Switching back to iPhone: What I love and what I miss

A lot of people became really concerned for me when I gave up my iPhone 4S for an LG G2 about a year and a half ago. I just wanted something different. I loved my iPhone from the moment I got it, but the small screen size and software started to really strangle my smartphone experience. I had to make a change. And when I made the switch from iOS to Android, people didn't understand. It was like I was abandoning Apple and starting a new life with my mobile mistress. Sometimes I think people act like they are married to whatever smartphone platform they first choose. If I have an iPhone now, when I upgrade I need to get a new iPhone. Or, if your Samsung Galaxy S4 is getting slow, you better get an S5. But, there are so many options out there, and it's okay to try them out. You don't know if what you have is what you like best if you never try anything else. 

So, I tried something else. My LG G2 was, and still is, awesome. I fell in love with the Android experience right away. I started to tweak every single thing I could on the phone; things I couldn't change on my iPhone. My newfound phone freedom was exciting. I ended up rooting the G2 for even more personalization and installing custom Roms like Cyanogenmod and CloudyG3; the possibilities seemed endless. I thought I would never go back to the confining features of an Apple device. Then, the iPhone 6 and iOS 8 came out. 

Finally! The iPhone 6 finally had the features that I wish my first iPhone had. Things like a larger screen, Swiftkey, and better Google integration were just a few of the things that I became quickly excited about. But could I give up my beloved G2 for it? Well, I did. And about 6 months later I've compiled a list of things I love about my iPhone 6 and things I miss about my Android. Here we go...

Things I miss about my G2:

1. Customizability - Obviously this has to be first. With so many different keyboards, cameras, fonts, color layouts, button layouts, etc, there's a lot to miss in this department. 

2. Tap to wake - The G2 has a feature that I used almost every time I picked up my device. You can double tap the screen to turn it on. Quick and simple, no buttons required. 

3. Buttons on Back - The G2 has the volume up/down and power buttons all on the back of the device; right where your pointer finger rests when holding the phone. This allows for a convenient place to turn the screen on/off and for my next point....

4. Screen to phone ratio - the LG G2 doesn't have the best overall body design, but it does sport a 5.2" screen in a slim, small frame. The side bezels are practically nonexistent and the top and bottom bezels are just big enough to house the speakers and camera. This made a large screen feel relatively small. 

5. Software - Last, but not least, just the overall software layout of Android. I like widgets and an app drawer so that I don't just have pages of square app icons on my home screens. 

Now for the iPhone 6: What I love:

1. Design - The best way to describe the iPhone 6 is 'premium'. It feels like what you're holding is actually worth something, not some glassy plastic or rubbery design. It's simple and sleek, and the way the glass screen seamlessly meets the metal chassis gives it an infinity pool look. Very stylish. 

2. Google integration - Because I did use a Google powered android device, I immersed myself into the Google ecosystem, and I love it. But, unlike the first time I had an iPhone, Google has integrated its apps so well into iOS that I can still use most of the Google features I've come to love. 

3. Messaging - This is a two fold point. First, iMessage. iMessage is such a great convenience mainly because you can text over wifi. I have no service at my desk at work and I had to send texts 4-6 times from my android device for my iPhone-using wife to receive them. Problem solved with iMessage. It also just makes sending everything over messaging iPhone-to-iPhone so much easier. Secondly, the keyboard. Although you cannot swipe for texting, there is just something about using the iPhone keyboard that is so satisfying. The predictions are amazing and the spacing is perfect. I feel that you can't really know what I'm talking about until you've tried it. It just feels right. 

4. Simplicity - This is a big one for a lot of people. iPhone gets a bad rep for being an old lady phone because it's simple to use, but isn't simple a good thing? If I want to change something or find something I can, without having to Google it. A two year old can pick one up and literally start using it immediately. Although it does have its restrictions, I've come to appreciate simplicity. 

5. Camera - This one is, by far, the most important for me. I take A LOT of pictures. Especially of my toddling daughter. Toddlers are constantly moving and the last thing I want is to use a camera with shutter lag and an over saturated product. I couldn't ever get the picture when I wanted because the moment passed by in between the time I hit the shutter button and the time the picture was actually taken. I have so many blurry pictures of my daughter on my LG. I have absolutely no complaints about the quality of portraits and still lifes from my G2, but if I wanted to get something in action, well, forget it. And, I found this on other android devices as well. In those type of situations, the iPhone just takes the cake (and the better picture). And, of course, the iPhone has the slow-mo video, which never gets old. 

