Bryan Joiner

Two weeks ago, I went shopping for a new phone. My old carrier had abysmal service (take a wild guess which one) and I was ready to trade my first-generation iPhone, which I had used for nine months. There are many things I loved about it, including the seamless ability to play a daily quiz and beat my brother senseless in Words with Friends. The iPhone 4 would allow me to do these things faster and in more places, and, with my new wireless carrier, I’d be able to talk on the phone as well.

I chose the Droid Incredible 2.

I’m a compulsive Mac user. Since I entered college, the amount of time I’ve spent not using a Mac, personally or professionally, is about nine months. I bought an iMac in June. I find PCs unwieldy and confusing. I’m one of those people.

The iPhone’s creature comforts are profound—and, to be perfectly honest, I feel comfortable ditching them because I still have access to them on my old phone, which is now effectively an iPod Touch. But that’s only part of it. A company long exhorted us to “Think Different,” and many of us, myself included, literally repaid them for that piece of advice, while not particularly following it. If the hundreds of thousands of people draped over their computers for the iPhone 4S rollout taught us anything, it’s that many people see Apple as the One True Company, having given up on the competition.

That’s fair, but it’s not necessarily thinking different. I wanted to see what else was out there. That’s why I got the Droid. I love Apple, but I think for myself. I learned it from Steve. Rest in peace.