Coverage: The guy with the glasses or Luke Wilson?
Apple iPhone and Motorola Droid comparisons were being made even before we knew what the Droid was. But beyond the features and functions of the phones themselves, the iPhone / Droid debate cannot begin without first discussing AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless themselves. When choosing any device for any carrier your primary concern should be your coverage area signal strength. Still, with all the "app" and "map" commercials out there, it may be hard to distinguish which one will be better for your needs. If you want a device just to place calls, then you may want to stick with Verizon's service. Those maps don't lie, their coverage area is superb! It's no wonder they have great call clarity. Conversely, AT&T currently has the most dropped calls of all the networks.
Just like in football, where it's the kicker's job to kick the ball, it's the cell phone carrier's job to provide phone coverage. But with the recent Verizon and AT&T commercial media battles, who's to know which company is telling the truth. Hands down Verizon has the best call quality and service. It is what they have stood by from the beginning, "Can you hear me now?" AT&T doesn't compare to Verizon's call service, but they make up for it in their superb data coverage, thanks in large part to the iPhone. But don't just take my word for it, take it from me and my friends! I did a review with a group of my friends who are spread out all over the continental U.S., with an equal amount of iPhone and Droid users.
My own cell phone career has led me to sign up with all the major carriers at one point or another, except T-Mobile who always seems to be a bit behind in technology and equipment, but they were rated as having the highest customer service ranking. My group of tech friends, made up of equal amounts of iPhone and Droid users, have similar stories so we probably are as good a random sample as Gallup Poll or any other company can find.
The results are below.
This is how we rated each carrier according to voice coverage:
1.) Verizon Wireless 2.) Sprint 3.) T-Mobile 4.) AT&T Wireless
We ranked data coverage as follows:
1.) AT&T Wireless 2.) Sprint 3.) T-Mobile 4.) Verizon Wireless
Equipment: To touch, or not to touch (screen)
Before beginning let me say that I do realize that when it comes down to it, using a touch keypad or full QWERTY keyboard is a matter of what the individual user is more comfortable with, but a more objective debate centers around the touch screen itself, and how they are NOT all the same.
There are actually two types of widely used touch screen technologies. The most innovative one is used by the Apple iPhone 3Gs and is called the "capacitive" touch screen. It works by recognizing the electrical properties of your finger to locate where you are touching the screen. This makes the capacitive screen much more sensitive and responsive to movement on the screen itself. The second type of screen is pressure sensitive. Thus referred to as a "resistive" touch screen. It works by stacking multiple thin layers beneath the touch screen. When pressure is applied on the face of the screen it causes these layers to come into contact, telling the phone where you are on the screen.
The Motorola Droid's QWERTY keyboard is quite standard in function. Although critics will point out how it makes the Droid more heavy and bulky. Proponents of the keyboard are happy to make a little sacrifice to have an actual physical keyboard.
No matter what manufacturers continue to crank out, the iPhone 3Gs is still the standard by which all other smart phones are judged. The Droid came out with a ton of media hype and it has proven itself worthy to be in the same room with the iPhone, though not usurping it in any way. However, until the Apple iPhone is officially available on the other networks it will continue to be judged not only on its own merits, but that of AT&T Wireless as well. I guess that means we'll still be seeing a lot of Luke Wilson in the near future.
Apple iPhone and Motorola Droid comparisons were being made even before we knew what the Droid was. But beyond the features and functions of the phones themselves, the iPhone / Droid debate cannot begin without first discussing AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless themselves. When choosing any device for any carrier your primary concern should be your coverage area signal strength. Still, with all the "app" and "map" commercials out there, it may be hard to distinguish which one will be better for your needs. If you want a device just to place calls, then you may want to stick with Verizon's service. Those maps don't lie, their coverage area is superb! It's no wonder they have great call clarity. Conversely, AT&T currently has the most dropped calls of all the networks.
Just like in football, where it's the kicker's job to kick the ball, it's the cell phone carrier's job to provide phone coverage. But with the recent Verizon and AT&T commercial media battles, who's to know which company is telling the truth. Hands down Verizon has the best call quality and service. It is what they have stood by from the beginning, "Can you hear me now?" AT&T doesn't compare to Verizon's call service, but they make up for it in their superb data coverage, thanks in large part to the iPhone. But don't just take my word for it, take it from me and my friends! I did a review with a group of my friends who are spread out all over the continental U.S., with an equal amount of iPhone and Droid users.
My own cell phone career has led me to sign up with all the major carriers at one point or another, except T-Mobile who always seems to be a bit behind in technology and equipment, but they were rated as having the highest customer service ranking. My group of tech friends, made up of equal amounts of iPhone and Droid users, have similar stories so we probably are as good a random sample as Gallup Poll or any other company can find.
The results are below.
This is how we rated each carrier according to voice coverage:
1.) Verizon Wireless 2.) Sprint 3.) T-Mobile 4.) AT&T Wireless
We ranked data coverage as follows:
1.) AT&T Wireless 2.) Sprint 3.) T-Mobile 4.) Verizon Wireless
Equipment: To touch, or not to touch (screen)
Before beginning let me say that I do realize that when it comes down to it, using a touch keypad or full QWERTY keyboard is a matter of what the individual user is more comfortable with, but a more objective debate centers around the touch screen itself, and how they are NOT all the same.
There are actually two types of widely used touch screen technologies. The most innovative one is used by the Apple iPhone 3Gs and is called the "capacitive" touch screen. It works by recognizing the electrical properties of your finger to locate where you are touching the screen. This makes the capacitive screen much more sensitive and responsive to movement on the screen itself. The second type of screen is pressure sensitive. Thus referred to as a "resistive" touch screen. It works by stacking multiple thin layers beneath the touch screen. When pressure is applied on the face of the screen it causes these layers to come into contact, telling the phone where you are on the screen.
The Motorola Droid's QWERTY keyboard is quite standard in function. Although critics will point out how it makes the Droid more heavy and bulky. Proponents of the keyboard are happy to make a little sacrifice to have an actual physical keyboard.
No matter what manufacturers continue to crank out, the iPhone 3Gs is still the standard by which all other smart phones are judged. The Droid came out with a ton of media hype and it has proven itself worthy to be in the same room with the iPhone, though not usurping it in any way. However, until the Apple iPhone is officially available on the other networks it will continue to be judged not only on its own merits, but that of AT&T Wireless as well. I guess that means we'll still be seeing a lot of Luke Wilson in the near future.
About the Author:
To find more phone comparisons, articles, and accessories visit Tim Kalen's site, www.mobilemonkeyz.com, and find Apple iPhone 3Gs accessories, and Motorola Droid products. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.
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