iPhone 4 vs. HTC Desire

[absy]

Android any day of the week. My GF has Samsung Galaxy and I have the Desire. Ripper phones and the apps are coming!

 

[Sir CJ]

Android any day of the week. My GF has Samsung Galaxy and I have the Desire. Ripper phones and the apps are coming!

You had an Iphone? What's the best part about the Desire? Obviously the reception issues the iPhone 4 has had could be a major deciding factor

Don't get me wrong I've enjoyed the use of my iPhone 3g but I like to look for a phone that has many advantages

 

[red+black]

Technology moves so fast though, so what is today's phone quickly becomes yesterdays.

Which makes it annoying being locked in for 24 months

I just think Apple haven't taken any steps forward to improve the user experience (particulary customization such as the UI) unlike the Android which excels in this area and ultimately the factor that won me over.

Surely one of the best options is a jailbroken iPhone 4 which adds the fun factor. It's mad what some guys have done with their JB iPhone, such as making the home screen look exactly like an Android home screen.

 

[Nardz]

Which makes it annoying being locked in for 24 months

now thats one thing i can agree with

you can be pretty sure i won't still be using my iphone 4 in 24 months time.

 

[Rod Stroker]

Which makes it annoying being locked in for 24 months

The contract is only with the SIM (subscription) though, right? Nothing really stopping you from buying a new handset outright every month if you wanted to, just keep using the same contracted SIM. At least that's what I've been doing here, not sure how it works down there.

I know of many other people who have had the 3GS for say a year, and then bought the new i4 handset outright but are still using the same SIM from their 3GS

 

[red+black]

At the moment, the most important thing for me would be to get off Three and move to Telstra, regardless of what device I have. Since the VHA merge, I get no reception at work (basement) and my reception at home has deteriorated (6km Melbourne CBD)

 

[Borgsta]

What apps do you actually use for Melbourne RnB? I have a tram app and a train app and urbanspoon. Honestly can't think of a need for anything else. If I can think of something it will probably push me to actually try and make an app.*

I went for the Desire and love it. Haven't found anything I can't do on it and it's only downside is the battery life. I need to charge the thing every 2nd day although I am a fairly heavy user.

Updated it to 2.2 and now have 720p video recording which looks fantastic.

When you jailbrake an iphone can you use widgits? Personally think that is a big drawcard for Android.

SD card was a pain 2Gb but I just bought an 8GB card when I went back to Japan. They aren't expensive either way.

Being able to transfer files wirelessly is also a big plus for me, not sure if Iphone4 has that as I know 3GS didn't

*http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/about/
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/app-inventor-for-android.html

 

[Nardz]

Being able to transfer files wirelessly is also a big plus for me, not sure if Iphone4 has that as I know 3GS didn't

*http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/about/
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/app-inventor-for-android.html

out of the box no, but there are apps that allow you to do that.

 

[Borgsta]

Cool. need apps on the Desire too. Didn't know you could sync like that on the iphone too.

My home screens at the moment (I have cut them down to 3 instead of the normal 7)

 

[red+black]

What apps do you actually use for Melbourne RnB? I have a tram app and a train app and urbanspoon. Honestly can't think of a need for anything else.

When I was making a decision to redeem myself after using Windows Mobile for too long (18 months), I had three choices. Apple, Andoid and Palm webOS. I had various Palm devices for almost 10 years but it soon came down to Apple and Android. I'd been following the development of Android, and while I hated Windows Mobile, I loved HTC, so Android on HTC sounded sweet! But I felt that Android was still a bit raw 18 months ago and when comparing application development for Australia and Melbourne, then, as now, there was little doubt where developers were investing their time.

As to what I use or have used:
- Consume/Quota (usage apps), although I'm sure there are equivalents on Android, although probably not as good
- Melbourne International Film Festival
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival
- AFL / MMM Footy Lite / Aussie Rules Live
- NRL / Rugby League Live
- CA Cricket LIVE / Vic Bushrangers / Cricket Lite
- Australian Wallabies
- Australian Open
- Metlink / TramTracker
- plenty others that I don't actually use

So, even today as we approach 2011, larger corporations and entities (rather than small to medium developers) that enter the mobile space invariably only do so for Apple iOS. It would be rare for an organisation to release an Android app first. Various tourism commissions throughout Australia and New Zealand have iPhone apps, it's the logical choice, or at least it has been. I think companies should spend more time developing mobile sites rather than OS-dependent apps as the major banks have done. I don't think anyone should feel locked into Apple iOS or Windows Phone or Google Android, and I think companies miss a lot of the market by concentrating on any specific OS.

