Was planning to get iphone, now don't know..iphone vs android???

[newmomto1]

I have had an android (evo) for a little over 2 years now. For at least the last year it's been very buggy. Freezing up, and other quirky things. DH has an iphone and my kiddos have itouches. I have been waiting for the new iphone to come out and was planning to purchase it as soon as it did.
BUT, now my friend just showed me how I can download all the music I want onto my android for FREE! Okay, maybe this is old news to all of you...but I was clueless. Had no idea I could do this! All the tunes DS and DH pay for I can get free????
Now I don't know if I should still get the iphone or try for a different android. I have been SOO sick of my phone and the whole android experience and craving an iphone....but now this has me confused.
Ugh!
Any opinions??????

[BillK]

Can you explain how you can download all the music you want for free? If you're referring to Limewire or the like - it's not really legit.

[newmomto1]

Can you explain how you can download all the music you want for free? If you're referring to Limewire or the like - it's not really legit.

Its an app called gtunes music. If its not legit it will make my decision easier!

[BillK]

I did a little research on Gtunes and this seems to be the general consensus of the app.


The app and the process it uses to find the songs are not illegal, its a glorified search engine. The process of downloading the songs onto your phone that you do not own is illegal.

It sounds to me like a new version of Kaaza or Limewire with a fancier, less complicated interface with the final outcome still being you getting music for free and having not paid the artist for it. I'd have to think the RIAA or MPAA will be all over it.

EDIT: I suppose there could be some "free" music out there available from small independant or unsigned artists but I'd imagine that's not what most folks looking for "free" music are looking for.

[newmomto1]

I did a little research on Gtunes and this seems to be the general consensus of the app.



It sounds to me like a new version of Kaaza or Limewire with a fancier, less complicated interface with the final outcome still being you getting music for free and having not paid the artist for it. I'd have to think the RIAA or MPAA will be all over it.

EDIT: I suppose there could be some "free" music out there available from small independant or unsigned artists but I'd imagine that's not what most folks looking for "free" music are looking for.

So does this mean in the future the free music on android probably won't be available??
I just need to decide on a phone...either a new android (have no idea which one) or the iphone when it comes out...my phone is in such bad shape!

[codex57]

So does this mean in the future the free music on android probably won't be available??
I just need to decide on a phone...either a new android (have no idea which one) or the iphone when it comes out...my phone is in such bad shape!

It's hard to say. It's possible the app could be pulled at any time because it's not really legit. It really depends on if/when an artist or music label catches wind of this and complains to Google. If court is involved, it can take years before it goes down.

Philosophically, if you're opposed to pirated music, you wouldn't use the app anyways.

If you want the choice to listen to pirated music or not, go with the Android. That choice comes with viruses, software that doesn't work, etc, but you get a choice. The iPhone won't give you that choice. You get their way or the highway. Now, if you've been following the Apple vs Samsung court case, you know that even the competitors admit Apple's way is awesome. It is only one way though.

Have you played with the phones? Some people like all the choices. Some people find it confusing. Some love how simple and easy to use an iPhone is. Others find it frustratingly restrictive and simple.

I take it you don't have much Apple or Android stuff one way or another? Cuz if you're already invested in iTunes (I believe you mentioned having bought songs on there before), you might as well stay with Apple unless the restrictions REALLY bug you.

[crl]

Personally, I wouldn't pirate music. So the free music wouldn't help me out at all. I'd go iPhone. It's simple to use, works well, we have gotten great support at Apple stores, the apps and accessories rock.

Catherine

[larig]

unless the music is streamed and not downloaded, it's pirated. You could land yourself in trouble with the RIAA and end up sued and on the hook for way more money than you'd have paid if you'd acquired the music legitimately. Soooooo not worth it.

[wellyes]

Gtunes gets pulled from the market regularly and re-submitted. There are other similar mp3 apps for android that are the same....... they're out for a little while, shut down, come back, repeat.

One of the advantages of iphone is that all the apps are pretty thoroughly vetted.

[fortato]

I am in the market for a new phone... I have an HTC Incredible, but I'm less than impressed now. The Camera sucks and freezes up, and I don't like that my apps can't be better organized.

I'm beginning to lean towards the iPhone next month, unless someone sways me the other way.

