Android VS Apple OR Apple VS Android

I am about to share an experience I have had over the past month and a half, and continue to experience, on a daily basis (in a good way). Before you read on, this blog is not about "you must purchase product apple/android because the other is terrible." The truth is, both platforms have wonderful phones and platforms. It just depends on what suits you. By the way, I'm creating this blog on a Macbook Air.

My Experience
In August 2015, I began a new job with a new school division and it was necessary for me to purchase another phone. At the same time, my teenage son's contract was finished on his mobile device.

We began and finished our journey with Pete from T-Booth at the Bower Mall in Red Deer. I've never witnessed anyone so knowledgable and willing to earn business and provide the customer with the best contract possible. If you are looking for a new phone, Pete is your guy!

My son wanted a new Samsung Galaxy Note. As you know, when teenagers have their minds set on something, they tend to have a very narrow focus. Jacob, my son, was the first in our family to go to the "android" side and stray from Apple. (Prior to this, he had a Samsung Galaxy S4 and quite liked it). His mom, myself, and his two sisters, all had iPhones and could not understand his recklessness in venturing to "the dark side" and figured he would return to the IOS product after the S4. He did not. He quite enjoyed the user experience.

Upon arriving to TBooth, I had my mind set on getting an iPhone for me and the Galaxy Note for Jacob. Pete had other plans :)) (Or solutions if you will.)

To be perfectly honest, it was money (and Pete) that helped with my decision to go with the LG G4. To make matters "worse", there just happened to be a promotion on the LG G4 on this particular day. If I chose the LG, we would be able to get both phones at $0.00 net cost (The promo on the LG would cancel out the cost of the Samsung). Anyone who is a dad and has a family understands the value in $0.00. Thanks, Pete.

So, Jacob and I both left TBooth with shiny new devices, excited to get home to try them out and test their capabilities. Jacob fell in love with his Note immediately, sharing with me all the things he could do on it (who cares :)) and was just as excited for me as well (all I wanted was to text and check email).

So fast forward two weeks into the new devices, and I was not a happy camper. The LG was not like my old iPhone, I had to relearn a system, it froze on me, it hung,.......I texted Pete: "This is not working for me, Pete. I'm thinking I

need to go back to what I knew...iPhone. After all, the iPhone 6+ looked like a gorgeous phone (it is) and had the IOS I was familiar with. I'm old. This change is hard on me. All I want is a phone that works.

Pete explained that it would be quite costly to change at this point and asked why I did not like the LG. This is what I said:

1. I'm old. Old people do not adapt to change easily.
2. The LG is not my old iPhone. It's different. :((
3. It freezes. I may be texting and it will "hang".

Pete, being the helpful guy he is, suggested that I do a factory reset on my LG. My limited understanding is it wipes the device and returns it to a "new" state. He also suggested, along with my son, NOT to have many widgets going, as that eats up my precious resources. Who knew?

I wiped the device and got rid of the widgets, not believing this would solve my problem, because I am an "apple guy." To my surprise, the LG has been stellar ever since (for the past 3 weeks).

If you are contemplating going down this platform road, here are a couple of things I have learned:

1. Be patient.
2. Ask questions (especially from younger folk).

There are several things I have added to my LG that have made the transition to Android a very exciting one:

1. I installed the Nova Launcher. I did not realize I could customize my device this way. I can change the number of apps on each screen, the size of the apps, the picture that is the app itself, etc, etc.
2. I installed SlideLock. It allows me to have notifications come up on my locked screen, just like they did on my iPhone. 

Last Words

I am delighted that I was "encouraged" to make the change from IOS to Android. I can do so many things with my LG phone. And, it takes incredible photos. Thanks Pete.

Is one platform "better" than the other? Not in my opinion. I have had the opportunity to use both. I actually like the Android platform more because of its customizability. If customizability is not important and you are familiar with the IOS platform and you do not mind putting out a few shekels for the device, the iPhone is for you. It truly is a great device. If customizability is important, and you enjoy personalizing how your device operates, you are probably ready for the Android experience. Heck, I'm even looking at alternative tablets to the iPad!

Whatever you choose, Android or IOS, both are winners and will easily accomplish the tasks that you challenge them to complete.

If you have questions or comments, drop me a line. Listen to me with all the techy lingo :))