With Mobile
World Congress 2012 just around the corner there are probably a lot of you guys
who will be looking to upgrade as your contracts expire and with the slew of
new devices about to hit our shelves you'll need to be in the know to make sure
that you get the perfect mobile phone to suit your needs.
The casual
consumer, as evidenced, will likely fall prey to sales patter and side with
either the iPhone or perhaps Samsung's Galaxy S2 range with little thought attributed
to the choice and it's likely they'll never fully unearth the staggering feats
their phones are capable of. It's likely they'll never even care. However for
those of you that, like me, spend more time on your phones than on anything
else throughout the day, this decision is doubtless one of incredible
importance that will affect your day to day life.
Below is a
brief rundown of the three top platforms in the industry today (Sorry RIM). The
OS especially is the lifeblood of any device so it's important to go with one
that you believe will best suit you.
The Good
Open Source
Nature
The open
nature of Google's OS makes Android a hacker or a modders dream come true
allowing for nerds the world over to develop there own custom firmware and
tinker with the OS to no end. If complete and utter dominance of your mobile
device is something that interests you then the little green robot won’t let
you down.
Inexpensive
midrange devices
Due to the
sheer number of Android devices on the market (It has to be over a thousand)
there is undoubtedly a selection of older devices with justifiable specs that
would be great for a parent or teenager not at all bothered about qHD screens
or quad core processors. These devices are often fairly priced and will more than
adequately suit the needs of their target audience.
Highly
Customizable
Something I
adore about Android is the sheer amount of customization the device allows for.
Whether it be custom keyboards or imitative skins there is no doubt an app or
launcher on the android market that'll turn your phone into a wonderful
reflection of your personality. If unique and fun personalization is your thing
then the opportunities are endless.
Widgets
Widgets
have proved a love or hate aspect to the android OS but you cannot call into
question their brilliant functionality. Widgets display a variety of
information on the home screen and can often be re-sized or re-worked to fit
your needs or personal taste. They also add a touch of vigour to your mobile
device as they are often animated and impressive to the eye.
Powerful
high-end tech
With an
Android-powered smartphone released at least once every half-second, hardware
evolution and innovation has been necessary, not only to help better power the
OS but to keep consumers excited and interested. High-end android phones boast
some of the most powerful tech available under their hoods and with a range of
quad-core devices set to be released over the course of 2012 it looks set to
continue that trend.
The Bad
Unreliable
More often
than not, Android’s shaky reputation precedes itself. In my personal experience
I have never used an Android device that hasn't lagged at some point during its
operation, even when playing with the newly released Galaxy Nexus, which sports
the latest and most refined iteration of Google's OS, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.
The OS is also susceptible to force closes and crashes and user experience
varies greatly between devices.
Fragmentation
A huge criticism
of the Android OS is aimed toward the heavy fragmentation between devices as
software updates are not universally shared across all devices equating in a
very different user experience for those running different variants of the OS.
This also leaves it up to the manufacturer to ensure their device is up to date
which they often won’t. Plus their own updates could even prove buggy and
incomplete as with the case of the LG Optimus 3D's recent Gingerbread update.
Battery Life
Due to the
increased power under the hood of most Android devices and the incredibly
system intensive apps, games and widgets (not to mention the LTE for the guys
over in the US)
Google's OS is a battery sucker and big time! Even Android phone devotees will
admit they find it hard to make it through the day without a charge. The
Motorola Droid Razr Maxx with its whopping 3500 mAh battery however has proved
that this is a problem that can be solved.
Plethora of
devices
There are
too many Android phones out there, far too many. HTC releases more than perhaps
every manufacturer combined and this can prove daunting to consumers who often
do not want to choose between phones knowing full well that they do not
understand nor have time to comprehend the ins and outs of each device. This
leads to a lot of people playing it safe with a device like the iPhone as at
least this way they know what they're getting and they know it'll work.
Custom
Overlays
While
others may see this as a pro I don't particularly like custom overlays and
manufacturer installed skins believing they detract from the intended Android
experience. I'll admit however this is more down to personal taste and I know
there are tons of people out there who love UI skins such as HTC's Sense or
Samsung's Touchwiz.
