Android Overtakes iPhone Sales in Q1

[deja]

But I still think it's a racket, and that people are just flocking to smartphones like sheep, when they really don't need them. But that's a lone, dissenting opinion.

No it's not. I was tempted by the smartphone craze early on and continue to be, but I still let good sense win the day. The only thing that might weaken my resolve would be the KGS applet. But even then, the cost of the whole shebang doesn't match the benefits.

[Jordus]

Android sales seem to be booming, apparently due to a wide choice of phone designs and networks. Blackberry still beats Google and Apple both though.

Isn't the iphone dropping in sales because everyone already has one?

[Inmare]

My monthly rate is 10€ for a data flat (200MB at UMTS speed, after that GPRS) and no other fees.

Reading your numbers of over 50$ a month, 500$ a year was a shock. Are rates in Germany that much lower?

Smartphone subscriptions, with unlimited data and unlimited cell-to-cell calls, were about $70/month in the US when I got mine (last December). They may have dropped now, not sure. Most smartphones vendors require you to get a subscription like that. So yes, a smartphone in the US is going to require an expensive monthly fee. But they still sell in ever-increasing numbers.

I got my phone and my provider contract independently. In fact I have this very same data plan (10€/month, same speed limitations) since mid last year. It does not include free cell calls but such plans are available. But the data plan allows instant messaging and VoIP, so why should I bother? And the maximum combined call & text messaging costs are capped at 50€ a month so it can't get to expensive (and 50 'free' text messages come with the data plan),

Getting a phone together with a contract is some form of instalment. Someone will earn on that - but why do that for a 200 - 400 € device? Can't be worth the costs (or, at least for me, the feeling to be in debt for a phone). Or did you mean you can't get a smartphone without subscription in the U.S.?

Biggest drawback "over here": No pan-european plans, all are limited to one country. I am living 2km south of a national border and like to be there and further north... So constantly switching SIMs.

[kirkmc]

That's pretty cheap for a data plan compared to the costs here in France, but there are two caveats: first, it's only UMTS and not 3G, and second it's limited to 200 MB, which isn't a whole lot if you do a lot of web surfing, or any streaming at all.

[fwiffo]

I got the minimum voice plan (I use very few minutes), unlimited data (metered data is some crazy amount per megabyte and not that much cheaper for the base cost), the most basic $5 text plan (you can opt out of text, but then you pay like a dollar per message if some spammer texts you or something insane). That plus insurance (I don't want to drop $500+ if I drop my phone) and fees is just under $91 per month. I was paying something like $43 per month for just basic voice before that including fees. I believe the data portion of the contract is $39.95.

Probably I could have gotten a pre-paid voice plan with a regular phone and paid under $20 per month with as few minutes as I use. But you can't use a pre-paid plan with a smartphone.

My phone was $99 at Best Buy with the contract. If I wanted just the phone, I would have had to pay over $500, and I would have had to get a contract from somebody in order to actually use it.

(Here in France, there is less choice, and the total you can pay is around $100.)

Less choice? You don't have choice of cable companies in the US, which often means you don't have choice of broadband providers. At least, I've never lived anywhere that has more than one cable provider. That's part of why broadband access, cost and bandwidth is so terrible in the US. Of course, we've had no technology policy at all in this country, so it's no surprise.

[kirkmc]

(Here in France, there is less choice, and the total you can pay is around $100.)

Less choice? You don't have choice of cable companies in the US, which often means you don't have choice of broadband providers. At least, I've never lived anywhere that has more than one cable provider. That's part of why broadband access, cost and bandwidth is so terrible in the US. Of course, we've had no technology policy at all in this country, so it's no surprise.

There's pretty much no cable in France; everyone gets their TV by satellite (or ADSL now). There's only one satellite provider, after the two that existed merged (or, more correctly, one bought out the other). There's not even the equivalent of HBO or other additional paid channels like in the US.

OTOH, broadband is substantially better and cheaper in France. I'm in a village of 2000 people, and I get 6 mbps.

[Inmare]

That's pretty cheap for a data plan compared to the costs here in France, but there are two caveats: first, it's only UMTS and not 3G, and second it's limited to 200 MB, which isn't a whole lot if you do a lot of web surfing, or any streaming at all.

UMTS is a synonym for 3G here (I don't know if there are even other 3G services offered). As this contract is faciliating the 1800 Mhz network I can get up to 3,6 MBit/s with HSDPA.

I never reached the 200MB limit (you get SMS notifications), but then I use DSL via WLan when at home and work and I'm not that much into video streaming. And the 200MB limit is not a 'hard' limit, it just get's slower after that. I used the net with GPRS speed for quite some time - since mid last year up to a few weeks ago. I had a phone that was not UMTS capable... worked well enough, even with things like Google maps or such (or KGS via tethered netbook ^^). Raising the (soft!) limit to 5 gigabyte is just another 10 € per month, totalling 20 €.
Additionally there are 'day flats' with 1 gigabyte at UMTS speed (i.e. HSDPA/HSUPA) available at 2,50 € (after that GPRS speed) if you only need mobile internet rarely.

Using Opera mini as browser on the phone when surfing helps a lot; it uses a compression service which keeps data usage low and page loading speed high.

No, the limitations are not a problem for me. The provider is Telefonica O2, which is doing business not only in Germany; don't know, how their rates in other countries are.

[kirkmc]

That's pretty cheap for a data plan compared to the costs here in France, but there are two caveats: first, it's only UMTS and not 3G, and second it's limited to 200 MB, which isn't a whole lot if you do a lot of web surfing, or any streaming at all.

UMTS is a synonym for 3G here (I don't know if there are even other 3G services offered). As this contract is faciliating the 1800 Mhz network I can get up to 3,6 MBit/s with HSDPA.

I never reached the 200MB limit (you get SMS notifications), but then I use DSL via WLan when at home and work and I'm not that much into video streaming. And the 200MB limit is not a 'hard' limit, it just get's slower after that. I used the net with GPRS speed for quite some time - since mid last year up to a few weeks ago. I had a phone that was not UMTS capable... worked well enough, even with things like Google maps or such (or KGS via tethered netbook ^^). Raising the (soft!) limit to 5 gigabyte is just another 10 € per month, totalling 20 €.
Additionally there are 'day flats' with 1 gigabyte at UMTS speed (i.e. HSDPA/HSUPA) available at 2,50 € (after that GPRS speed) if you only need mobile internet rarely.

Using Opera mini as browser on the phone when surfing helps a lot; it uses a compression service which keeps data usage low and page loading speed high.

No, the limitations are not a problem for me. The provider is Telefonica O2, which is doing business not only in Germany; don't know, how their rates in other countries are.

I don't think UMTS is a "synonym" for 3G; they are different technologies.

[ChradH]

I don't think UMTS is a "synonym" for 3G; they are different technologies.

Seeing is believing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umts

[Inmare]

I don't think UMTS is a "synonym" for 3G; they are different technologies.

No. 3G is a shortcut for 3. generation communications technologies; it is not a technology per se but a collective term. UMTS is one of the 3G technologies available; in mobile communications in Europe it is the most popular one. 3G-CDMA and Wimax don't play a major role here.