Nexus One or iPhone

[rajah sulayman]

(Gotta admit, I'm surprised that a similar thread didn't already exist).

So I did the math, and between corporate discounts and whatnots, the two year cost of ownership for either an iPhone or Nexus One fall within $50 of each other, rendering the price difference pretty much moot. AT&T and T-Mobile pretty much both scrape the bottom of the barrel in terms of NY service, so the 'Service' aspect is out of the equation as well. It's pretty much just a hardware battle at this point.

Nexus One

• no contract
• unlocked handset
• open system
• desktop widgets*
• i live on the google cloud

iPhone

• bajillion apps, especially the ones I want

I know the iPhone only has one real credit in its column, but it's a pretty big one. All the major apps are on the iPhone, and while some of them are eventually coming out for Android, most of them never will. And this delta will only get wider as time goes on. True to its Linux roots (heh), Android isn't gonna shrivel up and die any time soon, but it'll likely never have the library the iPhone boasts.

I'm stumped, QT3ers. Help me decide.


* seriously, though, how did Apple drop the ball on this? Desktop widgets are brilliant on a phone

[Michael Fortson]

I love the N1, but I hate the network it's on. Wait for Verizon's, and get that. I gave my 3GS to my wife (which means I can occasionally steal it if I have to, and there's aways the wafer thin iPod Touch for apps...).

[wumpus]

There is no reason for any other mobile phone to exist since the 3GS came out.

[stusser]

Nexus1 is coming out for verizon in the next couple of months, if you can wait. If you need to buy right now iphone all the way.

[Mike Cathcart]

I love the 3GS so much I want to take it behind a middle school and get it pregnant.

[Hans Lauring]

Nexus1 is coming out for verizon in the next couple of months, if you can wait. If you need to buy right now iphone all the way.

And even then it's iPhone all the way - sucks that you guys are tied to a crappy telco, but it's still the better phone.

[mkozlows]

So there's also the Verizon Pre Plus.

Pros: Best service, best UI in modern phone (yes, better than the iPhone), relatively open system, slick multitasking

Cons: Not a lot of apps, danger of turning into Amiga-style fanboy

[rajah sulayman]

As far as phones goes, having played with both the iPhone and N1, I actually prefer the latter. I find it slicker, more responsive, and I really like the operating system (especially the whole "multitasking" bit). Desktop widgets are fantastic. In my eyes, the only thing the iPhone really has going for it is an extensive app library.

As far as Verizon goes, the "no contract & unlocked" aspect of the N1 is a huge selling point for me. Even though the network's better, I don't know if I'd want to tie myself to a contract for it.

[mkozlows]

As far as Verizon goes, the "no contract & unlocked" aspect of the N1 is a huge selling point for me. Even though the network's better, I don't know if I'd want to tie myself to a contract for it.

Isn't the premium you pay for an unlocked phone basically the same as what you pay for a contract termination fee?

[rajah sulayman]

Isn't the premium you pay for an unlocked phone basically the same as what you pay for a contract termination fee?

Nope, because the plan you use on the unlocked phone is cheaper.

Locked: $179 + $79/mo
Unlocked: $529 + $59/mo

So your two-year cost of ownership comes out to $2075 for a locked phone and $1945 for an unlocked phone, a $130 difference. If you added ETF to the equation, you'd tack on a $175 fee to T-Mobile and a $150 fee to Google, bringing the delta to $455

Plus you get the perks of having an unlocked phone (hopping carriers whenever you want, overseas use, etc).

[rajah sulayman]

Scuttlebutt has it that the iPhone v4 is coming out in May or June, so at this point I'm probably better off just waiting and seeing what comes down the pike. I've had my current phone for years, a few more months won't kill me.

[Mark Crump]

Scuttlebutt has it that the iPhone v4 is coming out in May or June, so at this point I'm probably better off just waiting and seeing what comes down the pike. I've had my current phone for years, a few more months won't kill me.

I would bet June\July. The new iPhones are usually announced during WWDC. No official date has been set for this year's, but it's usually held early June.

[mkozlows]

Nope, because the plan you use on the unlocked phone is cheaper.

