iPhone vs. Evo, decision made (for the most part)

Continuing my series on my overthinking of what phone will replace my Blackberry when the Sprint contract expires.


I'm getting an Evo

From my earlier entries on this you can see that as far as I am concerned, these two phones are basically equivalent in most ways, and in ways they aren't each has different strengths and weaknesses.  What really tips the decision for me is the quality of the network. The bottom line is I'm getting an Evo because I want to stay on Sprint and not switch to AT&T.

This past week I was up in Wisconsin for the annual airshow.  Because of rains the week before we had to stay in Watertown, 60 miles south, and drive up each day instead of camping on the field of the Oshkosh airport like we usually do.  Watertown is your basic midwestern small town, population 25,000 or so.  And its AT&T coverage everywhere except the very center of town is the Edge network.

One person in our group had an iPhone and we were in a restaraunt trying to look at weather maps.  The iPhone on Edge is simply useless.  My Blackberry with its terrible browsing software can do better.  The fact is that the Verizon ads are right: AT&T's 3G coverage is inadequate.  Before, people would put up with it to get an iPhone.  But now that there is an alternative that is at least almost as good and very well may be as good, there is simply no reason to put up with AT&T's inadequate network to have a great phone.

The advertisement that Verizon runs is so devastatingly effective because it's correct.  I detailed before why I don't want Verizon, so it's fair to ask how Sprint's map compares to AT&T and Verzion.  Well the Sprint picture is to the left, I screen captured it from Sprint's website coverage tool.  The yellow and the dark grey are the 3G service area on the everything plans, and you can see it falls in between Verizon and AT&T, though definitely superior to AT&T.  And Sprint also has 4G in some cities, including the Raleigh area where I live.   But most importantly, in my experience Sprint's network is far superior to AT&T.

Not fully locked in yet

However that may not be the end of the story.  One other reason I decided to try the Evo first is that Sprint has the most generous trial period, 30 days.  I've ordered my Evo, it's expected to arrive Monday, and I will use the heck out of it to see if it really does meet my needs.  If not I can still return it, get out of the contract, and get an iPhone. 

I would already have one my Evo, but no one has them in stock.  I tried two Sprint stores and a Best Buy today.  One of the Sprint stores offered to  put me on a waiting list which is currently 4 handwritten pages, and projected a 2 week wait.  You know things have changed when Sprint has the hot phone  no one can keep in stock while you can walk right into an Apple store and get an iPhone 4, which I confirmed with a call to the Southpoint Apple store.  By the way, both phones came out at about the same time.  However Sprint's shortage is not due only to popularity -- there is a shortage of a key part needed to make them.

So how did I get one promised for delivery on Monday?  First, we'll see if it actually comes.  But second, my Sprint contract is expiring in two weeks.  So I called customer service, innocently asked them confirm my contract end date and just like that I was talking to the retentions department which apparently has the ability to shake some of these phones loose from the supply chain.  Of course I assume this only works if you are off contract or about to be.

So we'll see if I still think this is the right decision after a month with the Evo.  If not, I can still switch. 

Obama's part in the Arizona immigration crackdown law

The Arizona immigration law has received plenty of comment and denunciation from Democrats and the Obama administration.  But President Obama should not forget that he made that law possible.

The law was signed by and is supported by Arizona Republican governor Jan Brewer.  But the way Jan Brewer got to be governor is that Obama made her governor, by appointing Arizona's then governor, Democrat Janet Napolitano, to be head of Homeland Security.  Jan Brewer was next in line so she  moved into the governor's mansion with the results we are seeing today. .

At the time I thought it was odd that Obama would turn over a hard-won governorship in the Southwest to the GOP like that.  And now it's come back to bite him.   I wasn't then and still am not sure that Janet Napolitano was such a slam dunk for Homeland Security causing this turnover in Arizona was worth it.

iPhone vs. Android, part 3: Music

Continuing my overanalysis of what phone will replace my Sprint Blackberry when the contract expires this August.... The choices I am considering are an iPhone 4 or an HTC Evo. 


