Features - QOTW: Android, BlackBerry, iPhone or Windows Phone?

[iamlorro]

I have a desire hd, and really like it - I'm not a huge Apple fan, so avoided that- there was a point when you had to have Itunes to upgrade your phone- which was behind Android, and cost was a huge factor when I was looking.

Work phone is currently some awful win mob 6 something or other, but I can upgrade to a lumia or wait for win 8.
Currently thinking of going for the upgrade ASAP. Interesting comments above r.e.- bluetooth & notifications.

[jnutt]

HTC Sensation for me - Android 4.0. Although I'm a huge Windows fan, I haven't had a chance to work/use/play with a Windows Phone.
Anything but Apple!

I wholeheartedly agree. I moved from a 2 year old HTC Desire to an HTC Sensation with Android 4. And while Apple might look nice and be easy to use I just refuse to get locked in to their "do it my way" mind set.

[Bunjiweb]

Another Android user here - Motorola Atrix stuck on 2.3 (haven't bothered rooting etc.) and an Asus TF 101 Tablet on 4.0.

I'd agree with the comments above that it's the customisation that wins me over, as well as integration with my the other parts of my google account, easy syncing of contacts and bookmarks etc.

[ilh]

Android for me on phone and tablet. GNex for being stock Android and TF300T for being stock with the perfect level of minimal manufacturer UI on top like the performance settings in the notification popup.

[finlay666]

Windows.

http://apebox.org/wordpress/rants/407/

Currently this

Despite being mid way through a contract on an Android S2 I actively went to try and get a Lumia 710 (£110 + stupid top up to sim i couldnt use...) for hols but didnt with no stock and no way to get a compatibe microsim before I leave

[KeyboardDemon]

The last time I used a Windows phone it had Windows 6 on it and I found that to be too clumsy, but it was a work phone so I had no choice but to use it.

I now use a Galaxy SII for work and this is much better, but we can't upgrade to ICS on this so I haven't seen what that's like and now there is already talk of Jelly bean and then Key Lime Pie both being developed with Jelly bean set for launch in November. I think the biggest issue for Android now is that two people can buy the same phones on different networks and these might operate as almost entirely different phones due to operator customisation and tweaks, plus the rapid development process for the OS itself and the wide differences in hardware means that a developer has as many as 4,000 different handset configurations that they have to develop for.

I think Windows 8 will make Windows phones a lot more user focused and with built in support in Windows for the phone there will not be so much of a need for things like iTunes, from what I've seen of Windows 7.5 this looks like a much better OS than the previous version I had used (version 6.1) and I like how smooth it is, even on a low powered handset. When I get the chance to play with a Windows 8 phone I'll be looking at that with a view to switch from my iPhone, but I might wait for the apps market to mature a bit first.

[Spud1]

Not that straightforwards..

Apple/iPhone is what I prefer, but I currently use a windows phone, and am strongly considering getting the new QNX based blackberry when it comes out.

Apple: Best hardware available but iOS is boring as hell, and lacks consistency everywhere. Again Beautiful hardware though.
Windows: Great idea, if they remove the tight bing integration, and make live tiles well...live..then they have a good platform. I wish I could bring myself to keep this phone
Blackberry: Currently awful but QNX is lovely and if they can ever get a phone out running it then they have a chance of a comeback..the London is definitely my number 1 anticipated phone atm.
Android: Meh, it's the equivalent of linux..free, does everything in the world but always in an amateurish way. Something to cater for those that hate to follow the norm but don't realise that by doing so they have become the norm.

[NiPPonD3nZ0]

I still hate the touchscreen scene... My gf has na SSony Ericsson X7 and it works well, but for me naaah... I used to love my Blackberry Curve 8520, but since its been stolen i use na old Nokia 6103... I could buy a touchscreen for peanuts, but i dont like them... so until i can afford a new Blackberry, i will be using my good'ol Nokia...

[Xenor]

Android for me. Can't say I've used the others but I feel I get more value for money with Android.

[HSK]

I have a Galaxy Nexus, which is my personal phone (I like the stock / vanilla android experience).

And the work phone, is a Bold 9900.

[Ganty]

/me Hugs his Galaxy S3

[pp05]

S2 at the moment. This phone is still a very capable phone and love tethering.

May sell it to try a lesser phone in the Lumia 710 as cpw doing it for 99.

Keeping eyes on RIM QNX handset announcements that will appear after Sept.

[crossy]

I now use a Galaxy SII for work and this is much better, but we can't upgrade to ICS on this so I haven't seen what that's like

I'm guessing that this is a "policy" issue rather than a technical one, seeing as the unlocked S2 has had "official" ICS for a while.