There are many other things I could add to both of these lists, but these are the top 5. Will I ever switch back to an android powered device? Most likely. And then back to iPhone. Then android. Then iPhone. I don't think I'll ever settle on one or the other. I like so many things about each of them. Android device manufacturers just seem to take more risks on advancement with their devices, and I like that. It's not always something that turns out to be a long-lasting or useful feature, but I like that they're trying something new. iPhone wants to make sure everything is as perfect and well-working as it can be before it lets consumers use it, which is a huge positive and shows in all their devices and software. And, for now, I am loving my iPhone 6 and have absolutely no desire to give it up for an android device... Yet :) 

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Let me know your thoughts and opinions :) 

Be safe. Be courteous. 

Ryan

My Top 5 Favorite Apps:

There are way too many apps in the AppStore and Google Play Store now, and a lot of them are hardly worth the time they take to download. And phones are made for more than just social media consumption. There are some great apps, free apps, that can change how you live your day to day life. I've gone through a lot of apps on all my devices. Download them one day, and just delete them the next. But, there's a few I always come back to and need to have on my devices, iOS or Android. So, here's the list of my top 5 favorite apps:

1. Google Play Music 

There are plenty of music apps out there. Between Pandora, Spotify, SoundCloud, iHeartRadio, Rdio, iTunes Radio, etc there are plenty of options for listening to music on your phone or tablet. But sometimes you want to listen to your own artists you've downloaded, for free, with your own playlists, in whatever order you want, and that is where Google Play Music is awesome. Basically, you download the Play Music Manager on your computer and upload ALL your music through it. Then, with the Play Music app you can access it all without it taking any storage on your phone. Now of course you'll need data or wifi to access it, but you would with any of those other apps too. The difference here is that there's no ads, it's your choice music, and it's free. Another cool feature, if you use iTunes, is that the Play Music Manager will automatically upload music that you've added to your iTunes library on your computer. Definitely woth the zero cents per month for this one :) 

2. Evernote

If you have a mobile device and you do not have Evernote, stop reading this right now and go download it (not really, keep reading this). Evernote is all about productivity. It's, at its most basic, a note taking app, but it's designed it to be so much more. It's great for making check lists, or scanning pages, or setting reminders, or creating project ideas for work. One cool feature is that it will look at your calendar, know if you are at an event, and title your notes accordingly. There are several ways to organize and search for your notes. When you create a note it will use Location Services to figure out where you are and you can later search by notes taken in certain locations. You can also tag your notes with certain phrases to easily find later. Or you can organize notes into Notebooks like "Recipes" or "Movies I want to see". Evernote also has something called Work Chat where you can share your notes with someone else that has Evernote and they can add to or edit your note as well, which is great for collaboration on projects. If you are an iOS user, Evernote has a great widget that goes in your notifications shade that makes it super convenient to access.

There are many more parts to Evernote that I haven't even discovered yet, but once you start using it, it becomes integral to your every day life. 

3. IF (formerly known as IFTTT)

IF, or IFTTT (If This Than That) takes productivity to another level. It puts your device to work for you. What it all comes down to is recipes. Basically if this happens, then make this happen. 

Or, for example, if someone tags me in a photo on Facebook, then save it to an album on my phone. 

Then you will see that any time someone tags you in a photo on Facebook it will be saved to your phone. Pretty convenient. But, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many apps that IF works with, and you can tweak the recipes in so many ways to make them work just right for you. There are tons of recipes published by other people you can use, and adapt for you, or you can create your own. A few I use include: if a new post for an item I'm searching for on Craigslist is added, I get an email with the link. Another one is that if I post on Blogger, it will post the Blogger post to Twitter. One last one: if I use Siri (or the iOS reminder app) to make a reminder, it will create a reminder in Evernote; that way I can see it on my iPhone, android tablet, or computer. These are just a few of the seemingly endless recipes that are out there. IF has also recently come out with two new apps, DoNote and DoButton, which takes efficiency to an even higher level. So, put your phone to work for you and get IF!

4. Shazam

*🎶song playing🎶* "Who sings this song? I think it's Beyoncé! Or, wait, maybe it's U2! I just don't know!" <-- classic scenario. That's why Shazam was created. If you don't know what song is playing, or who sings it, just Shazam it! There's not a whole lot of description needed for this app. Two touches of your phone and you know what song is playing, who sings it, when it was released, what album it was on, if it won any awards, and the lyrics; all, usually, within about 10 seconds.

It also conveniently provides links to purchase the song and it keeps a record of your "tags" so you can go back later and check out your newfound music discoveries. Very simple and very convenient. Check it out! 

