iPhone or Droid Incredible? In other words, is AT&T really so bad?

Some of these complaints are way overblown and depend on where you are.  I have ATT full coverage throughout the whole state of Kansas, damn near everywhere I go, and they are the only one to do that.  When I travel, I rarely have issues.  Admittedly, I've been with ATT for about 6 years now, and I can tell you about 2 years ago, their network vastly improved, but they are doing the same again this year with the largest spending increase for network of any of the companies.  Love or hate ATT, they have deeper pockets then anyone else to upgrade their network.   Part of the issue with the iPhone/etc. is that ATT serves up way more data then anyone else as a result, so the demand on their network is much higher then on anyone elses.. (I'm a blackberry user, so I live and die by that, but the wife uses an iPhone)

ATT is spending another 2B this year for more infrastructure:

http://mashable.com/2010/01/29/att-2-billion/

In some ways, the Verizon "accessible everywhere" thing for "3g" is a bit misleading; my father has Verizon.. and while it shows 3G damn near everywhere, the performance on that network near us just flat out sucks.  So, while they can show it as red, assuming probably most people in Kansas and Northern Oklahoma don't really have room to balk or make a stink, the map is pretty misleading.

In most recent tests, ATT bests pretty much everyone for performance, in part because they have a better wired infrastructure:

http://www.pcworld.com/zoom?id=189592&page=1&zoomIdx=2



The reality is ATT's subscriber base and number of connected data driven devices is so much greater then Verizon, Sprint, or anyone else that it means a hell of a lot more pressure on their network then anyone else.   Verizon couldn't sustain the sheer # of smart phones that ATT deals with, along with other offerings.  But at the same time, it means ATT has more cash to continue upgrading to try and stay ahead. 

 

It's a costly growing pain.  2008 was the worst for ATT, network stretched thin for number of users.. they just weren't prepared for the iPhone level of data use.  2009 wasn't bad at all, and 2010 has been very good.. and speeds have been very, very good in most areas.   ATT will also be one of the first to move to a full 7.2/LTE network, which means they will offer more sustainable bandwidth then most, sooner. 
 

That's what spending $2B on Cellular and another $1.5B on wired infrastructure in a year will get you.

About two years ago, between Oct 08-Feb 09, they invested about a billion in more access.  And this year, they are putting in another $3.5B.   There are things I don't like about ATT (their billing practices -SUCK-) but the service is quite good.

I'm very Happy with ATT.
The Iphone is amazing.
I'm just south of Phiily and rarely have a dropped call. When we had verizon I couldn't get a signal in my house so I had to move around the house of go outside to make calls sometimes.

I have heard from a few people on htf that Manhattan isn't so good for ATT.

the only time I have a problem is when I'm at a Phillies game.

I see 3-4 bars and 3g but my MLB AT BAT doesn't work well and It takes a minute or so for a dial tone

It really depends on where you live. I live in the East Bay and AT&T is just fine. In San Francisco I still have friends who say it by far the worst provider in town.

Makes sense  Look at the "Reliability" category in San Fran ;)

I'm happy with my AT&T service, but I'd be more interested in an Android phone than an iPhone (I'm not a hater, but I have issues with Apple's "control the platform above all" philosophy). I'm 6 months past the end of my contract holding out hope for a real Android phone on AT&T, not the piece of junk called the Backflip.

I have been a life-long blackberry user.  But I admit, Motorola's Shadow may be the phone that gets my attention:

http://www.androidcentral.com/moto-shadow-gets-its-wifi-cert

But I find it doubtful I'll leave blackberry anytime soon.   But it's good to look ;)

I've never had AT&T or an iPhone, so I cannot comment on them. However, I have been using an HTC Droid Eris on Verizon since January and have been very pleased with the device.  The Incredible is the successor to the Eris, with very similar design and functionality.

I went with the Eris over the Motorola Droid due to price -- it only cost me $30 for the phone, and with the discount on Verizon service offered through my employer, I only pay $56 per month for voice and data service.

The Eris has a better ergonomic design than the Motorola Droid, IMO. It's thinner, lighter and fits my hand better (the Motorola feels like a brick in comparison).

By all accounts the Droid Incredible is a great phone. And many reviewers say very positive things about the Android system (and some Mac pundits switched from iPhone to Android phones).

That said, be sure to play do a decent demo of the phone. I played with the iPhone and it made sense; it it seemed great. I spent some time with the Droid and immediately hated it (keyboard was miserable and the software was like working with Windows 2.0). That's me. Others feel differently. But be sure to try a phone out before you lock into spending thousands of dollars in a two-year contract.


