iPhone-ing it in ...

Ok. It's been 2 weeks since the iPhone 4 has been released on the Verizon network and since I got it the day it came out, I figured this would be a good opportunity for a quick review on it thus far ...

I love it. The ease and simplicity of EVERYTHING you do with a mobile device. From Facebook, to Twitter, to web browsing, to E-mail, to pictures, to games, to checking Subway schedules, to everything else ... I thought my old LG ENV3 phone could do these things ... By the iPhone 4 standard? - It could not. The iPhone 4 does everything I ask and need of it with no hassle. The potential "issues" of being on Verizon's CDMA based 3G network, essentially that you can't make a call & web browse/etc. at the same time, have been non-existent.

The only minor hurdle has been downloading large apps. For the very large ones, you can't download them off the cellular network (3G). You either have to plug into iTunes on your computer or switch to WiFi. The issue with iTunes is that the new iPhone will only talk to the latest version of iTunes. And the latest version of iTunes will only talk to the newer Mac OSX (for those of us Mac users). What does that mean? Well, if you are like me and still using something like Tiger or possibly even Leopard, then you are gonna have to shell out another $150 or so to upgrade your Mac processor in order to use the newest iTunes, just to synch the iPhone, just to download a big app. A pain, right? Well, like I said - it's only a minor hurdle. You still have the WiFi option. Synch your iPhone to any WiFi you can latch on that isn't shared by too many other iPhones in the area, and not only can u download the largest apps, but you are now also NOT being charged for the data usage. Minor hurdle - averted.

Moving on, the other day, my good friend Joey asked me to take a peek at the new Droid Bionic phone by Motorola, soon to be released on the 4G (LTE) network, and to weigh in on it.  So "take a peek", I did!

Droid Bionic

Unfortunately, it was hard to do so without ALSO looking at the new HTC Thunderbolt.

First off, they both claimed to be the FIRST smart phone to be released on Verizon's 4G. Well the Bionic's speculated release is Mid/Late April. The Thunderbolt was yesterday. So ... yeah. Thunderbolt easily wins THAT argument.

Bionic has a huge screen, HDMI output, all the bells and whistles you could ask for in a smart phone. It's got an 8 megapixel camera, superior to iPhone's current 5 megapixels :(, and being on the 4G network, its basis is that it is going to be lightning quick. So is that a good enough reason to get it? I couldn't play with it myself, but check out this demo:

Then we have Thunderbolt. It's got the 8 megapixel camera like the Droid. (apparently the NEW standard in phone cameras ... fine) It does the super fast 4G thing as well. Has the huge screen, a lot of customizables, yadda, yadda, yadda ... And even some cool little tidbits like the flashlight and stuff like that. Hey, you never know, right?

Thunderbolt

So what's the verdict? I like the Thunderbolt better than the Bionic. It's hard to tell exactly, unless you hold them both up next to each other, but it appears that the Thunderbolt is a little thinner. Smart phones are continually growing in size and the less ease that you can just throw them in your pocket, the less attractive a phone option it is. Also, the Thunderbolt appeared to be a bit more fluid and responsive to user touch, which is probably the #1 feature of ANY smart phone ... and also the reason (as biased as it may sound), the iPhone 4 is still better than the both of them.

iPhone is smaller, thus fits anywhere you need it to fit. It's touch capacity is hands down the BEST in the business. I compared the touch scrolling against S & S's phones the other day and to say theirs were PAINFUL by comparison would be an understatement. Even Noodles, who uses an Evo or something couldn't help but admire the ease and responsiveness of the iPhone 4 vs. his phone. We even timed who could load Angry Birds faster, and iPhone won.

I'm guessing Bionic and Thunderbolt may be faster in their data downloads, surfing the net, etc. But we're talking only a couple seconds. And everything else, with actual phone usability? They still won't touch the iPhone.  Who cares how many people sweat and celebrate the iPhone? It's not bandwagon hopping. They rave about it because it's that damn good. Avoiding it is like saying "I'm not going to eat at that restaurant because everyone says how delicious it is." Insane, right? Seriously. Being hard-headed won't get you anywhere in life. Just go to the Verizon store and play with it. You'll see what I mean.