Since I have been living in the dark ages without a smart phone for some time now, I have decided to make the leap. But before I could make the jump I had to figure out where to jump. On one side of the cliff was Apple’s iPhone which has been around for a couple years and those who have it love it. On the other side of the cliff was the Nexus One from Google.

I heard from all the iPhone users how they love their phone and don’t know how they lived without it and have read the reviews on the Nexus One on what it can do. So let’s take a closer look at each phone.

iPhone – the good, the bad, and the ugly

One of the first smart phones on the market the iPhone is the leader of all smart phones for now. With over 25 million iPhones sold worldwide that is a good start. There have been over a billion applications downloaded for this phone. So the iPhone has the masses behind it. I mean could 25 million people really be wrong?

The one problem with the applications are that they have to go through the Apple review before the world can see them. So if Apple doesn’t like the Application then no one will ever see it.

The iPhone is only available for one carrier and that is AT&T, which does limit some people who are locked into contracts with their phone. The Nexus one has begun to open up to different carriers, at first it was just T-Mobile. Now Sprint and Verizon have joined in.

The next iPhone is due out soon with a new OS which could fix some of the problems. Just like any hardware as soon as you buy it there is something better coming out.

Nexus One – the good, the bad, and the ugly

The Nexus One is a Google phone with the Andriod OS. This phone came out in late Jan 2010, it has a lot of the features of the iPhone. Some even say the iPhone on steroids. The Nexus Phone is fully integrated with all of Google’s online applications. gmail, gchat, Google docs, Google maps, and Google calendar.

As of right now the application library is not as refined as the iPhones, but there is no review process for these applications so in the upcoming months you can expect more and more applications. Also the android sdk is free, which means you can start building your own applications and get them up on your phone in no time. For Apple users the SDK package is free but to submit your applications you need to register with apple and it costs $99.00.

The browser which is preloaded on the Nexus One does not have a zoom option, though you could always download another browser. As with anything new there are not many products out there just yet for the Nexus One, like docking stations so you can play your music or as an alarm clock. Though I am sure they are on their way.

Another problem is the memory space on the Nexus One. You can store a lot more applications on the iPhone compared to the Nexus One.

Since the Nexus One allows multiple programs to be running at once it is a drain on the battery.

So as of early last week I am the owner of my very own smart phone, the Nexus One. One of the key points was building my own applications. Since I am a computer engineer having more control over my phone was important to me. I also liked how you have more control over the first four screens. You can add applications, you can customize moving backgrounds, and you can add widgets to give updates on scores, FaceBook and twitter without having the application up and running.

So now that I am a smart phone owner what applications do you have? Which are the best applications out there for both iPhones and Droids?