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Ways the iPhone beats Android (photos)

Though the Google Android OS is a worthy competitor to the iPhone, there are still a few ways where the iPhone holds its own.

Kent German
Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).
Kent German
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1 of 10 Screenshot by Kent German/CNET

Music player

Earlier this week we told you 10 ways that Android beats the iPhone at the smartphone game. And just to be fair, we now offer 10 areas where Apple's device fights back.

At present, the iPhone has the better music player. It has every feature you'd expect in an MP3 player, and its Cover Flow interface can't be beat. We also like the built-in support for podcasts and audio books.

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2 of 10 Screenshot by Kent German/CNET

Video recording

Though it's only available on the iPhone 3GS, the video-recording feature is as user-friendly as they come. Editing a clip once you've shot it is a snap. Of course, Android phones can record video too, but the process isn't as elegant.
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3 of 10 Screenshot by Kent German/CNET

No feature and OS version disparity

Though Android continues to suffer from fragmentation in both features and available versions of the operating system, all iPhone devices get the same OS updates at the same time. The iPhone classic never got MMS when it was added, but most features are found on all iPhone devices.
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4 of 10 Screenshot by Kent German/CNET

Movie purchases and rentals

You may complain about iTunes, but it does offer the iPhone a convenient source for video purchases and downloads. The selection is impressive, the cost is fair, and the process is user-friendly.
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5 of 10 Screenshot by Kent German/CNET

App selection

Currently the iTunes App store excels in both quantity and quality of apps. And because there aren't different versions of the OS on the market, developers only have to build one app version. Yet, we agree that Apple takes too heavy a hand in blocking potential titles.
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6 of 10 Screenshot by Kent German/CNET

Touch-screen and keyboard accuracy

In our experience and in third-party tests, the iPhone has a more accurate touch screen. We also prefer the design of the iPhone's virtual keyboard.
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7 of 10 Screenshot by Kent German/CNET

Bulk delete and move

This is a minor issue, but we like that you can move and delete multiple e-mails at once. At present, not all Android phones let you do this.
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8 of 10 Screenshot by Kent German/CNET

Swipte to delete

Another minor point, but swipe to delete is just so easy to use.
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9 of 10 Screenshot by Kent German/CNET

Cut and copy

Android also offers cut, copy, and paste, but the iPhone has a better interface for making it happen.
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10 of 10 Screenshot by Kent German/CNET

Easier to take a screenshot

We debated about mentioning this, but when you're preparing a slideshow like this, the iPhone offers a quick and simple way to grab a screenshot of your device. With Android, you'll need to go through more steps.

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