With Sprint finally getting Windows Phone 7 this month, and Verizon getting the iPhone, no matter who your carrier is, you have a choice on what operating system you want with your smartphone. Of course they don’t all have the same operating systems available, but at least you have a choice. So lets break down some pros and cons of each OS so you can decide exactly which phone is going to be the right choice for you.
iOS – This is the operating system that runs on the iPhone. Everyone has heard of the iPhone, and I’ve even written a post about it (I’m not a fan, but hey, to each his own). The iPhone was a game changer when it came out. I don’t believe it is anymore. The pros… hmmmm this is going to be tough for me… Apps, for sure. They have a HUGE app store, and you can do just about anything on the iPhone (as long as you do them one at a time… right?? 🙂 ) The user interface is extremely simple to use. My 18 month old can use the iPod Touch (which has the same interface) with absolutely no help and no issues. So definitely ease of use is in it’s corner. Cons… This could take a while… Lack of true multitasking, the interface (while easy) is just a wall of applications. It’s just page after page of apps, and not exciting or fun, or even useful. Not to mention the “grip of death”… the issue where the phone completely loses signal if you hold it like any normal person would hold a phone.
Windows Phone 7 – This operating system has a fantastic user interface. There are different areas called hubs where all of the information you care about it compartmentalized. So if you click on the people hub you will see all of your contacts, and it’s integrated with Facebook so you see all of their status updates as well. The photo hub has a similar area in which you can see recent pictures posted by your various Facebook friends and contacts. They also have live tiles that update automatically so you can glance at your phone and see how many messages and other things right away. WP7 doesn’t have multitasking either. While I adore their user interface, what it came down to for me was widgets… which brings me to …
Android – What is great about the Android operating system is that it is so customizable. First up is widgets. I like to be able to see exactly what I need, at a glance, and quickly access exactly what I need. So, I have a widget for my task list, and I can quickly see the outstanding tasks I have. I installed a widget for TweetDeck, so I can post to Twitter and Facebook without ever having to open an application. I can also see my Facebook News Feed without opening any programs. For me, this is the best of both worlds. I don’t have to open a ton of applications, and try to keep them open, like I did with my Palm Pre. I also don’t have to constantly be opening various applications to check these things like I would with WP7 or iOS. Android has Flash too, which most of the other ones do not. With the openess of the operating system, comes some security holes though.
The other 2 are the Palm operating system webOS and Blackberry’s operating system. WebOS is the multitasking king. While I love the operating system, the hardware is seriously lacking. Not to mention it’s now owned by HP, which since I’m a super Dell fan, is kinda against my “religion” to own.
So that’s the round up. I swear it’s not biased. 😉
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Nice to see you’ve finally come to your senses.
So you start with “which mobile OS is the best” and then comment on hardware and the company brand to dismiss WebOS? Useless analysis it seems. (wink)
Mike – LOL, I was a HUGE fan of webOS in the begining, but seriously, the clincher for me is widgets. I love me some widgets. 🙂