Innovation

Torn between two smartphones...feeling like a fool

As a person who owns multiple smartphones, it isn't often that a couple make such an impression that they battle daily for my smartphone heart.

Written by Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer on Feb. 13, 2012

I read Ricardo's love letter to my smartphone post and I can relate to almost everything he wrote. My problem is actually one of having two primary phones needing to share a single SIM. I love the HTC Radar 4G and Samsung Galaxy Nexus and have to decide on a daily basis which one gets the nod for the day. Sometimes I even switch back and forth during the day. They are both fantastic phones for T-Mobile and each has their strengths and weaknesses.

Why I choose the HTC Radar 4G

I wrote a post about why I chose the Radar 4G over the Lumia 710 and some of those are why I choose the Radar 4G over the Galaxy Nexus on a daily basis. BTW, my wife just moved from a Nokia N8 to a Lumia 710 and loves it.

The primary reason I put my SIM into the Radar 4G is due to the simplicity and elegance of the Windows Phone OS. I find it extremely easy to get things done efficiently on Windows Phone and if I know I will mainly be using text messaging, making phone calls, listening to music, working out, or playing games then the Radar 4G is selected.

Why I choose the Samsung Galaxy Nexus

The Galaxy Nexus is a gorgeous device with a fabulous display so if I know I am going to be reading ebooks with Kobo or Kindle apps, wanting to enjoy my custom wallpaper and widgets, reading my feeds in Pulse, checking travel plans with TripIt, browsing with Google Chrome, visiting McDonalds (I pay with Google Wallet), or doing lots of social interaction (I enjoy Path and TweakDeck) then the Galaxy Nexus is chosen for the day.

Both devices have decent cameras, also have room for improvement. I can perform nearly all the same functions on either device, but the tasks I listed are optimal on different platforms.

Keep in mind that I do also have a Verizon account with an iPhone 4S and usually have that device as a backup to my primary T-Mobile device. I use my iPhone for photo and video capturing, but the OS is getting stale and I personally prefer to use the Radar 4G or Galaxy Nexus with ICS instead.

As we celebrate Valentine's Day today, I wanted to let you know my SIM is in the Galaxy Nexus. Then again, my Radar 4G sits waiting in my bag too as my two loves battle for my smartphone heart.