With the recent release of what the next version of the iPhone OS 4 can do, and also with the new Android 2.1 software released to Android phones recently, I thought I’d do a quick comparison of the two new updates and see which, in my opinion, is the good way to go for those of you considering picking up a new smartphone or extending your current contract.
Since I’ve already written about how great the Android OS is and what it can do that the Apple OS can’t, I’ll take all the new features of the iPhone OS and compare them to features already in the Android OS (many of which have been around for some time now). Let’s get started.
Multitasking: From Apple: “Developers will have access to seven multitasking services, which will allow tasks to be performed in the background while preserving performance and battery life.” This feature has been in Android since its birth, and has always been a key selling point among geeks who want to do everything all at once. While it’s difficult to say whose will be “better,” it seems as though Apple is simply playing catch-up here, finally adding more useful features. It’s about time. Keep in mind this isn’t a “task manager” where you can stop and close apps running in the background, it’s merely a way to switch between active apps. The Android, on the other hand, supports task manager apps, and lets you see a list of everything running so you can free up space if you need to. In his keynote address, Apple CEO Steve Jobs mentioned that a task manager won’t be necessary, because if it is, it’s bad design on the part of the OS maker. I disagree, because it simply gives the user more control over their device – something that Apple is infamously known for not liking to do. I’d have to give Android the point for this one.
Folders: A way to manage apps on your iPhone, organizing them into different folders, and expanding the total amount of apps one can have on their device from 180 to 2160. Cool, but there’s plenty of Apps in the Android market that can do this, such as App Organizer and many more. While it’s not incorporated directly into the Android OS, apps like App Organizer present a basic, folder approach, while others present a more graphically oriented, eye-candy approach such as Launcher Dock. Why not let the user choose what they want? (Oh yeah, Android DOES, however, come stock with a voice-launch app, so you don’t even need to worry about organization. Tell it to launch the app, and it will.) Point again, goes to Android.
Unified Inbox: Apple describes it as “See messages from all your email accounts displayed together in a unified inbox, switch between inboxes more quickly, organize messages by threads, and even open attachments in third-party apps.” Android gives you quick account switching already, and just added Yahoo! mail support as well. Perhaps another difficult thing to choose a clear-cut winner on, but Android does have something better than a unified inbox: A notification panel. In short, this tells you EVERYTHING you need to know – new email, text, missed call, app updates, etc. all in one place. You see new notifications for SMS and email, for example, and you can get a preview of both of them (or dismiss the notifications) without even having to open a unified inbox, or any other kind of inbox, or your SMS app. Just pull down the notification bar, and that’s it. As far as opening attachments in third party apps, this is old news for Android. Videos, pictures, whatever. Done. Point Android.
iBooks: Seems to be an app that Apple is adding that’ll be like an iTunes for books. Not sure about you guys, but I don’t read much on my phone – it’s too small and awkward to really be useful or productive. But if that’s your thing, perhaps Apple deserves a point for this one, because on Android all you can do is download a book reader to get the same thing. Or I guess you could just point your browser to Google Books to browse, read, and bookmark many free books and magazines as well as links to buy them or borrow them. It also has a “to read” and “have read” section, as well as the ability to create your own public or private bookshelves. The best news? When you’re back at home, jump on your PC, log in to Google, and keep reading. Though currently Google doesn’t offer a way to download the book to your device, you can always download it from Amazon and read it on your device if you’re so inclined. Because of this, I suppose Apple should get this point, even though I’d bet Google Books will still be more useful.
Wallpapers: So Apple is finally letting users choose their own wallpaper as a background for their device. Again, old news for Android phones. In fact, Android’s 2.1 update supports live wallpapers, dynamic images that serve no practical purpose (as of yet) but are pretty cool. There’s a grass one where the blades of grass gently sway in an imaginary breeze, and the sky above them change from the bright blue of day to the relaxing darkness of night depending on the time of day. There’s another that is a water surface that gets disturbed by falling leaves that float by and make ripples, or you can make your own ripples if you touch the screen. Mega point to Android on wallpapers.
iAd: A new, integrated ad display thing for apps, where a user can click on the ad and not be taken out of the app, but rather be able to see trailers, etc. directly inside the app. This is an Apple service, who clearly seems more concerned about money than anything with this, as when a developer puts these ads in the app, they share revenue with Apple from it. Android has no equivalent, and I thank them for this – all it will do is make “free” apps wildly ad-supported (even moreso than now) and piss off users when their apps are always connecting to the net to fetch the latest one. Greedy. The LAST thing I want to see is more ads, and I think many people will agree with me on that one. Nobody gets points on this one, though I am tempted to take one away from the iPhone OS for being greedy.
Compatibility: The iPhone OS 4 will only be compatible with the iPhone 3Gs and later (a suspected new iPhone 4HD to be released probably around summertime). In other words, if you didn’t upgrade to a 3Gs a year ago, and still have the 3G or earlier iPhone, forget about all of this – you won’t get any of it. You’re once again forced to upgrade your hardware by Apple. It seems like they’re getting greedier and greedier by the year, doesn’t it? In full disclosure, however, Android 2.1 doesn’t run on all Android phones either, but of everything mentioned here so far, the only feature discussed that is 2.1 dependent is the live wallpaper – everything else has already been a part of Android for some time now, and even the older Android phones like the G1 can do multitasking, etc. This is a major reason why I gave up my iPhone – I thought buying a whole new phone (3Gs) just for a little more processor power and the ability to take video (something that I was doing fine with on my jailbroken 3G) was ridiculous. I also figured they’d pull the same crap again the following year, and they all but did. Shame on Apple. Point: Android for not being a-holes and forcing you to upgrade your hardware every year to be able to use upgrades and enhancements that (if done correctly) could be done on older models.
The final score of my little comparison here is 5 to 1 in favor of Android. It seems like Apple is simply playing catch-up to remain competitive, but as far as new features or anything spectacular, I think it’s going to leave users asking for more and even disappointed. I accuse Apple of playing catch-up and maybe even fearing Google because they have removed “Google” branding from the OS 4, and have, according to rumors, been in talks with Microsoft about using Bing to replace the Google search on the iPhone. Apple joining teams with Microsoft? That can only mean one thing: Apple and Microsoft are scared because Google is doing something right.
Aside from all this, Android still has widget support – something that, in my opinion, is so useful and awesome to have that it should have been a focus of the new iPhone OS too. Maybe some day all of you iPhone users will get a chance to experience widgets on your phones too. And when that day comes, you can look forward to buying a new iPhone too that will support it.
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