As for AT&T: talk with customers in your area. I've read the same reports that AT&T is lousy in San Fran and NYC. But all the iPhone owners here in Rochester, NY have no problems with AT&T.

Wait till the Samsung Captivate comes out later this month for ATT, very impressive and more so than the Iphone 4 and will go head to head with the Iphone 4. I can't wait to get it.

Just remember that *none* of those Android phones link to iTunes!  Since you already own an iPod Touch all of the songs, apps, games, movies, and TV shows which you acquired via iTunes will *seamlessly* port over to your new iPhone.  None of the other phones can claim that!

 

As far as AT&T:  I have no complaints with them whatsoever.  For awhile last year I had to live with EDGE for data access when I went to see my Auburn Tigers play, but that area has now been updated to full 3G access.   So literally everywhere I go in a tri-state area (Alabama, Georgia, Florida) now has 3G.  And I drop a call perhaps once a year ...

Edited by Joseph Bolus - 7/5/10 at 8:25pm

 

Actually, there is a free application that will allow you to synch iTunes with your Android phone -- Easy Phone Tunes.  I have it installed on my Droid Eris and my PC, although I usually just manually copy any video or movies to the phone. I do not currently use the phone for music, since I have a non-video iPod Nano, and I do not normally put videos in iTunes. I did synch some music just to try it out, though, and it works fine. It should work fine for video, too, although one of the advantages of an Android phone is that you are not forced to use iTunes if you do not want to.

My friend just got an incredible.

It's a very good phone and from what I could see most of the same apps are in the market place on the INcredible.

I couldn't find anything for music so I guess any music will have to be added another way.

 

Don't like the way the back comes off. Seems to be just a thin molded plastic back that can pop off for changing the battery and I guess the memory card is back there too. Just seemed flimsy.

 

Internet was fine and superfast on 3g.

Couldn't figure out if there's a way to open extra windows or tabs like the iphone.

 

The screen was super clear. I opened up the map on both the iphone 3gs and the incredible and the droid was much clearer then the 3gs. I havent seen the iphone 4 yet i guess it will be as clear as the droid.

 

The blue dot location indicator wasn't even close to where I was, the 3gs was exact.

There may have been a setting that needed to be adjusted to make the dot accurate, I didn't have a chance to check.

 

If I was on Verizon I would strongly consider the Incredible or the Droid X if that is on Verizon, I'm not really sure if it is.

I still prefer the iphone.

It feels better in my hand feels solid, I just like it more.

Amen brother!  I find iTunes to be one of the worst, bloated, POS software I've ever used.  Plus, it needs updates seemingly every day or two.  It's a huge reason I would never get an iPhone -- is there something about copy/paste that needs to be improved upon?  Just a horrible piece of software.  And Jobs complains about Flash being unstable? 

 

I have read comments from former iPhone users who switched to Android phones and don't understand that you can just copy and paste media files like the phone was a USB drive.  Talk about learned helplessness!  You're free from synching!  Run away!

Well some of that is an exaggeration.
once every few months or more it gets an update, and what's wrong with being able to do a quick update like that anyway. the PS3 does the same thing, whenever there is an update I just do the update, I guess the ps3 is no good too.

I'm not sure what you're saying about copy/paste.

Are you saying I could c/p media files on a droid? why would I need to do that?

If by bloated you mean a large piece of software that uses a lot of resources, that is probably true but so what. It doesn't bother my macbook in anyway, it just works.

 

I love that I can synch my iphone to itunes, it synchs everything including notes and address books and whatever else is on the phone.

If I get another phone I just synch it up and put all my contacts and everything else right on the new phone.

 

Maybe the droid does all that too, and if it does, awsome.

If one doesn't like to use itunes to manage the phone and phone stuff then you don't get an iphone, you get a droid or something else and live happily ever after.

 

I don't get why when someone doesn't like a piece of software like itunes for example, the person has to take a dump all over it. Itunes works very well for me.

I can copy and paste media files directly from my computer to a Winmo or Android device in storage mode in a fraction of the time it would take me synch the iPhone.  I can also copy and paste files from home, from work, and basically from any PC that has a USB port.  I suppose if you know nothing else, you wouldn't know what to do with this kind of functionality and would find it unnecessary.

 

If you think I'm taking a dump on the software because I have valid criticisms, then so be it. 

