Twelve days ago, I got an iPhone. Not horribly newsworthy although I’ve been an Android user since the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1. The reasons for my switch to a Verizon iPhone aren’t terribly important but I’ll sum them up as T-Mobile not being interested in keeping me as a customer after repeated HTC hardware failure.
I thought it might be interesting to look at my take on iOS after a couple weeks or so.
On the OS
I’ve used an iPad since the day the original was released so I was already familiar with that flavor of iOS. I have noticed a few differences in using it on a smaller screen. Apparently supporting landscape-mode typing is a (very) optional feature on iPhones. I was quite surprised to find I couldn’t use Tweetbot in landscape.
The multitasking / app-switching bar seems less out of place in the smaller iPhone form factor than it does on the iPad.
On Apps
I miss my good Google apps. The iOS mail client is barely adequate to take advantage of GMail’s features, and Google Maps for Android is truly one of the killer app experiences on that platform. The Apple Maps app and Google Maps web interface don’t even come close to the Android maps experience.
Instacast is lovely. It’s what a mobile podcatcher should be. Manage subscriptions on the device, automatically refresh the episode list with new content, allow me to configure full episodes to be downloaded how I wish (automatically or manually, wifi or 3G, totally customizable).
As an OmniFocus user (desktop and iPad), having that on my phone as well is a big win.
From a photography perspective, the amount, quality, and variety of camera and photo apps available for the iPhone far surpasses that which I had on my Nexus One. I created a lot of photos with my Nexus One; I anticipate doing the same with my iPhone. I haven’t spent a ton of time exploring available apps but I’m digging what Camera+ offers.
On Cross-App Integration
On an Android calendar entry, one could touch the address to launch the maps application to view the location. It appears there is no such integration on iOS – this would’ve come in useful a few times on a recent trip to Seattle.
Being able to install custom “Share” items into the Android browser was helpful. From my browser I could send items directly to Pinboard or Instapaper using helper applications; on my iPhone it seems the closest I can get is some clunky bookmarklets.
A common practice with Android apps is that the vendor will put a QR code on their website or blog – when a user scans that QR code from their phone, the Android market will launch to download the app. I miss this. I caught wind of the new Photosynth app being released but a search for “photosynth” in the iTunes app store returned zero results. If I could’ve scanned a QR code, that would have been nice.
On the Hardware
The iPhone 4 hardware is nice. I’m using an OtterBox Commuter
Overall Conclusions
Yesterday someone asked me what I thought and how things were going with my new phone and I noted a few comments but overall I pretty much shrugged. My iPhone is working well. Apple has developed a decent phone OS with a robust app platform. Some things are quite different than Android but that’s not necessarily bad. There are things that I preferred on Android but there are things I prefer on the iPhone.
The iPhone is working just fine and I’m sure it will continue to support my life and business as a photographer/blogger/writer/geek.
