Why Switch to Android?

If you're a typical Blackberry or Symbian user, this article would be helpful as both are burning platforms already. If you're an iPhone user, get lost--there's just no talking sense to you. Kidding. This article will discuss why you should consider moving to Android if you haven't tried it yet. As with most OS out there it has its strengths and weaknesses. If you, like me, are OK with those and find that this is the OS for you, then by all means, I invite you to dive into Android. Below are some of the reasons why you should make the move to Android:

1. Customizability
No other OS in the market right now is capable of the customizations and flexibility that Android is offering. What do I mean by this? Simple, you can make your phone look and feel as you please--with a little reading and sometimes help from the mighty geeks of XDA forums. You can change the wallpapers, replace the messaging app with one that can go with a theme, install games, get themes for your browser. Basically, just about endless skinning to make your phone YOU. You can also place shortcuts to apps and mini app interfaces called "widgets" which you can interact with to do simple tasks like getting your latest tweets, checking the temperature, or getting news feeds. Compare this to an iPhone where the most you can do is change the phone's wallpaper and group your apps together.

These customizations also allow you to easily access data and function. This, I will discuss further later.

2. Choice
Android really wishes you options. And with it your favorite manufacturer. Ranging from an uber expensive HTC Sensation to the very cheap but well-spec'd ZTE Skate, there is no running out of options for every budget class in Android.

3. One-click Access to Data
In an iPhone, you need three taps to turn on/off the wifi, Android can do it with one tap if you've placed a wifi toggle widget on your homescreen (in Samsung phones, the wifi toggle is omnipresent when you pull down the notification bar). You also don't need to open your twitter app to read tweets if you've placed a twitter widget on your homescreen. Similarly, you can hold the power button to turn on your data connection with a tap from the menu that will pop. All these require more than 1 tap on other devices, and that's not even half of the things you can do faster with android. There's voice to text and text to voice, a comprehensive notification system that make accessing missed calls and messages unintrusive, a pattern unlock system (which is harder to guess and easier to unlock by swiping as compared to numpad locks), and even swipe message input (ex. Swype, Slide It).

4. Value For Money
As of this writing, the best Android phone--the Samsung Galaxy S II--is priced at PHP 29,990 or approximately $697.00 for the 16GB model. The iPhone 4 is priced at around $720.00 for 16GB and $860.00 for the 32GB model. Given that the Samsung Galaxy S II offers unbeaten hardware and software features (8MP camera, 1080p video recording, Super Amoled Plus screen, dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM), Android feels like a bargain at this competition. Then you also have your cheaper droids who can do good jobs as well.

5. Future-Proof
Over 550K (as of this writing) Android devices get activated daily. That number is more than any other smartphone platform out there, simply Android has too many manufacturers and has become popular over time. If you compare it to BB OS, the fledgling WebOS and Windows Phone 7, and the dying Symbian and MeeGo, Android seem to be the star student (along with iOS) whose future seem bright amid accusations of plagiarism and cheating (patent infringement suits from Apple). Support for this OS will be healthy for years to come, that's what it means. Hardware innovations (dual-core processors) also appear first on Android than on any other smartphone OS.

6. Carrier-friendly
In the USA, the iPhone 4 is only carried by AT&T with the 4G version on Verizon. Here in the Philippines, iPhone is carried only by Globe so SMART and Sun subscribers have to make do with the moe expensive unlocked iPhones sold as much as $1093.00 or PHP 47,000.00 for the 32GB version. If you are one to stick to carrier offerings, then Android is more suitable for you.

7. Battery-replacable
Sounds silly, but one's inability to open the back of his phone and pull out the battery can be crucial for decision-making. Why? For one, you can always buy spare batteries to replace the one you have when it finishes up. For another, when an iPhone hangs, the only way to restart it is to wait for it to restart. When Android hangs, one can simply take off the battery and resume with life.

8. Expandable memory
Sure, 32GB of memory is more than enough, but with SD cards getting cheaper by the day, One can simply opt to buy memory cards to save money. Right now, a 16GB SD card is on its way to the market. For most Samsung devices, 16GB of ROM is available and expandable with a memory card. Sure sounds like a treat.

9. Larger  displays
Yes, Android has 4.2 and even 4.5 inches wide displays, while iOS contents itself with 3.5. Bigger displays, more enjoyment on media consumption. Nuff said.

Be aware, however, that there are still some issues that plague Android:

*Lags
 It's no secret that Android lags / stutters from time to time. If your phone is on Gingerbread, dear, you haven't seen the worst. I've been to Donut, Eclair, and Froyo, and I must say that Android has gone a long way and has been more and more polished. Apps over time also improved and less lags are experienced now, though if you merely use your phone for texting, email, and calling, some internet, video, and music, basic stuff, lags are rarely experienced.

Some users may find that when you have your phone in Auto-rotate, it becomes slower. This is sadly something that I have not seen any improvement on, though I have barely found any reason to turn auto-rotate on my phone, possibly because of my phone's big screen and the swype text input. Android is originally made for portrait operation, which possibly explains why this is far from being as fluid as the iPhone's.

*Short Battery Life
In my 8 months of owning two different Android phones, I can say that Android is power hungry. For some reason, it is impossible to make it through 24 hours with a single charge even when all you do is call and text. This has been a recognized weakness by Google and they have been working on it slowly building over this weakness with each iteration of the OS.

*App incompatibility
Some apps in the market just won't work on some phones. For instance, you can't expect to effectively use Skype video calling on your Xperia Arc when it does not have a front facing camera, though you can use the rear. Some apps are also are prohibited from installing on lower OS versions due to some function / library missing in that OS version. Some won't operate right due to screen resolution, and some won't have a proper display due to the graphic chip of choice your manufacturer chose. In essence, this is called Fragmentation. Google is slowly managing this problem and is expected to resolve or ease fragmentation with the next iteration (Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0)

There you have it. Some of the desirable and some noteworthy weaknesses of Android. Ready to swithc yet?