I really hadn't got much enjoyment from music over the last several years, until I got an iPod.  Before the iPod I was primarily an FM radio music listener.  I would listen to CDs in the car, but the six CDs in the changer wouldn't be changed for months at a time.   Several years ago Deborah got me an iPod mini for my birthday which I enjoyed for a while but its poor battery durability combined with the permanent crash of the PC that I had used to manage it caused it to eventually be relegated to a drawer in the bedside table. 


This year Deborah got me an iTouch for my birthday and it's got me enjoying music again.  I spent a few days ripping my CD collection into iTunes.   Many were CDs that I'd had for 10 or 20 years and hadn't listened to in years.  But that was just the start, as I started using iTunes to fill in gaps in my collection.  


Music Player


That the music player on an iPhone is well implemented and well integrated goes without saying.  Is the music experience on Android as good?   The consensus of reviews is no.  The built-in Android music player is usually rated somewhere between worthless and barely adequate.  However there are other music players available, for example DoubleTwist is apparently well regarded and seems to be the player of choice on Android. 


One thing that's nice about iTunes is that the same PC application that manages the entire iPhone also manages the music.  It looks like with DoubleTwist a second application will be required on the PC alongside the application that manages the phone.  This is kind of awkward and annoying, but really how bad is it?  I don't really use desktop iTunes for much more than ripping CDs (and I've pretty much ripped my whole collection already) and backing up/upgrading the iTouch. 


Compatibility will also be important.  I have over 600 songs on my iTouch along with album art.  They would need to be imported seamlessly into a new app.  It appears from reviews  and experiences of friends who have Android phones that this is the case with DoubleTwist, but I wouldn't know until trying it.


I also like podcasts. I listen to a lot of National Public Radio and often hear only parts of longer programs like This American Life. I usually end up going to get the podcast to hear the parts I missed. I also often do the same with public radio shows Marketplace and Fresh Air.   All these programs have podcasts easily accessible in iTunes.  Reviews of DoubleTwist say that it supports podcasts, however looking at the podcasts I like they are all in iTunes but for other sources they are all over.  But it appears that DoubleTwist has a site where you can search for an organize podcasts so that may well covered. 


SoundHound

Lately I've been a big user of Soundhound.  First I had to buy a cheap microphone for the iTouch since it doesn't have a built-in mike.   Now when I hear a song I like and want to get on my iTouch, I capture it with Soundhound and then use Soundhound's interface into iTunes to buy that tune. I usually end up buying a few other tunes from the same album or artist as well. This has helped me build a very enjoyable and varied (for me) music collection. 


So one of the first things I looked into was to see if SoundHound is available on Android.  It is, which is good.   However I did some research and found there are a few limitations.  Obviously the link to iTunes isn't there, instead it links to Amazon.com's music store.  I haven't used that store but reviews indicate it's more awkward to use than iTunes and has less selection. 

Soundhound on the iPhone also integrates with the iPod music player built into the iPhone.  Reviews indicate it does not do this on Android.  The main value of this integration to me is shown in the Soundhound screen capture to the right.  After it identifies a song, it tells me with a small iPod icon on the lower right corner of the album art if I already have the song.  It does this even if I have it from a ripped CD, not purchased from iTunes.  This has saved me from making a redundant purchase many times. 


Since the Android version doesn't integrate with the music player I assume this feature is missing, so I would have to leave Soundhound and check my music library before making a purchase.   Or risk spending an unnecessary 99 cents!


However I shouldn't overstate the value of this feature.  It does every once in a while miss a song I own,  for example if one of the songs is remastered, or I captured a live version but have the studio version in my collection.    


Also the Soundhound integration with iTunes isn't perfect.  It often indicates a song is not available for purchase, but when I go to iTunes and search for the song manually, it actually is.   And once inside iTunes and exploring music similar to what Soundhound sent me there for, there is obviously no safety against purchasing something I already have in my collection.  


