iPhone v. Droid

[Moonboots]

I'm not, but I did ask an unclear question that appeared related to multi-tasking. 

There is actually a technology limitation that prevents simultaneous voice and data on the CDMA (VzW) Droid devices.  You cannot surf the internet and have a phone call at the same time on those devices.  (Checking email while talking doesn't count).  A few AT&T commercials try to exploit this, but it's not been enough to force the CDMA providers to move to more advanced technology.  That was the impetus for the question.

At that point, it was really all the AT&T/iPhone had to go on. They couldn't multitask, and they definitely couldn't flaunt the network.  Maybe an area that AT&T should have targeted is the global capabilities of that network verses Verizon. I know my dad is getting a Droid Incredible as soon as they're back in stock in Milwaukee, and the only negative he's found about it is that he needs to swap it for a global-ready phone for the few times a year that he goes overseas. It's not a major inconvenience, but it's something to consider for business people.

[brewcity77]

I changed to a next gen phone earlier this year, and tested out both a Droid and an iPhone for a week. In terms of apps, the iPhone is way ahead. I'm sure that's largely because it's been around longer, and with more open source I'm sure Droid will catch up, but for now, iPhone has better options in the app regard. Another problem I had was the touch sensitivity of the Droid. I had a Droid Eris, and maybe it was just me, but when I tried to scroll through phone numbers to make a call in my phonebook, I would frequently make 2-3 calls accidentally before getting to the number I actually wanted to call.

However, at the end of the day it was all about one thing. Only iPhone has the ESPN Radio app. Only on my iPhone can I listen to Marquette games live when I'm at work. I work second shift, so a number of games are played while I'm at work, and that was the deciding factor.

[Skatastrophy]

However, at the end of the day it was all about one thing. Only iPhone has the ESPN Radio app. Only on my iPhone can I listen to Marquette games live when I'm at work. I work second shift, so a number of games are played while I'm at work, and that was the deciding factor.

The DroidESPN app has been around for a year or more.

[StillAWarrior]

The DroidESPN app has been around for a year or more.

I'm pretty sure that brewcity77 was talking about the ESPN Radio app for the iPhone, not the general ESPN app.  The ESPN app gets you the website.  The ESPN Radio app gets you live streaming of whatever is on ESPN radio, as well as most of the local ESPN radio affiliates around the country.

I'm not saying Droid doesn't have a comparable app -- I don't know.  I'm just clarifying what I think brewcity77 was talking about.

Edited to add:  looks like DroidESPN also has the radio features.

[Moonboots]

The DroidESPN app has been around for a year or more.

I did a data wipe before installing a new ROM on Droid a month or so ago, and realized the DroidESPN App is no longer in the market, and forgot to back it up 

Still trying to find a .apk file for it.

[Skatastrophy]

I did a data wipe before installing a new ROM on Droid a month or so ago, and realized the DroidESPN App is no longer in the market, and forgot to back it up 

Still trying to find a .apk file for it.

You're right, it got taken down.  That's sad

It looks like a lot of people are using TuneWiki now.  You can search for ESPN in the shoutcast section and bookmark it for quick retrieval in the future

[brewcity77]

I downloaded the DroidESPN app and it didn't provide radio coverage. I took it back to the Verizon store, and they also couldn't get the radio broadcasts on. I followed up on that by asking Sprint about their Droid phones, and they informed me they couldn't provide ESPN Radio. I also tried linking over the internet directly to the games on the 540 AM site, and when Marquette was on, it would only play the national broadcast, not the local. With my iPhone, I have had no problems listening to those games. If it's been updated since so that you can listen to local broadcasts during games, but as of late January, it wasn't possible.

[jficke13]

I absolutely, 100% HATE the Mac OS. Anything that the world says that it does 'better' is nothing but propoganda. It might par a Windows OS, but it does not in any way shape or form exceed it. period. However; I have gotten a serious impression that the only reason to get and iphone/droid is app development/participation from the community. and, at least as far as I can see at the moment, it seems like the iphone has a bigger app base.

