Attorneys often find themselves operating in separate camps, such as plaintiff-defendant, prosecution-defense, civil-criminal, private-public and, perhaps most contentiously, Android-iPhone.
While both iPhones and Androids deliver a smartphone experience that keeps attorneys connected wherever they go, each platform takes a unique and sometimes idiosyncratic approach to features and capabilities. These differences have helped build strong user loyalties in both camps.
Yet times are changing. Androids and iPhones have each undergone a series of changes over the past year or so, prompting some users to consider moving to the opposing camp in order to take advantage of one or more improvements, such as a larger display or stronger app security.
Switching smartphone platforms should never be done on a whim, however, since a changeover requires learning how to use a new device as well as building a fresh app collection from scratch. It's also important to have a solid understanding of what each platform offers (or lacks) so that the switch doesn't lead to any unpleasant surprises.
Here's a look at how iPhone and Android phones shape up in several key areas and where both platforms may be headed:
App Selection. Apps are what make a smartphone smart. With its head start into the market, Apple has traditionally held a substantial lead in app selection and over its Android challenger. Yet this dominance is now finally ending.
Apple's App Store and Google's Android marketplace, Google Play, are now essentially tied. Apple offers approximately 800,000-plus apps, while Google lays claim to some 700,000 titles. Google Play is now also growing at a faster rate than Apple's App Store, both in terms if downloads and revenues. In 2013's first quarter, Google Play reached close to 90 percent of the App Store downloads.
Round 1: Android 1, iPhone 1 (winner in bold = 2 points; tie = 1 point).
Screen size. Screen size is simply a matter of mathematics — the bigger the screen, the larger the images. The iPhone 5 features a four-inch display, which marks a significant improvement over its predecessor's 3.5-inch screen. Yet even with its more spacious display area the iPhone 5 still lags behind many Android phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S III, which offers a 4.8-inch screen and the Droid RAZR M with its 4.3-inch screen. A larger screen makes it easier to read text, view photos and videos, and compose email and text messages with an on-screen keyboard (particularly if you have pudgy fingers). The trade-off, however, is that a larger screen also often means a larger phone. You can compare phone and display sizes here.
Round 2: Android 3, iPhone 1.
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