 

The Droid phones automatically synch calendars, contacts and email with Gmail over the air without any need to connect to a PC.  It's actually quite slick. You can copy any files, including music and videos, from your PC like any other USB storage device. And, as I mentioned earlier, if you are an iTunes user, there are applications that will allow you to synch your Droid with your iTunes library if you desire.

 

As I said a while ago, I've never used an iPhone (although I am an iPod owner many times over), but I have been very impressed with the flexibility and usability of the Android phones. I'm sure the iPhones are also very slick (my sister and brother-in-law love theirs), but I have been very happy with my Droid. I got it at a fraction of the price of an iPhone, and I was not forced to give up using the Verizon network -- which costs me much less, and has better coverage in my area. Also, I received solid network coverage in northern Michigan while my sister struggled to get coverage with her iPhone. The application marketplace is filled with thousands of applications, just like with the iPhone (many are useless crap -- just like the iPhone, too ).

 

So true.

btw while there are many who don't like the need to use itunes the biggest complaint I see and hear is the bad ATT connectivity/the actual phone usage, dropped calls bad coverage.

Where my wife and I live Verizon was terrible, dropped calls and NO bars in certain areas of our house, no such trouble with ATT yet.

If we weren't on att then we would both have droids and be very happy.

A practical problem for a potential Android buyer is that the marketplace can't be explored without first buying an Android phone. For all the issues with iTunes, anyone can explore and even buy apps without owning an i-device. For me, that was a big deal: it let me make sure I could get the apps I needed before buying the device.
 

The Droid phone is noticeably better than that of the 3GS. But the iPhone 4 screen is better still, than the Droid screen. It has about 50% more pixels, or 25% higher resolution if you think in pixels-per-inch. The Android phones are prioritizing physically larger screens over higher pixel density at the moment. So, for the time being, the iPhone has the generally superior screen. No doubt this will in due time.

 

(A side note, I've used my iPhone 4 in outdoors in bright sunlight this weekend without trouble. I've read from reputable sources, but not seen personally, that the OLED Android screens are unreadable in bright sunlight. I suggest a demo before buying an OLED screen device, unless you never use your phone outdoors.)

Call me a fanboy if you like but Marco expresses just exactly what concerns me about Android:

http://www.marco.org/769340032

 

I do have to admit that the improvements between the original Android release and Froyo are extreme, and great.  But can that be sustained without incurring the huge amounts of fragmentation that the platform is known for?

The whole article is based on this premise

 

 

 

I don't really think that's valid.

 

Fragmentation of the Android OS has been a hot-button topic for three months now, and yet in practical terms it hasn't meant a thing. Whereas Apple eliminates fragmentation by just ceasing support for and accepting apps for  iOS2.

 

And iPhone 4 requires a $30 rubberband or an unnatural hand position just to make phone calls. Oh, you mean it's a phone too?

 

And iPhone is an Apple product. QED.

 

Honestly, in the last year or so this whole forum has started to turn into a place for Apple fanboys to congregate, and it's starting to get on my nerves. On the other hand, I will admit that Apple products are better than Bose, but the zombie-ism falling for the whole our way is good for you mentality is just mind-boggling.

All I can say to Marco is... who gives a shit?  All I know is that the EVO is already ahead of the iPhone hardware in many areas.  The new Droids kill the EVO.  The Samsungs will top the Droid.  Because of the "fragmentation", the specs of the iPhone are behind the curve already.  By the end of the year, the iPhone will be eating dust, with better spec'ed phones running froyo.  This is all driven by "fragmentation".  And I can give Marco a whole laundry list of why "it just doesn't work" for me.

Hmmm.... On the one hand, who else would you expect to be in the Apple forum, but Apple users, who tend to be enthusiasts? And yet, if you read any of the discussions -- like the discussions on the AppleTV and iPhone 4 -- you'll see strong criticisms of the products.

 

And of course you're welcome to provide your own dissenting perspectives.

 

As for me, I'm thinking about my next round of praises and critiques from my early iPhone experience. (Namely: Apple did not create a "PDA", which can be frustrating if you want to do more than just surf the web and play games.)

 

Rumor is Android 3.0 will require a 1GHz processor, which would mean the Droid couldn't run it. The original flagship phone would be obsolete after just one year. If the rumor is true, it will make Google even more aggressive about obsoleting hardware than Apple.

What phone, for sale today, has specs that put the iPhone 4 "behind the curve"?

 

Likely, the iPhone will be outspecced by year's end. But today?

