also can see the benefit of an SD card slot as some Android handsets only come with a small amount of onboard memory (some as low as 2GB, but recent ones have reached 16GB).  Android handsets do not offer different onboard memory sizes so they have to supplement onboard storage with SD cards.  Not a disparagement, simply fact.

The article mentions the gimmicky WebTop capability in the Bionic that allows you, through a dock (not included), to use a sort of meta OS environment that's basically Chrome OS with Firefox instead of Chrome.  Again, my HDMI comments above apply here.  There's a nerdy section comparing the processors in both the phones which is basically devoid of any information outside of "it's better because it's newer".  Then a general section on "speed" which again lacks any real benchmark and lumps data speed and OS performance together.

One feature that the Bionic does have a leg up on is 4G LTE support.  Almost all information regarding the upcoming iPhone points to a lack of LTE.  T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint all have variants they are branding as 4G (either WiMax or HSPA+), however LTE will be the prevalent 4G technology once implemented by all carriers.  Verizon's network has been rapidly rolling out over the past months and AT&T has recently started their final testing in a few markets.  LTE has cable broadband equivalent speeds for wireless data and it's going to be nice when it's everywhere.

What a great segue into battery life!  The main complaint of the LTE devices out there right now is battery life.  The devices tend to run hotter and use more battery than their 3G-only brethren.  While the Bionic touts a "1735 mAh battery", industry reviews still peg the device requiring a daily charge for light to moderate use.  In contrast, using the iPhone 4 I can typically go at least 2 days, sometimes more.  The iPhone's legendary battery life is likely one of the reasons the new handset will not carry LTE radios.

An Android vs. Apple comparison wouldn't be complete if they didn't mention Flash support and Android's "openness".  Since Flash "enriches web experience" we must have it right?  The only time the lack of Flash has ever hindered me on the iPhone is when I can't get a restaurant menu.  Most sites detect what device you are using and switch to a mobile version (that doesn't use Flash to begin with).  I love hearing that Flash is a feature, when chances are any website you go to on your phone will be the mobile version.  As for open Android, malware certainly seems to be on the rise.

The battle rages on.  At the rate Android devices are released, hardware specs are almost always going to be above the iPhone simply because of its release cycle.  We need to stop looking at it quantitatively and begin to compare qualitatively.  How does the user experience compare between the devices?  Are Android users generally happy about their device or generally frustrated?  What about Apple's users?  Are the features that make Android "so much better" than iOS useful for the average user or is it just marketing?

Yes I own an iPhone and it's my primary device.  No I've never used an Android handset as a primary device.  I've demoed some Android hardware in stores and never gave it another look.  Call me biased!  All I know is that a fair amount of people I know have moved from Android to Apple, and not so many the other way.  It's not indoctrination, it's because the iPhone "just works."

I don't get the newest hardware BEFORE it's released to review.  I know the product has been out for nearly 6 months and has been reviewed by every major tech outlet, but it's new to us!

Karen and I picked up the base model, 11.6 inch with 64GB memory at our local Apple store yesterday.  Our goal was to replace a 6 year old Dell lugger which had little to no real portability, which Karen desperately needs to work on her job.  We've been eyeing the Macbook Air since it's release last October, but now that we've moved in and settled we wanted to pick one up.

When you go to an Apple store, you're overwhelmed with hardware.  There's iPads, iPhones, Macbooks, iMacs, the whole product line.  There's always enough staff to discuss your purchase.  We arrived around 8:00pm so there was barely a crowd.  The nice Apple staffer explained the basics about the computer, an offering of AppleCare and iWork, and other general items.  We knew what we wanted when we stepped in the door but we let her give her spiel.  Soon enough we were walking out the door with the new hardware.

So now the unboxing.  Apple's packaging design is absolutely amazing.  It's a simple box and when you open it the first thing you see is the new computer.  The documentation and power cords are underneath as to not take away from the beauty that is the hardware.  Everything fits right and everything has it's own compartment.  It's a simple, efficient design that falls right in line with Apple's expected experience.

I've found there's a distinct difference between handling a device inside an Apple store and inside your own home.  I've picked up the demo unit of the Air in the store many a time, but it felt like a different device at home.  It's absolutely shocking how Apple got a computer to fit in the chassis.  It's light, minimalist, and beautiful.  Karen even made mention that when the lid is closed, it's similar in size to an iPad.  It's that thin and that compact, though you still get a full keyboard and touchpad.

The flash hard drive helps make up for the lower end specs on the CPU and RAM.  It's mostly going to be used as a photo editing/word processing computer so based on our initial tests it should have no issues.  The screen is crisp, clear and bright.

