- Open Source
- Android gives "True" Multitasking
- Android Keeps Information Visible on Your Home Screen
- Android Has a Better App Market
- Android Gives You Better Notifications
- Android Lets You Choose Your Hardware
- FullyHackable
- Adobe Flash
- Application installation
- Seamless integration with Google technologies :)
The Android versus iPhone debate has been heating up in the recent months as consumers, journalists, industry folk, and even CEOs argue over which platform is superior.
There are dozens of Apple sites that will make the argument that Apple’s iOS platform is superior to Android, and they may even be right about a few of them. That being said, there are some really good reasons why I feel Android is better than Apple and the iPhone
Developers and manufacturers are free to implement and change Android in any way that they would like, which opens up the platform to tons of new ideas and innovations. Granted these changes aren’t always for the better, but the potential for a developer or manufacturer to create something unique and customized using Android is there – thanks to the fact it is open sourced. 
With Android, all you have to do is hold down the Home button to see a list of your running applications. From that list, you can switch between apps at any time. There are even third-party Android applications (such as Power Strip) that can be installed that make the task of multitasking even more powerful.
The current version of iPhone OS does offer limited multitasking, but only allows native applications such as Mail, iPod and Phone to run in the background.
One of the key features Android has is a customizable home screen keeps active widgets right at your fingertips, always accessible and always visible - without having to launch an application first. There are widgets for just about every app in the Android Marketplace from playing music to checking the weather and keeping up to date on Facebook. Meanwhile iPhone users are force to flip through their app list to locate and launch each app.
The iPhone has some trouble with notifications. Because it's restricted to pop-up notifications, it can only handle one at a time and because it lacks multitasking, applications must be open in order for them to make notifications. Android, on the other hand, has a convenient notification bar which displays an icon for every notification you have waiting. The notification bar can also be pulled downward to reveal more detail about each notification. Android also allows app developers to make notification details viewable from the lock screen, something the iPhone can only do with native applications.
Apple users are encouraged to "Think Different" but when it comes to the actual hardware, they don't get much choice. You can pick the color, either black or white, and you get to choose between the 16GB or the pricier 32GB version. Other than that, you're stuck with the 3.5-inch, 320x480 pixel display, 256MB of RAM, and 600MHz processor. Because Android is an open platform, manufacturers have the freedom to pair it with any hardware they want, like the Nexus One (with 3.7-inch, 480x800 pixel display, 512MB of RAM, and 1GHz QUALCOMM Snapdragon processor) or the Motorola Droid which has a physical keypad.
The folks behind Android don’t care if you hack the phone you paid for.
The hacking aspect is one area where Android severely trumps the iPhone. Perhaps it’s the Linux geek in me, but there’s something about being able to install custom recovery software, custom ROMs, and having root access to my device that just makes me feel more comfortable about using the device.
Another wonderful element of Android’s hacking aspect is the developer community. Forums such as XDA-Developers are a treasure trove of knowledgeable individuals who are able to do some pretty incredible things with these phones. The number of custom ROMs, applications, tips, and tricks I have come across on that forum alone is countless, and it is the spirit of the developer community that is going to take Android to new heights.
Android comes up with android flash and iPhone won't.
With the Android platform, you can install apps from the Android Market, from your PC by simply copying the file to the mobile, or even transferring via Bluetooth. In fact, you can install home-grown applications just as easy as “official” applications created by Android developers. For developers, this is a real boon, because you don’t have to rely solely on an emulator to make sure your application works properly. Some people argue that this opens up Android for possible malware, but if done carefully, it won’t be an issue.
Conclusions:
I know I’m going to get flamed for this article, and I welcome it. The great thing about opinion articles is the discussion that results and I am looking forward to hearing what people have to say about this.
Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means saying Android is a perfect platform. On the contrary, it has its fair share of problems just like any other. I do firmly believe though that these are very legitimate reasons that make Android a better platform than iOS and the iPhone.
Hopefully, as Android continues to progress and manufacturers continue to produce better and better devices, we can continue to add to this list. For the time being, however, these are the aspects of Android that I feel make it better than the iPhone, and I encourage you to leave a comment below and let your voice be heard.