I think that's a thing only T-Mobile does, though, yeah?

Plus you get the perks of having an unlocked phone (hopping carriers whenever you want, overseas use, etc).

Hopping carriers in the US isn't really possible -- T-Mobile phones don't work in 3G on ATAT and vice-versa. Hopefully that'll change once everyone moves to LTE.

[rajah sulayman]

I think that's a thing only T-Mobile does, though, yeah?

Yeah. I'm hoping that it starts a trend, but right now it's just T-Mobile.

Hopping carriers in the US isn't really possible -- T-Mobile phones don't work in 3G on ATAT and vice-versa. Hopefully that'll change once everyone moves to LTE.

I have a number of friends who were using jailbroken iPhones on T-Mobile for a while. I can't see why the reverse wouldn't be possible.

In any case, I don't really have plans of carrier-hopping. It's just nice to have the option.

[mkozlows]

I have a number of friends who were using jailbroken iPhones on T-Mobile for a while. I can't see why the reverse wouldn't be possible.

You can do it (between T-Mo and ATAT), but you don't get 3G.

[rajah sulayman]

You can do it (between T-Mo and ATAT), but you don't get 3G.

Ah, gotcha.

Well, having an unlocked phone still gives me the benefit of taking it overseas, as well as selling it on eBay or Craigslist. If I went for the Nexus One and then six months later the Nexus Two came out, I could readily sell my current phone to help offset some of the cost of the new phone.

[stusser]

And even then it's iPhone all the way - sucks that you guys are tied to a crappy telco, but it's still the better phone.

It is indeed the better phone, but AT&T is just horrible. When the reports of network issues started coming out I scoffed, but over the past couple of months it's degraded to nearly unusable. AT&T drops 1 out of 5 calls. No joke.

[rajah sulayman]

It's supposedly worst in New York, where every hipster, banker, sophisto, party kid, and everyone in-between has an iPhone. The infrastructure just can't handle the load and half the time the phone is just a pretty paperweight.

[stusser]

Yep, live and work in manhattan. It's supposed to be terrible in the bay area too.

[The Other Guy]

I love the N1, but I hate the network it's on. Wait for Verizon's, and get that. I gave my 3GS to my wife (which means I can occasionally steal it if I have to, and there's aways the wafer thin iPod Touch for apps...).

As someone who just jumped between extremes--I had one of the first 32g iPod Touches, and my wife and I just got 3GS iPhones last week--I gotta say, my organizational apps (calendar, contacts, and email on google, Evernote, Remember The Milk) work a zillion times better networked on the 3GS than the syncing via Wifi ever did.

Unless you're an open-source outlaw who wants to use the N1 with a google voice account and save oodles of money by going with just a data plan, I'd say go with the iPhone if there's not a real difference in pricing for you. The iPhone may be a fascist regime, but the trains run on time and the streets are very well maintained.

[rajah sulayman]

Yep, live and work in manhattan. It's supposed to be terrible in the bay area too.

Seeing as I just moved to NY from SF and I go back every few months to visit friends and family, that's just dandy.

[Quaro]

I think if you get an unlocked Nexus One, you can buy a data only plan for 40 bucks and use some of the VOIP apps for any voice calls you need. So if that works for you that's another way to save some cash. Note that Google Voice is not actually a VOIP app though (at least not yet).

[rajah sulayman]

Unless you're an open-source outlaw who wants to use the N1 with a google voice account and save oodles of money by going with just a data plan, I'd say go with the iPhone if there's not a real difference in pricing for you. The iPhone may be a fascist regime, but the trains run on time and the streets are very well maintained.

iPhone is more "benevolent dictator" than "fascist regime" -- they treat you great so long as you do what they say.

The main draw for the Nexus at this point is the multitasking (huge deal for me, as I hate on-screen keyboards and the only way around them is via background app), desktop widgets (seriously -- they're awesome), seamless cloud syncing (another big deal, as I use the cloud for my contact lists, docs, calendar, and everything in-between), and contract freedom. The openness of the OS is honestly not a deciding factor.