I've never used Mac OS X, but setting up the system was a snap.  It takes you through initial config like setting up a user account, connecting the wireless, and setting time zone.  The other cool feature is disc sharing.  The Air doesn't have a CD drive.  You can set up other computers on your network to share their CD/DVD with the Air with a small program that runs in Windows or natively in Macs.  We installed iWork and then ran a system update to get iLife, iWork, and OS X up to the latest code.  The Mac App store is basically like the one in iOS and a lot of the elements of OS X we're familiar with because of iOS.  It will take some time to understand the nuances of OS X.  I like the multitouch trackpad though it's somewhat awkward having to use 2 fingers to alternate select.  I'm certain it'll get easier over time.

Overall it's a solid little machine and no doubt will last us a while.  I'd like to think this is the first step to a no-Windows household and based on the usage we've had thus far, I can see it as a possibility.  For me, I'll likely be using iOS devices in lieu of OS X devices as my iPhone is pretty much permanently attached to me and I imagine the iPad will take over most of my daily computing consumption from the PC.

Seriously?  I know I've touched on it before barely, but with behemoths such as the Droid X and the EVO 4G pretty popular in the mobile world I'm worried that the trend of the big screen phone will continue.  I know that I've seen people in the world with their EVO out and it looks like you could serve dinner off of it.  How is that easily portable?  You almost need a holster at your side to fit it right.

Along the same lines, Apple has stood by it's 3.5" form factor since the iPhone's inception.  It makes you wonder if the folks in Cupertino are exploring other options for their next iterations of the iPhone.  Given their recent comments regarding small tablets, it leads me to believe they wouldn't go for the full 4.3" monster but maybe a small bump to 3.8" or so.  They have to keep the Retina Display resolution that everyone loves, so I'm not sure what the screen size change would do to it.

The line between what makes a phone and phone and what makes a tablet a tablet is becoming more and more blurred.  I want my phone to be handy and not bulky and awkward.  I also do not want to be left behind with older equipment simply because I refuse to go big.  A 5" phone in your pocket seems prone to breakage.  All it takes is a trip into a desk or door and 1/4 (or more) of your screen is gone.  Sure there's been advances such as Gorilla Glass and whatever Apple is using, but with enough force any glass will break.

Of course someone could simply make the Pip-Boy form factor popular and everyone will just operate off of their arm.

When I finally realized that getting an iPhone was is my imminent future, I did as I normally do and began to gather information about the general Apple culture, info on all their products, and of course the best sites for updates to said information.  As you can imagine, there are a ton of sites dedicated to the iPhone specifically and the Apple company as a whole.  Throughout my parsing from these sites, references to "Gruber" kept popping up.  Not knowing who or what a "Gruber" was, I did a quick search and came upon John Gruber's site Daring Fireball (http://www.daringfireball.net) and quickly became a daily (if not more than daily) reader.

Gruber is a completely different breed of "blogger" (I hesitate to use this term, as he doesn't operate as such which I will explain later).  Your standard tech blogs have posts about rumors, upcoming products, and reviews.  Daring Fireball will contain links to these, however he typically adds a short couple of lines with what appears to be his "gut reaction", which are often on point and objective.  He also will write expanded articles based on topics that deserve more than a few lines, such as the iPhone 4 prototype mess and Antennagate, which are extremely in depth and well written.  The style of the site is simple and full of great information.  Daring Fireball does not allow comments, which Gruber had a great back and forth with Joe Wilcox back in June (Link: http://daringfireball.net/2010/06/whats_fair). ; From the same article, Gruber writes:

What makes DF an efficient and effective soapbox is exactly that it is not noisy. My goal is for not a single wasted word to appear anywhere on any page of the site.

This gets back to the main point as to why I respect John Gruber.  So many tech sites floating around are padded with garbage data, unfounded rumors and horrible commenters.  While I still frequent those sites, I have to parse through the fluff to get to the good info.  I know that as soon as I load DF, there will not be a single article on there that will waste my time.  Now I know many people like to classify Gruber as a Apple fanboy, he even gets attention from Fake Steve Jobs (Daniel Lyons) and most of the tech sites with that label.  Yes, he is Apple heavy, but not in a way that shoves Apple down your throat.  In fact, most of his insider Apple info is rock solid.  I've learned a lot from his site and honestly agree with about 90% of what he writes, which is hard to admit as I am known to have some strong opinions when it comes to technology.

I know I'm a no-name tech enthusiast and it's 99% likely John won't even read this blog, but I wanted to write about it because his site has provided me a totally different arena for technology news.  I appreciate his attention to detail and insider insight, as well as the passion in his writing.  It's hard to find on the internet but it's refreshing to see.

What a month it's been huh?  June 24, 2010: Judgment Day.  Steve Jobs released upon this world a redesigned iPhone, very different than the familiar 3G and 3GS form factor.  Little did he know, the flood gates to Antennagate were about to blow open and drown out the wondrous magical device that Jobsy promised.

