Heya! Mind letting us know which features we ignored on the iPhone? If this was done it was an honest oversight. If you'd care to point out the ones we missed, we'll be happy to incorporate them into the chart.
Also, I could tell a lot of bias when you talk about 3rd party apps. You ding iPhone because it needs to be jailbroken but fail to mention that an Android phone has to be rooted in the same manner.
More bias in wifi tethering - you fail to mention that the only way to enable it is to install 2.2 which is an unapproved firmware update. The carrier approved version that the vast majority of non-geek users will get WILL have carrier charges if you want to enable wifi tethering. You think Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile are just going to give it away for free when they charge everyone else?
"How about multiple Exchange account support?"
I'll add this row. Both Android and iPhone support it, so it's a wash either way.
"International keyboards and localization support (you mentioned user installable keyboards, but iPhone already has international keyboards for many countries built in). Kanji input from handwriting recognition?"
Also things I can add. Edit: I'm also removing the user installable keyboards row entirely.
"Supporting Exchange Activesync device security restrictions"
Yeah, good call on this. iPhone supports it in both OS versions, Android 2.1 doesn't, but 2.2 does.
"You ding iPhone because it needs to be jailbroken but fail to mention that an Android phone has to be rooted in the same manner."
Android doesn't have to be rooted to install third party apps. You can take a brand new, unrooted android app(unless it's the ATT backflip), and enabled the ability to install third party apps from the settings. You can then go to any website, download an APK and install it. You only need root if you're install an Android app the requires root.
"More bias in wifi tethering - you fail to mention that the only way to enable it is to install 2.2 which is an unapproved firmware update. The carrier approved version that the vast majority of non-geek users will get WILL have carrier charges if you want to enable wifi tethering. "
Yes and no. It is available in 2.2, and it is up to the carriers to decide about charging. I can add a note, but as far as we know it's in 2.2 and there's no charge to use it.
It may not be relevant to everyone, and sure, there will be people who think the chart is meaningless. It's the internet, I know what's up. Hater's gonna hate, etc.
Thanks for the feedback and for the constructive criticism(no sarcasm there) -- these things can quickly turn into flame wars, in which case everyone loses.
- "Real" multitasking
- WIFI/Bluetooth/USB tethering without additional charge (well you pay for the app, in this case MyWi)
- Install apps from third party sources (Cydia, Rock, etc)
- Passive notifications (Email, SMS, IM, Phone)
- AppleTalk networking
ie, currently you can do wifi tethering on Android 2.1, but only if it's rooted, so we're not counting that.
And in your sidebar you note which features can be done with a jailbroken iPhone, except for the ones that I've listed - which should be updated imho.
I own an Android and an iPhone. Jailbreaking an iPhone is a three minute process (with Spirit).
Not claiming that. The 'multi-tasking' category specifies 3rd party apps in the title.
"And in your sidebar you note which features can be done with a jailbroken iPhone, except for the ones that I've listed - which should be updated imho."
I only mentioned that third party apps can be installed on a jailbroken iPhone in the sidebar, because if I didn't, I'd get 30 comments letting me know it can be done. I know it can be, but it can't be done without jailbreaking, and that's the point. No other features on either platform are counted as a 'Y' if they require jailbreaking/rooting.
I know it's trivial jailbreak an iPhone or root an Android phone, but most average consumers don't want to do this.