On a strictly hardware level, the EVO has a 4.3" screen and capable of 4G speeds (already rolling out in NYC).

 

On a functionality level, it has a 3G capable videochat, Flash capable browser, voice to text, and turn by turn google maps.

 

<4" screen is complete deal-breaker for me.

Have you actually held the bigger screens?  I have.  Doesn't feel natural to me.  I'd rather have higher rez/ better quality pixels on screen than bigger real estate on my phone.  YMMV.  Also, take a look at the download tests some folks are doing, 4G is great but not necessarily the bump many people are expecting.  And on a flagship phone you get 4 hours of use out of it, a LOT less if you are using flash.  There's tradeoffs in all of these phones.  Some are maddening.  But as of right now I think Apple is making the best decisions for these tradeoffs for the way I personally use the phone, and despite how much I howl about AT&T coverage at my parents house that's really the only place I consistently get bad service.  Again YMMV.  Also, on that video chat, people who have actually used it arent all that impressed.

 

http://androinica.com/2010/06/05/qik-on-the-htc-evo-a-lesson-in-poor-app-launches-opinion/

http://www.androidcentral.com/evo-4g-wifi-speed-test-you-might-be-surprised-results

 

DaveF's comments on the obsolescence of so called flagship phones is only part of what I mean.  You can't run Froyo on a G1, right?  That kind of stuff.  Yes I know Apple is doing the same thing, but not at that speed.  And then you have to figure the carriers into the mix.  It could be a half a year before some phones which are Froyo capable will be able to get that update and by that time Google will have you thinking Froyo is sooooo last year.

I have played around with the EVO, and it's just a matter of days before I order one.  It fits perfectly in my hand, and I can reach everything with my thumb (and I don't have giant mitts).  If you're of the mind that it's too big, then I suppose it would feel unnatural to you.

 

The advantages of the larger screen are numerous -- the keyboard is great for being touchscreen, and the keyboard in landscape is about as accurate as a HW keyboard.  I kind of laugh at the notion that the high dpi screen makes things easier to read -- you know what really makes things easier to read?  Making it bigger.  Everything on the EVO displays 44% larger than the iPhone.  The disparity is even greater with movies and TV -- because the iPhone is a 1.5 ratio screen versus EVO's 1.67 ratio screen, the image after letterboxing on the EVO is a whopping 60% bigger.  I've seen the iPhone and the EVO screens, and the difference in dpi isn't noticeable -- it's not like I can pick out individual pixels at 230 dpi.  What is noticeable is that the iPhone screen is much brighter -- like salesmen in a Best Buy know, high contrast = "better picture".  Maxing out the brightness on the EVO screen makes it comparable to the iPhone 4 screen.  For someone who watches a lot of media on the train ride to NYC, the bigger screen is a huge plus in many ways.

 

BTW, the battery is not as bad as the 4 hours you state.  The EVO user I know gets almost two days from a full charge.  It would be like me stating that all apple phones for all users cannot be held on the sides.  It's not true either.

 

Oh, and I read that the 4G speeds clock in at 3-5 Mbps, which is a "never look back" speed.  Plus, the 4G doesn't take any more battery than 3G -- the reason you should turn off your 4G antenna if you don't have it is because the 4G periodically looking for a 4G signal will take extra battery life.  But they have an app that turns off 3G and turns on wifi if you're at a hotspot and then reverses the process when you leave.  I'm sure a 4G to 3G app will come out soon.  But according to Marco, I shouldn't consider that when I buy my phone because it's not here now.

I admit that I am using the Droid X whatever its now called as a size guide, not the Evo, not sure if they are the same or not.  The size of that one is WAY too big for me to use comfortably as a phone and I have medium to big hands.  (I have friends who have had it for a while unbadged testing for V).  If I want a big screen that's what my iPad is for and I can't wait for that to be big AND hi-rez.  I don't want a big thing in my pocket for a phone tho...  Again YMMV...

 

As for the battery issues, I can only tell you what I have read, constant use of 4g and or flash drains the battery in 4 hours.  If it's not that bad then GREAT.  As I say I want GOOD competition in the mobile space.  Android has proven to be better IN VOLUME (ie getting more people than ever to be interested in Smart Phones) than iPhone I just want it to be a challenger in UI, and from what little experience I have with it it doesnt match up there.  Yet.

 

Someone at HTC has a little bit of taste at least.  They need to move that guy to Google and put him or her in charge of the whole platform rather than letting it be just a perk from one vendor.