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Jewish World Review Dec. 2, 2011 / 6 Kislev, 5772 A tale of two smartphones: Android and Windows By Mark Kellner
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
So, you want to give (or get) a smartphone for the holidays, but you're just not into Apple's iPhone. What to do? Samsung and Microsoft each want you to consider models running either the Google Android or Windows Phone 7.5 operating systems. You can pick Samsung's Galaxy IIS, the Android phone, for $199, or the Samsung Focus, the Windows model, for $49.99, although each prices comes with a cellular service contract. There's a number of similarities among the three products.
Like the iPhone, both the Samsung Galaxy IIS and the Samsung Focus (the latter running Windows Mobile), have color display screens, lots of cute icons and applications to play with. To be fair, the iPhone's catalog of apps is exponentially greater than that of either the Android or Windows Phone 7.5 platforms. But there's a lot to choose from on any of these models, particularly for those tasks most of us rely on daily.
So, how is one to decide? Let's look at the newest challengers.
I'll start with the Samsung Focus, since it's offering Windows Phone, and because the price will be attractive to many shoppers. It's a nice little device, and I can't say too much against it the actual hardware: it's solid, easy to handle, and pocket-worthy. Battery life seems good, particularly in relation to the Galaxy IIS, but more about that in a moment.
The big question is whether or not you want a device running Windows Phone 7.5. Before deciding, some background and perspective is in order.
Time was, about 10 years ago, that the then-Windows Mobile operating system was rather slick for its time. It gave Palm Inc.'s PalmOS a run for the money, and outclassed it on some levels. Then this computer maker in Cupertino came up with something that was both a smartphone and a music player and, well, you know what happened after that: Palm's smartphones receded into the dim mists of has-been-dom, and Windows Mobile similarly faded.
So this new operating system would have to be really slick and impressive to have a chance of winning customers, at least in my view. But Microsoft did that once before, making this a not-unreasonable hope.
Windows Phone 7.5 - please, Microsoft, come up with something catchier! - is good as far as it goes. The company says the focus is on the people with whom you connect: all the elements about your digital links to mom or your spouse or your boss are collected under their name and identity. If someone updates their Facebook status or tweets their approval of the new Caps manager, it shows up on your phone, provided you're linked to them in those ways.
It's a decent enough premise, if that's what you're looking for. On the apps side, you'll find a lot of things available on other phones (including an Amazon Kindle reading app), but you'll also find your music via Microsoft's Zune service. Zune is kind of like Apple Inc.'s iTunes, but without the critical mass or gravitas.
Thus, the question is whether you want your digital entertainment hitched to Microsoft's Zune star. That is something you'll want to think about carefully, especially compared with iTunes or Amazon.com's music downloads, which play on bunches of different devices.
The Galaxy SII, also from Samsung, has a massive 4.3-inch display screen, about 22 percent more display area than the iPhone, in a unit which is only slightly better. It runs the Android operating system.
This means two things: really poor battery life (in my opinion), and potential insecurities. I've mentioned before that Google seems far more lax in permitting apps to join the "Android Marketplace" than Apple does with its "App Store," and this concerns me, security-wise. The battery life issue can be ameliorated by adjusting some settings (killing wi-fi should save a fair amount) or by adding an external case from PowerSkin (www.power-skin.com) that contains its own rechargeable battery.
There are users who really, really love the Android platform. I'm not there yet, but if you are, the Galaxy SII is a compelling product worthy of consideration.
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JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here. © 2011, News World Communications, Inc. Reprinted with permission of The Washington Times. Visit the paper at http://www.washingtontimes.com |
Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
