I live in the DMZ between iOS and Android; I dual-wield both an iPhone and a Nexus (currently a 5 and a 4 respectively), because some things are better suited for (or only available on!) one or the other. I lean iOS for things that are on both, mostly because I have had gear in the Apple ecosystem for many years and it's easier to stay there. Several Google apps are also on iOS anyway (Maps, Search, Voice, etc).
Connectivity on the cheap T-Mobile has an online-or-WalMart-only $30/month prepaid plan for smartphones: 5GB of high-speed data (and then throttled data instead of overage charges), unlimited texts, 100 minutes of voice (and then 10¢s;/minute). Great for people who own "handheld computers that can sometimes make phone calls".
Must-have iOS apps
Dark Sky gives hyperlocal rain forecasts. (And I really mean hyperlocal, like "at your current location, in 15 minutes there will be heavy rain for 30 minutes followed by light rain for an hour".)
TheTransitApp will show you when the next bus will arrive...at all the nearby stops, for all the relevant routes. If you're in a city where several routes might get you where you want to go, it's nice to be able to see that you can catch the 68 in 9 minutes, or walk half a block and grab the 85 in 3 minutes instead. It's also now fully usable at the free tier, though I'm glad I paid them money when they were still doing the "subscription" model (see more routes, etc if you pay); it's well worth it.
I haven't played with the Google Now functionality on iOS much yet, since I already had it on Android. I suspect it will be slightly less featureful since it won't have all the same OS-level support.
Must-have Android apps
Several of these are built-in on newer versions, but unlike iOS they can be upgraded without a full OS release.
Google Now, if you're willing to make the tradeoff of turning on location reporting, can be amazing: "leave in the next 10 minutes to make it to your appointment, due to traffic". It can also give you some of the functionality of TheTransitApp, showing the next buses at the nearest stop (but not other nearby stops).
Gmail (if you use it), the new Google Keyboard (similar to Swype et al, but free), Maps, etc.
Dashclock, if you're on Jelly Bean but don't like the new lockscreen clock.
Ingress, if you want an incentive to get out and get some exercise. It's basically smartphone capture-the-flag, with a science fiction backstory. It's still an invite-only beta, but I have a few invites if people need them.
Androminion, if you like Dominion and have too much free time.
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Smartphones and tech gear
Date: 2013-06-12 01:59 pm (UTC)warschoiceI live in the DMZ between iOS and Android; I dual-wield both an iPhone and a Nexus (currently a 5 and a 4 respectively), because some things are better suited for (or only available on!) one or the other. I lean iOS for things that are on both, mostly because I have had gear in the Apple ecosystem for many years and it's easier to stay there. Several Google apps are also on iOS anyway (Maps, Search, Voice, etc).
Connectivity on the cheap
T-Mobile has an online-or-WalMart-only $30/month prepaid plan for smartphones: 5GB of high-speed data (and then throttled data instead of overage charges), unlimited texts, 100 minutes of voice (and then 10¢s;/minute). Great for people who own "handheld computers that can sometimes make phone calls".
Must-have iOS apps
Dark Sky gives hyperlocal rain forecasts. (And I really mean hyperlocal, like "at your current location, in 15 minutes there will be heavy rain for 30 minutes followed by light rain for an hour".)
TheTransitApp will show you when the next bus will arrive...at all the nearby stops, for all the relevant routes. If you're in a city where several routes might get you where you want to go, it's nice to be able to see that you can catch the 68 in 9 minutes, or walk half a block and grab the 85 in 3 minutes instead. It's also now fully usable at the free tier, though I'm glad I paid them money when they were still doing the "subscription" model (see more routes, etc if you pay); it's well worth it.
I haven't played with the Google Now functionality on iOS much yet, since I already had it on Android. I suspect it will be slightly less featureful since it won't have all the same OS-level support.
Must-have Android apps
Several of these are built-in on newer versions, but unlike iOS they can be upgraded without a full OS release.
Google Now, if you're willing to make the tradeoff of turning on location reporting, can be amazing: "leave in the next 10 minutes to make it to your appointment, due to traffic". It can also give you some of the functionality of TheTransitApp, showing the next buses at the nearest stop (but not other nearby stops).
Gmail (if you use it), the new Google Keyboard (similar to Swype et al, but free), Maps, etc.
Dashclock, if you're on Jelly Bean but don't like the new lockscreen clock.
Ingress, if you want an incentive to get out and get some exercise. It's basically smartphone capture-the-flag, with a science fiction backstory. It's still an invite-only beta, but I have a few invites if people need them.
Androminion, if you like Dominion and have too much free time.