So while Soundhound is undoubtably nicer on the iPhone than on Android, this probably would not be a major deciding factor for me. 


Conclusion


After looking into this, I realize the music experience gap between Android and iOS isn't as big as I thought it was, and it's getting smaller.  Before I started looking into it I assumed my large music collection and use of iTunes would lock me into an iPhone.  Now I'm not so sure. 

iPhone vs. Android, update to part 1 on apps

When I wrote my original post on apps I started from the premise of looking to see which of the iOS apps that I like and use are available on Android.  That may not have been a complete approach.

What about apps that are on Android but aren't on iOS?  I completely overlooked this because quite frankly I assumed iOS is the dominant app platform and there wouldn't be any.  The research I did based on that premise confirmed that Android is behind the curve on apps.

But then a fellow volunteer at Cat Angels had his new Evo at the facility yesterday and I played with it and realized that there are some key apps that are on Android but not on iOS: Google Voice, and Gmail.

I think it's pretty well known that Apple has blocked Google Voice on iOS.  And that Google worked around it by releasing a web-based version of Google Voice that used HTML4.   However the HTML4 version is not as powerful as a real app would be, as it can't make itself your default dialer and it also can't make itself a dialing choice from your contacts list, etc.   Also, you have to have decent web connectivity to use it, a significant weakness considering the quality of AT&T's 3G network.

Google has also implemented Gmail as an HTML4 web app on iOS, rather than do a native client like they have on Blackberry and Android.  Using the web Gmail on my iTouch I've found it significantly lacking.  The native app on Blackberry and Android handles multiple Gmail accounts well, and it also prefetches your most recent emails for quick viewing.  The HTML4 web version, on the other hand, goes to the web for every operation and often takes a couple of minutes to be usable when first invoked as it refreshes its view from the web.  And there is no provision for multiple Gmail accounts.

If Google Voice on iOS vs. native Google Voice on Android is analogous to web Gmail vs. native Gmail, it will also be lacking.  I am a big user of Google Voice, both for my personal use and for Cat Angels voicemail use, so a well-implemented Google Voice is a big plus for me.

Before I considered these it was my opinion that the apps factor favors iPhone by far.  I still think that consideration favors iPhone but not by as big a margin as I had previously thought.

iPhone vs. Android part 2: the networks

Continuing my overanalysis of what phone will replace my Sprint Blackberry when the contract expires this August.... The choices I am considering are an iPhone 4 or an HTC Evo.
AT&T

The network has to be part of the discussion.  And anytime the iPhone and networks is discussed, there is the mandatory AT&T-bashing. My wife has an iPhone and I can assure you that it's all true.  AT&T sucks, their network has inadequate coverage and it's overwhelmed.  I'm not going to dwell on this well-known fact because there is really nothing new to be said and no new ground to go over in the "AT&T sucks" field.

That said, the question isn't "which network is the best nationwide" it's "which network best meets my needs." AT&T does fail here except for one important factor: femtocells.

Femtocells are miniature cell towers.  The way they work is that they create a tiny cell at their location, and use the internet as the backhaul network.  To use a femtocell you have to have access to high-speed internet and GPS satellites (the GPS is required to meet the FCC's E-911 mandate).  You don't need a cell signal to use one of these, as they are not cell signal amplifiers. These are not the quack cell phone booster antennas that we've seen advertised on late night TV and on  litter-on-a-stick signs stapled to telephone poles, these are sold and supported by the cell carriers themselves, and they really work.

AT&T's femtocell is called the Microcell and you can read a review of it here.  And I've already bought two of them to make Deborah's iPhone usable.  One is at home and other is at Cat Angels.  They work great, and because of them the AT&T coverage issue is solved at home and at Cat Angels, two places where I spend a lot of my time. The AT&T coverage at my office, the third place I spend a lot of time,  is already pretty good, confirmed by iPhone-toting co-workers.

