iPhone 4 or Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant (Bell)

For me it's the Galaxy for the UI customization, the better integration into Google services, the bigger screen, Swype (kills anything on the iPhone for typing), google translate for texting with your voice.

iPhone 4 is slick though. Better with iTunes, very cohesive interface, and so on. Can't go wrong with either but I choose the Galaxy S.
 
I am in the same boat OP - I was on the fence, teetered and ended up on the iPhone side but since they are not available, I am teetering back to an Android product. Reviews were mixed but some of the latest ones that I have been reading are putting the droid ahead of the iPhone.

My initial thought was to get the iPhone, if I did not like it, I could easily sell it without contract as the market is there for it and then go to the captivate or whatever the latest toy is, but now I am not sure.

I did not like the supersensitivity of the galaxy at first, but I am sure that is something you can get used to. The sheer popularity of the iPhone draws me to it, not to jump on the bandwagon, but perhaps to be able to "connect" with others, but I see no reason why I cannot do that with the android?

Android is cheaper, same processor, more storage and expandable, face time works on both 3G and wi-fi, just to name a few reasons.

Apple - better apps? (although not free unless you jailbreak which can be easily done) unlocking is easy too now.

Anyone else with inight?
 
Wow, it's not just me that is having this dilemma. I have pretty much read all there's to read on the web and forums with arguments for both phones. The reason why I am considering the iphone 4 is that with my Rogers upgrade, it will be ready to use right from the box, no unlocking and setting up APN etcetc. After jb the iphone 4, I can then use it to facetime with friends over wifi and 3G which will come in handy especially with friends overseas. But I am leaning more towards the Galaxy though. I own an ipod touch and I am not a real fan of itunes. I am turned off by the fact that I need to connect to my home computer just to download content to my phone as suppose to connecting to any computer via usb and drag and drop pictures, music and movies.

I once considered waiting for Rogers Samsung Captivate but dropped the idea when I realize that it doesn't have a front facing camera. With the Bell Galaxy, it will be a bit more work in the beginning to HUP to the iphone, sell it, find a dealer that is willing to sell me the Galaxy without a contact, unlock it myself and do all the set up. But I am thinking in the long run I will be happier with it simply because Android offers a lot more customization.

As quoting charoo's "easier to connect to others", I think with the right app and settings, Android phones will do as good a job connecting to iphone users or any other phone for that matter. It may even be easier, since any phone (except the iphone ironically) can easily send content like music files and photos to other phones thru bluetooth whereas iphones are limited by itunes.
 
Haha this is interesting, I'm going through the same dilemma. I actually received the iphone 4 today, but I'm debating whether I should keep it closed and sell it, then get a Galaxy (possibly making $100-200 in profit). Or just stick to it and sell it a few months down the road if I ever get sick of it.
The only reason I actually got it was because I could get it for $50 with my upgrade, if Fido had better phones, the choice might have been harder.
 
The hard thing about setting up the galaxy so is actually funding one in stock and buying it out of contract. The unlock process takes as long as your wifi connection will take to download the unlock app from the market and install it. You can use the phone without inserting a sim. You can get fring and do video chat with anyone that has the program and a front facing cam. Also the gpu in the galaxy s is faster that than the iphone 4. The only advantage the iphone 4 has its the selection of cases you can get for it.

Sent from my GT-I9000M using Tapatalk
 
Sorry but if you have the choice iPhone is just better. The galaxy S phones are copycats just like all samsung phones. In fact they copied the design of the old iPhone lol. No flash, big chrome bezel, even modified the ui to look like iPhone. Why get the copycat when u can get the real deal. The galaxy may have a bigger screen but its knowhere near as crisp. Camera is also way better on iPhone 4. Build quality is plasticky and cheap on the samsung while the iPhone is industry leading. Having owned both, the iPhone 4 is clearly the more classy, refined device. Nice effort from samsung though with the raw power and vibrant screen.
 
If you are a fan of Google products -eg gmail/earth/goggles etc I would go with the Galaxy S. If you are a fan of iTunes then I would go for the Iphone. The phones themselves are nearly the same minus the fact the Galaxy S screen is bigger. Iphone's is sharper.
 
The Samsung is the Iphone grown up and on its own.....

"Build quality" means little for some of us that who only use their devices for two years or less. ITunes is a PIA. Try to BT or use network WiFi to transfer files from an iPhone to your desktop or any desktop, or another phone.... Don't like the GUI? customize it. Install a whole other launcher another custom ROM.

Don't like an App you paid for..Uninstalling it generates an automatic refund within 24 hours. You can sync Apps and your music) anytime any place online with Appbrain...no need for itunes on a single PC. EVERY PC is "iTunes" No need to ration your use of a device because of battery life as you can hot swap batteries in the Captivate, Nothing is more frustrating than having a great device and not being able to use it because the battery cannot be swapped out....

