I'm looking into getting my first smart phone. I'm an engineer and engineers in the office seem to prefer the Samsung line of Android phones. But I have met a couple of engineers that use iPhones too. I hear that iPhones "just work" i.e. there's no futzing around, things are intuitive etc. To me it sounds like a bunch of marketing crap but I want to hear what others think. I'll be using it for the usual googling but also checking and possibly managing trades on my brokers. Both of them have iPhone and Android trading apps. I'd also like to use it as a WiFi hotspot for my laptop at work to bypass my company's network which is heavily monitored and doesn't work all that well anyway since we're forced to use IE8. Since I'm a software guy I'd like to have the option of developing my own apps to run on my smartphone. Maybe one is better at this than the other. So let's hear it.
I am extremely impressed with android and Google's Nexus 5 & 7. In addition to the below comments, Android devices can be connected via USB and are recognized as any other drive. Nexus devices are capable of being used as wifi hotspot's, merely a check box in settings. NO additional fee. iPhone tethering is usually blue tooth, USB or not supported by carrier. Third party wifi apps for iPhone 'if still available" can be $100+/year. Easy uploading/downloading/editing. With a "go cable" and ES file explorer file management App you can read/transfer files from flash memory via USB https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop Additionally file transfer can be accomplished wirelessly via Air Droid https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sand.airdroid HTC and Samsung phones are also extremely good, however, Nexus is pure android experience, where other manufactures "modify" android slightly. Not a deal breaker... iPhones function the same model to model, so consistency is their plus, but it doesn't take a rocket engineer to quickly adapt to a slightly different gestures and procedures. After a few days, Android will feel equally intuitive. Nexus devices use high end components, 1280p resolution, lots of ram, etc... at nearly a 40% lower price point than the "designer" consumer product known as iPhone. [also less expensive than Samsung or HTC] Nexus camera's aren't as good as other manufactures in low light situations, but they are still very good, and previous issues have been addressed with KitKat "opsys" updates. Nexus devices support wireless charging via QI chargers. Copy/ paste/edit from a previous post of mine I transitioned to all Google a few months ago. Nexus 5 & 7, gmail, google calendar, google drive, google play, google voice, google play music, docs, chrome. All devices, computers and any "chrome browser" I log onto are synced and integrated flawlessly: data, contacts, tasks, events, music, video, messages, voicemails, etc... even my MS office is becoming obsolete, I only use "outlook" now as an archive by using IMAP to combine and pull messages from multiple email address's created over the years] The Google Play "store" has all the apps I need, it has become quite extensive. I will never go back to Apple. I detested iTunes, and Google has solved that for me... I have a drawer full of iPhones, iPods etc... My son asked if he could have one of my unused iPhones. My reply, "we will never install that hideous iTunes again", so I ordered him a nexus 5 instead. Disclaimer: I am not affliated nor compensated by Google or Nexus. I just detest Apples Captive Marketing Approach.
Just buy an android. You won't regret it. Unless you are a 13 yr. old girl and you need to keep your street cred up to stay popular you don't need an iphone.
Thanks for the info guys. I'm not really interested in a tablet right now so Nexus is out. To complicate matters (or simplify them maybe) I would really like to stay with Verizon Wireless for another year until my son is out of college. I noticed with VZ iPhones there's a monthly charge for using the phone as a Wifi hotspot. Is this only for iPhones or can I avoid this with an Android device?
Most carriers will allow you to hotspot your phone as you will quickly chew through that 5GB. I have unlimited LTE on two phones so they charge an arm and a leg to hotspot. Shouldn't be a problem on a 5GB plan. I have both the IP5S and Galaxy S4. I'd go with Android.
I ended up getting a Samsung Galaxy S4 this past weekend. So far I'm very happy with it. In fact, I'm quite impressed with the IB TWS Android version. I sold one of my positions this morning and bought another; I was surprised how easy it was on that little screen. Also, I found out that only Sprint charges a monthly fee for tethering.
+1 for despising itunes... pure garbage. Iphones are overpriced for status purposes too. Also, android developer tools are available to anyone for free.
The iPhone supports tethering over USB, WiFi, and Bluetooth on T-Mobile USA without fuss or additional fees. I don't know about other carriers. I too was recently in the market for a new phone. I researched and played with various high-end Android models extensively. In the end, I chose the iPhone 5s. One gets the sense that most Android phones are merely a list of features, while the iPhone is a well thought out, coherent, and secure product. Do not mistake fragmentation for not being captive. If you really want an open operating system on your phone, get one which supports Sailfish. I want my phone to "just work". Apple delivers that. I limit all my tinkering to computers running various UNIX derivatives.
I am an engineer as well and do know a couple of them with that Iphone while many of my friends including me prefers Samsung line of Android phones. See my point ? I do agree that it will be working hard here anyway. Do good