I recently bought a Nexus S and brought it into a hostile environment (http://www.madebysofa.com). I used it for a while now and am building an ongoing review: https://gist.github.com/892043

    PLUS

    - You never have to attach it to the computer, not even for software upgrades
    - Call quality and reception is sometimes better then my iPhone
    - The dashboard or home is really nice with widgets and shortcuts (like wifi settings)
    - Regular mini USB cable, although iPod cables are pretty common now too
    - I don't really feel like I miss any apps, and most standard apps are done very nicely
    - Some stuff is really smart like having a 2 second delay for locking after the screen dims down
    - Most of the time it feels pretty fast
    - I feel like I have more insight in the device (which is good because I'm geeky)
    - I like how I can for each app see what they are allowed to do and disable stuff (like background syncing) in the app manager. Although I never do anything with it.
    - The Firefox browser is actually really nice

    MINUS

    - It feels like an actual computer doing background stuff sometimes
    - Battery life is a lot worse (~50%), especially with syncing turned on
    - It charges reaaally slow, or maybe as fast as an iPhone over normal USB
    - The browser gets really slow with large pages
    - There is no easy way to see what Android version you are exactly running and see a changelog
    - If you're somewhere with speakers, the is a bigger chance on a iPod connector then a jack-jack
    - For running, the earphone jack on the bottom is not handy with an armband
    - Wifi reception seems actually worse then my iPhone
    - Couldn't find a snooze function on the default alarm
    - Taking a call while running (with music) was ridiculous, i ended up having to reboot the phone
    - It seems the browser has a lot of problems when switching networking (wifi to 3g etc.)
    - Phone itself feels a lot cheaper then an iPhone, but still decent
    - The camera is extremely shit and audio with movies is a joke
    - Overall it feels way less polished (unexpected delays, stuttery animations, weird redraws)
    - I feel like I have no control over which app is running until I go into some task manager. I think they only keep running when it makes sense (navigation, mp3)
    - Wifi receptions is worse then an iPhone, and most apps (like the browser) are really bad at dealing with bad network connections.
    - When the phone gets stuck (mostly in maps or the browser with lots of js) the only way to reboot it is to peel out the battery. Eek!
    - Flimsy USB cable/connector are really frustrating when you need to make a call while charging
    - A actually have to travel with a phone charger on me again
    - It feels like app updates are available sooner/more often on iOS

    SUBJECTIVE

    - I like the look of the icons and most Android base screens
    - I hate the Android font, a sort of thin Verdana

I didn't vote because I never had an Android phone. I'm on my second iPhone and I really like it. Things that make me want to try some other mobile OS: iTunes and the dated look of the iOS theme (keeping the everything-needs-to-be-grey from OSX, ew).

I have to say that this is nice to see .. normally the Android/Apple discussions are mired in blind fanboy-ism, but people here seem objective and reasonable. Android's lack of polish in areas and Apple lock-in to iTunes, Androids flexibility and Apple's great screen. Myself, I do like the Apple hardware, but can't accept the lock-in and control. Even if iOS it did everything I wanted, I'd probably still go with Android as I think in the long term having Apple get too powerful is bad for the internet and computing in general. I'm probably a statistical outlier though, letting my philosophical beliefs come into play when choosing a smart-phone.

Right now it's at a balance (169/169 points). I'd be interesting to see how this changes over time. We need to do such a poll every 6 months, somebody mark their agenda.

Switched from iPhone 3G to a ZTE Blade and am generally enthusiastic about the weird and wonderful elements of the Android world. I prefer to see the sausage being made than play along with Apple's sprezzatura.

I also don't think the price difference (which allegedly doesn't exist in the U.S.) can be justified for any purpose other than as a public display of wealth/status.

I feel similarly about most car purchases, clothes with visible branding etc. so it's not just an Apple thing. And while I can appreciate nice car designs, and certain fashion items as much as I can appreciate the iPhone, I can't bring myself to pay a large premium, just so that it's obvious to others that I paid a large premium. I would go so far as to pay more for (or put more effort into getting) something less blatantly materialistic in a weird reverse-snobbery kind of way.

Oh, and like Mozilla Firefox vs Google Chrome, I'm glad to see the competition and happy that Microsoft isn't in the running as it's not in their business interests to make good browsers, good phones or good tablets and any control they had would simply be used to stunt the market.