Now some argue that the Microcell is a scam because in their view AT&T is making its customers buy extra equipment to make up for their terrible network.  That is a good point, but I've already got mine, and even those who call it a scam don't deny that it works, they just don't believe you should need one.

That said, outside the femtocell areas and my office, AT&T is completely inadequate.  On the road, out and about, whereever -- it's simply terrible.  The areas where it is good probably represent 75% of my potential usage.

Verizon

Verizon has the reputation as the nation's best network.  And they make you pay for that reputation.  But I'm not sure that reputation is deserved.

My wife and both had Verizon for 2 years before we had Sprint and most everywhere that matters to us -- at home, at work, at Cat Angels, at the Sanford Airport -- it's terrible.  At work I have co-workers on Verizon who are considering going in for a Verizon femtocell at our office.

We have a window at work that I call "The Verizon Window" where everyone who has Verizon has to go to make or receive calls. At Cat Angels you can recognize the Verizon users because they are the ones going out into the parking lot to use their phones.   Verizon may be the best overall national network but around here, where I need it to work, Verizon is actually the worst --even worse than AT&T.

They may not be the best but at least they are the most expensive.   Their early termination fee is a whopping $350, double the industry standard.   Their voice and data plans are the most expensive by far.

They are also the  most restrictive.  The thing that drove me to change from them to Sprint was getting a Blackberry from Verizon and finding that they lock down the phone's GPS so that only their ($10/month extra) Navigator application can use it.  Then when I complained they tried to claim the phone has no GPS, that it's magically provided by their Navigator application!  This is important when evaluating iPhone to Verizon rumors.  Would an iPhone on Verizon really be fully functional, and would Verizon be honest about it?

So what about iPhone to Verizon rumors?  In my case I do not care.  AT&T is actually a better solution for me than Verizon, because of the already-purchased femtocells and lower cost.

But it is worth noting that these rumors have been around in various forms for several years. Some examples are here and here.  There are a zillion more examples but you get the point.   They are all based on some blogger's best friend's cousin's gardener's hairdresser's brother-in-law having a connection with an Apple supplier who is working on the Verizon iPhone.

The latest round of rumors, on the other hand, originated with Bloomberg, which is a respectable source and has been re-reported in such places as USA Today, giving them more credibility.  They may very well be true.   But in the end, I don't want an iPhone on Verizon for the reasons detailed above.

However if Verizon offers an iPhone and a bunch of AT&T iPhone customers defect, that would be good news for the AT&T iPhone customers who remain because it would free up capacity.

Sprint

 I've had cell service in the RTP area since the very beginning of consumer cell service and had every carrier at one time or another.  After all that wandering, I have settled on Sprint.  If the iPhone was available on Sprint I would not even be having this analysis.  But it isn't and there aren't even any bogus rumors indicating it will be.

Sprint is the least expensive carrier.  By far.  Despite that, Sprint's coverage, at least here in the RTP area, is in my experience better than AT&T or Verizon.  Sprint's coverage is great at my office, at Cat Angels, at the Sanford Airport, on the road in the area, etc.  The only place it sucks is at my house, but all the carriers suck there because I live in the sticks at the bottom of a hill.

Sprint also has 4G service in the RTP area, which none of their competitors have.  This is another big plus.

My experiences with Sprint customer service have been excellent.  They had a terrible reputation several years ago which was richly deserved, but in 2007 Sprint fired their CEO and his replacement has made improving customer service a priority, and it shows.

I've worked around the at-home coverage problem by using Google Voice, which I have set to ring my home and cell phones so if I'm at home I can pick up calls on my home landline, and use my Sprint phone elsewhere.  It's free and it works. I could use it with any carrier I pick and would have to for any I did pick, except for AT&T because of the femtocell.

But if I stick with Sprint, I'd have to get the Android phone since the iPhone is not an option.  And that phone would be the HTC EVO, which supports 4G.

