Android 4.0, iOS 5 and Windows Phone 7.5 in Comparison
With Android 4.0 joining the updated mobile OS party, how will it fare against Apple iOS 5 and Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 Mango? Here's a primer on the key similarities and differences of the three mobile operating systems.
Google Android 4.0 vs Apple iOS 5 vs Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5
"Good artists copy, great artists steal". A quote that came from Picasso and uttered by the late Steve Jobs in a 1994 interview rings very true in the tech industry. Each mobile OS is an evolution of its previous iteration, but at some point in time, certain ideas have been cross-referenced and re-adapted to suit the needs of its future update. Google Android 4.0 does have some interesting features, but similar to how Apple emulated iOS 5's pull-down notifications from Android, the Google mobile OS also kind of took a cue from its competitors.
- The People and Me apps are similar to Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5's People hub, which aggregates your contact and social network feeds into a single app.
- Swiping left or right to dismiss notifications could have been a cue from MeeGo and how its swipe gestures are used to exit and even close apps. On a similar note, this is also taking a cue from how BlackBerry's PlayBook operates with its QNX OS.
- Screenshot capturing - well, this is really something that should have been in the very first Android version. Why it took Google this long to implement the function, which has already been on iOS for quite some time, is a mystery to us.
Nonetheless, Google has also been influential in the way its competitors have evolved over the years.
- Wireless hotspot - introduced in Google Android 2.2, soon followed by iOS 4
- Widgets - Android has been focusing on widgets, acting as a source of information without actually diving into the app since its early days. Apple just recently introduced the Stock and Weather widget into iOS 5.
- Twitter integration - Due to the open-source nature of Android, developers were able to hook apps into the Android sharing and contacts system, thus allowing pictures and links to be shared via Twitter or any other online sharing methods with the right APIs.
With all three major mobile OSes announcing their updates, how does each platform stand against the other? Here's a quick listing of the key features found on Android 4.0, iOS 5 and Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.
Not too sure of the key features found within the three new mobile OSes? Here's a table that lists out the key similarities and differences between Android 4.0, iOS 5 and Windows Phone 7.5.
Google Android 4.0 | Apple iOS 5 | Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 | |
Social Network Integration | Google+ | Twitter | Facebook, WindowsLive, Twitter, LinkedIn |
Screenshot Capture | Yes
(Hold Volume Down and Power buttons) | Yes
(Hold Power and Home buttons) | -- |
Widget Support | Yes, with the option to resize widgets | Stock and Weather widget | Live Tiles |
Multi-tasking | Yes
(Click on Recent Apps) | Yes
(Double tap Home button) | Yes
(Press and hold Back button) |
Closing apps within task manager | Yes
(Swipe sideways to close) | Yes
(Press and hold app, click on X to close) | -- |
Notifications | Pull down and swipe sideways to dismiss notification | Pull down and click on X, followed by clear, to dismiss notification | Limited to apps with push notifications |
Folders | Yes | Yes | -- |
Cloud Syncing | Google | iCloud | Windows Live |
Cloud Storage | -- | iCloud | SkyDrive |
Instant Messaging | Google Talk | iMessage | Windows Live Messenger and Facebook Chat |
Threaded Email | Yes | -- | Yes |
Wireless Hotspot | Yes | Yes | Yes
(subjected to device compatibility) |
Physical shortcut buttons | -- | Home button | Back, Start and Search buttons |
Panorama Imaging | Yes | -- | -- |
Image Editor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Integrated Voice Assistant | -- | Yes (Siri) | Yes (TellMe) |
Data Monitor and Control | Yes | -- | -- |
Near Field Communications (NFC) | Yes
(Android Beam) | -- | -- |
Apps | Android Market | iTunes Store | Windows Phone Marketplace |
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