[justlearning]

I haven't read about the features of the new iPhone, but my husband has an iPhone 4s and I have an LG Optimus Elite. I don't use my phone for music, so I can't address that but recently I told DH that I wouldn't want to trade my phone for his, and here's why:

* I LOVE the google navigation and use it all the time. I like having it talk to me, giving turn by turn--DH's iPhone can't do that (or perhaps it can with an app? Maybe he should look into that.).

* I prefer using the swype keyboard on the Android.

* I also like that there are a lot of cool android apps and they almost always are free (e.g., DS can use my phone as a remote control for his Lego Mindstorm robot--no apps like that for the iPhone that I know of).

* I also like that my phone is lighter weight and thinner than the iPhone.

The main advantage of the iPhone in my opinion (in addition to iTunes) is its superior camera. But I'm still able to take really good pics with my 5 megapixel camera.

My friend is a founding member of Solavei (a new service launching soon with tmobile) and has been using their new HTC One S and loving that. I'm considering switching to that (but with a cheaper phone) because I would like to have faster speeds (4g). Their prepaid plan is $49 for unlimited phone, 4g data, and unlimited texts. Although that's more expensive than my current prepaid virgin mobile plan, it's still much cheaper than DH's verizon plan for his iphone and it's unlimited everything. It also gives you $20 each month for every 3 friends that you refer, so it could make it cheaper (or free, or even provide income).

Having said all that, I will say that apple makes awesome products (we have many), and the screen resolution and pics on the iPhone are awesome. We just got back from vacation and mostly used DH's phone for our camera and my phone as our GPS. So they both have benefits.

ETA that I'm curious what you hate about the Android? Maybe my phone is still new enough that I haven't run into the bugs yet, but I've been surprised at how much I like it. (I got my phone just because it was much cheaper than DH's).

[ahisma]

I would not pirate music - both for the moral implications and because you're risking too much.

There are all sorts of ways to stream music for free, legally. I use Pandora on the iPhone (and our Roku box). I'm sure it's available on android as well.

Phone - wise, I prefer my iPhone, strongly. I'm a former graphic designer and have always used the apple interface, it's just where my comfort level is.

[Penny's Pappa]

So does this mean in the future the free music on android probably won't be available??
I just need to decide on a phone...either a new android (have no idea which one) or the iphone when it comes out...my phone is in such bad shape!

Pirated music will always be available one way or another. The iPhone may not have an app that will let you download it directly to your phone, but there are any number of ways to download it onto your PC and then transfer it to the iPhone. Of course these methods are not entirely...how do you say...legal.

All pirating aside, the music player and the iTunes Store on the iPhone are generally considered the industry Gold Standards, so if playing music on your phone is a high priority for you, go with the iPhone.

[Penny's Pappa]

* I LOVE the google navigation and use it all the time. I like having it talk to me, giving turn by turn--DH's iPhone can't do that (or perhaps it can with an app? Maybe he should look into that.).

There are apps that can do this, but they require a paid subscription for live turn-by-turn. But don't run out and buy one. iOS6, which will probably be released in a month or two, will (finally) include live turn-by-turn navigation. It will be Siri enabled, and I think the navigation is powered by TomTom, so it should be just as good as the Google navigation on Android phones.

[newmomto1]

*

ETA that I'm curious what you hate about the Android? Maybe my phone is still new enough that I haven't run into the bugs yet, but I've been surprised at how much I like it. (I got my phone just because it was much cheaper than DH's).

I actually loved my phone for awhile (like the 1st year)...but it has become so buggy. t freezes up when I try to make a call. When texting I often get error messages and either my text doesn't go through or the recipient will get it like 10 times. The camera is not that good. The video is choppy. Apps force closing...etc.

[newmomto1]

I am the OP and I just wanted to address all that replied about pirating music.
I hope no one got the wrong impression about me...I didn't realize what I was doing by downloading this music was wrong.
I had never used my phone for music.
My DS is always having me download music on his itouch for him and we either make him pay for it or use an itunes gift card.
A friend of mine (who also has an android) and I have been talking about how we are going to get iphones as soon as the new ones are out bc we are sick of our phones freezing up.
She was at the Verizon store a couple weeks ago to pay her bill. While she was there the guy that worked there was telling her to stick with android over iphone...one of the advantages being free music. He showed her how to use this Gtunes app...and then she told me about it.
I assumed since she learned about it from a Verizon employee it was legit...never crossed my mind that it wouldn't be.
I am really clueless about this stuff!

