You can check out a lot of this on tech sites, but basically it goes like this. Rate of growth in the android app market is significantly higher than the iphone. It appears that the Android market may have pulled ahead in total number of apps, or they are at least neck to neck. Also in terms of when apps are put on one platform or another, it use to be true that most come out for iphone first, but with android making up a greater market share of smart phones, this is becoming less true.
So we agree that right now iPhone leads the pack, and even though the gap is decreasing there is still a gap. Total # of Android phones doesn't mean as much as it sounds because even those crappy free phones count as Android devices. Currently, iPhone is your best option. Quote from
this article:
"Apple remains at number one for app development, with 89 percent of developers expressing an interest in the iPhone and 88 percent interested in the iPad."
In fact, popular apps like Epocrates, Facebook, Netflix, etc are on both platforms.
Yet, it took over 2 years for Epocrates to get their premium version on Android. It took 2 years for Medscape to get on Android. Facebook/Netflix are irrelevant, we are talking about medical apps. Still no NEJM for Android.
The beauty with the android market is that it allows for open development, unlike the restricted development found on apple. So if you are a doctor and have a great idea for an app, you can make it with ease on the android market and distribute it easily. The best real life example was when I was on ICU rounds with the ICU team. The ICU fellow pulled out an android app that had all the things you could ever want for critical care, neph, cardio, pulm, renal. We all thought it was awesome and d/l it on the spot, except for one resident with an iphone who was searching but could not find it. Turns out this app was made by an ICU fellow who made a very practical app for medical professionals.
Fragmentation is the weakness of Android. Check out this recent article:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401813,00.asp
I also doubt if this story is 100% accurate because why is your iPhone-wielding resident searching for the app when it is only on the Android Market? Of course you can't find it on an iPhone.
At the same time I won't deny that apple has very high quality apps, but in terms of day to day usage it doesn't make as much of a difference as hardware and software capabilities of the devices. This is because the most popular apps are available on both and the small party apps on the android give you a lot of choices.
In sum, android in the future. The market share is increasing in terms of total smart phones and the open application development continues to increase accordingly.
I have to admit I am envious of the open dev philosophy of Android, but I still think the cons outweigh the pros. I urge everyone to read this article on iOS vs Android for medical professionals:
http://www.imedicalapps.com/2011/04/smartphone-doctor-medical-students-iphone-android/
The question is, are you willing to get a phone now and bet on the Android Market overtaking the App Store in the future, or would you rather just go with the #1 smartphone ecosystem that exists today? Android is better than iPhone is some ways (hardware choice), but the app ecosystem is not one of them.
In the end, beyond all this minor BS we nerds are discussing the phone you go with is mostly based on personal preference. It looks like the OP wants a bigger screen, so one of the Androids with a larger screen will probably be better, maybe a
Galaxy Nexus.