[GoldenWarrior]

I absolutely, 100% HATE the Mac OS. Anything that the world says that it does 'better' is nothing but propoganda. It might par a Windows OS, but it does not in any way shape or form exceed it. period. However; I have gotten a serious impression that the only reason to get and iphone/droid is app development/participation from the community. and, at least as far as I can see at the moment, it seems like the iphone has a bigger app base.

Why do you hate the Mac OS so much?  I'm jw because the way I see it is that yes, it basically will function similarly to the Windows OS once you learn it, but for the purposes of the iPhone, there's basically no learning curve because it's just really easy and more or less intuitive.

I'm not a Mac user or supporter aside from the iPhone... I think that's the one product that Apple got right though.

[GoldenWarrior]

What about this article now with AT&T?  I think this helps the iPhone increase the market penetration even more...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ATampT-caps-phone-data-usage-apf-499602515.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=8&asset=&ccode=

[Henry Sugar]

What about this article now with AT&T?  I think this helps the iPhone increase the market penetration even more...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ATampT-caps-phone-data-usage-apf-499602515.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=8&asset=&ccode=

Tiered pricing is inevitable with wireless.  I think it's interesting because VzW has been making the most noise about it, but here comes AT&T with the first move.

[Skatastrophy]

What about this article now with AT&T?  I think this helps the iPhone increase the market penetration even more...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ATampT-caps-phone-data-usage-apf-499602515.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=8&asset=&ccode=

Tiered pricing is not a good thing for the consumer, it's a bad thing.  This will not relieve AT&T's network congestion, it will just fleece their pockets.  How will you feel when you hit the 15th of the month on your brand new iPhone and you're not allowed to use the internet anymore because you hit your data cap?  I'm guessing that this will result in bad press for AT&T down the line.  Most ISPs limit bandwidth to keep their networks snappy because it works. 

[MU B2002]

What about this article now with AT&T?  I think this helps the iPhone increase the market penetration even more...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ATampT-caps-phone-data-usage-apf-499602515.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=8&asset=&ccode=

2 GB of data usage still seems like a ton of data for $25. 

[Henry Sugar]

Tiered pricing is not a good thing for the consumer, it's a bad thing.  This will not relieve AT&T's network congestion, it will just fleece their pockets.  How will you feel when you hit the 15th of the month on your brand new iPhone and you're not allowed to use the internet anymore because you hit your data cap?  I'm guessing that this will result in bad press for AT&T down the line.  Most ISPs limit bandwidth to keep their networks snappy because it works. 

If a consumer uses less data, and can now spend less money as result, how is that bad?

[GoldenWarrior]

Tiered pricing is not a good thing for the consumer, it's a bad thing.  This will not relieve AT&T's network congestion, it will just fleece their pockets.  How will you feel when you hit the 15th of the month on your brand new iPhone and you're not allowed to use the internet anymore because you hit your data cap?  I'm guessing that this will result in bad press for AT&T down the line.  Most ISPs limit bandwidth to keep their networks snappy because it works. 

It doesn't sound to me like the 2GB or whatever level that you sign up for of data is a hard max, it sounds like it is soft so that if you reach your contracted limit and exceed it you will simply be billed exponentially accordingly to each tier of data used.  I view it as a way to pay for what you use more than the current everyone pays the same thing and gets the same level regardless.

I do think it could be negative due to the influx that I expect of new users now as a result onto the network itself.

[Chili]

2 GB of data usage still seems like a ton of data for $25. 

Hope you're not tethering then - you can blow past 2 GB very fast. Being able to Tether my Blackberry is a key feature to why I like it.

[reinko]

Hope you're not tethering then - you can blow past 2 GB very fast. Being able to Tether my Blackberry is a key feature to why I like it.

You can't tether an iPhone, at least not one that has been cracked.

