Here’s what I’ve noticed with the two, that I can try to sum up this way: If Android doesn’t have something you like, you can modify it or find another one. But iPhone makes sure you like it.

Let me explain with the keyboard. The iPhone keyboard is very good, and is far superior to the Android default. However, with my Android it comes with Samsung’s own version, plus numerous others from the Market, and I happen to use a third-party keyboard. Now, it’s nice because Android offers choice, but I like the iPhone because I actually don’t have to worry about it, they ensure their keyboard is awesome, with easy typing and a nice, clean interface. At the same time though, it’s hard to make everyone happy.

I think I’ll stick with Android for a while, because I’m happy with it and used to it. If I ever get a tablet though, I’ll get an iPad, and I would love to get a Mac sometime.

WP7 is very much like iphone to me. I ran it for awhile on my HD2. It’s super smooth and I like everything except the the homescreen and the extreme lack of settings, just like iphone. I think people are voting on this thing by staying very clear of it. I may use it as a way to help ween me off my phone addiction. That or buy a regular feature phone. LOL

As for Ecosystems, who has a bigger ecosystem them Microsoft. Bing, Xbox, MSN Messenger, Windows Live, Office, Zune, Outlook, Skydirve….. And the list goes on. Microsoft is bringing it all together and things are looking good.

@grover

If you are comparing Apple smoothness and WP7 smoothness, then I really don’t know what you’re on about because both systems are silky smooth. Android is the one that is not so smooth.

You mentioned iTunes for backup. WP7 has seemless cloud integration so I can sync all my data across devices, backup my contacts online and access my app purchase history online. I tested how all this works recently by resetting my phone completely just to see how good the WP7 cloud backup is. Guess what, it worked flawlessly – I provided my Windows Live ID and it automatically downloaded all my contacts again, all my data was available to restore, and all my apps could be reinstalled from the browswer wirelessly without even having to touch my phone. So I have no idea what the people you mentioned were doing, but clearly they either didn’t have WP7 Mango or they didn’t use the Windows Live cloud.

In terms of removing the apps, I’m talking about removal of 3rd party apps for comparison purposes (as originally stated in my earlier post), because that is what makes iPhone so good. But that doesn’t make other platforms inferior if they have that functionality natively integrated. If you look at what’s happening, iOS is slowly starting to integrate more stuff natively, meaning less requirement for 3rd party apps. This is exactly the same route that WP7 took from the beginning. Apple can clearly see the benefits of this.

Yeah, the camera on WP7 phones is nice! 🙂 And having a dedicated two-position camera button is very useful. Press half way to lock focus and light metering, then press fully to take the picture. It’s exactly how real cameras work and is nice to have for certain situations.

okay, so, let’s take out all the apps from all developers on all platforms…….what do we have? a phone! I will take Apples smoothness and the great backup for it in itunes over anything else that android or WP7 have….which is CARP! lol and yes, I know, I missplelled it on purpose. But, I know of people having issues on both phones when they have needed a new phone or upgraded…..lol lost contacts, pics, notes, etc…..

so, if you want to take out the apps, take them out of all, and still IOS/iPhone come out on top….well, except my crappy camera, and I will give that to you….lmao

Another nice app which I just found is called Weave. I’m using the free version. There appears to be a paid version too which is available as a free trial, but I haven’t looked at that.

One thing I do agree with you is that for an established iPhone user with access to the vast array of apps, the iPhone is great. No doubt about it. WP7 with it’s much smaller app marketplace probably does not make any logical sense to a long-time iPhone user. That’s because it’s the apps in the Apple ecosystem that make the iPhone what it is. If you take away all the 3rd party apps from an iPhone, how would it compare to it’s competitors?

This is in contrast to what WP7 was intended to be, which is maximum functionality out of the box, with a focus on people, natively integrated for a smooth quality experience. That is something it does very well, so much so that many users (myself included) simply don’t need many extra 3rd party apps.

Will WP7 Mango kill the iPhone? No I don’t think so, and I don’t want it to either because competition is required to drive innovation. However, will WP7 Mango gain marketshare? Yes I think it will, though probaly not from iPhone marketshare. WP7 is fundamentally a very good product and there is a large existing ecosystem to support it (not just the apps) so there is no reason why it can’t flourish. I personally think WP7 is more likely to gain most of its marketshare from new customers, Blackberry users, and some Android users. But who really knows!

One thing is for sure, there are very interesting times ahead in the mobile world!

With Facebook, I don’t use their app because the native functionality built into WP7 Mango is more than enough for my Facebook needs, such as tagging pictures and uploading them, chatting etc. I don’t Twitter, therefore it’s a feature which not important to me.

Weather Apps – I have a Samsung Omnia 7 and I only use their own app, which works great. However, I work from home so if I need to know what the weather is I can just look out of the window!!

Also, I’m in the UK so the UK specific apps that I do use would be of no use to you. London Travel is a great app which I use, especially since I don’t live in London and it’s ideal when travelling around the city on public transport, which can be daunting. I use Outdoor Navigation for my walking activities. So as you can see, I use very few apps. Therefore the fact that the app marketplace in WP7 is behind makes no difference to me because most of the things I need are built into the WP7 system.

In terms of known quality apps, try something like Cocktail flow. Tasks by Telerik looks nice, but I haven’t really had the need to use it.

One thing I would recommend is an app called Touch Develop from Microsoft – this is a very cool app which allows you to make your own apps! If you know a bit about coding or scripting, you might be quite impressed by this. It will be updated soon to support all the Mango features, but worth taking a look anyway because it is pretty cool.

If I’m honest, you’ll probably miss out on many of the new Mango specific apps if you have limited time on the platform, because many of the iOS and Android apps would not have been possible prior to Mango due to the restricted API in the original WP7.

My current list is sad:
Twitter – slow to load and slow to scroll
Facebook – It’s almost like they didn’t even try to make this app useable.
Weather / Weather Channel App – Live tiles FTW.
WP Shortcut Tiles and few HTC add-ons.

Other than those it’s very slim pickings when it comes to apps so far, so really I’d love to hear what I can’t miss out on while I’m still on the platform.

However, from my own personal perspective, if the quailty apps that you need are available in all of the ecosystems, then for those users the statement “there won’t be an iPhone killer” does not necessarily apply. Therefore, assuming that is the case, it’s the phone system itself that becomes the important factor which is down to personal preference, and why I personally prefer WP7 Mango over the other two.

Plus, I have an Xbox, so WP7 makes more sense.

Bottom line is though, at least there are now three decent phone systems available to choose from (WP7, Android, iOS), and that is most certainly a good thing for consumers.

Appstore Download link: http://itunes.apple.com/in/app/apple-life/id463407836?mt=8

The iPhone 4 is still the best design I’ve seen in a while and I certainly hope the new one is as good. If it wasn’t for the Xperia Play with it’s amazing gamepad, I would probably get a Windows Phone. Even though it’s lacking, I much prefer their interface. Apple’s UI is too much of the sameness from ’07.

The good thing I do realize about Android is the high level of customization and some of the things lacking can be made up through rooting and launchers, though for the average user, that’s normally not an option.

Good article!