As much as I love my HTC Desire, its interface doesn't quite stand up next to my iPod Touch for exactly these reasons.
For instance, the GMail app recently added the feature that the email subject line and 'from' line are always visible - but the way they implemented it was to pop in a reduced version of the message heading as soon as the full version is completely out of view. So if you scroll as you're reading the first two lines, there will be a brief period where you can't see all of the message header, then the header will pop in with no transition - right over what you were reading.
The iOS mail app doesn't have this feature, but the equivalent behaviour in Contacts is a lot smoother, since the alphabetical contact header just docks at the top of the screen as soon as it starts to move out of view, which feels a lot more natural.
All of these are tiny, tiny little differences that don't particularly impact the use of the system, but make a big difference to the overall feel.
Before I bought my iPod I must confess to having been quite disdainful of Apple fans. Nowadays I understand the difference a bit more.
Odd, that isn't how it behaves on my Droid. The reduced header becomes visible as soon as the top of the full header gets under where the reduced header will be (so that it covers information which it replicates), well before any message text gets to that area of the screen. The most I can get it to obscure is the top half of the "To" address and the date that is on the same line. I tried altering my animation level, but can't reproduce the bug you mention.
For instance, the GMail app recently added the feature that the email subject line and 'from' line are always visible - but the way they implemented it was to pop in a reduced version of the message heading as soon as the full version is completely out of view. So if you scroll as you're reading the first two lines, there will be a brief period where you can't see all of the message header, then the header will pop in with no transition - right over what you were reading.
The iOS mail app doesn't have this feature, but the equivalent behaviour in Contacts is a lot smoother, since the alphabetical contact header just docks at the top of the screen as soon as it starts to move out of view, which feels a lot more natural.
All of these are tiny, tiny little differences that don't particularly impact the use of the system, but make a big difference to the overall feel.
Before I bought my iPod I must confess to having been quite disdainful of Apple fans. Nowadays I understand the difference a bit more.