I opted for the Google edition of the Samsung S4. And while I have to admit that it took me a couple of days to get use to the interface, I was pretty much blown away with what I found. Everything that Apple has locked down on their iPhones is open on Android. I can download launchers and change the themes on the phone in seconds. I can create my own notification bar and decide what toggles and even application shortcuts I want in there as well (yes application shortcuts in the notification bar). I am free to design and build my own interface and put widgets on any page I want and more, much more in fact.
I upgraded the Chrome browser and ran into errors and at the touch of a button was able to roll back to the previous version. That alone is an awesome ability. I can set and tweak so many things at an individual application level it's unreal.
Yes it is a little more technical I guess, but you know what that's not a bad thing as for the first time in years I am in charge of my phone and not the other way round. And the surprising reality of that simple statement is I hadn't realised it until I had made the switch to Android.
Freedom!
Yes I am at last free from the stupid restrictions that Apple build into the iPhone iOS that has millions of people jailbreaking their phones to add all of the tweaks that they want to have on there to make their phone do what they want it to do.
Freedom!
I can't believe how blind I had become to the Apple iPhone release cycle, eagerly waiting for the next iPhone to hit the market like so many others. Even now people are starting to talk about what new trend the iPhone 5S is going to bring such as fingerprint identification (something thats been tried and failed in the laptop market years ago, so much for innovation). And for the first time in years I find myself not caring in the slightest.
Freedom!
Yes, my contacts, itunes library and photo's have already been synced to my new Samsung S4 google edition phone and I'm loving it. And since this particular model has a built in infra-red port I've also thrown away pretty much all of my remote controls and use my phone to control everything in my home now (yes that's right, my phone is now my remote for all my home devices, you did read it correctly)
In my opinion I have to say that I firmly believe that Android has pulled ahead of the iPhone in several areas already and that iPhone is starting (and struggling) to play catchup to the Android market (something I'm equally sure many Android fans will say was always the case)
Yes, in your face Apple ...... I'm free of the iPhone at last.