My Experience switching from iPhone to Android PT 3

So a little more time has passed and I feel like I am starting to get the hang of this, I am even writing this post using my s-Pen while the pre-show is playing at the theatre while we wait to see the new Hunger Games.

Frustrations:
I plug it into cars and it does not work. Maybe it is a Subaru and Jaguar but the iPhone plugged in and all my tunes and audio books were available while it charged. This highlights a common issue I see with the Droid. Because there are So many different Android devices accessories are a little rough to find. If I had an iPhone best buy Has 100 cases and chargers for the Note? 2 cases. As a manufacturer of cars if you are compatible with Apple your good with pretty much every Person on iOS 7 whereas again to many devices to count with Android.

Audio Books are Frustrating! I put them in there own file on my expandable disc and plus it in and the audio player loads them in with my tunes and so Random becomes an adventure of skipping past all the audio books on the device.

Positives:
This thing is like a computerl Lots of downloads access to the File system and the Google play store is definitely growing on me. Love the S pen and I am very happy with the camera compared to my iphone 4. Though at an event the other day Comparing my Panorama to a friend with the iPhone 5s hers was way better.

That about wraps it for now. I will continue to try and journal The Journey.

This is the gif that represents most meetings I attend

My experience switching from iPhone to Android Pt 2 - The Plug In

So my switch the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 did not come without some pretty serious research. Checking out as much as I could about the Sugary Food Named operating system and watching a lot of videos about the S Pen to see if it was as good as Samsung says it is and I felt fairly prepared for moving over - but you can never fully prepare.

First thing I've not experienced in a long time, a swappable battery. The whole back of the Note comes off and theres expandable memory, access to the Sim Card, and the Battery which is cool. Thus far I've been glad for the second battery and charger though since I've run the phone out by about 6:00 p.m. both days I've had it so far. I'm probably playing with it to much. But theres also these apps for saving batter that I'm apparently supposed to get... which is weird for someone whose been in the Apple world because it's just supposed to work! Which is a bit of the theme of my first days with an Android.

I plugged it into my computer, nothing happened. A little googling and I determined that I needed Samsung Kies so I downloaded that... and it pulled all the media off of my computer and organized it... sort of and copied it over to the Note... o.k. that's not so bad. Except my audiobooks aren't considered audiobooks, and some of my album art is there and some isn't... This is going to take some organization methinks. What surprised me is that there is no direct 'this is the iTunes of Android' that I've been able to find.

But it's o.k. I found my media and I click on it to play... except it comes up with a choice of what I want to play it on... which is a bit of a theme I'm discovering. With an Apple product you have the music player, the video player, the ibook reader, the texting app and so on. There aren't many apps out there that you would want or need to replace those things and if you have iTunes set up it just works. With this I keep running into situations where there is the Samsung version of a music player and theres the Google version of the player. This happens all over the place, I've got multiple photo apps, multiple calendar apps, Gmails picking up my mail and so is the "Mail" program and if I click on any link I have to choose between Chrome and or "Internet" browser. Talk about overload, and it's illustrating to me why Apple is popular, and why old people like it. It's so straightforward and it makes you feel so organized. I am sure that overtime I will determine which apps I like, and which I don't.

That runs into the customization piece, and yes, like all my Android wielding friends preached "I can do anything" which isn't a Hedley song in this case but the theme of this phone. I can put apps wherever I want, or keep them in the big list, theres widgets which are very cool, and I can even leave blanks where I want them. This is pretty cool, you can have your social media page, your Evernote page, your work stuff place and widgets to fit. I did discover that you have to be much more aware of system resources on an Android because it multitasks and won't stop you from loading a Bjillion apps. So quickly my sleek new device was running like a 50's Stolly. With freedom comes responsibility and so you've got to have some know-how to keep it running perfect. Again learning curve is steep but it's a Google device... and I'll be going there quite often to ask how to work it.

Having a Mixed Household - Everything in my house is an Apple Product... except my Droid. So it meant switching over my calendars and task lists from iCloud to Google... and then making sure that was on my Wifes' iPhone as well so we could still communicate. iMessage, I've run into an issue that's apparently not uncommon, everyone who has an iPhone whose been trying to text me has been getting error messages. Somehow the system doesn't automatically realize that my number is no longer associated with iMessage, so I've had to go back to my other phone and make sure all of that was disabled and coach a few people through changing my contact to Mobile and make sure there phone is enabled to send MMS. I'm not sure which of these steps has fixed the issue but it seems to be fine now. But at the end of the day the Apple devices have had to adjust to the Droid and rely on Google to sharing.