[Ms B]

DH has an iPhone, as do most of the people in my office. However, I think that my Motorola Droid 2 World kicks heinie because

(1) It has a slider keyboard, which allows me to actually edit documents on my Droid, making it a mini-laptop.

(2) The voice function actually works, unlike Siri. I dictate texts and e-mails, including punctuation (e.g. if I dictate "Hello exclamation point", it types "Hello!"). I also dictate web searches and generally beat DH out in search races.

(3) My Droid opens flash pages, no problem.

(4) I have my Amazon MP3 player with everything from my Amazon cloud drive available, as well as Google Play. (I note that I have a separate iPod because of the quantity of music that I have.)

(5) I have Google Play books plus an Amazon Kindle function.

(6) My nav system talks to me (great when driving with DS).

(7) My Droid can be a mobile hotspot, so I can have wifi for my laptop anywhere courtesy of the Droid.

(8) My Droid opens pdfs, no apps needed.

I note that I looked at about ten different Droid phones before choosing this one and learned that all Droids are NOT the same. Some have a lot of problems; some almost none. CNET has useful reviews that you can read before going to a BM store to check the phone out in person.

I am required to have cell access for work and my Droid really WORKS. It took a bit longer to get used to than the iPhone, but I am convinced that the iPhone's success is a triumph of form over function.

[amldaley]

I guess it boils down to, "what do you want to use your phone for? What is most important?"

I don't download music at all, so your discovery of this app means little. But if that is your biggest criteria, then I would compare the ease of use of *legal* applications via the different platforms.

I can't stand phones that have poor sound quality *as a phone* and that is the basis on which I chose my current Android (Motorola Droid X). I had a second generation iPhone and thought the sound quality was terrible. DH and my BFF both have the HTC Thunderbolt and they both sound terrible when I talk to them (so much so, I hate talking to them via cell now).

I don't think there is a definitive answer to the "iPhone v Droid" debate. It's "Pepsi v Coke".

[codex57]

I don't think there is a definitive answer to the "iPhone v Droid" debate. It's "Pepsi v Coke".

Pretty much, but the lines are blurring a lot.

You can't really say it's form over function either for the iPhone. That's because the form was so well designed, it was supremely functional. Or, the other way around where it was so functional, it was beautiful.

THat's not to say the iPhone was perfect. Shoot, the first gen one couldn't even copy and paste.

However, we're talking about now. The lines are blurring. The iPhones biggest weaknesses were the small (now anyways) screen and the not so great map/navigation. Supposed to be fixed with the new one (3D map is supposed to be even better than Google's).

Android, when it first came out, practically required a PhD to figure out how to use. And icons and menus and stuff just didn't make sense. It's much better now. Still not as elegant as the iPhone, but that's cuz the iPhone only allows you to do a finite amount of things. It's easy to make simple look elegant.

It boils down to this. Do you want options, or do you want a company (which has previously proven to have very good taste) choose what you can do? If you're not particularly tech savvy, go with an iPhone. It will work right, you won't have to open a manual or ask for help online (2 yr olds can figure the thing out), if any cool new software comes out, your phone will get it. However, if it can't do something, don't expect to ever find an app that allows you to do it (like see Flash videos, etc). If you wanna stay on the right side of the law, go with an iPhone. If you love pouring over reviews to find the phone that might fit you exactly (or better, cuz the perfect phone might not exist) and you want to do any new feature that people dream up, whether it works great or not. Cool software tends to come out first with Android, but you may or may not be able to run it on your phone. It's like gambling. Some phones might work right, some phones might get the cool software update, etc. The others won't. It can be REALLY hard to figure out which one you'll get.

[justlearning]

Codex, great post. Over our vacation I used my DH's iphone more than I had before (due to taking pics with it) and kept stumbling onto things that it seemed that it couldn't do as well as my phone. For example, after taking a pic with my phone, I can immediately share it on facebook but with his, I couldn't. (I'd have to first go into facebook and then upload the pic.) I also became frustrated with the fact that I could do more with my menus that would pop up (e.g., allowing me to immediately edit pics with borders, etc.) but it seemed that his didn't have as many options on the menus.