I was Iphone 3G user for last 2-3 years and 4 months migrated to Nexus S. Now I bought iPhone 4 for my wife and it has some positives as well. Its a very close call and still can't decide what is better

My comparison is:

Android:

1. Easy syncing with PC - like attaching USB disc 2. Customization of home screen - I have few icons that switch off wifi, gps, brightness all on home screen - very useful 3. Easier swapping sim cards without need of any needle or pin 4. Adobe Flash support 5. Great multitasking 6. Notifications support way better 7. Portable hotspot - I've heard that iPhone now has it as well? this is a must

iPhone 4:

1. Great screen 2. Great camera - Nexus S camera sux 3. More apps that get released sooner than on Android - e.g. we went to China and there wasn't any usable chinese words scanner to english translation on Android but iPhone version has been out for few months

I switched from a 1st gen iPhone to a G1 then later to a Nexus One. I'm contemplating going back to an iPhone, but haven't made up my mind yet. The attractions of each platform for me:

Android:

    1. Doesn't require iTunes
    2. Very hackable, proper multitasking
    3. I like a lot of the APIs
    4. Doesn't require iTunes

    1. Waaaay cheaper*
    2. Same OS as the iPad, which I want
    3. "Just works" for common use-cases
    4. Family now has iPhones, makes me want to try FaceTime

While everyone loves bashing "the other platform", whichever it might be, I think its pretty cool that we've gotten to the point where there's a lot to love about both (and other platforms as well).

My primary phone is a N900, a Maemo phone. I have also used a Nexus S and a Xoom, primarily for development.

There are a lot of things that I really like about Maemo over Android; here's some off the top of my head:

1. It's much more hackable. It's really a lot like have a miniature Linux system. There's no need to do any special firmware updates to get root access, and it's relatively simple to replace any system component.

2. It has better IPv6 support, albeit with a non-stock kernel.

3. System-level support for proxies—I find it hard to believe Android does not do this.

4. A real keyboard

5. Better SSH/OpenVPN support

There are some things that are nicer on Android, such as Google Maps for navigation. The on-screen keyboard for the Xoom is not too bad to use.

There’s a certain polish the iPhone and iOS have that nothing else does. Whenever I use a friend’s Android, it feels unfinished, like they forgot a round of usability testing or something.

I don't believe in the idea of paying to code for a device I own, and having to buy a different computer to do so, so Android, hands down.

That said, lately I've become less enthusiastic about doing phone apps at all, and think I'll likely stick with the web for the immediate future. iPhones aren't going away, so to really cover a market, you should do at least an iPhone as well as an Android version of any app... no fun.

Oh jeeze anything but Apple lock in.... But don't listen to me. I am writing this reply from an iPad and use a Blackberry. I still say Android.

I prefer WebOS.

As a heavy Google services user, I prefer Android overall, but something about the iPhone's keyboard keeps luring me back. Until I spend a couple days with the iOS Google Voice app. Then I put my SIM card back in my Nexus One.

I switched from iPhone 3G to HTC Desire. My conclusion is that Android is more raw, flexible and dynamic, while iPhone is more user friendly and more static.

I have no experience with Android yet, so I won't vote, but I can say that if it ever becomes impossible to jailbreak an iPhone I will ditch it immediately.

I prefer the iPhone, but rooting for Android -- don't know exactly what that says about me :-)

I'm curious as to how many people have substantial experience with both, such that they can make a reasonable comparison.

(I don't know whether to expect that'd only be a few people or quite a lot of people).

I'd like to see a poll for "Develop for X first" where X is one of iPhone, Android, Web

I have an Android. But voted iPhone. Very much looking forward to my upgrade!

Why no love for other platforms?

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I don't have a cell-phone

I've had iPhone for 2 years, now I have HTC Desire HD. iPhone (though slow) was the best phone I've ever had - insane amounts of polish, consistent UI/UX across, booming app store and all the media attention even after all these years, because Apple keeps updating their phones long after release and you don't really feel left out too much.

I'm not happy with my HTC, battere life is poor, UI/UX is terrible. It's obvious google copied as much from Apple as they could get away with but there's just too many "good enough" in Android, there's no consistency, lack of good looking applications and your vendor doesn't care about you as soon as they have your money. Yes, some Android devices have better specs, but from my anecdotal development experience on both platforms these extra specs are there just to keep up with the iPhone, animations, transitions and other taxing operations are noticeably slower in Android.

good poll. no noise about development, app stores, prices...

just select the cancer-giving you carry around most of the time.

even thought missing RIM, Nokia and MS seems bad even for the HN crowd. Not to mention "Other"