Merry Christmas All! I got online the other day and took a look at this site to realize how long it has been since I had posted an update. Despite the long silence, Google Analytics is showing some good statistics, so I am scratching my head on that one a bit.
On to gadgets!
First, bah humbug…. I have used the iPhone faithfully for the past three years and really liked the device until I found that no matter how well you take care; no matter how diligently you handle the device – buying special cases, only putting the device in your suit jacket pocket, only putting the device in the empty padded pocket of your brief case – the iPhone only has a useful life of about 22 months. This is way too short!! I have on my home office desk three iPhones – one is mine, one is my friend’s, and one is from an acquaintance that was donated to me for tinkering. My iPhone was purchased February 2009 and became inoperable about July 2010. My friend’s iPhone was purchased in late 2008 and became inoperable June 2010. The third iPhone was purchased in May 2008 and became inoperable March 2010.
My iPhone started incessantly vibrating, then just took too long to react to anything. Friend’s iPhone just would not respond to anything and essentially would not turn on, which is the same for the third iPhone. Two years is too short of a useful life for a cell phone.

Now onto cheer… in comes Android devices. In Japan, the idea of a smart phone is just catching on. Regular cell phones in Japan have traditionally offered so many services, that many people still do not use a regular personal email (like GMail) that is not connected to their cell service account. While a lot moved to iPhone, Android devices are taking the market here and will surpass iPhone in very short time. And, being the gadget fanatic that I am, I thought it was time to give Android a try. My (broken) iPhone contract is complete just in time for Christmas, yet another new iPhone may come out in February and I don’t want to wait that long. I didn’t just jump to Android, because I have much motivation to stay with iPhone, so I spent a while evaluating before purchasing.

For iPhone:
– Total investment in apps is about US$100
– iTunes integration is awesome
– I use a Mac
– More secure

– Lot of accessories and cases
For Android:
– I like open systems
– The HTC Desire is a sexy phone with a better camera
– I use Windows too
– Will probably last longer than two years
– Most apps I (really) use are on the Android too
– CAN SWITCH BATTERIES AND EXTEND MEMORY
So there it is…. as you can see, the last point for the Android was a biggie. So I purchased the HTC Desire 001HD with an AMOLED screen at 3.7″ with HD video capability. This phone combined with the Sony bluetooth headphones displayed is a good combination for listening to music and handling phone calls. I still have not setup syncing to iCal and Address Book on OS X yet, and expect that to be a small challenge since the HTC sync software is for Windows only. Or, maybe it’s time to donate the 17″ MacBook Pro to the wife and kids.
If the device lasts two years, I will be happy; which is not a lot to ask of a cell phone manufacturer. Also, I forgot to mention that I use a 3G iPad, which reduces my use of smart phones to three functions – phone, SMS, and music player. The best of both worlds, but am anxious to see if the iPad can handle two years of Apple updates.
On! On!