Maybe I would like his phone if I spent time reading the manual, but I haven't read a single page of instructions with my phone but can do so much with it. I guess I lucked out getting a later-stage android phone because now it seems very user-friendly.

[newmomto1]

Codex, great post. Over our vacation I used my DH's iphone more than I had before (due to taking pics with it) and kept stumbling onto things that it seemed that it couldn't do as well as my phone. For example, after taking a pic with my phone, I can immediately share it on facebook but with his, I couldn't. (I'd have to first go into facebook and then upload the pic.) I also became frustrated with the fact that I could do more with my menus that would pop up (e.g., allowing me to immediately edit pics with borders, etc.) but it seemed that his didn't have as many options on the menus.

Maybe I would like his phone if I spent time reading the manual, but I haven't read a single page of instructions with my phone but can do so much with it. I guess I lucked out getting a later-stage android phone because now it seems very user-friendly.

Just curious, does your DH have the 4s??
And which android do you have?

[justlearning]

Just curious, does your DH have the 4s??
And which android do you have?

Yes, he does have the 4s and I have an LG Optimus Elite that I found on sale for $110 then.

ETA that I do find that the one downside of my 3g phone (and/or service with Virgin Mobile) is that it tends to run slow, which is why I am considering upgrading to a 4g phone and the 4g Solavei service. (You can use any 4g phone with that using a sim card.)

[codex57]

Codex, great post. Over our vacation I used my DH's iphone more than I had before (due to taking pics with it) and kept stumbling onto things that it seemed that it couldn't do as well as my phone. For example, after taking a pic with my phone, I can immediately share it on facebook but with his, I couldn't. (I'd have to first go into facebook and then upload the pic.) I also became frustrated with the fact that I could do more with my menus that would pop up (e.g., allowing me to immediately edit pics with borders, etc.) but it seemed that his didn't have as many options on the menus.

Maybe I would like his phone if I spent time reading the manual, but I haven't read a single page of instructions with my phone but can do so much with it. I guess I lucked out getting a later-stage android phone because now it seems very user-friendly.

Yeah, if you get an iPhone, you have to willingly be a sheep. A mindless drone. If you find something an iPhone can't do, it's prolly intentional (Apple was in a fight with Facebook; that may be resolving so we'll see with iOS). Same with photo editing. Features Android has long had, Apple will put out when they feel like it. Just pretend they don't exist until it does.

However, if you're willing to be a sheep, when it does come out, you can bet it'll work immediately, and it'll literally be a pleasure to use. It's like a 5 star hotel. They think of the little things that you wouldn't dream of noticing. You might not even notice it all, but it all works together absolutely perfectly and even your 2 yr old will be able to figure out how to do it (so great for grandma and grandpa as well). Plus, since they're all the same (and there really is only 3-4 versions of Apple phones out ever), if you do have issues, it's easy to find someone to help you figure it out (or you can just go to the Genius Bar). I've had to help my BIL with his EVO before. For many issues on Android, the instructions are insanely complicated. I don't want to have to root a phone. If you want to, great. At least you have the ability to. I'm just not the target Android demographic. Each is great in some ways, crappy in others. But with each new generation, both get closer and closer to each other.

[KHF]

A big :yeahthat: to everything codex said. I'm a computer engineer and I had a Galaxy Note for 3 days after it came out, returned it to Best Buy and reactivated my iPhone 3GS. I'm now patiently waiting for the iPhone 5. For me, the deal breaker was that the version of Android that came on the Note wouldn't let me add my corporate Exchange account. With the iPhone, things just work. No, I can't customize it six ways of Sunday, but it does what I need it to easily and right out of the box.

Baaa. I'm willing to be a sheep for a phone that just works.

[MMMommy]

Love my Galaxy Nexus droid phone. I hear the new Jellybean (latest android version) is spectacular. Ask BillK about that. He already has it and has marveled about it. I'm waiting for the update to hit my Galaxy Nexus. I had an iPhone 4s for one week and had to go back to android. I like android much better personally. There is no right or wrong between iPhone and droid. Whatever suits your needs.