Edit:  I guess you can now, but only with the limited data plan.  Those sneaky bastards.

http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2010/06/02/atampt-enable-iphone-tethering-reworks-data-plans

[MU B2002]

Hope you're not tethering then - you can blow past 2 GB very fast. Being able to Tether my Blackberry is a key feature to why I like it.

Like this??? 


No I don't tether (and I am 75% sure I know what you are even talking about.)

[Chili]

No I don't tether (and I am 75% sure I know what you are even talking about.)

Tethering is using your smart phone as a mobile modem with your laptop. It uses the data feed to get you on the net like an aircard.

[jficke13]

i hate mac os b/c it is all form over function and its been years since apple has had to be really 'good' to sell. just trot steve jobs on a stage with something shiny and it sells.

(http://www.theonion.com/video/apple-introduces-revolutionary-new-laptop-with-no,14299/)

but in all seriousness it's a combination of knowing windows inside and out, not knowing mac inside and out, mac having a 1 button mouse (seriously...wtf?) and the inherent hypocrisy of the steve jobs-worshiping zombie consumer base.

that being said, i've heard A LOT of good things about the iphone. most of them have revolved around the apps and iphone's developer base

[MU B2002]

Tethering is using your smart phone as a mobile modem with your laptop. It uses the data feed to get you on the net like an aircard.

Good I was correct.

[Skatastrophy]

If a consumer uses less data, and can now spend less money as result, how is that bad?

So you'd rather pay $25 for 2GB of data per month (or $15 for 200MB per month) than pay $30 for the burden of having to deal with an unlimited data?

     If you go over, just like overdrafting your bank account, you'll start incurring overage charges.  On the 200MB plan if you go over you'll be charged $15 for another 200MB (costing you the same $30 for 400MB that you would have gotten charged for the unlimited plan in the first place... assuming that you don't go over that new 400MB limit, god forbid). 
     If you go over your 2GB plan you'll be charged  $10 for the next 1GB.  That'll be $35 for 3GB of data, and that's if you dutifully stay within the 3GB boundary.

Then, praise Steve Jobs, Apple will be offering tethering for a mere $20 a month!  Something that other smart-phones can do for free (and that the iPhone used to do for free until Apple disabled it a year ago) and Apple is charging $20 a month... and that gets you no extra bandwidth.  That's right.  You pay $20 extra a month and you still have to play by the same silly bandwidth rules outlined above.

Honestly though, I'm just raging against Apple.  2/3 of iPhone users use less than 200MB a month and 98% use under 2GB a month.  I think that charging for usage makes less sense than limiting bandwidth per user, but that's just a personal opinion.  I'm quite irked by the fact that they'll charge for a person to use tethering with their iPhone, but there's a reason that I've stayed away from the iPhone and AT&T and it's because I don't like playing in their proprietary walled garden.  Well... I certainly have run out of steam here.  Carry on!

[GuyIncognito]

Then, praise Steve Jobs, Apple will be offering tethering for a mere $20 a month!  Something that other smart-phones can do for free (and that the iPhone used to do for free until Apple disabled it a year ago) and Apple is charging $20 a month... and that gets you no extra bandwidth.  That's right.  You pay $20 extra a month and you still have to play by the same silly bandwidth rules outlined above.

Apple isn't charging anyone anything. They supply the hardware, AT&T supplies the service. It is AT&T that is trying to squeeze every penny out of you for tethering. Tethering rates vary based on the network provider. You were able to tether on other networks like Rogers and O2 using the iphone for the past year.  It is AT&T's crippled network holding them back, and by raping you for tethering, they hope you choose not to tether in order to prevent their network from dying even more.

[wyoMUfan]

i agree w/ skat
I just ordered Droid #1 today, I'm pumped to get it on Monday!

My roommate just drove back to Milwaukee from Wyoming and had his laptop tethered the whole way and was playing warcraft....
that's impressive

(didnt work in rural nebraska)

[4everwarriors]

Was he able to at least keep one hand on the wheel while driving?