The 5 Best Android Features

Let me make it clear that I had never owned an Android-based device until yesterday when I purchased the Droid 2.  I never had a true understanding of the way the Android operating system worked and obviously I’m still learning as it’s only my second day using it.  However, here are 5 features which stood out to me after using it.

1. I have found that I really like the voice control functionality.  It is definitely much better than I had anticipated and I wish the iPhone had these capabilities (though I’m sure it’s just a matter of time).  I love how you can easily send text messages by simply talking and it will transcribe the message with exceptional accuracy.  Likewise for directions, search, notes, etc.

2. The seamless Google Voice integration is awesome.  I never used Google Voice before on my iPhone because the integration on iOS just isn’t there.  But now with my Droid 2, you can bet that I’ll be handing out my Google Voice number instead of the one I have assigned from Verizon.

3. Themes, live wallpapers, and widgets are really cool.  At first, I thought they were just clunky accessories that took up battery life, but they are part of the Android experience.  Live wallpapers are especially cool and while they can put some extra strain on the battery some of them have settings to help make it more battery friendly.  Some of the widgets available add some very nice functionality such as a unified status updater for your favorite social networks.  While other widgets offer more pleasing aesthetics to Android’s somewhat dull user interface.

4. Android’s notification system is spectacular.  It is much better than push notifications on the iPhone.  Dare I say the Android notification system is more elegant?  Because it is.  It is absolutely one of the most well executed parts of Android.

5. Android has Adobe Flash.  Go ahead and cringe.  It’s not perfect, but it works pretty well on my Droid 2.  Honestly, I never understood the need for it being an iPhone guy, but until Flash is completely dead I can see where having Flash on your mobile device can have its benefits.  For example, I can use the flash chat on my site if I want.

These are 5 of my favorite features which stood out as positive experiences with Android over the past 2 days.  However, I also have a list of not-so positive things too.  So keep an eye out for that.  Do you have a favorite Android feature which I didn’t mention?  I’m sure there are quite a few I haven’t discovered yet, leave a comment!