I didn't say they break, they just get replaced and you are more likely to use your new one and have the old one as a backup.

Dull, how so? If your talking about the actual look of the phone, as many so called 'fanboys' point out a lot of Android phones look like iPhones. So is the iPhone dull? If your talking about the customizable interface, how is that dull compared to rows of icons on the iPhone?

As for better phones coming out every 2 weeks; Different Android phones come out every couple of months but they are all aimed at different sectors in the market. Budget ones, mid range and then the top spec ones. If I buy a top spec one now then 3 months time a better one comes out, that doesn't affect mine at all.

That also can work out in people's favour too. For example if your contract is now ending you can get a top spec one that has recently come out. Instead of having to ponder getting an iPhone 4 now or wait 5 or so months for the next one. It means whenever your out of a contract you can on the spot go get the next top of the range one that is just out.

With Android gaining market share I would say that hasn't affected buyer confidence.

With Nokia going down for the 3rd time, Microsoft tripping over its willy, Blackberry in a perpetual state of confusion - there isn't much competition out there. Android was no doubt helped by the 2 for 1 offers in the US and until recently the lack of an iPhone on Verizon. The autumn could look very different.

You do know there was life before the iPhone? That new phones were released often and the market was always growing. That people liked the fact new phones were coming out all the time and improving on the last one? People seem to forget all this.

Android has gained market share because it's good.

I would put it as OK and cheap.

Which (in your opinion) of the phones look dull? utter tosh, Android users have a range of phones to suit their eclectic wants.

How is fragmentation a problem in real terms?

The only thing on a phone that has failed for me is the battery, easly replaced on all but iPhones (and don't drone on about how good the iPhone battery is because its nothing special).

"I would put it as OK and cheap" What in real terms can the iPhone do the Android can't that makes a real difference to the user? Cheap? some are and some are not.

As an Android developer it is problem because you have to test on multiple phones and multiple resolutions to see how your app will perform. Just because it is excellent on a Desire/Galaxy s doens't mean it will be on a San Francisco etc.

But iOS has the exact same problem, because not all devices perform well on newer versions of iOS. The 3G is unusable with iOS4 I've been told. People don't upgrade and some don't just don't connect to iTunes often enough to do it. So they have just as many problems. You only have to look through the reviews for something like Scrabble to see the number of people having problems.

Isn't an upcoming version of Android suppose to resolve these issues?

Thanks for the reply. Is the problem mainly with free applications or the paid for ones as well?

The problem is people with older phones can't get that new version of Android, and not everyone upgrades once a year. There are plenty of phones out there that will never get past 1.6 or 2.1 Android versions.

Whilst the Android community is known for developing ROMs and hacking new versions on to devices, the wider population will happily pootle along with whatever shipped on their device unless there's an official manufacturer or carrier ROM pushed to them.

I agree and I think that's the major flaw with Android. But it looks like Google have now finally decided to act upon it and hopefully in a couple of years time due to the normal churn of phones most Android users will be on a newer version of the OS that is designed to prevent fragmentation.

Yes a distinct advantage for IOS though even that has at least 3 variations already.
Android is currently benefiting from intense hardware competition though with Tegra the winner so far.

You have to bear in Android is a relatively new OS on phones. There will be issues - as there are with all software related releases. These over time will be ironed out. Android will need time to mature. Once its been around for 10 years, it will be a different story.

I hate all this "my dick is bigger than yours" rubbish over Apple and Android users. Like others have said it is about which device is best for you.

Obviously there are pros and cons to both sets of devices. The reason I chose the iPhone is because I'm used to Apple products so it connects to everything I have and its ease of use. I've used Android devices and don't like them.

Android phones are, on paper, better than the iPhone there is no doubt. However I feel Android phones are more for people who like their specifications and like to have the very best and up to date tech.

I see this whole argument very similar to the Nintendo DS and PSP for instance. The PSP graphically and on paper is far superior to the DS, but the Nintendo has sold more, simply because it is easier to use and appeals to a broader range of people. I tend to see more older people now with iPhones, for that reason. It sits with their lifestyle better.

I feel people should just be happy with what they have rather than all this bravado. If you think Androids are better fine, it is also fine to think iPhones are better, because they maybe for you. Just because you like Apple doesn't make you a fanboy same as liking Android doesn't!

A load of us recently moved from iPhone to desire. I refused to. At least half of us have now put their sims back in their iPhones

Battery life is worse than the iPhone if that is possible.

Didn't like it at all

Even though the Iphone has its flaws I can't really fault mine its a bit buggy at times but overall it has a good battery life and it meets most of the needs I use it for at the moment.

Absolutely. It's amazing to think that neither iOS nor Android was around 5 years ago, they're both game changers for the mobile industry and have changed the landscape for the old feature phone companies, and RIM, Nokia, Microsoft etc.

Some Android phones are cheap, some are expensive.

But I fail to see why people hype up the iPhones. They're good, but they definitely aren't great. The UI is probably over simplified, and has none of the flexibility that comes with Android (or even Symbian).

The desire I had was NOT better than my iphone.


No contest really

And many have said that Android and Symbian have poor UIs.

Despite 861.5 Percent Growth, Android Market Revenues Remain Puny

i've just got a nexus s. sim free. it is a thing of minimalist beauty and could quite possibly be the best of 6 smartphones phone i have owned in the past 18mths

and yes it has well and truly knocked my iphone 4 off that not so high perch

Is one a bit fickle?

when i say 'owned' i mean 'tested' for a couple of weeks

iPhone is a fine product if you are prepared to pay £500+ for it!

What HTC and Samsung have done is to bring smartphones to market that are far more affordable and I have no doubt the quality of these products and others (from Nokia, LG, Acer and Chinese makers) will continue to improve.

If any of their other products are anything to go by Apple will never be a truly mass-market proposition and when others deliver similar devices at vastly more affordable prices Apple will become a niche brand with up-market appeal just as they do with laptops and PCs. The same will apply to Tablets in due course.

Thanks for the clarification.


Apple, the number 1 manufacturer of computers in the world. with 94% owner satisfaction. The OEMs struggle to get 50%.


Apple retakes World's Biggest Computer Maker Crown after 3 decades - with power of iPhone, iPad and Touch


Still waiting for some real competition for the iPod, iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad.

It seems like the OEMs are "creatively challenged".