IF you are Google centric and use Gmail, and calender and all Google applications the android is a great and seamless fit. That said I carried around an ITouch for the Wifi because my N97 was slow and kludgy. The Captivate gave me the benefits of the Itouch and Nokia with none of the hassles....

I had an iPhone for a couple weeks and bought the Nokia N97. and an iTouch because the reception on the Iphone 3GS was not as good as I like for a cell phone. But the browser on the iPhone was faster and the applications were fun.....so I bought the itouch. No need for it anymore. The Captivate has all the great things about the iPhone with none of the limits imposed by Apple or ATT.
 
Android is like the Windows of phones? There is only one Apple smartphone-- the iPhone, which sorta keeps you tied down if you want options. Anyone who makes an app for the iPhone must use an Apple-centric programming language, on an Apple Mac OS, on an Apple computer.

Android, on the other hand, is relatively open to development, both in hardware AND software. So while there's the Samsung Galaxy S, there are at least a dozen other Android phones on other carriers to choose from, with their own unique specs and strengths.

As a note, I don't believe FaceTime works on 3G (yet). I'm sure Android is on its way to copycatting that idea too, just like the iPhone copycatted the concept of switching between apps without closing them. Stealing is going on everywhere, and Apple is just as to blame for making similar products on purpose as Samsung is.
 
I THANK Apple for Android...Without APple there may not be an Android...Apple set the bar.....A bar they soon may not be able to jump soon with all the competition offering numerous devices with a truly open OS.
 
Actually Android was in developement before Iphone1 launched in 2007 (Google bought Android Inc. in 2005) though Android wasn't announced until about 10 months after the Iphone was announced. Apple did set the bar for touch-screen performance and to some degrees hardware build. Oh and lots of apps.

I do agree with the above poster who compared Android OS in mobiles to MS OS in PCs. Android is on all kinds of devices and open-source, quickly taking over the smartphone market. Funny to see Apple make the same Mobile mistakes as PC mistakes they made years ago.
 
Apple would have made major in roads into the PC market waaaaay back when if they allowed clone builders.....As it sits they are a cache brand business doesn't use. Linux is taking over the server market and the mobile phone market.
 
Agreed. This is why I am not looking anywhere but Android for my next device to get used to the OS as it will dominate in the coming years.

Open always beats Closed in electronics over time.
 
Even if You don't take advantage of the open platform it is there. Jobs thinks thats a bad thing. Of course he does. The jury is in. It will be interesting to see how much the Android OS on multiple hardware platforms will cut into single choice iphone sales. Again Jobs won't release his OS to other builders and it will end the same way. Iphone will eventually be a niche product. Like MBP and Apple desktops to this day. While Android becomes the Windows of Mobile.......along with Windows.

In the end and after many many years people prefer Windows over OSX and associated choices...I don't see that changing on the mobile platform and from Jobs unusual 5 minute anti Android on the earnings call apparently he too is a tad nervous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0OFm9KBlJE

and the reply from Google's Rubin on Twitter"


the definition of open: "mkdir android ; cd android ; repo init -u git://android.git.kernel.org/platform/manifest.git ; repo sync ; make" 3:21 AM Oct 19th via web LOL ...Brilliant and enough said.,..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC1muD64qz8&feature=related
 
I don't think the iPhone will be a niche. As long as Apple keeps making good phones, it'll have a sizeable user base given that tens of millions of people already own them, though it won't necessarily be as huge. Remember, too, that the US isn't a microcosm of the world smartphone market. Android is big in the US because Verizon decided the Motorola Droid was its halo phone, and the lack of a Verizon iPhone meant Android was 'safe' (although I do think it was going to grow rapidly, regardless).

However...

I would seriously dispute the notion that Android is open in the way you think it is. It's open to the carriers, not to you. Forced Bing on the Samsung Fascinate? A ban on non-Market apps on all AT&T Android phones? Bans on the official tethering and hotspot options on virtually every US carrier (and many others worldwide)? Uninstallable apps and OEM-specific interfaces you can't remove? You can put a custom ROM on some phones to get around it, but the emphasis is on "some." Not to mention that "just go load a ROM from XDA-Developers" is not a viable sales strategy for Joe Everyday User.

Moreover, I'm very worried about Google cozying up to Verizon to sabotage net neutrality. If you hadn't noticed, Google and Verizon have jointly proposed that any net neutrality laws exempt wireless -- you know, Verizon's core business. Google is knowingly selling itself out, and selling you out, because it wants to milk that cash cow even if it means hurting your experience. I l like open and I want Apple to be more open than it is, but don't fool yourself into thinking you actually have the control you want with Android.

For a retort to Andy Rubin's simplistic "response," check what Facebook's Joe Hewitt said.
 
It's open to carriers, manufacturers and developers yes, but that still means there's ability to leave it open and let the client choose (see synapse-phones, 2.2 Android devices pre-rooted for any carrier in EU, Canada or USA).

Choice is something Apple will just not have barring "Black or White".
 
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