I'm usually not an early adopter, I typically like to wait a bit after a major phone release before deciding on which to choose.  I know we wanted iPhones, and the iPhone product has been rock steady pretty much since it's inception in 2007.  I also was drawn to the new design of the iPhone 4, the curvy nonsense on the 3G and 3GS wasn't attractive to me at all.  So I took the plunge and pre-ordered for launch day.  My phone came (not without many billing fiascoes with AT&T, but that's a different story) and I've been using it as my primary mobile device since then.  Here's my take on my first month with my first iOS device.

Point 1: AT&T's service

OK, so the first complaint EVERYONE IN THE US has with the iPhone is AT&T.  I've seen the speedtest results from the major metros (SF, NY, etc.).  I understand that people can be frustrated with dropped calls and slow data in highly populated areas and somehow this gets blanketed to the 97% of the country that AT&T covers.  Maybe Raleigh/Durham just has a very strong AT&T infrastructure.  I can say this, while in my home area, I have yet to drop a call throughout this month.  Additionally, I have not experienced any data slowdowns and have had 3G coverage everywhere I've gone.  Granted I don't go to a lot of places outside the Triangle, but for what I use the phone for I'm completely satisfied.  My recent trip to Las Vegas did have some severe data slowdown issues in certain parts of The Strip, and I certainly made use of the "Mark the Spot" app.  I'm probably jinxing myself by writing this, but as far as my daily use goes there has been no difference between AT&T and Verizon's service.

Point 2: Death Grip

The iPhone 4 has a signal attenuation issue, it's been confirmed by various outlets and even Apple itself.  Am I aware of how I hold the phone when I'm using it?  Yes.  Does it ruin the experience for me and render the phone unusable?  No.  People made a mountain out of a molehill and got their free case/bumper out of it (I'll be getting one too, not sure if I'll use it however).  This is not a dealbreaker for me and again has not really affected the way I use it.

Point 3: iOS and it's "apps"

I'm digging iOS.  Much more than Windows Mobile, though I haven't used Android in order to compare.  I appreciate the attention to detail that was put into it (i.e. the .com button on the Safari keyboard) and it's extremely user friendly.  I'm finding that I'm not really using a large variety of apps and the app store seems to be full of garbage apps.  It's nice to say that you have 100,000 apps but if 60% are garbage it loses it's value.  The iPod app is absolutely excellent, a pleasure to use.  I can't wait to see iOS on other types of devices because it would certainly fit. 

Point 4: Camera

I took all my photos and video from my trip last week to Vegas on my iPhone.  Some came out really great, some not so great.  After all, it is a phone and not a point-and-shoot or DSLR replacement.  Here's some samples:

Bottom Line:

The iPhone 4 is the best phone I've used.  The form factor, the aesthetics, the display, the responsiveness of the touchscreen, everything.  Even if Consumer Reports won't recommend a buy, I will. 

I've got a full week under my belt with Apple's newest iDevice.  News broke today that the first (emphasis added) class action lawsuit is being brought against Apple in regards to the "death grip" antenna issues.  From the KCR website (http://www.kcrlegal.com/iPhone-reception-problems.aspx):>

Meanwhile, since we posted our inquiry on Monday, June 28, over 1250 people have responded. The overwhelming majority are experiencing problems with their iPhones and agree that Apple should be held accountable.

So let me get this straight.  Over 1250 people are saying their reception isn't so great with the iPhone 4.  Apple sold 1.7 million devices in the first weekend it was available.  The percentage of respondents is so low I can't even copy it from Windows Calculator (I mean I can, it's 7.352941176470588e-4, but who wants to see that?).  Why are people bothering with this frivolousness?  I'd even venture to say there's more actually defective units that were sold than the amount of people that are complaining about their signal loss.

Apple is a big company, people think that it's going to just roll over to a few squeaky wheels.  To say that the iPhone 4 is completely unusable as it was released is absurd.  I'm finding more and more places just in my daily use where I have more bars with AT&T than I did with Verizon, including inside buildings.  This kind of nonsense just appears to be the same Apple hate that happens every go around, it's always going to be something critically and traumatically wrong with anything that is released.

Don't get me wrong, if I cover the left side black band with my thumb my bars start to drop.  In my apartment.  Around town I don't have that issue and I can freely hold the phone however I wish without dropping calls or paralyzing my data connection.  I'm not going to put a bumper on my phone and I'm not putting a case on it.  I'm not dissatisfied with the service or the hardware.  I have my gripes about some minor things with iOS but I'll get used to it.

It's genuinely shocking to me the amount of fervor over "low signal strength."  Hasn't that been the major complaint of AT&T for years now?  It's no different now than it was when you bought your 3GS last year, and your 3G the year before, and your 2G the year before that.  AT&T and Apple both have a 30 day return policy, if it doesn't fit your needs, then return it.  I'd be interested to go into a few AT&T and Apple stores to see how many phones have been returned to date.  My guess is very very very few.

The Apple vs. the Internet soap opera continues......

Let's see if AT&T lives up to their reputation and if ol' Jobsy can impress me. Today I hopefully fought my last billing battle and have the iPhone 4 in my grubby mitts.

Sent from my iPhone