Photo from Gizmodo

You may remember a while back I debated getting an iPhone vs G1 and despite my constant tweeting to that point about getting an iPhone I ended up with an HTC Magic.

To clarify, the the T-Mobile G1 in the States is the HTC Dream in Canada, and the T-Mobile myTouch 3G (which was expected to be called the ‘G2′) is the HTC Magic in Canada. Both run on Android 1.5 (Cupcake) in Canada.

It’s no secret that I’ve had some second-thoughts about my decision to go Android. My HTC Magic is tragically under-powered, and still quite buggy, not to mention the fact that neither Rogers nor HTC has released an OS upgrade (Android 1.6 Donut) to the Canadian version of the phone, which has been out and available for quite a few months now.

Leading up to the release of these “Google-phones” in Canada, I had been desperate to get my hands on an iPhone, so why did I finally decide to go with the Magic? I think it has a lot to do with my tendency to be an early-adopter. When it comes down to it I love having something new that not many people have. Add to that the fact that I’m a Google fanboy, and despite the fact that at the time Android was still in its infancy and only starting to get its legs, it had an allure to me. But for the first few months I was seriously regretting my decision.

I’ve griped recently on Twitter about dropping my phone in a cup of beer and all the problems I’m having with it since (random shutdowns, acccelerometer doesn’t work, SD card not always recognized), but regardless it’s still doing most of what I need it to do.

So despite the fact that the iPhone is probably the easiest phone in the world to use, and the fact that the number of high-quality apps available for the iPhone far exceeds that for Android, I still no longer regret my decision.

Here’s where I get into the “why”.

If you haven’t noticed, there have been a lot of Android phones coming out recently (in Canada, we’re still a little behind most when it comes to release dates). There’s the original Android phone, the G1, then came then HTC Magic, then follow that up with the HTC Hero with the custom Sense UI, a few others which don’t quite interest me as much, then there’s the Motorola Droid (pictured above) (Milestone on Telus in Canada). This baby runs the same processor as the iPhone 3GS, has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard (although according to some it’s not that great of a physical keyboard), and it runs Android 2.0 (Eclair).

According to almost everyone, this is the closest any Android handset has come to being an “iPhone killer”. It’s fast, it’s slick and it’s got lots of great features such as being the first handset to have Google Maps Navigation, a GPS turn-by-turn navigation system, FOR FREE.

The Android community is growing. In fact it’s exploding. Perhaps not literally as I’m picturing in my mind, but in terms of the number and quality of developers creating apps for Android, and the number of handsets. You might be thinking about those other smartphone OSes such as Windows Mobile, Blackberry OS and Symbian (Nokia), but in terms of growth I do believe that Android is outpacing all of them (especially WinMo). But don’t take my word for it, google it. In fact some handset makers are even ditching WinMo in favour of Android. TAKE THAT MICROSOFT!

But I think that’s what excites me most about Android. I can look forward to dozens of beautiful (and some not-so-beautiful) handsets from multiple handset makers on multiple networks (yes I know the iPhone is on all three major Canadian networks now) and not be tied in any way shape or form to the Apple empire.

Now, there’s no question in my mind (although my wife might disagree) that I need a new phone. With the Milestone coming to Telus in early 2010, I’ll either be looking at getting access to an unlocked Milestone, or figure out if it’s economically worthwhile to buy myself out of my Rogers contract and switch to Telus.

I’m not trying to convince you that Android is better than an iPhone. People have become quite attached to their iPhones over the years, and I’m not attempting to convert any iPhone lovers. I’m not really trying to convert anyone, but if you’re thinking of making the switch to a smartphone, don’t just automatically think the iPhone is the way to go. Android, quite simply, is the best alternative to an iPhone and seems like the safest bet at this point to challenge the iPhone as the top smartphone in the world.