That said, I think right now I'm just gonna wait it out and see what the iPhone 4 has to offer in June/July. If I happen upon a great deal on a Nexus between now and then, I'll snag it. After all, if I decide in July I prefer the iPhone 4, I can just sell my Nexus and move on over.

Best of both worlds. :)

[Mark Crump]

You can sync contacts and calendar via Google Sync on the iPhone.

Also... how do you get around a keyboard by a background app?

[rei]

From Daring Fireball's John Gruber regarding the iPad but also relates to the iPhone's OS:

‘The Gadget Disappears’

Love this line from the New York Times’s David Carr on the Charlie Rose show, regarding the iPad:

One thing you have to understand about this gadget is that the gadget disappears pretty quickly. You’re looking into pure software.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Carr is a business reporter, not a tech reporter. He sees the forest, not the trees. But this is really astute. I’ve been using a Nexus One Android phone for the last few weeks, and Carr’s quote summarizes the fundamental difference between Android and iPhone OS. On the iPhone, once you’re in an app, everything happens on-screen, with touch. Everything. You go outside the screen to the home button to leave the app or the sleep button to turn off the device. On Android, many things happens on screen with touch, but many other things don’t, and you’re often leaving the screen for the hardware Back, Menu, and Home buttons, and text selection and editing requires the use of the fiddly trackball. An Android gadget never disappears.

I disliked my Android HTC Hero when I had it.

[rajah sulayman]

I think if you get an unlocked Nexus One, you can buy a data only plan for 40 bucks and use some of the VOIP apps for any voice calls you need. So if that works out that's another way to save some cash.

The problem with relying on VoIP as my only means of calls is that if I don't have 3G reception, I can't make calls. That's a pretty big sacrifice.

[mkozlows]

The main draw for the Nexus at this point is the multitasking (huge deal for me, as I hate on-screen keyboards and the only way around them is via background app), desktop widgets (seriously -- they're awesome), seamless cloud syncing (another big deal, as I use the cloud for my contact lists, docs, calendar, and everything in-between), and contract freedom. The openness of the OS is honestly not a deciding factor.

I'm going to re-recommend the Pre Plus, because the things you're looking for are mostly the things it's best at -- the WebOS multitasking implementation is better than Android's, it's got a hard keyboard, and it's super-cloudy and syncs up with Google/Facebook/etc. for everything. It's contract-bound, but if that's not a complete deal-breaker for you, you should at least check it out.

[rajah sulayman]

You can sync contacts and calendar via Google Sync on the iPhone.

Definitely. I simply pointed out that the N1's is seamless. The iPhone's requires running an update. Not a huge deal, but I never really said it was.

Also... how do you get around a keyboard by a background app?

Alternate text entry apps. There's already an app that lets you use Palm Graffiti (my text input method of choice). And I've heard nothing but good things about Swype and its clone, ShapeWriter. They work on the Android because they can run in the background and replace the default keyboard entry. On the iPhone, the only way to use them is to run the standalone app, do your typing there, and then copy it over to somewhere else (or email/text it from within the app). It doesn't actually replace the text input method.

I can't stand soft keyboards. My fingers are too big. And no matter how "smart" they are, I still wind up typing like a dyslexic Mr Magoo.

[rajah sulayman]

It's contract-bound, but if that's not a complete deal-breaker for you, you should at least check it out.

It is, actually.

Coming from a Palm Pilot background, I was a huge Pre fanboy leading up to and even after its release. It was going to be the rebirth of Palm. Sadly, for all its awesomeness and features, app support is practically nil.

Also, I'm not a fan of hard keyboards, either. They're so cramped it's not much of an improvement on soft keyboards, and they often add bulk to the phone. The Pre is the exception (the keyboard doesn't add that much bulk), but it's still a pain for me to type on.

Really, I'm kinda hooked on Graffiti, especially after fives years of using it on WinMo phones and all those years of using it on Palm Pilots before.

[Mark Crump]

Definitely. I simply pointed out that the N1's is seamless. The iPhone's requires running an update. Not a huge deal, but I never really said it was.

No update required. It's been working for me since day one on my 1st Gen iPhone.