 

[Jabso]

I pulled the trigger on the iPhone. I thought it would be nice to have a few of the promotional apps even if you can get some of them through the browser (for example internet banking). Also after having a good look at some of the games the games aren't actually half bad. I'll be downloading Angry Birds, Plants vs. Zombies, Peggle etc for sure.

 

[Nardz]

if you've got the iphone 4, check out an app called "epic citadel"

its a developer preview, so it's free. cant really do anything but walk around the game map.

shows you just what the iphone is capable of. the graphics are amazing for a phone.

 

[Goldencats]

I'm about to get a new phone and i seriously can't decide between the iPhone4, HTC Desire and Samsung Galaxy, they all seem to have their advantages but I just don't know, I have the iPhone 3g which has served me well but I'm about worried about the fragility of the iPhone 4 and the reception issues

Does any1 have a Galaxy?

 

[purple_heaven]

im the same looking at a new phone... think i will go with samsung galaxy.
not an iphone fan.. anyone here have a galaxy?

 

[Hawkamania!]

I recently chose a HTC Desire over an iPhone 4.

The Android OS is growing fast and is tipped to be the dominate phone OS in a couple of years. It has recently moved into third place in global sales behind Symbian and RIM.

That and its open source nature were the deciding factors for choosing an Android device. I prefer to have as much control over my technology as possible.

The apps available for Android devices are growing at a fast rate and is another market indication of the rise of the Android OS.

I am very happy with my purchase and recommend the HTC Desire.

At the end of the day, increased competition will benefit us (the consumer).

 

[Borgsta]

As to what I use or have used:
- Consume/Quota (usage apps), although I'm sure there are equivalents on Android, although probably not as good - nah these are perfectly fine and update live. Having them as a widget on the home screen probably makes it better
- Melbourne International Film Festival Don't believe it has an app but this is the sort of thing that would be beneficial.
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival See above
- AFL / MMM Footy Lite / Aussie Rules Live There are many apps for this but really I prefer the websites. Can put the phone away load up my browser and it has updated itself.
- NRL / Rugby League Live See above
- CA Cricket LIVE / Vic Bushrangers / Cricket Lite See above
- Australian Wallabies See above
- Australian Open This is something that would need an app. Will wait for the Aus open to come.
- Metlink / TramTracker None by official company but the 2 I use are great. Traintrapper in particular is fantastic.
- plenty others that I don't actually use

Yeah certainly 18 months ago there would have been not much in the market and even in terms of the OS itself.

Now it is surging ahead IMO. Apps like Tasker which just flat out wouldn't be allowed by Apple make my life so much easier.

Also I believe the browser for the Iphone makes apps important. It's inability to redraw text means you are constantly zooming and moving to navigate a page.

Either way I don't see how you can be disappointed getting any of the smartphones out there at the moment.

 

[red+black]

I'm about worried about the fragility of the iPhone 4 and the reception issues

There are two known fixes for this: (a) and (b).

 

[sblack]

Reception issues were blown well out of proportion.

Despite the reception being hindered when put in the 'Death Grip', in Australia at least, you would never drop a call. On Telstra, reviews say that bars don't drop at all.

Add that to the fact the iPhone 4 has a very good antenna, it hardly effects us here. I was in an underground club/bar/whatever, on Vodafone, death Grip and all, and could make calls. Friends on other non-smartphones (Nokias / other plain phones), had zero reception all together.

I've played around with a Desire, and could easily see myself using one day to day. But JB makes all things possible on the iPhone. The newest one said to be a permanent JB, which would be killing Steve Jobs right now.

Recent JB apps allows free placement of Icons on the homescreen, breaking the boundaries of the set square space that Apps had to be placed it. The customisation of a JB iPhone is endless.

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

im the same looking at a new phone... think i will go with samsung galaxy.
not an iphone fan.. anyone here have a galaxy?

I don't have one yet, but in doing my research, I decided to pre-order a Samsung Galaxy S above all-comers.

The downside to the phone is apparently that the UI isn't quite as good as HTCs SenseUI, but the 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, superb browsing, 720p video and media streaming capability and 8/16GB of internal storage (plus up to a 32GB MicroSD card). It's also the thinnest Android phone out there, which is nice.

As I said though, I'm still waiting on receiving it. All signs point to it being a winner though.

 

[Goldencats]

I recently chose a HTC Desire over an iPhone 4.

The Android OS is growing fast and is tipped to be the dominate phone OS in a couple of years. It has recently moved into third place in global sales behind Symbian and RIM.

