Week 12.

Android vs. iphone was the debate in this week’s readings and discussions. This debate was also outlined as Freedom vs. Comfort. I’m going to choose this week to outline my experiences with both apple iphone 3Gs using iOS and now upgrading to the Samsung Galaxy S2 on Android.

Firstly I want to talk about my experiences with the iphone. I have always been one to have new phones, and when I was up for a plan upgrade I decided to get the 3Gs. I was so excited to when the package arrived, beautiful packaging harbouring an equally attractive and sleek mobile device. My excitement soon died when I realised the difficulty I had when setting it up. I had to download iTunes to put music onto the device, a program I wasn’t familiar with. With that I had to register an ITunes account, along with bank card details, address, numbers and the rest. Not to mention the frustrations when trying to customise the phone to suit my own personal taste. Something as simple as changing the ringtone turned out to be a frustrating task, as I began to realise the Apple style of doing things. Limited in customisation, I felt I was stuck in operating the phone exactly the way they wanted it to be used. Getting music off my friends was a hassle, putting photos onto the phone was impossible, and many other tasks began to frustrate me to the point of ‘jailbreaking’ the phone. But before this decision could be made, I had a drink spilled on me on a night out ruining the phone instantly.

This led me to an eventual upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S2 on Android. A vast difference from the iphone, the packaging arrived in a much simpler packaging to a less sleek design in phone. After the underwhelming arrival, I soon witnessed the freedom in which the Android operating system offered. Easily customisable, I was able to able to upload music, change ringtones and download media till my heart’s content.

Although I do see benefits from comfort. The iphone’s user-friendly interface and many products and accessories make it a powerful smartphone. But from going to the apple iphone to the Galaxy on Android I would never go back. Freedom all the way!