I have read a lot of articles and blog posts comparing iOS versus Android or Apple versus Google. These stories are always comparing one feature set against another. I think the better way to look at the comparison is by judging how the devices are used.
For work, I was given an Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy SIII, for testing our company apps, in addition to the regular things for which a person uses a mobile phone. Personally, I bought myself an iPad 2, which I also always have with me. I have had the SIII for almost a year and the iPad for almost 2 years.
So my typical day, starts with me taking the SIII off the charger and checking my SIII for voice mails or text messages.
I then grab my iPad and check my email. I have email on both my SIII and my iPad, but I genuinely prefer the email user experience on my iPad, especially for the inevitable replies. Although, again, both devices can manage multiple email accounts, I manage 5 different email accounts on my iPad and I keep my phone for purely work email. Also, adding my work email to my android did not automatically include my calendar and task functions as it did with my iPad — something I use a lot.
Throughout the day, I may get a couple of calls on my SIII, but mostly people reach out to me on my office land line. For family and friends, I will use the phone for text messaging. For work, I tend to use Skype, and again, I prefer Skype on my iPad or my laptop.
As I am working, i have both my iPad and SIII close at hand. Throughout a typical work week, I need to sign and approve invoices, expenses, and requests that are sent to me, via email. I use Notability (love this) on my iPad to review, sign and return digital documents.
At other times, during meetings and phone calls, i am using Notes, Trello, Calendar, and Reminders to create action items, follow-ups, and meeting notes. For this, again, I am using the iPad. I don’t even carry paper and pens to meetings anymore. The iPad works well instead.
On some days, I need to capture a picture of a person, place, or notes on a whiteboard. Without a doubt, it is my SIII that I pick up. The quality of photo is far superior and the device is much easier to manipulate. However, i sync my photos from all devices to my Dropbox account, so all photos and screenshots end up in the same place.
At lunch time, i like to read as a diversion. While a preferred a reader called ereader, it got bought by Barnes and Noble and promptly disappeared. In my opinion, it was a great reader experience. However, since that is no longer an option, I tried a number of other readers before settling on iBooks. I share my books between an iPod Touch for bedtime reading and my Ipad for reading any other time. I absolutely love that the page I am reading is synced as I switch from device to device even though my Touch is one of the earliest versions.
If I have had any conversations on my SIII, during the day, the SIII battery is dying or dead by 5:00pm. In fact, when I get home, my first action, after kissing my wife hello, is to put the SIII on the charger. Since I like to charge my devices while I sleep, I often forgot my charger at home. On the other hand, when I get home, my wife often grabs my iPad out of my bag to look up a recipe, check her email, or surf Facebook.
The battery is probably to single most disappointing thing about the SIII. The battery life on the SIII is absolutely atrocious. The poor battery life is probably the most significant influencer on how I use the SIII. Since I need it as a phone and for messaging, I don’t feel encouraged to download a lot of apps that might further drain the phone battery. The other thing I note is that the SIII takes longer to charge than the iPad.
Throughout the evening, both my wife and I share the iPad back and forth for email, Facebook, surfing the web, and my secret indulgence – Texas Hold’em on my Pokerstars App. We both have laptops, but unless we both want to do something online at the same moment, we always prefer to use the iPad. The SIII stays on the charger to be available, if needed, for emergency work calls.
In conclusion, my iPad is a constant companion that I have come to depend on. My SIII is primarily what I use for text messaging and as a phone. I don’t think about the battery on my iPad as it seldom impacts me. On the SIII, it is something that I constantly need to monitor.
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