Learning About Smartphones for the Non-Owner

I usually have one or two students who don't own a smartphone or tablet who take my class on iPhones iPads and I'm Lost and they have said it was helpful in helping them decide what to purchase, and when. The class is for iPhones and iPads because we go throughout he device operation, settings, and use of some of the apps. Wait until fall if you can to purchase an iPhone since we are expecting a new model in October.

As far as preferences, both Android and Apple smartphones are very good, the top Android models right now are the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the HTC One X. Almost all of the top 100 apps are available on either Apple or Android smartphones, but there are substantial differences between tablets for the two operating systems with iPad being more popular and having many more apps than Android for now.

If you take the class you'll have more understanding of what any smartphone can do, and attendees have told me it helped them make a more informed buying decision. I've had some Android owners take the class to learn what's different about an iPhone and if they should consider switching.

Key to making the most of any device is taking advantage of apps and content. While many apps are available on both Android and Apple, there's a difference in how and where you can obtain content. With content, an iPhone/iPad gives you access to all the content available from Apple. Apple's iTunes is a media store, which, in addition to music, includes movies, television shows, podcasts, audiobooks, iBooks, and university lectures and training on iTunes University by major universities and cultural institutions like museums. It's considered the best and is matched only by Amazon, which makes their own tablet device called the Kindle Fire. Amazon's app is free for both Apple and Android devices and it's possible to read Amazon purchased books, but not play movies or television.

Google has a content store called Google Play, and is making progress in adding content, but hasn't been doing it as long as Apple or Amazon so it has to catch up. However, if  you're a user of any Google apps, Android is integrated with gmail, Google Maps, Google Docs, and sets up with these services quickly.

While much of this content is available for Android, it usually involves pulling together several different sources and knowing more about how to access individual Web sites for the content. As a result, Android users who know how to do this don't have any great gaps between Android and Apple but less sophisticated users may not know how to take advantage of these resources. Apple also has a network of stores and offers the highest rated support plans, which, for a small add-on price, offer extended phone and hardware support for two years. This is separate from the carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc) who support the Android devices directly.

So what it comes down to is if you want to adopt the Apple way of doing things or the Android way, and what's important to you for using your device. If you take the class, you'll learn how people use their mobile smartphones and iPads and be able to ask others questions about their buying decisions. That alone can be worth the money when you think of the cost of the devices and plan commitments.