Why I’m [possibly?] making the big switch to Google’s Android.
I want to start this blog post with a confession. As much as Google’s Android has been all the rage for the past year or so in Kenya, I have been something of a skeptic about it. Why is this when everyone has been going all “googly-eyed” about Android? Well, for one thing, I have been mostly using an Apple iPhone for most of this time. I moved to the iPhone (i.e. the 3GS and more recently the 4) and everything about what I expected from a smartphone got a serious reality check. Basically, no one could ever convince me that anything but an iPhone was “the real thing”, until now that is. To paraphrase Steve Jobs when Apple launched the original iPhone 4 years ago, “the mobile phone, reinvented”. Yes indeed, even 4 years later, the iPhone still does really set the standard by which all other mobile phones are measured.
However, in doing a review of Samsung’s entry-level Galaxy Mini Android last month, I found myself in a predicament. I had to find a way of completely transferring all my contacts, calendars, email accounts, social media and other important information from my iPhone to the Galaxy Mini. After spending a good amount of time on Google looking for an adequate solution, I found one. The process went better than expected although it did require me to create a new Gmail account and then upload all my Outlook and iPhone contacts via iTunes. Once done, I was able to synchronize with the Galaxy Mini and presto! It was done. This blew me away as now all my contacts and calendar info are effectively “living” in Google’s cloud, for free! This in itself made me re-think Android from the perspective that its more useful than the iPhone when it comes to working with the cloud.
Going forward, I have been “off” the iPhone(s) for the better part of a month. The funny thing is that I do not seem to miss them that much. I have more of less fully adapted to Android and I am surprised at how easy it was! The big thing seems to be that the Google Ecosystem has me in their proverbial matrix (just like Neo!). All I need is an Android phone and I am “plugged in” to everything I need from maps, to contacts, calendars, apps, etc. Its really surprising how this all worked out and I really had no intention of actually liking Android as much as I do, right now. All I can say that is I can now see why everyone is going “gaga” about Android, even for an Apple fanboy like me who may still, just still, may go back to his iPhone. Nuff said! 🙂
The Author
3 Comments
I’m amazed at how similar your experience is with mine. I have also recently replaced my iPhone 3GS for the iPhone 4 and find myself a bit underwhelmed by the difference though I was initially very excited about it and even did a post about 3 weeks ago about it. Suddenly the galaxy s 2 is looking like a viable option. I believe a lot of people are waiting to see what apple will come up with this week, the iPhone 5 and/or the iPhone 4S. I am waiting to see iOS5 and then decide about the android world.
Great read.
I agree fully with regard to the whole issue of the Android lifestyle vis a vis the iOS one…the ease with which one can make the connection with the google cloud as you call it really is attractive, and the truth is functionality can be achieved either way quite well. I have owned phones on both sides of the divide (iPhones and Droids), but seeing functionality is what counts most, Makes you think twice about the extra cash you need to spend to get the iPhone if you can do the same thing with a Droid…with relatively good experience.
Indeed, an year down the line I had hinted this to some of my colleagues but like many other; ios die-hards …my droid light was quickly put off …now dudez have begun seeing my point vividly lol! …no way ios or any other phone device platform, for that matter can equally compete with a droid …likewise, within the droid sphere, be it froyo or breadcrumb, there is very small differences in mode of operation of which, is of insignificance really so there you go! …The Droids have it 😉