Finally Updating - I'm not there yet, the new Note 3 just came out and from what I can gather I'll be able to get the new OS on my Phone as well. But man they start talking about Rom's and upgrading the Samsung part of the device and the droid part of the device and it goes over my head. There is something to be said about Apple's philosophy of developing hardware and software in tandem.

How am I feeling? Still very good. Loving the big screen, enjoying S Pen and all the fancy features, and getting the hang of everything.

My experience switching from iPhone to Android Pt 1 - The Rationale

Well starting this post off I feel like I've got to get something straight. Before the Android faithful rejoice at another convert I'm not leaving because I hate apple, I quite loved my iPhone. But after 3 and a bit years with my iPhone 4 and this latest upgrade to the new iOS7 the machine was running a little bit slow, and found that finishing my text and then having to wait a few seconds for the phone to catch up was bothersome. In addition I use my phone for business, and so can't have delays or questions about whether or not my apps are going to be shutting down in the middle of a meeting.

How was the experience with the iPhone? It was great. I was the benefactor of one free replacement about 6 months after I'd gotten my machine due to some water damage. Note: Don't put your iPhone in your shirt pocket, drop something behind the toilet, and lean over it to get it. Sight. But in terms of the experience I've got a Mac, and an iPad. My wife has an iPhone as well. So our life was this happy little integrated world where everything copied everywhere with very few issues. Which brings me to the first comparison with the Samsung. But first... why the switch?

As I said it was time for us to get new phones, we were off of our contract with Bell, and wanted to stay off contract due to some new core values that we've been developing. I called them up and asked them what we could do in terms of getting new phones without resigning a contract. Their answer? "Nothing, there is no way that we are going to discount a phone if you don't resign with us."
"Perfect," I said "that makes it easier to switch to Koodo" at which point I was quickly switched off to retention. After about 40 minutes of saying "I'm sorry, I won't go on contract, and I need an unlimited plan for my wife and I with at least 2 gb of data for $105 or less" I was given a plan for $100, 2 phones, unlimited everything, 2 gb of shared data, and NO contract. Which is nice, but could definitely spawn a rant about Cell Plans.

So we have this incredible new phone and we get to stay with the provider that is my namesake, but we still have almost 4 year old phones and are in need of something new. TO THE APPLE STORE. 2 New iPhone 5S 32GB units + applecare and a case $1926.00. Now at this point we strongly had to determine whether the 5S was worth that sort of investment. To which I said no and my wife said maybe. I've got friends with the S, and the slow motion Vid is awesome, and the dual flash is cool, and it's definitely blazing fast. But I will agree with the detractors theres nothing new enough about the interface or the device that would make it feel like getting a new toy. I like new Toy's, but this would feel like a near 2000 dollar investment for a phone that is better in every way than my iPhone but not in ways I'd notice on a daily basis. Therefore it came down to $'s and Features and finding something that would give that new toy experience!

It's now Kijiji Time, and a search for a previously enjoyed iPhone for my wife, and a something for me.  The iPhone was Easy. Found a White 5C 2 weeks old with full applecare, a case, and some accessories $650. Done. She doesn't care about dual flashes and slow mo video or a biometric scan so the 5c is perfect. For me... lets find something about as different from the iPhone as we can that's cool. Enter the Galaxy Note 2 . I feel like Steve Jobs would hate the idea of the Note 2. It has a stylus. It's to big to use all functions with one hand. It requires special pants... actually not really. It has fit very well into my trousers and jackets thus far. But enter the next best part, a Samsung is like a Domestic car - it's full of depreciation. So I was able to pick up a 2 month old Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with 2 cases, an extra battery and charger, all the original gear with a screen protector for $400. So in all $1050 vs. the $2000 for the flagship model. It feels like surfing the other side of the tech wave, but feels nice to know that we've got a lot of cushion there, and because this Note 2 is already half price (partly because the Note 3 just came out) I'm sure I could resell it and get my dough out of it if I decide this whole Android thing is not for me.

So that is how I came to possess this device that is very different than the tech that I've been rolling with  for the past 4+ years. The Note appealed to me from the first time I saw it. I loved the size of it, why not enjoy a big screen, people carry iPads with them everywhere this thing fits in a pocket! I love the S pen concept because I truly enjoy writing! I do a lot of proofing at work as well, and the ability to do that mobile is very appealing. Plus every Android owner I've known has assured me that it is SO much better than an Apple. Which let's be honest, if your comparing your going to compare to the best because that's where the bar is. I do believe the joke is fairly true that how do you know if someone has an Android phone? Don't worry they'll tell you! I promise not to be that guy, because in the first 48 hours of having this phone I've come to realize theres not a 'best' phone. It's really about finding the thing that works best for you, and that is the journey that I'll be on over the next little while so I'll let you know how it goes! Just for a size reference check below!

My iPhone 4 vs. my new Note 2