That and its open source nature were the deciding factors for choosing an Android device. I prefer to have as much control over my technology as possible.

The apps available for Android devices are growing at a fast rate and is another market indication of the rise of the Android OS.

I am very happy with my purchase and recommend the HTC Desire.

At the end of the day, increased competition will benefit us (the consumer).

The more I think about it the more I'm confident I am of getting a Desire, even though it's slightly bigger than the other two it just feels and look good, and from mucking around with one in a telstra shop it looked very flexible and customizable, I've been finding with my Iphone 3g lately that it quite delayed in it's reaction time when I am typing messages and opening apps etc, I just think a change would be nice and the Android OS is very appealing

 

[Borgsta]

Recent JB apps allows free placement of Icons on the homescreen, breaking the boundaries of the set square space that Apps had to be placed it. The customisation of a JB iPhone is endless.

Customisation of the home screen or actually customising your phone to make it do what you want it to do?

IE. When connected to a particular wifi SSID the phone goes into silent mode?

Every Sunday at 7am it automatically opens an EPL app?

Plug in headphones and it brings up a list of however many apps you want or starts to play music automatically?

After 11:30pm auto respond to sms's telling the sender that you are asleep?

When receiving an sms with a specific word, loads the gps and replies with a link on google maps of your location?


Customisation is not just how a phone looks but more importantly how it acts.

 

[sblack]

I agree entirely.

Every day new tweaks and changes pop up in Cydia. Looks, functions, apps, whatever.

Admittedly, those scheduled apps sound very good (haven't really looked into whether they are possible on an i4 howver), but those tasks all can be done with ease as well. Linking between apps is done very well.

 

[Nardz]

The more I think about it the more I'm confident I am of getting a Desire, even though it's slightly bigger than the other two it just feels and look good,

you clearly havent seen a galaxy in the flesh.
that thing is so big im suprised its not classified a tablet.

 

[red+black]

And that is a problem with most phones these days, they are way too big. I wish manufacturers would work harder (ie. just get it done FFS) to make the screen as big as possible yet the device as small as possible.

I remember the days of getting the latest and greatest phone and one criteria was size. Now we're all carrying PDAs they're getting bigger and heavier. The iPhone 4 is the heaviest of the lot blow, although it is the slimmest. The Galaxy S is a brick (LxW), albeit a slim and light brick.

[B]                Display  Length  Width  Depth  Weight[/B]
HTC Desire         3.7"   [COLOR="Red"]119.0[/COLOR]   60.0   11.9   [COLOR="Red"]135 g[/COLOR]
HTC Legend         3.2"   [COLOR="Blue"]112.0[/COLOR]   [COLOR="Blue"]56.3[/COLOR]   11.5   126 g
SS I9k Galaxy S    4.0"   [COLOR="Red"]122.4[/COLOR]   [COLOR="Red"]64.2[/COLOR]    [COLOR="Blue"]9.9[/COLOR]   [COLOR="Blue"]119 g[/COLOR]
SE Xperia X10      4.0"   [COLOR="Red"]119.0[/COLOR]   [COLOR="Red"]63.0[/COLOR]   [COLOR="Red"]13.0[/COLOR]   135 g
SE Xperia X10 MP   2.5"   [COLOR="Blue"] 90.0[/COLOR]   [COLOR="Blue"]52.0[/COLOR]   [COLOR="Red"]17.0[/COLOR]   [COLOR="Blue"]120 g[/COLOR]
iPhone 4           3.5"   115.2   58.6    [COLOR="Blue"]9.3[/COLOR]   [COLOR="Red"]137 g[/COLOR]
-----------------------------------------------------
iPhone 3GS         3.5"   115.5   62.1   12.3   135 g
iPhone 3G          3.5"   115.5   62.1   12.3   133 g
-----------------------------------------------------
SS Wave s8500      3.3"   118.0   56.0   10.9   118 g

 

[Nardz]

I wish manufacturers would work harder (ie. just get it done FFS) to make the screen as big as possible yet the device as small as possible.

i reckon the iphone 4 is alright in this regard.maybe could take a bit of size off the top, and from the bottom if the home botton was a bit smaller..
when i first got my iphone 3g the size was almost a deal breaker (my previous phone was a sony ericsson w880! look it up for size comparisions)

but there was no way i was going to get anything bigger than the iphone 3g, which completely ruled out the galaxy.

to be honest, if there was a better android phone out there than the desire, i'd probably have it by now

i was very close to purchasing the desire, but just those couple of things i didnt like about it...