In today’s smartphone market, we can see several wars on several segments. The hardware vendors are constantly raging over each other, to increase their market share and sustain their market growth. The familiar competition is between Apple iPhone and Android smartphones while there are some Blackberry devices and Windows Phone devices in play. In terms of the competition in operating systems, the most used operating system is Android while the iOS becomes the second. According to the records available, the third position is assumed by Blackberry and closely followed by Microsoft Windows Phone 8. If we conduct a rudimentary analysis on the smartphone operating systems, we can realize that Windows Phone is miles apart from Android and iOS. However, analysts have been assuming that Microsoft is targeting the third place of the hierarchy with their introduction of Window Phone 8 and we at DifferenceBetween believe it to be a rational deduction. Hence we thought of comparing Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) which is the newest version along with Microsoft Windows Phone 8 and understand the key points that make them different from each other.
Google Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Review
Android 4.2 was released by Google on the 29th of October at their event. It is a practical combination of ICS and Honeycomb for tablets. The major difference we found out can be summed up with the Lock screen, camera app, gesture typing and multi user availability. We will look at these features in depth to understand what they offer in Layman’s terms.
One of the most important features introduced with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean is the multi user capability. This is only available for tablets which enable a single tablet to be used among your family very easily. It lets you have your own space with all the customization you need starting from the lock screen to applications and games. It even lets you have your own top scores in the games. The best thing is that you don’t really have to log in and log off; instead you can simply and seamlessly switch which is just great. A new keyboard also has been introduced that can make use of gesture typing. Thanks to the advancements of Android dictionaries, now the typing app can offer you suggestions for your next word in the sentence which enables you to type the whole sentence using the selection of words offered by the app. The speech to text ability is also improved, and it is available offline as well, unlike Apple’s Siri.
Android 4.2 offers a new immersive experience with the camera by offering Photo Sphere. It’s a 360 degree photo stitching of what you have snapped, and you can view these immersive spheres from the smartphone as well as share them on Google + or add them in Google Maps. The camera app has been made more responsive, and it starts super quick, as well. Google has added a component called Daydream for idling people where they display useful information when idling. It can get information from Google current and many more sources. Google Now is also alive than ever making your life easy for you before you even think about making it easy. It now has the ability to indicate photogenic spots nearby and to track packages easily.
The notification system is at the core of Android. With Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, notifications are fluid than ever. You have expandable and resizable notifications all in one place. The widgets are also improved, and now they automatically resize depending on the components added to a screen. Interactive widgets are expected to be facilitated more in this operating system, as well. Google hasn’t forgotten to improve the accessibility options, as well. Now the screen can be magnified using three tap gestures and visually impaired users can now interact with the fully zoomed screen, as well, such as typing when zoomed in. The gesture mode enables seamless navigation through the smartphone for blind users along with the speech output.
You can simply beam photos and videos with v4.2 Jelly Bean on your smartphone. It’s easier than ever and more simple and elegant too. Google Search component has also been updated, and as an overall, the operating system has become faster and smoother. The transitions are silky and an absolute pleasure to experience while the touch responses are more reactive and uniform. It also allows you to wirelessly stream your screen to any wireless display which is a cool feature to have. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean is available in Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. We are hoping that the other manufacturers will also release their updates soon.
Microsoft Windows Phone 8 Review
Microsoft released the newest version of their mobile operating system back in the late Octobers with the debut of few Windows Phone 8 devices. The most famous among the devices running on Windows Phone 8 right now is Nokia Lumia 920 which is considered as a high end product. As an operating system, it seems Microsoft is aiming to conquer the mobile operating systems market that is covered currently by the Research in Motion or Blackberry. Ideally Microsoft will try to grasp the third position of the smartphone market which is impressive if they do it.
Windows Phone 8 introduces some new features that introduce a refreshing breeze to the existing usability perspective of the smartphones. However, there are certain counterarguments regarding the same issue, as well. Let us look in to those factors and try to understand which arguments can be materialized in reality. In terms of usability and the interface, Microsoft has retained their unique metro style interface with the tiles. In the Windows Phone 8, the tiles are live as such can be flipped, and it’ll reveal useful information on the other side. A major complain from the Android fans moving in to Windows Phone 8 is the issue with customizability. While Android gives users a high degree of customization options, Windows Phone 8 limits it to changing the colors and the position of the tiles in the home screen.
Windows Phone 8 comes with some unique features like SkyDrive integration and People Hub, which is a people centric information center. The DataSense app gives an overview of the data usage and Microsoft has also added Microsoft Wallet in Windows Phone 8. It is commendable that they have integrated NFC support and speech recognition via Audible while the new Camera Hub app makes taking photos easier than ever. Since Microsoft acquired Skype, they have made amendments and integrated skype at the basic level so that the user can take a skype call just as easily as taking a normal call which is pretty impressive. Microsoft also provides integration with their services like Xbox, Office and SkyDrive. They are also letting you accommodate the usage of smartphone by your kids by creating them separate account.
The new operating system is certainly faster than its predecessor with better graphics and better responsiveness. The manufacturers seem to follow a unique square corner design that immediately separates a Windows Phone from other smartphones in the market. We don’t know whether Microsoft imposes this on the vendors or not, but it certainly is becoming a trademark for Windows Phones. The complain that most people make about the Windows Phone 8 is the lack of applications. According to some sources, Microsoft app store only has around 10,000 to 20,000 apps; Microsoft promises that it’ll reach 100,000 apps target by January 2013. However, given the current circumstances, that seems like an unrealistic goal. Right now there are enough apps among the 10,000, but the problem is, there are certain vital apps that are not available like Dropbox. We are hoping Microsoft’s efforts on developing the app market would pay off soon eliminating the allegation on lack of apps.
A Brief Comparison Between Google Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and Microsoft Windows Phone 8
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean offers a versatile notification bar with the ability to offer vivid notifications and dynamic content while Microsoft Windows Phone 8 offers metro style user interface with live tiles that feature dynamic content.
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean offers a more fluid camera application that features Photo Sphere while Microsoft Windows Phone 8 offers Camera Hub.
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean enables a single device to be used by many users providing the ability to create user accounts while Microsoft Windows Phone 8 offers the ability to create user accounts for kids with KidsCorner.
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean introduces improved versions of Google Search, Google Now and Daydream while Microsoft Windows Phone 8 introduces new applications like DataSense, People Hub and Microsoft Wallet etc.
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean comes with GoogleDrive integration and a DropBox app while Microsoft Windows Phone 8 comes with SkyDrive integration.
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean offers a smarter keyboard and gesture typing while Microsoft Windows Phone 8 offers the ability to take Skype video calls just like normal calls.
Conclusion
The conclusion in this case is heavily subjective. Because of that, I certainly won’t give out a verdict determining what the best operating system is. However, I’ll place some point that is worth considering. The major issue with Microsoft Windows Phone 8 is the lack of apps in their app store. As you may be aware, Android is way ahead in their app market, which offers applications of all kinds that are suited for anyone. Especially we need to consider localized applications, as well. Recently, there has been a growth in localized Android apps that use local languages, which we can’t see in Windows Phone 8 app store yet.
Another complaint made is that the transition from either iPhone or Android is hard. This may be because of the innovative user interface which might take some time to get used to it. However, for me, it is refreshingly brilliant and I guess it depends on the way you see it. That sums everything up to a single sentence indicating that the preference between these two operating systems finally comes down to a choice of preferences. Hence it is up to you to choose the operating system that can serve your needs in a better way.