Three weeks with Evo -- detailed Evo vs. iPhone comparison (updated 10/5/10)

I got my Evo on August 2nd and after about  two months it's definitely a keeper .  I had been trying to decide between it and an iPhone4 and decided on it mainly because Sprint's network is superior to AT&T's.  Now after three weeks of heavy use I'm ready to make an informed comparison of the Evo to an iOS device, as my wife has an iPhone 3GS and I have an iPod Touch running iOS4. So let the overly detailed comparison begin:

Where the Evo is better

(in no particular order)

1. Superior 3G network coverage.  Works just about everywhere, including many places my wife can't get any data or calls on her iPhone. Note that even though Sprint supposedly has a 4G network in my area, I've found the 4G network to be mostly a  nonfactor. It doesn't have coverage most places I try it, including in my office right in the heart of RTP. So I usually keep 4G turned off to save battery.  That said,  Sprint is just a better network than AT&T, and it's cheaper. My desire to stay on Sprint and avoid AT&T was a huge factor in choosing the Evo over the iPhone 4.

2. Screen size:  The bigger Evo screen is nice.  I wear glasses for nearsightedness and I often had to take them off to do anything on the iPhone's screen. I usually don't have to that with the Evo.  The screen isn't that much bigger on paper, but it reads much bigger and clearer during real world use, in my opinion. It's more comfortable to use than the iPhone's smaller screen, no matter how much better the iPhone's screen supposedly is.

3. Google integration: Google has an excellent Gmail client for Android, and also the phone integrates with Google Voice so I can automatically have my calls made with Google Voice.  There's a Google search widget, Google maps, etc. They all have native Android clients instead of the inadequate  HTML 4 substitutes that Google provides for iOS.  Also when I configured the phone for the first time it automatically downloaded and synched with all my Google contacts and calendar, which I had previously synched from my old Blackberry.  It was the easiest migration of contacts and calendar from one phone to another ever.

4. Facebook integration:  When I gave the Evo my Facebook login, it went out and grabbed Facebook information (including profile picture and additional phone numbers and email addresses) for all of my contacts who are also Facebook friends. It also allows me to link contacts together so I can tell it, for example, this contact is the same person as this Facebook friend  and is also the same person as this Gmail contact (useful for cases where the names aren't spelled exactly the same in each place).  Then the Facebook profile picture is displayed where-ever that contact is used on the phone, for example in text messages and call logs and incoming calls and in the Gmail client when displaying an email from that person, etc. Incoming calls also show the person's facebook status under their picture.  This seems like minor window dressing, but it's pretty cool.  I would love to show a screen shot of this, but see Evo disadvantage #3 below.

5. Integration between apps: It surprised me that this is better on the Evo than on the iPhone.  On the Evo, if one app calls another (for example clicking a link in the Gmail client that launches a browser, or going to the Amazon mp3 store from SoundHound), the "back" button returns from the called app to the calling app, and puts you back where you were in the calling app.  This isn't possible on iOS devices -- on iOS a trip from one app to another is one-way.  To return to the original app on iOS, you have to do it manually by clicking the home button and then relaunching the calling app -- and many times, it relaunches from scratch instead of returning to where you were in it when it called the other app.   Also on Android, holding down the home button brings up a menu of the last several apps you were in.  These two features make interactions between apps much smoother and intuitive on Android.

6. Removable battery and SD card.  'nuff said.

7. Haptic feedback.  I didn't think I would like this but I do.  This just means the phone vibrates to let you know when it finishes something.  For example when Soundhound identifies a song it vibrates slightly, nice to know when holding the phone up to a speaker in the Miata with the top down.  There are a lot of other small events that cause small vibration which I've found to be very handy.

8. Open architecture. I almost put this in the "wash" category because in my opinion it's mainly a religious war between adherents of one company vs another.  As a regular user I don't really see much difference except one -- no decent Google apps on iPhone. Since Google integration, especially Google Voice and Gmail, are an advantage for Android, and Apple blocks those Google features from iPhone, there is a real world advantage to the  more open platform.  Maybe. After all since Google owns Android, even if it weren't open it would probably have those Google apps I depend on.

9. Can start using immediately.  iPhone requires you to download and install iTunes on a computer to even activate the phone.  This can be a lengthy and annoying process. Evo works out of the box.