ICS ... (Samsung SIII and Asus Transformer both on ICS, and really liking it)

Android: Meh, it's the equivalent of linux..free, does everything in the world but always in an amateurish way. Something to cater for those that hate to follow the norm but don't realise that by doing so they have become the norm.

Hmm, interesting run down (although I snipped to save space), but if time/space permitted I'd loved to understood how you could say that Linux delivers "always in an amateurish way" - in a lot of respects (GUI excluded) I've always found it to be superior to Windows - certainly software updates make MS's methods look poor. Although it's nice to see Microsoft trying really hard with Windows 8 to deliver a crappy desktop experience too! Getting back on topic (sorry!) you're probably right that it's a lot closer these days (Blackberry excluded) than was previously the case. That is, if you don't want iPhone (either because you want more control, or want a design that "tries harder", or are just plain sick of being told that "you need to get an iPhone" by folks who've got them) then there's plenty of choice - SIII, One X, Xperia S, Asus PadFone, Lumia 800 - all pretty decent devices from what I've seen.

[Spud1]

Hmm, interesting run down (although I snipped to save space), but if time/space permitted I'd loved to understood how you could say that Linux delivers "always in an amateurish way" - in a lot of respects (GUI excluded) I've always found it to be superior to Windows - certainly software updates make MS's methods look poor. Although it's nice to see Microsoft trying really hard with Windows 8 to deliver a crappy desktop experience too! Getting back on topic (sorry!) you're probably right that it's a lot closer these days (Blackberry excluded) than was previously the case. That is, if you don't want iPhone (either because you want more control, or want a design that "tries harder", or are just plain sick of being told that "you need to get an iPhone" by folks who've got them) then there's plenty of choice - SIII, One X, Xperia S, Asus PadFone, Lumia 800 - all pretty decent devices from what I've seen.

When I refer to "amateurish" - you can't exclude the GUI as that is the main cause. The standard GUI libraries used for most linux apps feels very bedroom coder and doesn't have the professional polish that Windows or OSX has - in the same way that the standard Android UI frameworks provide for a very amateurish GUI, and most (any?) manufactures stick with this rather than going for a completely polished approach. Windows Phone and iOS both have this, and it's very noticeable.

That isn't a bad thing for everyone though - its something that I personally want out of my phone, but many people don't care so much about that (and a group further still will argue strongly against my perception of this). Each to their own really..Android caters well for the geek market and the manufactures have done a good job of making it appeal to the mainstream through some amazingly good marketing (and initially some very cheap prices until they got a stronghold and could release a high end device).

My next phone will definitely be iOS or BBX though, unless Microsoft remove bing from WP8

[Rookie1986]

ISO (iPhone 4) for me at the moment, due my upgrade the first week of July and haven't even looked at what phone I'm going to go for next. One thing I do know though is that it won't be an iPhone 4s. I've had a few Blackberry phones in the past and tbh (not sure how things are now) but the settings and options just seemed like hard work in comparison to that on ISO.

Rookie

[crossy]

When I refer to "amateurish" - you can't exclude the GUI as that is the main cause. The standard GUI libraries used for most linux apps feels very bedroom coder and doesn't have the professional polish that Windows or OSX has - in the same way that the standard Android UI frameworks provide for a very amateurish GUI, and most (any?) manufactures stick with this rather than going for a completely polished approach. Windows Phone and iOS both have this, and it's very noticeable.

Ah right - I hadn't realised that your criticism of Android was at the GUI library layer - not being a coder (ain't got the time at the moment) I'll obviously bow to your greater knowledge. From the user's point of view though I'll argue blind that ICS is now a peer of iOS when it comes to that "desktop experience", whilst freely admitting that previous incarnations (Donut, Eclair, Gingerbread) were "disappointing" in some respects - otherwise where is the need for all the various launchers and overlays like Sense, TouchWiz, MotoBlur, UXP, etc.

I do tend to exclude Linux GUI's from consideration as a drawback, mainly because (a) there's so many of them! (LOL); and (b) my background means that I spend most of the time at the command line anyway. Again from the "user space" point of view, I like the later revisions of Gnome2, and decry Gnome3 and especially Unity - the latter being my #1 hated UI until the arrival of Metro. Again, I don't code for these (tend to use GUI wrappers like TCL) and what I want from a desktop UI is the same as that of a phone - flexibility, speed and no need to sit and think "how am I supposed to do X?" (because it's obvious).