iPhone 4 -- Consumer Reports won't recommend

My sons swear by anything Apple. I have a lot of lawyer friends who love their iPhones. But CNN reports that Consumer Reports will not recommend the iPhone 4. Check out CNN News to find out why.

Hint: Now I know why I have such trouble getting a clear connection with David who lives just north of mid-town Chicago.

Mike Golub, Michigan family lawyer suggested looking at Android phones and Scott Bassett, the Family Law Section's tech guru had these very valuable comments:

I agree with Michael's suggestion to look at Android phones if you want a phone that can run apps for a variety of things like the iPhone does.  Also, if you are a user of Gmail or any of Google's services, the way Android (also a Google product) integrates with your Gmail account and other services is superb.  If your interest is primarily POP or corporate (Exchange) email and voice only, a Blackberry is a simpler choice, although an Android phone will work with any email service, including Exchange (I use mine to access my Exchange email with the Affinity Consulting Group for the newsletter I edit. 

The edge the iPhone once had over other smart phones is clearly diminished, if not gone altogether.  Apple's design flaw with the 4G's antenna and its entirely false suggestion that it could be fixed by a software update has only accelerated that process.  It hurts Apple's credibility and well-earned reputation for design and quality customer service.  Not that the iPhone 4G isn't a great phone in other respects, but the antenna issue and being tied to AT&T may be too much of a compromise to make buying it worthwhile.  So much of the network issue depends on where you live, work, and travel.  If AT&T gives you good reception everywhere you go, then being tied to AT&T isn't a problem.  But we know from several objective surveys that AT&T's network and service is rated poorly compare with the other major cell carriers. 

As a geek who likes to tinker with technology, my phone since its November release has been a Motorola Droid on Verizon's network.  The Android OS works very well, as does Verizon's network.  There are not quite as many downloadable apps for Android as there are for the iPhone, and few that are legal-specific, but that will change over time (probably relatively little time the way Android's market share is increasing).  Tomorrow, if all goes well, I will get my new Droid X phone (with the original Droid going to my wife - apologies in advance to family members and friends for giving her yet another way to access Facebook).  Once I've had a chance to fully test the Droid X, I will post my thoughts.  It has a larger screen, faster processor, and can serve as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot (for an extra $20 per month, sadly) to get your notebook, netbook, or even iPad (a good reason to skip the iPad 3G version and opt for Wi-Fi only) onto the Internet from wherever there is Verizon coverage (which is almost everywhere these days). 

The Wi-Fi hotspot capability will come with the next version of the Android OS (called Froyo for "frozen yogurt", or 2.2), so most Android phones will be able to do the same thing.  That is a nice feature for lawyers who are frequently on the road with a notebook or netbook PC.  There is also an OTA (over the air update) scheduled very soon for the Droid Incredible that will add this capability plus the ability to capture 720p high-definition video (something the Droid X also does).  The ability to shoot HD video will reduce the need to carry a separate handheld video recorder on vacation, to your kids' activities, etc. (although the lens quality on the phones is not as good as on a separate video recorder, so although the resulting video will be HD, it may not look as good as what you take on your Flip HD or similar device). 

Scott Bassett, Michigan appellate lawyer and computer technology consultant, Bradenton, FL

Comments

[paul]

Thanks for the heads up and your personal take on the iphone as well as the droid x. I was also recently thinking about upgrading the cell phone plans for my office. My leading choice was the iphone as I heard the only problem was in the way you hold the phone. You have me leaning towards the droid and the verizon network. Thanks for the info!