Help me out - I am not tech savvy and get real confused. I have an ancient iPhone, and it will soon die. From a user friendly standpoint, are the androids better?

From a security standpoint (and I DO need security on the border), is there a difference between android and iPhone in hacking ability? I know Apple tracks an iPhone, even when not being used. Not too scary, but don't necessarily want certain people to figure out where I live. And I use my personal cell for all my State business (at my expense), so I want to keep all that safe.

And while we are at it - carriers? Recs on those?

All you younger, smarter (and probably prettier) people out there - help!

Thanks!

...on which technology company you've given your life over to. I have an Android phone for both my work and personal use. A Motorola Droid for work, a Samsung Captivate for personal. I couldn't be happier with the Android user experience. But, I've given my digital life over to Google, so everything seamlessly integrates. If you're an Apple person (or became one after buying the Iphone) then you may experience some switching pains.

I guess some of the question is- what are you using it for? If it's just for routine reading personal and office emails, and the occasional text, then I doubt you'll notice much of a difference after the first week or so.

In terms of security, there's no discernible difference in the "keep my person safe" category. The tracking issues are largely overblown as it would effect an end user.

For carriers it's far better to ask around where you are. My work phone is Verizon, and my personal phone is ATT. I get better data service with Verizon at the courthouse, but texts almost never work. In Waco, my personal phone gets better service. You'll be better off just asking the defense attorneys what they have and how it works- they're the ones living out of their cell phones.

ATT has owned me for 14 years (including their alternate persona Cingular). I love those Samsung Captivates - glad to find someone who uses it and can recommend it.

People here have all kinds of phones and they all gripe. But, it's the border. So far, ATT hasn't been too bad for me here - in Georgetown I had constant dropped calls and got kicked off the server for no reason on too many occasions. I just hate it sometimes when I am downtown and ATT texts me that, since I am in Mexico, I am going to get charged international roaming rates. I call them every time and remind them that I am not a crazy person - I don't cross that bridge..........

The Captivate:

Great on screen keyboard, perfect size in your hand, good hardware, great screen. The bad part of it is that with wi-fi on I only get 24-28 hours of on time per battery charge. With the wi-fi off it's closer to 50 hours.

Seeing as how my poor battered ancient iPhone gets less than 24 now........

Samsung Infuse - AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

One advantage that the iPhone has over the Android OS phones is the fact that all apps for the iPhone have to be vetted by Apple, while Android apps are available from sources other than the Android App store. While there is some moaning from developers over that fact, there have been reports of Android users having their phones hacked through apps obtained from these third party sights. So if you go with Android OS, be careful. Personally, I am an Apple "girl." I plan to replace my iPhone 3GS with an iPhone 5 when it is released. Eagerly awaiting the day!

Janette A

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/05/apple-acknowledges-mac-defender-malware-promises-software-update.ars

Trusting a "closed" system to protect you is always a recipe for disaster. As always, the best protection from malware is your own sense of incredulity.

Very true; one does have to be careful. I never follow a link in an email or some pop-up, and I keep an up-to-date virus program and firewall on my iMac. However, the difference between Mac computers and iPhones is that a user can install third party software on the computer without going through Apple, while if you want an app for your iPhone, you have no choice but to go through the Apple App store (possibly you can download outside apps if you jailbreak the phone, but I'm not sure about that). I think Apple takes too much of a cut from developers' sales, but at least they vet the software for malware before making it available in the App store to users. For me, the one big miss in the iPhone is the lack of Flash capability, alhtough maybe it will be eventually replaced by HTML 5.

As for the original poster, both Android OS and the Apple OS are good; it's just a matter of which phone and provider meet best meet the user's needs.

Janette A