MMObility: My iPhone versus my Android

I've been lucky enough lately to surround myself with some pretty nifty gadgets. It's not hard, really, being that my mobile phone provider gives me a large discount every two years. Coincidentally, my phones need to be upgraded about every two years, so it works out perfectly. Lately, though, I've been using my phones less and less as phones and more as gaming devices. I text to communicate and also make heavy use of the cameras. They might be called a "phone" but making phone calls is the least I do.

We were generally an iPhone household for a while. When my wife's old original iPhone was upgraded to a 3GS, I got the old one. When we upgraded her to an iPhone 4, I got the 3GS and my mother got the original. (She loves it by the way.) We also have an iPad 1 and 2, but no Android tablet... yet. I do have my HTC Inspire Android phone, though. I've spent enough time with all of them to form a pretty strong opinion on both.

Now, this is not going to be a tech-talk filled column. I don't do that sort of thing. I don't care if I save a few frames per second -- that stuff varies so much anyway. I am going to just lay out how they work for me specifically, and maybe you readers can fill in some blanks with your opinion. Again, I am not going to tell you what kind of processor speed they each have or what type of memory. I can list specs until the cows come home and it still won't explain how they work in my everyday life. Also, you can simply go to the pages I link and check out the specs yourself. This column is all about me and my lifestyle, so use that as a barometer for your own use.

As I pointed out before, I now have an iPhone 3GS. My wife has the iPhone 4...a device I will get in another year or so when we have another free upgrade. With each new iPhone -- or really any Apple device -- there is a noticeable difference in performance and feel. Each new device gets better, slicker, smoother. The same thing happened with our iPads. I get to spend more time with the original and at the same time get to play along with the 2. Apple always one-ups itself. It does make you wonder if they do it almost on purpose: creating newer, shinier and better objects to play with, and releasing them on a super fast schedule. I am an Apple fan, for sure, but only because their devices are simply easy to use, intuitive, and will last forever. We still have one of the last iMacs sitting in our closet (the flower power one) and it runs all the same.

"Yes, there is a lot to see and do in the world of Flash MMOs, but Apple does not care. If Android is a PC, the iPhone is a console."

As a point of comparison for the Android argument, I'd like to note that Apple seems to limit how much you can do with their devices. They have made the iPhone a device that doesn't budge. If you want to make a game for the device, you have to match their standards. You must be approved to get in the app store, and the process is not exactly for the weak of heart. Apple has also decided to leave Flash off of their devices, and frankly I don't blame them. Flash is notorious for performance issues, something I notice on even my gaming PC. Yes, there is a lot to see and do in the world of Flash MMOs, but Apple does not care. If Android is a PC, the iPhone is a console.

These limitations don't bother me simply because the iPhone is such a wonderful, smooth device. I can hand my mother or 86 year-old grandmother an iPhone and they will be able to figure it out. If I handed them my Android phone, they would be lost. If anyone wonders about how the iPhone became so successful, they only need to look at its accessibility, ease of use, and wonderful design. The iPhone is a work of art.

Now let's talk about the Android. To be very specific, I have an Android HTC Inspire. I picked it up only after seeing a tech site review that claimed for 100 dollars it packed in more power and options than most phones on the market. At that price point I had to grab one. Even though I was a few months early for an upgrade, the store manager was happy to approve it and take my money.

I like the HTC, don't get me wrong. It is slick, the screen is large and nice, and it does have power. For gaming it does more, but using Flash on it only proves why Apple skipped the inclusion of Flash on their devices; Flash can work the phone hard. I still can barely play most Flash-based games (MMO or not) on the HTC, and when I can, it's not exactly a smooth experience. Where the HTC shines is in its ability to run embedded Flash videos. Of course, this means that wonderful ads are shown in all their annoying brilliance, but at least it works. The problem I have with my HTC is that it is, essentially, my pocket desktop. It wants to give me as many options as my desktop. This is not a good thing. The PC desktop is a wonderful thing, don't get me wrong. I have used one for 12 years now and have enjoyed tweaking it, adding to it, and sinking thousands and thousands of dollars into it. But it has also crashed, broke, forced me to upgrade, ruined data and generally been accepted as a device that often requires babysitting. And yes, I know all about building your own PC, as if that saves you from having any issues at all (It does not.) The rule is, if you are a PC owner and use it for gaming, you will have an issue, a conflict, or a problem at some point. Let's face it: we have a love/hate relationship with our PCs.

The HTC allows me to add an animated background, a wonderful animated view of leaves or grass, but it sucks my battery. It also allows me to sync all of my social media while on the go, but takes so much data and battery life that it generally isn't worth it. Checking Gmail on the HTC is silly, especially since I have to go to the different folders to check different emails, instead of having them all laid out in one, easy-to-read folder. I can "side-load" apps, tweak the hell out of it, and generally treat the HTC as the mini-PC it is, but why would I want to do that? To be honest -- but hopefully not too mean -- I think that most of the Android enthusiasts I know are obsessed with their devices because they like to tweak on the things, not use them. My brother seems obsessed with buying older phones from other users, fixing them up and seeing how he can make them work differently than intended. This is the same mentality behind a lot of so-called "hackers" -- people who are simply turned on by tweaking technology, but not as turned on by using it.

So, yes, the HTC gives me more options, more things to poke at, and more customization. As all PC gamers know, that's just more stuff that can break.

"But, as someone who used the iPhone to make calls and, you know, do phone stuff, the iPhone is far superior to the HTC."

So, which do I prefer? Well, the iPhone is simply a device now. I no longer have it activated as a phone. The HTC took its spot on my phone bill. (I still use the iPhone for games, mail and other things.) But, as someone who used the iPhone to make calls and, you know, do phone stuff, the iPhone is far superior to the HTC. The voice quality is much better on the iPhone, the camera is far better (the HTC Inspire 8 Megapixel camera is a joke, actually, unless you have brilliant perfect lighting), and the device is much more intuitive. As a phone, the iPhone rules all.

As a gaming device, however, the HTC is sharper and seems more powerful. The screen is larger and brighter, so poking around on it works wonderfully. I tend to look for most MMOs on the HTC, but both devices have an MMO market that is growing. I just wish the HTC would stop trying to be a PC. I have never loved PCs, really, I simply have tolerated them because they let me play my favorite games. At the first chance I get, I'm never going back to a bulky desktop again. (I rarely play on it now, anyway.)

The funniest twist in all of this is that now, with the introduction of my own iPad, I stay on iOS devices the most. I keep the iPad near as I write or play on the laptop or desktop, and use it to check emails, Twitter, Facebook and other websites. I also use it to stream games from my desktop or to play iOS MMOs. So, overall, iOS wins out in this house.

What about your house? Do you have several devices? Is there a conflict in your house between them? Let me know in the comments section below!

Each week in MMObility, Beau Hindman dives into the murky waters of the most accessible and travel-friendly games around, including browser-based and smartphone MMOs. Join him as he investigates the best, worst, and most daring games to hit the smallest devices! Email him suggestions, or follow him on Twitter, Facebook, or Raptr.