School me on Android

[bohous]

I know there is the Android mega thread and an "iPhone vs HTC One" thread but new threads are good, right?
 
I've been on iPhone for about 5 years and have been perfectly happy with it. Honestly, it really does everything I need but I'm simply bored with iOS and am increasingly envious of larger screen devices for my giant ham hands. I'm due for an upgrade and planned to hold out for iPhone 6 but I may be pushed into upgrading sooner than later (assuming Sept/Oct release for iPhone 6). 
 
I've poked around on a few Android devices and feel like it's not that big of a leap to make a switch but I have a few concerns coming from an iPhone.
 
Backup/Sync:
This was recently being discussed in the megathread and I'm still unclear how this works. I like that with iPhone the entire device is backed up in iCloud so if my phone breaks or is stolen by a hooker, I can simply replace the phone, sync and everything is restored just like it was. Is there a similar full system backup or would I have to re-download my apps (backed up via Play Store I assume), re-set up my email accounts, calendar, contacts, re-load pics/videos etc all independently?
 
Unified inbox:
I have 4 email accounts and use them all daily (I know). Unified inbox is a must. Am I ok here?
 
Bloatware:
How bad is it? Is it a one time deal with a new phone or is it pushed via the provider/manufacturer every time there is an update? I recall older Androids you couldn't remove bloat without rooting the phone. This is no longer the case, correct? Can ALL bloatware be uninstalled by me?
 
Monthly charge for caller ID?
Srsly?
 
Worth noting, my primary computer is a Macbook Pro but I'm not exactly "all in" on the ecosystem. I do like having my Photostream connected to iPhoto. I assume I can still have pics auto transferred to my computer via Dropbox, right? My Calendar syncs with Outlook Exchange (work) and contacts via Google so I should be all set there. 
 
My wife will most likely keep her iPhone and we also have 2 iPads (wife has one, kids share another). I would miss being able to Facetime with them when I'm out of town it's but not a deal breaker. It would be nice to all share chargers though. Is there anything else I would miss about my iPhone that have not considered?

 

[glennhoffmania]

As most people know, I'm hardly a tech expert.  But none of the issues you listed are things that should prevent you from switching.  The backup is doable, maybe not as easily as with iOS, but it's not a big deal.  The inbox isn't a problem.  I don't notice the bloatware.  I don't know what you're talking about re: charges for called ID.  I use Dropbox everyday.

 

[SumnerH]

There are no charges for caller ID and almost every phone has a unified inbox.  Out of the box (assuming you've set up gmail and google+--there are alternatives if you don't use google+):
 
1. Unless you turn off the sync settings, your contacts, calendar, and email and most settings will all be sync'd automatically with your gmail account.
2. The apps you buy are automatically available, and when you set up a new device/restore factory defaults you'll get prompted as to whether it should reinstall them all or not (you don't have to go buy them all individually).
3. Images will automatically be uploaded to your Google+ account.  If you don't have/use Google+, then you'll need to install one of the free apps that uploads them to dropbox or flickr or wherever.  NOTE: You may want dropbox anyway, since I believe Google+ scales images to 2048 pixels on the largest axis; Dropbox will back them up at full size.
 
The other main thing is messages/call logs. The free SMS Backup+ app will backup your texts and call logs to your gmail account and you should be good to go.
 
 
Alternative if you're worried that things are set correctly:
Buy a backup app like MyBackup Pro for $4.99.

 

[bohous]

Thanks for the feedback. It seems like the transition would be pretty simple. Now just trying to decide on hardware. I'll take it to the megathread.