I told myself I was running off to Android where I wouldn't have to deal with a walled garden any more, so I'm kind of like the reverse of you - going to get a non-iPhone after my bad experience with Apple.
What I'd like to know is whether Android is still worth going to. Will I be able to sync without worries, install apps as I like, and root the device easily? I keep seeing mention of CyanogenMod and I don't know if that's what I'll have to install to get the full control I want. Is installing CM what rooting (mostly) involves?
I've been meaning to pick up the Galaxy Nexus, but bad press about its camera and uncertainties about the degree of freedom it allows have been keeping me back. I was even considering getting a Galaxy S II and installing ICS. I appreciate any advice from the Android users among you.
1. Does the device have an officially unlockable bootloader?
Many Android devices do (e.g. Nexus devices, most HTC devices, most Sony Ericsson phones (though that may change as they are absorbed into Sony, the Asus Transformer Prime, ...), some do not (most Motorola phones, Sony's Android tablets and Google TV devices, etc.) and then there are some in the middle (they're relatively easy to unlock, but the unlock isn't official - e.g. most Samsung and LG devices).
2. Is the device getting an official version of ICS?
As I and others have noted elsewhere in this thread, ICS is a technically demanding upgrade (particularly at the kernel and driver level). If your device has gotten or is getting official ICS, then any custom ICS ROMs will have an official kernel (with source) and a full set of third-party drivers to build on, which is big leg up on devices that don't have that.
In the first place, I want to be able to install programs from wherever I like (which was why I needed to jailbreak - to install an important app which had no official iOS release at the time), so having to jailbreak for that capability is still a drawback (or 'failing') of Apple/iOS relative to my requirements.
I hope the Nexus won't get in the way of my needs - I don't want to have to wrangle with anything when an OS update is issued, even if I root my phone. And I also don't want 0 updates. Does any phone fit my use case?
I guess my point is that you knew in advance that the device wouldn't do what you wanted, so it's not really surprising that you didn't have a great experience and I think it's hard to blame that on Apple.
Personally I think that anyone who would need to Jailbreak an iPhone would have their needs better served with a good Android phone. In this regard they are simply aimed at different customers.
Same thing played out with US vs Japanese car manufacturers. People have lasting memories when they feel that they spent money on an inferior product.