why are you thinking of making the jump?

Because I'm already using Google replacements for almost all of the native Apple apps. I don't like Mail, I use a Gmail shortcut. Ditto Maps. I prefer Chrome to Safari. I use Downcast instead of iTunes for podcasts (not Google, but still not native Apple).

Oh shit, iPhoto, that's the other one I use. Is there a good way to back up photos to a Mac on an Android phone?

I see what you mean. but aren't you still committed to the apple store ecosystem anyway?

Note: I don't think I use the native apple apps much at all, but I do use a fair number of apple store only apps.

I'll be interested to hear more of your journey if you decide to move in that direction. There might be some blogs out there of people who made the switch.

TWIT has an android phone podcast

aren't you still committed to the apple store ecosystem anyway?

I'm not sure how many of the apps I use are only available for iOS - I should check. Having to buy all new apps would be moderately expensive, if I decided to replace everything.

TWIT has an android phone podcast

With Jason Howell! Who I've been a fan of since his CNET days. Still miss Gadgettes.

Is there a good way to back up photos to a Mac on an Android phone?

My backup is that my devices upload photos to Dropbox automatically so it has that effect--I don't know enough about how iPhones do their magic to say if it's a one for one equivalent, though.

I don't know enough about how iPhones do their magic to say if it's a one for one equivalent, though.

When I plug in my phone to my laptop, iPhoto recognizes it as a camera and downloads the photos.

Dropbox probably does that for you.

I'll be curious how you like the iOS vs Android OS's. I recall a few years ago (so things may have changed since then) when my staff were giving me hard time for being the only one with an iPhone, and they all had 'droids. And her phone would crash a LOT. And my bosses phone would do an update overnight that would make some of his apps not work. And the complaints that if an app is installed on the phone, it's running all the time and slowing it down (or some such, I didn't understand that one). I shrugged at some of the cool apps they had that iPhone didn't. But I laughed when my phone just worked. And theirs.... not all the time.

Likewise, the other day, I was exchanging contacts with neighbor. So I handed my iPhone to him so he could enter his info on an empty "new contact". He first commented that the screen is so small. But then went on to say, "oh wow, that is way easier to enter info than on mine".

When I plug in my phone to my laptop, iPhoto recognizes it as a camera and downloads the photos.

That isn't dependent on your phone--I have to stop my laptop from doing that to all my shit.

I'm not sure what "running all the time" is supposed to mean--most well-written Android apps, I thought, were supposed to save and suspend when you stopped using them. That's why if I'm gone from my browser for more than however-many minutes in some other apps, it reloads the page again--memory management turfed that shit.

I was a late Android adapter, relatively speaking, but the things that don't just work with my phone are on the level of "Why can't I get it to pop up my entire shopping list whenever I go into a Ralph's?" As a phone/address book/contact keeper--the bare minimum--it's exceeded my requirements (now that I can search on company name, that is).

Do people really have Android phones they can't use? What are they trying to do???

most well-written Android apps, I thought, were supposed to save and suspend when you stopped using them

They are supposed to save, but Android decides when to throw them out and restore them vs. just leaving them in memory.

Apps can also install services that do run all the time, which is something you cannot do on iOS.

Apps can also install services that do run all the time, which is something you cannot do on iOS.

I'm assuming that's what gives us the joy of a Tasker or a Locale, etc, right?