IPhone 4 or HTC Desire??

nobby24

The iPhone 4 is much the better item, the only reason people don't get iPhones and then proceed to knock them is because they can't afford one.

Oscar_The_Grouch

CAN WE ALL GET BACK TO THE POINT PLEASE?

OP -

Apple has the App Store, a new and clearer screen, a more robust design and a good chunk of market share. They also control their prices so the resale value of the handset is good at the end of your contract. The OS is slick and when iOS4 is released on 21 June, it will include many features that Apple have been criticised for not including, such as multi tasking.

Microsoft do "Windows Phone" operating system. It's got the look and feel of Windows (well... a small pane of glass at least) as well as a mobile version of Office. It is, speaking from experience as mine is a Windows Phone, very hard on the battery life and quite clunky, if you take my meaning.

Google do "Android" operating system. This has been well received in the market place and makes good use of the hardware at its disposal. It's adaptable and hackable so can be personalised.

It's up to you, by if you want my 2p:

Avoid Windows Phone.
Look at both the iPhone and the latest Android based handsets. Make sure you check out the Desire.
Wait for as long as possible after the release of the iPhone as you can. New Android based phones will come out to compete, pushing down the price of the "current" handsets.

After that, if you still fancy the iPhone, get one.

I've wanted an iPhone since they first came out. I know it's not rational (I'm a PC through and through), but I just want one. So I'm going to get one, but to make sure I am doing the right thing, I'm following my own advice above.

nickmack

nobby24 wrote: »

The iPhone 4 is much the better item, the only reason people don't get iPhones and then proceed to knock them is because they can't afford one.

How can you present a blanket statement without knowing what the OP is really looking for?

As for stating anyone who dare criticise the iPhone being too poor to afford one; this is arrogant and also rubbish.

I suggest the OP looks closely at both handsets and some of the summaries above and makes an informed decision.

gjchester

Last phone was a Windows Mobile, This time it will most likely be Apple. Why?

Well a few reasons (and I accept these are personal to some extent)

Android isn't there yet. I didn't want a iPhone before as I felt they were not quite what I wanted, don't get me wrong I don't think WindowsMobile was either, but it was the best at the time I got the last phone. I expect in a few years Android will be better, but it's not there yet. There are too many versions, not of the OS itself but all the bits vendors and carriers add on, and each time it means something else may clash.
Android is also not the platform of choice for developers. It makes sense to get the device most people develop for. This may change but at the moment there is too many different types of OS and phones that to me there is no consistent approach to to app's. The open sourceness which people like is also an issue, there is limited quality control on some apps. Like it or not this is a strong point to apples closed system.


The fact to get an update on Android means Google have to release it, then the Makers release it for a set phone then the carriers tweak it makes me suspect many phones will not get updates in timely fashion. It's taken almost a year for an update for the Hero. Once a phone (of any vendor bar Apple and Google) is released upgrades are sporadic.

Windows Mobile is dead until version 7 comes out towards the end of the year. Microsoft have said most phones with WM on at the moment will not be upgradeable, so thats discounted for me.

But the clincher is despite having a Smart phone that could do as much as an Iphone the App store didn't really exist on Windows Mobile, and I had this feeling of "missing out". So I'll probably get a Iphone 4.

Will it be the best out there, maybe, maybe not, but it's aguably the best total package at the moment. The Desire may seem attractive, but given HTC's timescale to get the Hero upgraded upgrades may become slower and slower.

Plus if I do want t get a android phone (maybe the Dell Streak), I know I can flog the Iphone 4 and cover the cost of it, I doubt any android phone would raise enough to buy an Iphone

stylus360

jd87 wrote: »

Android is definitely the next big thing, but it really depends what you want. If you want the sleekness and ease of use of an iPhone then go for it. If you prefer customisability and a much, much lower price, go for the desire.

Desires can be found for free on £25 18 month contracts. The iPhone 4 is expected to be £150ish on a £35 contract.

Where ? Which network ??

gjchester

Oscar_The_Grouch wrote: »

Wait for as long as possible after the release of the iPhone as you can. New Android based phones will come out to compete, pushing down the price of the "current" handsets.

I don't see this being true for iPhone. Apple are having no problem selling iPhones and have no need to reduce them at all. Almost like Nintendo in the DS and Wii until there is a drop in demand there is no reason to reduce the price, and there is no drop in demand obviously coming.

Android on the other hand it will be better to wait, but then the next best thing will be out the longer you wait.

Android seem to be a 3 month cycle to the next best phone, whereas Apple is a year.

no_more_cards_for_me

I just bought a HTC Desire and can recommend it as a very good device. If you don't need the "fashion" that is the Iphone (and the extra expense) then consider the Desire. For the majority of users its flexibility, ease of use, quality screen and superb range of apps make it a good choice.

gjchester

Rochdale_Pioneers wrote: »

They could let you swap the battery when it nears the end of its life but don't. They could offer a micro-SD slot like everyone else but don't.

Just echoing johnnyroper. Its a phone, it going to last 2 years at the most till you upgrade.

I've never swapped a phone battery out of a phone becuase I needed to. My Wife and I could do, but to be honest never have, we just remember to charge the phones. In todays society batteries don't tend to wear out to any great extent, we tend to change the phone before it's an issue.

My last phone battery died after about 8 months the battery would not hold a charge. It got replaced under warranty, but to me theres no difference between SonyErricson having to send one to me, and sending back an iPhone to have it done, either way I was using my old phone for a few days, and in either case my phone was back working in a few days.

This phone has a memory slot and it has a 1GB card in it for mp3's. it's just used as walk to pub music, and not often at that. If the phone has a reasonable amount of starge I would not need it. In fact I'll probably get the 16gb variant of ipone 4, I don't need my entire music in once place, I really don't want it to be a MP3 player just a phone I can occasionaly play music on.

Thats an important distinction, Apple are trying NOT to canabilise sales, either of the small Nano/Shuffle range by allowing the phones to be sold too cheaply, or the high capacity iPods by putting in too much memory.

A lot of the "nice to haves" such as memory card slot and removeable battery are just that. Most people won't change the battery during the lifetime they use the phone and most people will not change the memory card from whatevers supplied to a higer capacity one. In both cases these may as well be fixed for the amount of times they get swapped.

Some people may have the need to swap cards, and I can se it would be nice to have a swappable media if you were to take a long plane journies often, but in most cases they are simply irrelevent to most of todays phone users.

djrobmac

iPhone 4 or HTC Desire? You don't need words to convince you....


Simplez

lucylucky

If the picture above convinces you then fine.

Personally I would try them both and test their features.

No use having a "pretty" phone that can't do what you want it to do in the way you want it to.