I think it i safe to say that pretty much everyone reading this blog post has heard of the iPhone.

I would even suspect you all have heard of Android.

If you had to guess which was more popular, what would you pick?  With so many iPhones and iPads and iPod Touch devices in peoples hands everywhere I look I may be inclined to say iPhone (Apple) has the market share over Android (Google).  Well, that was the case for a while but surprisingly that is no longer the case.  Android surpassed iPhone late 2010.

I have seen comments that some view Android as more of a “developer’s” phone.  I think these comments were attempting to indicate Android phones as not entirely mainstream but rather just for us techies that like to tinker.  That may have been the case when the Android operating system was new but I have seen some impressive improvements once Android 2.0 was released.  The OS is refined and professional.

Now, one aspect of the “developer’s” phone comments I agree with is that Google has provided an ability which appeals to us developers.  Something the Apple does not offer to iPhone developers.  With both devices you can install on your computer a development environment to write applications for your phone.  (Note, for iPhone development you must use a Mac.)  You can then publish your application to the respective market place of applications (Google Market for Android or App Store for iPhone).  To do this you have to pay a fee in order to get your application into the market and have an account, etc.

Wait a minute!  If what if I developed an application I want to use on my phone but its not necessarily something I want to sell in the marketplace?  Or, what if it is an application I developed for the small company I work for that doesn’t have the resources to buy into Apple’s App Store to publish an application we will be using internally anyways?  Well, if you are developing for the iPhone you must go through the App Store to get your application published or buy into Apple’s corporate program to release the application internally to your organization.  However, if you are developing for an Android phone you just install it on your phone.  No marketplace or special account needed.  That is cool!

There are some advantages to with developing for an iPhone though.  One of which is standardization.  Android devices vary greatly in size, hardware, and device type.  For instance, your Android application could get installed onto a phone or a tablet or some other device that may be running Android that isn’t anything like a phone.  The device may have a dedicated hardware keyboard or it may not.  The screen may be any number of different sizes.  Now in the case of Apple, you could be developing for an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.  But that is it.  There is a limited set of variants.  Thus, you don’t have to program for so many options.

So far I’m leaning toward Android but I have an open mind.  I’d like to hear what you all think about this.  Even if you are not a developer, I’m interested to hearing your take on the two phone types and why you prefer what you do.

So, what is it for you?  Android or iPhone?

Samsung Epic Galaxy S

For quite some time I’ve been wanting to get either an Android or iPhone.  I’m sure my wife can tell you I talked about it and went back and forth for a lot trying to decide which to get.

I finally decided I wanted an Android.  Which worked out well since the Samsung Epic Galaxy S was the next phone my company assigned to me.  I was glad when I learned it was an Android phone – really the only downside of having a company phone; you don’t get to pick.

I’ve had it a few months now and so far it has been incredible.  Sure I’ve had a few minor issues with it but I consider them pretty minor.

I’ve had some problems with my Bluetooth headpiece as after I use it for a while the phone speaker will make a popping sound randomly when not in use and the ringer and system volume will be very low even at its highest setting.  I’ve found I need to reboot the phone to correct the issue.  It is a bit annoying but it seems to be an incompatibility with the headpiece.

Also, when rotating the phone from portrait to landscape view while on the home screen the phone takes a few seconds before it starts to redraw the icons so you can’t do anything until it is done.

Really that has been about it.  Other than those minor issues the phone has been incredible.  The wealth of applications available in the Google Market seems never ending.  It is amazing all the different types of applications that are out there.  I am impressed with how creative people can be!  For instance, just yesterday I installed an app (ElectricSleep) which can monitor your sleep patterns and track them on a graph.  The best part I’ve noticed about this is you can set a smart alarm which checks your current sleep pattern during the time frame you want to wake up and will wake you at the optimal time based on the sleep cycle you are in.  You place the phone on the bed next to you (where you won’t knock it off or cover/crush it) then, after calibrating it, the app will use the phone’s gyroscope to measure your movements on the bed.  Once you are under a preset movement threshold it determines you are fast asleep.  Just an example of how creative people can be.

That was just a sample of what can be done with an Android phone.  I’m not anti-iPhone by any means though.  But I will save the Android/iPhone for a future post that isn’t geared directly to a specific phone review.

Probably the coolest feature I have found on this phone is the side slide-out keyboard.  Prior to this phone I was using a Palm Pre which has a dedicated hardware keyboard but it slides out from the bottom.  Thus, the Pre keyboard was narrow.

My fingers are pretty thin so I don’t usually have the problem of hitting extra keys but I did have this problem with the Pre.  So, I suspect other guys with bigger fingers than me may have a hard time with the Pre keyboard.  Although now that webOS is no more the Pre will likely get replaced with something else from HP.

So, the side slide-out keyboard on the Samsung Epic is a very nice feature.  It even seems to be constructed pretty well as it feels well built when you slide it back and forth.  I went through two Pre’s, both of which had some problems with the sliding mechanics breaking to some degree… one even with a screw falling out of the phone.

The 5.0 megapixel camera on the Epic takes great pictures which are displayed crisply on the device’s WVGA screen.

Battery life is great.  Putting the phone on the charger on the way to bed provides plenty of charge for moderate to heavy use through the day usually without an additional charge until bed time again.

All-in-all this is a great phone and I highly recommend it to anyone considering an Android based phone.

If you have any questions or comments regarding your experiences with the Epic please share them, I’d love to hear more input.