Apple Vs. Android - The Never-Ending Debate

Welcome to the......

with all of the updates that are being implemented to both iOS and Android, these systems are starting to look more and more alike as time goes on. Even after android made its proper debut, there were highly noticeable differences in the operating systems. Both operating systems had pros and cons that made it easy to decide between the two.

most recently, however, there have been so many changes to iOS lately, that it now resembles most of the qualities that we all love about android......(except widgets....apple must really hate the widget idea lol)

Now-a-days, with all of the different android phones available, and with Project Ara (will be explained on a future blog post) on the rise... what will apple do? and more importantly... when will they do it?  i suppose that's a whole different blog post.....

My question to you is....which do you prefer? #DiehardAppleFanBoyOrGirl ? or are you an #AndroidLoverForLife?

Since we are all #Android lovers here....(hehe)

lets talk about our favorite operation system a little shall we?

The Top 5 things I Love about Android...and Go

5. Widgets - yes yes i know, ever android owner says this. but i love to be able to look at a calendar or email inbox list without actually having to search, find, and open the actual application. maybe that's just me

4. Ram Control - now I'm not certain if apple has this feature or not, i never thought to look and see. but i love the fact that you can close/force stop every application and immediately clear up some ram processing power and save on some battery life....speaking of which...

3. Battery Life - now i am aware that all android phones aren't equipped with spectacular batteries, but with my android phone (samsung galaxy note 3) i love not having to carry a charger with me (at all). my car charger is really just for someone else whose battery has died...its one of my favorite features..actually

2. Compatibility - since we are on the subject of charging. i also love the fact that most android charging cables are compatible with all other android phones. I cant tell you how hard it is to find someone with a iPhone charger these days....i mean...really....

1.  Price - Considering phones that are considered medium tier with phones that carry the title "flagship", Android phones are considerably cheaper in terms of "getting what you pay for".... while apple provides consistency with their products, they don't provide much innovation when it comes to a product that is reasonably priced.

Now, since i have not owned an apple product for more than 3 days, i couldn't tell you many (if any) valid pros and cons of/on the operating system...at all....other than the build quality and resale value..(not to be funny but you know what I mean).

but if i had to guess....(and....operating in the interest of being fair lol)

Top 5 things i Like (tolerate) about Apple Products (iPad, iPhone, and iPod)

5.  Marketing - If nothing else, Apple has the game on lock when it comes to advertising their products. its is because of Apple that all tablets are immediately referred to as an iPad, even if its a Galaxy Tab...lol

4.  Design - Apple also has this category locked down. The design of (generally) all Apple products have maintained a "top-notch" rating. The Look, Feel, and build quality of apple products (excluding the iPhone 5c) has been top of the line since the release of the first iPod. Apple is consistent..to a fault.

3. Accessories - Now I have always been bitter about the fact that every Apple product has its very own library of cases and other accessories to customize said product to your liking. And i mean they have everything from superheros to bejeweled abstract flower patterns... yes....i am bitter.. lol

2. Usability - Apple has also maintained a positive reputation for being "easy-to-use". (except for someone coming from an android phone, speaking from a personal perspective, of course) From the average toddler to the most common elderly citizen, apple products are the least confusing. That i will admit...

1. Resale Value - I jokingly mentioned this before but Apple products (because of their build quality and popularity) have ALWAYS maintained an more-than-generous trade-in value and a high resale ratio, even after the device has aged 3-4 years. This factor has always been one of the most important things i consider when buying any product that I'm interested in.

So, I leave you with this question...

What are your top 5 favorite features of your cellular or mobile device?

Least Favorite?

the comment box below gets real lonely sometimes and it needs some comfort every now and again. let me know what you like about Apple....or Android. Do you like Both? Or Neither?

in any event...

These have been your technological announcements for Friday May 9th, 2014, Please Govern yourselves accordingly....

as mentioned before, comments and suggestions are welcome! please i can use all the topics i can get right now!

dont be a stranger!

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Until Next Time

Matt

Cell Phone Carriers. Who costs the most?

I was tricked! last year when i left Verizon for Sprint (i know dumb idea, but at the time Verizon pushed back my update day so i got mad and rage quit the company)

Side Bar : RageQuit = when you get mad with someone or something you quit them in a moment of rage lol

 i was told that Sprint was the most inexpensive carrier there was and that i would be saving so much more money if i decided to go with them!

when i joined sprint, i was paying $200 for two lines, without insurance...

with Verizon i was paying $176 with insurance and Unlimited Data (before it was abolished)

And I took the bait, because Sprint had the phone I wanted, combined with the price and monthly payments I was looking for and thus, there I was trapped in a two year contract with horrible horrible....and yes more horrible service.

you know your carrier is bad when your home wifi/Starbucks wifi is faster and more reliable than your network.

saying all that to say this....

does sprint deserve the right to be the second most expensive carrier?

yes you read that correctly..

according to reliable sources. sprint averages as the second highest in the monthly bill department

now a days with the direction t mobile and at&t are going it seems pretty.....well...dumb sign up with sprint at all. especially if their service is bad in a particular area..such as but not limited to.....where you live, work, frequently visit etc.

unlimited data - with bad service, it rarely gets used

unlimited talk and text - which everyone else has.

early upgrade program - which everyone also has

maybe there is something I'm missing. maybe there is something that is different about Sprint and its Network as a whole...

while I have not done extensive research on the subject ( because I have real life experience ) I have received enough cell phone monthly bills to do a little comparison of my own.

         as stated before. I was with Verizon, who is still number 1 in my book when it comes to reliability and customer service, and now i am currently partaking of At&t's services and I must say that I'm not or have I ever been disappointed or dissatisfied with either company's service.