10. Flash support.  I had originally said this was a wash because for the first few months I owned this phone, I never found any websites where the Android Flash support actually worked.  Since then I have found several, usually imbedded videoes on news sites, so this is starting to show as an Android advantage so I moved it here


Where the iPhone is better

1. Music:  The iPod music player and iTunes store are  better than the DoubleTwist app and Amazon app store, though as I use DoubleTwist more and learn its capabilities, the gap is narrowing.    DoubleTwist is a significant improvement over the basic Android music player and it  tries to make the experience better on Android by importing your iTunes library, but it's much slower and has several bugs and limitations.  Hopefully it will be improved as time goes on but for now there are several areas where it is deficient:

• DoubleTwist finds and uses all the .mp3 files in your system, and  it doesn't discriminate.  So you can be shuffling songs on DoubleTwist and it mixes in voicemail messages, podcasts, etc.  Anything that's an .mp3 file.  It's pretty annoying to be rocking out in a song shuffle and then you get an old voicemail message or a 1 hour podcast mixed in! Note: this problem is not as bad now that I've installed a separate podcast catcher program (see below) that keeps the podcasts separate.   Still happens with voicemail and other sound files though. 
• on the iPod player, you can pick an artist and have all that artists' songs listed and played with one command, regardless of which album a song is on.  DoubleTwist only does the listing by album, so if I have 2-3 songs per album for an artist (which I often do), I can't list all that artist's songs.  I can play all of an artist's songs by  pressing on and holding down the name of the artist, but there is still no way to list all of an artist's songs. 
• iTunes store is much easier for navigation and exploring albums, artists, etc.  On the Amazon .mp3 store I can see the average user rating of an album or a song, but there's no way to view the actual reviews!  
• iTunes does a better job with podcasts.  For podcasts on Android, it's necessary to load a separate podcatcher, and I use Google Listen.  It's pretty good, but not as good as iTunes built-in support.

2. The iOS devices are "walk up and use" friendly.  Except for the requirement to download and install iTunes first.  I did a lot more work over the last two weeks to get my Evo configured to work the way I want it to.  And in more cases than on Android, the iPhone "just works."

3. It's easy to get screen shots on iOS devices, and requires a convoluted procedure on Android that includes installing an software development kit and being plugged into a PC.  This may be a minor consideration, but it's why you probably won't be seeing any Evo screen shots on this blog.

4. The iPhone build quality is better.  All the connectors are solid.  I was googling to figure out what kind of connector the Evo has (it's micro-USB) and I found instead a bunch of reports of the charging port breaking, and Sprint refusing to fix them under warranty. Considering this phone hasn't been out that long and I have a 2 year contract this is a concern.  The iPhone charging port may be proprietary, but it's strong and durable.

5. The iPhone has better PC integration and backup.  I'm still surprised to see that there is no PC client to help manage and back up the  Evo.  With iTunes you can completely back up an iPhone, reset it to factory defaults (or replace it with another) and then completely restore it as if nothing had happened (except for wifi passwords, those don't back up for some reason).  On the Evo the data is stored on an SD card which is removable, so data can easily be moved  but there's no way to back up the whole system in one swell foop, including settings and apps in phone memory.

6. Web Browsing.  Even though there are about 10 browsers to choose from on Android, none of them are as good as Safari on iOS.  It does everything well.  Of the Android browsers, they all have strengths and weaknesses but none of them works as well as Safari.   I find I have to keep at least two browsers available on my Android phone, Opera mini for most of my browsing, and the default browser for the few sites Opera can't handle.   Opera is pretty close to all I need but every once in a while I find a site where it just can't handle the sign-in forms and have to switch to the default browser to use them. And neither browser supports pinch zoom like Safari, as there are only a couple of sizes to choose from. And I have yet to find a browser on Android that handles java hover menus, while Safari does it with aplomb.

7. iPhone is smaller and lighter.  This is simply the flip side of the Evo advantage of a bigger phone

8. iPhone battery life is better. I guess after three years and with restricted multitasking, Apple has figured out the battery puzzle.  But brand new, the Evo can barely get through a day without a charge.  It can,  but by the time I get it home at night, it needs to be plugged in.  This might be more of a problem as the battery gets older (but at least I can replace it on the Evo!). I don't think I really do much more battery intensive stuff with the Evo than I did with my iOS device, for example I don't talk that much on it, mainly using data and music playing.

Where it's a wash

1. App selection.  There is only one app on the iPhone that I really wish was nearly as good on Android, and that's ForeFlight. But I use ForeFlight mostly on an iPad anyway.  Except for that I haven't found apps lacking at all on Android like I feared I would.



Conclusion

I'm happy with the Evo and would have been just as happy with an iPhone4.  The tie breaker is the network.  It's worth any Evo disadvantages to stay on Sprint.

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. 

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.