5. Mailbox

If you hadn't guessed it already, Mailbox is an email application that works with Gmail accounts. The built-in features of this app are what separate it from other email apps. The goal of Mailbox is to get your inbox to zero. You can archive, delete, snooze, or file your emails; and the way you do this is quick and fun. Swiping. 

Swipe right= Archive or Save

Far swipe right= Delete

Swipe left= Snooze

Far swipe left= Add to list 

Now, when it comes to "snoozing" your emails, you have options. You can remind yourself in an hour, later that day, in a few days, in a week, or you can just pick a date, and it will send you the same email again. And as far as lists, you can create however many you want, such as Receipts, Coupons, Church, Finance, Craigslist finds, or whatever else you fancy. The goal is just to be organized with your email, that way you know where to look when you need to find something. It's a very simple layout, it's easy and fun to use, and it keeps at least part of your life organized :) Sorry Apple Mail and Gmail, Mailbox is just the best. 

So, those are the 5 top (non social media) apps that I always have on all my devices. I would recommend everybody at least try them, because I think you will see how much you enjoy using them. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I welcome your feedback.  

Be safe. Be courteous. 

Ryan

iPhone? Android? Windows?

Its almost to the point now where everybody, their mother, AND their mother's six year old child has a smart phone. And the question commonly comes up: What is the best kind of phone to get? And, luckily for all you avid followers of my work, I have the answer for you: it depends :)

The type of phone you should buy depends on so many things. It used to be, if you wanted a touch screen smart phone, you got an iPhone, and thats just not the case anymore. There are so many more good options out there. Some people disgree with that last statement, but its the truth. Some of the most popular are Apple, Samsung, and Nokia, but these are just a few. In recent years, companies like LG, HTC, Motorola, Asus, Xiaomi, Huawei, Sony, and others are really starting to make a name for themselves. But more importantly than brand, is operating system.

Apple has created it's own operating system called iOs. It consists of a minimalistic, flat design of app icons on the homescreen. This can make it very simple to find what you are looking for, but not always the most efficient.

The next largest operating system would be Android. Android was created by Google and is considered an "open" operating system. Basically, this means that you have a lot more freedom, as a user and a phone manufacturer, to tweak the device to your liking. This means that even though a Samsung home screen and an LG homescreen look very different, they both are running on Android. Contrary to that, all iPhone home screens will look similar to one another.

The third largest, and up and coming, operating system is Windows Mobile. Windows is behind in the phone game by a pretty fair amount, but they are showing promise. They use a system called "live tiles" on their home screen, which shows live updates in small boxes for things like your social networking apps. Probably one of their biggest draws is the design of their devices. Nokia is the most popular manufacturer for Windows Mobile and they are coming out with some seriously cool and interesting devices. Many Android operation OEMs and Apple seem to have VERY similar looking devices. But when you see a bright lime green phone with a huge camera lens sticking out the back, it grabs your attention, and it's probably a device running windows.

So the question still remains...Which phone should I get? Here are my suggestions:

If you want a phone that is simple, works smoothly almost all the time, has a great camera, provides excellent customer support, and has a plethora of accessories, an iPhone is for you. The down side would be that you are constrained to what Apple allows you to do with your device. You have VERY little options for tweaking, changing, or(some may say) personalizing your device.

If you get bored quickly and constantly are looking for change or you are just not looking for a "me too" phone, Android is where you want to be. Android allows for much more freedom in use of your phone and so many options to choose from when buying. In 2014 Samsung, alone, put out over 50 different phones, and Apple put out 2. Another perk of an open OS is that you can download and install ringtones and text tones for free. There are many more compatible formats for music and movies, allowing you to watch movies that you have not purchased in the Google Play store on your device. One of my favorite things about Android is being able to pick default apps to use. If you have an Apple device and want to email or text, by default you will have to use their messaging or email app. With Android you can pick from many different email or messaging apps that you might like better than the stock versions. The downside to Android phones are that they all tend to be plain black slabs with a screen (with a few exceptions) and that you have to be able to deal with intermittent freezing, rebooting, and other software issues, but that is the price of an open operating system. But the tweakabilty is endless. 

If you are looking for a sleek, uniquely designed phone with an operating system that works seamlessly with your windows computer, grab a Windows phone. But, you must also consider that Windows is playing catch up and they do not have near the amount of apps or buying options that either Apple or Android would have. 

Well, I do hope that this has been helpful if you are looking to purchase a phone. Obviously I did not cover all aspects of all the phone types, but I tried to give out the most important information. I personally enjoy aspects of both Android and Apple iOS and it would be impossible for me to pick the one I like best. Thanks again for taking the time to read this. 

Be safe, be courteous. 

Ryan