A Month with the Nexus S
Chris Clark, My Month With the Nexus S:
Sure, it comes with a whole host of freedoms that I can exercise, like installing a third-party keyboard component to replace the system keyboard, but I didn’t exercise those freedoms because I don’t care, I’m just not that guy. I never themed my Windows installations, never jailbroke my iPhone, never turbocharged my car. I want a phoneputer that just works and lets me pursue my own goals; goals that don’t include being a sysadmin.
I went through a similar experiment last year with the Nexus One before the iPhone 4 even came out, and made some similar observations. I have a Nexus S in my possession now and have played with it somewhat, and while there are aspects of it which are appealing, I have no intention of using the Android OS as my primary phone again any time soon (if ever).
One point that Chris Clark doesn’t mention that was a huge issue for me is also the apps. There are not nearly as many Android apps available as iOS apps, and those that are available — even when built by the same developers — generally pale in usability compared to their iOS counterparts. I have certain apps on my iPhone, such as OmniFocus, for which there is no Android app that comes even close.