Would you get it?
I'm a Verizon customer with a 2-year-old BlackBerry that just rejected the latest Facebook upgrade because my phone is antiquated by smart phone standards.
My upgrade is next month, prime time for the iPhone on Verizon's network. But, until the announcement, I was set on an Android phone. Getting another BlackBerry wasn't something I ever considered because it's been left in the dust by developers.
I don't buy a new phone every year, so I consider this a serious investment. Here's what I've considered with getting an Android device:
Android use has been growing.
TechCrunch reported recent ad impressions from Millenial Media, a network that reaches 81 percent of the U.S. mobile Web. Millenial measured Android operating systems at 46 percent to Apple's iOS of 32 percent.
Millenial is the third-largest mobile ad network, behind Google AdMob (Google runs the Android market) and Apple iAd. Those are significant numbers.
However, many of the bells and whistles I looked at on Android phones, such as turning my phone into mobile WiFi for my laptop, is on Verizon's iPhone.
My unanswerable question is: would the numbers from Millenial be different if Verizon had carried the iPhone at the end of 2010?
Android being an open market compared to Apple's closed one is a solid argument in Android's favor, but why are some apps coming to iPhone first?
Skype came to iPhone before Android despite the popularity of Apple's FaceTime, and the popular photo editing application Instagram gathered fame on the iPhone before announcing it would develop for Android. Some would argue Vignette for Android is just as good, however.
Some apps I'm interested in are developed because the developer has the iPhone (such as the Nieman Journalism Lab).
The iPhone has excellent branding and a loyal customer base. I've never owned an Apple product besides an iPod, so I'm not in that demographic.
For me, it boils down to this: The apps I want are mainstream enough to be offered or are available only for iPhone. If the data plan (not yet announced as of Thursday) is comparable, I'll get the iPhone. But if the data is too pricey, I'll be happy with an Android.
Which would you get?
The iPhone or an Android phone from Verizon? Add your Reply in Comments:
