Android vs. iPhone for College Students

Android vs. iPhone for College Students Photo via Flickr user mujitra There are many brands, types and models of smartphones and tablets on the market right now. While the iPhone may be a smartphone giant of sorts, Android phones are plentiful, varied and in many cases, much cheaper than the Apple tycoons branded smartphone. For the average college student, here is a guide to deciding which operating system is best for you! User-friendliness Do you want to pick up a phone and be able to easily understand how to use it? The iPhone is probably for you â€" all you do is tap on the icon you want from your Home screen and press the Home button to return to that screen. The comfort of an iPhone is that its exactly the same as everyone elses â€" simple, clean and easy to use. Android devices can differ from phone to phone â€" different buttons, screen sizes, shapes, unlock screens, etc. The home screen differs from phone to phone and brand to brand. Android can definitely make a first-time user scratch their head as to where to find everything. Your Computer Are you all about the creativity and exploration of a Windows PC, or the carefully secure Apple interface? If youre a uber-customizer who loves to get down to the nitty gritty of your electronics, then Android is probably a more satisfying choice for you. If you want to not have to worry about your device and sync it with your Mac easily, then an iOS may be more suited towards your lifestyle â€" Apple makes sure that the iPhone integrated seamlessly with Macs. Photo via Flickr user johanl Do you hate Windows for the vulnerability to Trojans, spyware and malware? Android is probably not for you; the open-source development makes Android almost as vulnerable as Windows itself. If youre savvy on not clicking that Youve won an Amazon gift card! link and being smart about what apps you download, then youre probably set to go with Android. Also, if youre a Google user, highly invested in Gmail, Google Docs and Calendar, Android integrates quite seamlessly. I know that for me, an overly busy college student, Google makes my life much simpler, and having that Android integration really, really helps. Memory Your smartphone is used to download apps, store photos, music, video, etc. If you have too many of those, your smartphone slows down significantly.  The iPhone has great internal memory size options that you can choose at purchase. Android phones tend to have much less internal memory, unless youre looking at high-end Android phones like the Galaxy SIII. However, most Android smartphones come equipped with an SD card slot to add tons of extra memory. The iPhone does not have this capability.  The SD card is relatively cheap and removable, which exposes your data to possible corruption if handled improperly, while the iPhones purely internal memory is almost incorruptible. Personally, I prefer taking the card out, plugging it into my computer and being able to drag-and-drop, delete or add files wherever I want. The SD Card functions as a USB drive in this way. The iPhone needs a cable to sync up to my computer and iTunes to transfer music. I cant drag-and-drop any files. Photo via Flickr user sidduz Apps Lets be honest, touchscreens arent the only reason we love smartphones. Apps from Evernote to Angry Birds make our lives easier and less stressful, and for a college student, offer an escape from (or a focus on!) the world around them. With an iPhone, all app downloads go through the App Store. Each app is approved, controlled and monitored; some apps are rejected before they can hit the store. This makes the iPhone very secure. The App Store on iOS also has more apps than the Android Google Play Store, due to a much older, more prevalent market. Androids app market, through the Google Play Store, is a free-for-all, download-at-own-risk platform. However, with the SD card capabilities, you can also access the file system directly from your phone and  sideload apps from the SD card, all without jailbreaking the phone. Developers experiment more with their apps, with the freedom to do whatever they want. Cost Heres the cold hard truth: the iPhone 5 (16GB) starts at $199 with a mobile plan. Android phones often come for free with a mobile plan. Lets add up the other costs: if you want to upgrade the storage or get a new battery for your sputtering iPhone, you have to get a NEW iPhone. Android? You can just get a new SD card or battery on Amazon or at your local Best Buy. The security of iPhone due to Apples Apple knows best mentality comes with a literal price. Buying an iPhone or an Android phone isnt simple. Some people value certain things more than others. Whats most important to you in a smartphone? Tell us what phone you use, and why you love or hate it!