And this customization thing is not some minor issue. It’s the entire reason why people like me are going Android. It’s 2010. I shouldn’t have to open half a dozen apps to check news and my social networks. There should be desktop widgets that do that. I can’t believe the company that helped popularize widgets on the desktop hasn’t yet found a way to put it on their premier mobile platform.

Nor should I have to pay for Navigation when the internet has maps, and my phone has a GPS and can access the internet. Can the geniuses at Apple not put 2 and 2 together? Or is it that they just aren’t willing to give up their cut of TomTom app sales?

And I won’t even go into other app issues, like the Google Voice fiasco.

Next: notifications. Those pop-ups are annoying as hell on the iPhone. The window blind notifications system is so much more efficient and effective.

Then there’s iTunes. I don’t want a device that I need a computer to manage. Plugging into iTunes for updates is annoying. It’s 2010. There’s the internet. Over the air synch should be the norm not the exception.

Don’t get me wrong. I like Apple products. I have a Mac at home and I love it. But after seeing the capabilities of iOS4, I am starting to think that Apple’s ideas for the mobile space have plateaued.

It seems to me that Apple’s geeks just don’t understand the power of the internet at a fundamental level. And Google’s geeks do. Just look at features like Cloud2Device integration. One click and send a webpage to your phone’s browser. One click and send an address from Google Maps on the desktop to Google Navigation on your phone. Apple’s talent pool missed out features like that, despite having a browser (Safari) and a mobile platform (iOS), well before Google had the same combination.

Apple hardware is terrific. They make quality gear. And their software can be good in certain situations. For example, I’m considering getting an iPad because the apps are great (though Android Market is catching up…and you can see it every week) and I absolutely love the form factor (amazing for reading and maps) and there’s no Android equivalent yet. But I would never get an iPhone. Why? Because when you truly want a mobile device that does it all (wifi hotspot to connect my laptop or an iPad soon, navigation, etc.), the iPhone is either an expensive proposition (there’s an app for that….which you have to pay for) or a risky one (you have to jailbreak) and full of limitations that severely hinder productivity and ease of use on the go (annoying pop-up notifications, no widgets = must open several apps).

Ultimately, I look at it as a simple question. If you use a lot of Google’s services and tools why would you want a sub-optimized platform that’s not fully integrated with those services? Use Google a lot? Android is for you. Similarly, I am sure Microsoft is going to do a great job with Windows Phone 7 and Bing. As for Apple, they’ve completely missed the cloud boat. They still insist on charging for MobileMe, which is just ridiculous in my opinion.

But to each their own. This is my opinion of the iPhone vs. Android. If somebody feels the other way, they have the choice to stick with their iPhone. And if it’s the device for them, then they should be happy with their choice. But blind fanboyism is just ignorant. Ultimately by committing to one company you are tying your productivity and technological advancement to them. I’d rather bet on more than one horse. The smart thing to do is to use the platform that’s best for you.