 ((EXAMPLE)) 

 Now, mind you, I don't mind paying 200 for 2 lines and 4 gigs of data between the two as long as what I need works well whenever I need it.

needless to say with Sprint I didn't have that. but now I do.

         it may seem like I'm ragging on Sprint exclusively like no other carrier has its faults. that is false. every carrier has their quirks and I'm sure at&t and Verizon have theirs but those quirks are minimized due to the magnitude of their incredible service

so my question is....for those heavy data users and phone talkers...should sprint be comparative in price with carriers like at&t or Verizon? Or should they be priced according to their reliability. 

and not just sprint. what about other carriers that have those infamous dead spots in areas that haven't been updated since hector was a pup. should they be priced high or priced according to what they have available in that area.

 low signal, low bill...? 

or is that too much to ask?

probably so. but its just me asking.

what harm could it do to be understanding?

when it comes to money I suppose niceness is kept to a yearly minimum.

in any event

these have been your technological announcements for Wednesday February 26th 2014. please govern yourselves accordingly...

remember I can always use suggestions and topics

thanks for stopping by. 

come back and sit a spell next time

until next time

awkwardlynormal

The Nexus 5 and Android 4.4 KitKat

I've raved about Nexus devices before in previous posts

this blog post is no different.

any phone that takes my eyes off my stellar Samsung Galaxy Note 2, has to be something worth looking at. 

and that's just what I've done!

I'm going to skip to the end real quick.....

i want one. 

lol

   now i am not very familiar with the Nexus 4, and after all the reviews I've read, apparently i didn't miss much. Even the nexus devices that were out before then, were kinda....mid-ranged...get-you-through type of devices. However, The Nexus 5, i believe, is the first Nexus device to break the cycle of being ignored for Google's line of devices.

lets get to the important stuff first.

Price..

normally i leave this for the end, you know, to sell you on it. but ill get to the selling part later.

the price on this beauty is only $349, right out the play store....

mind you, this is an unlocked device, loosely meaning that you can go to ANY carrier (minus Verizon, those meanies) for literally half.

most (unlocked) phones will cost you full retail price... and even on low-mid spec ranged devices you are looking at or 'round about $600, with the high end being at or around $800.

ill just let that sit there for a moment.....

now on to the other stuff...

What does it do!?

that's the main question right.

well this baby is equipped with the latest and greatest version of android

4.4 KitKat! oh yeah!

and that's just for starters

the phone itself is actually not that spectacular when it comes to specifications.
 it has be the trend, i guess you could say, to have the high specs on a phone to convince people that its worth keeping a device for 2 or more years and not feel bad  and broke about upgrading every 6-10 months. (yeah...that so works these days lol)
   The Nexus 5 and its developers, however, are not putting the weight on the hardware this go-around. Google has its sights set on software, and application improvement, and since KitKat can run on the most basic of devices just as well as the high spec ones, i find google's methods to fit the category under "definitely a different way of doing things"

ill list the specs here

Nexus 5 Specifications/Features

• 4.95inch 1920x1080 display (445 ppi ((pixels per inch))
• Snapdragon 800, 2.26Ghz processor (right up there with the note 2 and 3)
• Wireless Charging Available (additional purchase necessary lol)
• Gorilla Glass 3
• 1.3 mp camera (front-facing) 8mp (rear-facing) + OIS (optical image stabilization.
• 2300 mAh battery (similar to Galaxy SIII)
• 4g capable (unlike the nexus 4, from what i hear)
• 2gb Ram
• KitKat (Naturally)

Speaking of which, lets talk about it....

KitKat

KitKat brings a range of practical upgrades to the already popular android operating system.

1. for example, caller id.....

when someone or some business calls you, (remember this is always depending on your carrier as well) your phone does a Google image search for that business or establishment and presents you that image as said establishment or business is calling you.

not a big deal you say?

it is for me. i like when developers pay attention to the details.
speaking of which lets go through a few in Android 4.4 KitKat



          2. Google Now

i don't know if any of you are familiar with the Moto X. but, one of its endearing qualities was that Google Now was always listening, you could simply say  "OK Google" and a search would begin, even if the screen was off, or you were across the room...it was ALWAYS listening.

now with the Nexus 5 and KitKat, they have took the creepy out of Google Now. Its still voice activated, however, it can only be accessed when the phone screen is on and on the home screen. to initiate a vocal search, simply say, "Ok Google". cool right! right.



         3. Google Hangout/Sms Integration

now all of your contact information is in one place, and not three, like i am currently dealing with. texts and email information, in one application, threads and all. i suppose I'm really amazed that this hasn't happened before now, but there it is. lol



         4. Emoji!!!

its about time. those apple fanboys/girls have been throwing this little piece of heaven in our faces for years now. and even with Android Jellybean allowing us to finally see those long elusive symbols, we still did not have the ability to create them ourselves. well that fact is no more! with KitKat, we are free to Emoji!

here is a list of the other features of KitKat..

• Full Screen Album Art (Home Screen)
• Full Screen Application (reading, movies, easy access to notifications without leaving the app.)
• Speedier Multitasking
• Cloud Printing (wherever wifi printing is allowed)
• Low Powered audio playback (60 hours on most devices)

Needless to say, I'm really excited to grab the Nexus 5, YES! that's what i said! 

I'm leaving the note 2 world for the stock android google experience! 

oh and p.s. if you feel like donating to the cause......well....it would be much obliged. lol jk.....not really......yeah jk lol

(0.0) <---- serious face

These have been your technological announcements for Thursday, November 21st, 2013. Please govern yourselves accordingly. 

Remember! 

I could always use suggestions and comments! 

Also!

Remember to connect with me via social media (see "Connect With Me" blog post)

Until Next Time.......

AwkwardlyNormal