Ditching My iPhone For The Samsung Galaxy S6
Getting Basic With It
As much as I loved my iPhone, I've always found iOS to be somewhat immature and not quite serious (a problem that plagues most Apple-produced software), which probably explains why my eye has wandered towards Android phones from time to time. I resisted the urge to explore Android's potentially greener pastures for years, though, opting to stay in my comfort zone rather than navigating the travails of adopting a new OS and workflows, the exasperation of manufacturer-included "bloatware" (Samsung's TouchWiz, for example, was said to be particularly headache-inducing), and the frustrations inherent in getting a non-Apple device to play nice with my beloved MacBook Pro. That is until just recently, when my fidelity was finally broken with the release of Samsung's Galaxy S6.
At first blush, the Galaxy S6 lives up to its pricey promise, presenting a gorgeous Super AMOLED screen, solid metal-and-glass construction, sleek lines, and a shape and weight that feel assuringly correct. It's a knockout in my opinion. And the attraction only grows deeper with interaction, the device offering a cool touch, sure handling, and a responsiveness that had me throwing screens back-and-forth and repeatedly touching buttons and icons (and touching them again), soaking up the clean rapid-fire transitions. Up until my new GS6 arrived, my contact with Android had been that of a light acquaintance, mostly relegated to relieving my son of his Galaxy S4 whenever he failed to place enough focus on homework/eating/interaction/bathing/sleeping, and going no further than that. Now, though, I am getting to know Android extremely well, as I can hardly keep my hands off of the Galaxy S6.
I started out-of-the-box with a 52% charge, somewhat trepidatious, but game to start putting the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Android Lollipop through their paces. As ready as I was to see what my new pocket paramour could do, though, I know from long experience with new technology that methodical and patient is the best approach. Start sure and slow, grow into it. So with that in mind, I decided that before letting the outside world in, I would first explore the world inside my new Android charmer. Email, social media, and this-and-that app and cloudy Internet service could wait.
After quickly reassuring myself that I knew how to push all of my Galaxy S6's buttons — Power.. √ Volume Up/Down.. √ Home.. √ — I swiped right on the GS6's impressive 5.1-inch, 1440x2560 resolution, Corning Gorilla Glass 4 covered screen to unlock the device and dug straight into its Settings, always a good place to start with new gizmos. I futzed with the usual suspects — Wallpaper, Ringtones, Wi-Fi, Date and Time — confirmed that some old friends were in place (Airplane Mode, Tethering), and slid easily into others. Themes! A favorite from my Windows Mobile days, long missed in iOS. I even ventured into Fingerprint Recognition — a feature new to me, and one my iPhone 4 could only aspire to — and managed to configure both of my thumbs to it without a hitch.
At no point was I left shaking my head as to what something meant or what it did, and I played easily with the various functions as they applied to the GS6 and Android Lollipop. Before too much time had passed, I had the Galaxy S6 purring quite nicely.
