Android Central on the iPhone!

[c4sizzle]

Hello all!

Hi, it's Casey from Android Central and for this week of the Smartphone Round Robin, I'm taking a look at the iPhone 3GS. I've spent a significant amount of time with the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone platform in general so I just wanted to ask a few questions regarding your 'feelings' toward certain decisions/ideas/theories etc.


1. Android has widgets, are you guys a little, tiny bit jealous of that type of dynamic home screen experience?
2. Multitasking -- hate living without it? not a problem at all? or will it be like cut & paste, when apple introduces multitasking we can't imagine living without it?
3. App Store -- There's a gajillion applications and it definitely is the pace setter for app markets, but how do you guys sift through all the unnecessary apps? what's your favorite app?
4. AT&T -- is the biggest wish for the iPhone is for it to be on a different carrier? Verizon iPhone isn't coming in 2010, right? How many of you would switch away from AT&T?
5. I personally think the iPhone keyboard is great, but how many of you guys still want a physical keyboard?

thanks in advance guys!

[nhoz]

1) there are widgets for jailbroken iphones, its cool but not necesary.

2) not problem at all, push+save state does the trick

3) we rely on web reviews, there is too much crap in the appstore. favorite app beejive and tweetie.

4) not from U.S.A

5) not me, i type so much faster and effortless with virtual keyboards. but is not for everyone, many if not the majority miss the lack of tactile feedback.

[Alli]

Hi Casey! Let's face it, we all know you guys think the iPhone is the bees knees, or you wouldn't all have them (in addition to whichever other platform you pretend to prefer). That being said....

1. Widgets...blah. I don't use 'em on my desktop, I doubt I'd use 'em on my cell. Then again, it would be nice to have the weather in my face when I turn on my device - just like Windows Mobile.

2. Multitasking is a nonissue. If you don't stream music from Pandora or something similar, you don't want it or need it.

3. The app store is a mess. We depend on each other for recommending the cream of the crop - and there's definitely some cream in iTunes!

4. I've used all the US carriers at some point or another. They are all equal in the end. Well...not Sprint...they still have the worst customer service experience ever.

5. I came from a Treo, which I used because of that front facing QWERTY. The iPhone has gotten me over the need for a real keyboard. I like the virtual keyboard!

[msm0511]

1. I've been checking out Android since the 2.0 release and think it is coming into it's own as an operating system. I love the implementation of the widgets.
2. I didn't really do alot of multitasking when I used WinMo and Symbian, but I would like to be able to have it on all iPhone stock apps.
3. Apple has done a good job imo w/ the App Store. The genius recommendations in it needs alot of work though. My most used 3rd party apps are Facebook and Pandora.
4. I don't have any problems w/ AT&T in Atlanta,and wouldn't switch to Verizon. An iPhone w/ T-Mo 3G bands would be tempting though.
5. I love the soft keyboard on the iPhone since 3.0, but it does get difficult to use when I'm walking down the street. Not worth the extra bulk of a slider qwerty or the loss of screen size on a candybar qwerty imo.

[iphone00]

1. widgets are nice but not a big deal for me.

2. multitasking like the pre would be nice but not critical for me to have.

3. look to others feedback as mentioned above to evaluate apps.

4. i wouldn't switch away from at&t but friends with verizon would be thrilled to have an iphone.

5. i'm happy with the virtual keyboard.

[DRTigerlilly]

1. Android has widgets, are you guys a little, tiny bit jealous of that type of dynamic home screen experience? Taking a look at what HTC has done w/ Sense UI. It has potential, but then it also slows down the device, also taking from the WinMO version it can make the screen cluttered. Not interested in that.

2. Multitasking -- hate living without it? not a problem at all? or will it be like cut & paste, when apple introduces multitasking we can't imagine living without it?I have Multitasking JB+Backgrounder+ProSwitcher or Kirikae

3. App Store -- There's a gajillion applications and it definitely is the pace setter for app markets, but how do you guys sift through all the unnecessary apps? what's your favorite app?It can be overwhelming to sift through, and this is where i depend on The Iphone Blog and all the other technology blogs i read to keep me abreast of all the kewl apps!:P Gizmodo actually has a fairly handy weekly section on noteworthy apps and a directory

4. AT&T -- is the biggest wish for the iPhone is for it to be on a different carrier? Verizon iPhone isn't coming in 2010, right? How many of you would switch away from AT&T? Never used AT&T but if user complaints are accurate there is room for improvement. I have no interest in a CDMA carrier, i like GSM and the convenience/flexibility of a SIM card.

5. I personally think the iPhone keyboard is great, but how many of you guys still want a physical keyboard? Don't really need a physical keyboard, particularly not if it's going to add bulk to the device. I think you get used to the iphone's keyboard over time, and the dictionary makes good work of corrections. I do wish you could add words to the dictionary though like you can on Android & WM.

[applejosh]

1. I'm a little bit jealous, but not much. Not knowing much about Android (and whether it has this capability), I miss other customizations such as wallpaper on all screens, and the "swiping" that you can do with a jailbroken device (such as the method employed by SBSettings and qTweeter). I remember the old Palm days with hacks and such that just made working with the device a lot easier because of the customization that was possible.

2. I do and I don't. I don't mind the lack of multitasking except for the SMS thing. It would be great if I didn't have to quit an app just to reply to a text message (or email for that matter).

3. It's very difficult to sift through the apps. I know some developers artificially inflate their stats (mainly ratings), and the sheer number of apps in any category make finding a good, appropriate app for your task very difficult. I normally rely on various forums and websites (and the occasional periodical) for ideas and suggestions. I rarely can rely strictly on AppStore ratings and recommendations (because there are some consumer reviews out there that are negative just for the same of being negative (even about other products than the one attached to the rating) and reviews that are overly positive (usually planted by developers or developer friends I'm guessing).

4. Not really. I had Verizon issues previously, and AT&T is actually better at home and in the office than VZW was. Odd, because VZW has a really good presence in most of the city.

5. I miss the physical keyboard at times, but the added real estate (and compact form factor) that come from a virtual keyboard only device usually makes up for it. I wouldn't try writing a novel on my iPhone, but for texts and emails, it works rather well.

[AZBear3G]

1. I like to have a couple of widgets such as weather and calendar but you can go crazy make the screen cluttered as drtigerlilly said.

2. I like multitasking and jailbroke to get to use Backgrounder

3. As most have said I read the blogs/forums here and other pkaces to find the apps I need.

4. I have already switched to T-Mobile where I use the iPhone and the MT3G

5. I like the virtual keyboard and would not want the size and weight that a real keyboard brings.

[AndrewWestSide]

Looking forward to another week of Round Robin, hope I can win!

[Dyvim]

1. I would like to be able to customize some info to be visible from the lock screen, but wouldn't necessarily have to be widgets although those would work.
2. Multitasking - less of an issue with the speedy 3GS. Mostly I wish I could open Settings without having to close my app, drill through the settings, then open the app again. But I don't really need Pandora running all day.
3. App Store - I don't bother searching on my own. I get suggestions from reading tech blogs like TiPb, iLounge, and Gizmodo.
4. AT&T - I'm happy with AT&T service and am not interested in a non-GSM iPhone. I do wish I could get it carrier unlocked though so I could switch SIMS and do what I want with it after I finish my 2-year contract (like they now can in the UK). I would be happy to see AT&T's exclusive deal end so that (a) some of the network load can shift to other carriers, and (b) we can see carriers compete on price and features.
5. Not me.