In conclusion, the network considerations strongly favor Android though I can tolerate AT&T if other factors strongly favor the iPhone.

iPhone vs. Android -- part 1, Apps

My Sprint Blackberry contract ends next month, in mid-August.  So now it's time to overanalyze the decision on which phone to replace it with.

Basically as far as I am concerned, there are two choices: the current iPhone on AT&T or the current Android phone, HTC EVO on Sprint.  I currently have an iPod touch and my wife has an iPhone so that would tend to bias me toward the iPhone, but of course the quality and price of AT&T's network is a big negative.

If I could get an iPhone on Sprint it would be a no-brainer, but that's another topic for another post.  In this post I will look at apps.

Apps are a big part of the smart phone experience.  So the first thing I decided to do is see which of the apps that I use regularly on my iPod have Android equivalents.  Here is what I found:

• DISH network -- this app allows me to view program guides and remotely set my DVR to record programs.  There doesn't appear to be an Android equivalent.  However that's not a big loss as I seldom use this app and half the time I do, it doesn't work anyway. 
• AOPA airports -- "Android App coming soon" according to the AOPA website.  In reality I seldom use this one either because I have plenty of other convenient online sources for this data, so maybe no problem. 
• ESPN score center -- Just became available last month, more than a year after the iPhone version came out.   While it's good this is available, the length of the lag is not a good sign for Android. 
• FlightAware -- not available on Android.  No indication it will be.  Would using the normal flightaware website in an android browser be a sufficient substitute? I don't know. 
• Amazon Kindle -- Like ESPN, also just became available last month, once again way behind the iPhone version. 
• Pandora -- available, looks good
• SoundHound -- available though judging from reviews the Android version is inferior, for example doesn't hook into the music player (which is another topic altogether)
• WRAL  -- available, looks equivalent
• WUNC streaming radio -- not available, no indication it will be
• Weather Underground -- available
• ForeFlight -- available but with far less function than iPhone version.  The Android version has weather only, none of the flight planning or charting features.   Not sure how bad this is, since I usually take my wife's iPad with the full version of ForeFlight installed when I go flying. 

So the iPhone definitely has an advantage in apps, not only in the total number but in the ones I care about.   The question is, do I want a phone that is lacking some apps that I know I could have with an iPhone, assuming other factors were equal or balanced out?

Also the trend of apps coming out for Android long after iPhone (including some major ones like ESPN and Kindle) gives me pause.  How much longer would I have to wait for an app on Android if a new one came out that I would like to have?

The edge on apps definitely goes to the iPhone.  But that's just one (albeit major) factor, more to come on the others.

Introduction

Welcome to my blog.  My wife Deborah said I should do a blog since I have opinions about nearly everything, so I'm going to give it a whirl. 

So far the biggest challenge has been naming this blog.  All the names I wanted to use were already taken, including:

• Earthbound misfit (from the Pink Floyd song "Learning to Fly")
• I can't complain but sometimes I still do (from the Joe Walsh song "Life's Been Good")
• Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day (from the Pink Floyd song "Time")
• All the good blog names are taken (yes, this and variations on it are all already in use)

After some searching it became apparent to me that every potential blog name that is based on a song lyric or a clever phrase is already being used -- usually on multiple blogs.

So I settled on this name because this is a phrase I've been using for my entire adult life.  It's what I've had to tell people since the mid-1980s when I introduce myself to them, give them a credit card for payment, or place a phone order, or for other normal reasons give my full name to them.  It started when the actor who shares my name became prominent with his hit TV show Family Ties.  His career (and sadly health) have now been in decline for many years now, but I still find myself telling people that "Yes, this really is name."  (Photo to the left by Alan Light)

Some of the people I'm having to tell that to now are way too young to have been culturally aware during his heydey, so I guess my Canadian namesake has good staying power.

I plan to comment on various topics that interest me and hope you find this enjoyable or at least worthy of discussion.  I won't be getting really personal on this blog so if you're looking for the kind of personal navel-gazing that is all  too common in the blogosphere, this is not the place to look.