The Good
Consistency
iOS
maintains it's experience through to it's core. The OS has been expertly,
lovingly and painstakingly tailored to Apple's vision and it's one that they
want you to share across the entire spectrum of the device, be it iPhone, iPod
or iPad. This consistency allows for new users and users of similar Apple
devices to become easily accustomed to new devices, being able to jump straight
into the experience with relative ease due to instant familiarity.
Reliability
iOS is as
stable as a table. I personally can not remember ever experiencing lag with my
old iPhone 4 and this reliability is seen across the board. Even with a single
core processor the phone was nippy and dependable, a testament to the OS'
intuitive design.
App Store
and iTunes
The App
Store can not be beaten. Not yet at any rate. It still holds at least 200,000
more apps than Google's Android Market and the majority of these that are not
cross platform are undoubtedly of better quality due to Apple's intense
screening process for any of the Apps they allow in their store. iTunes also is
a major ace up Apple's sleeve. It provides a one stop shop for music, videos
and podcasts and has become so ingrained within today's culture that many will
find it hard to switch from Apple and leave it behind. It's understandable as
if someone has invested a sufficient amount of money and time into refining
their iTunes library then what cause have they to leave it behind. Google Music
has been released stateside but we’re yet to see if it has the legs to compete.
Hardware
Apple's
hardware is innovative and without a doubt, the best in the business. The
stripped down nature of the design and the premium high end feel of each device
is at first as strikingly beautiful as it is functional. Yes the iPhone 4s
featured little change to the revolutionary form factor of the iPhone 4 but
hey, you know what they say, if it aint broke…
OS Support
iOS
upgrades are universal and shared across all of Apple's devices. This is a
major plus for Apple devotees as it ensures all of their devices will be kept
fresh and up to date, preventing fragmentation.
The Bad
Expensive
One of the
major sore points across all Apple products is the price. If you want to experience
the vision of the folks down and Cupertino
then you are going to have to pay for it…through the nose! Apple have never
been ones really even consider those of us who have more sense than money with
their only mid range devices on the market being former high end ones.
Limited
customization
Apple wants
you to experience Apple as Apple intends Apple to be experienced. Unless you
Jailbreak the thing, your iDevice has been designed to a very particular
specification. For instance the only change Apple allow you to make to your
home screen is to switch the background wallpaper, a measly option really
considering the wealth of customization available to users should they choose
to side with Android.
Static
Icons are dated
IOS will
need to develop its own form of interactive widget and soon. Its icon dock
hasn't changed since its inception and it simply feels flat and too much like a
simple menu, which it is. With Android's fully functional interactive widgets
and Windows Phone's beautiful Live Tiles Apple will be hard-pressed in future
to one up the competition.
The Good
Metro UI
It's no
secret that I am a huge fan of the Windows Phone UI, especially after the Mango
update. Moving between apps and screens is so incredibly fluid with little to
no lag whatsoever and it's just beautiful to look at. Those who like the
stripped down nature of iOS yet fancy something fresh and genuinely exciting
need look no further than Windows Phone 7.
Live Tiles
Live Tiles
are similar to widgets in that they provide constantly updating information to
the user from the comfort of the home screen. Where Live Tiles and widgets
differ however is in design. Windows Phone's Metro UI consists of no icons
whatsoever instead opting to use solely Live Tiles. It's these tiles that bring
to life Windows Phone’s elegance and simplicity. They are instantly recognizable
and perfectly implemented.
Sophisticated
and intensive app integration
Everything
in Windows 7 has been streamlined to provide a complete and seamless
experience. This includes apps such as Facebook and Twitter which have been
masterfully integrated into core aspects of the phone and all correlate
beautifully within what Microsoft are calling the people hub. This attention to
detail and conviction in their software design is what makes Windows Phone so
attractive.
Little difference
in experience between midrange and high end devices
I suppose
this one is a good or a bad point depending on how you look at it but coming
from the average consumer's angle (instead of the tech geek) this is a great thing
as you will not get a hugely different experience if you opt to buy a mid range
Windows Phone instead of a high end one. The OS will run fast regardless and
unlike Android a mid range Windows phone can more than hold it's own against
it's bigger, more expensive brothers.
The Bad
Windows
Marketplace is limited and expensive
Windows
Phone 7 is still comparatively in its infancy which means its Marketplace has a
lot less to offer than both Android and iOS. It's only saving grace is that it
does contain a good deal of high quality name brand apps however a lot of these
are inexplicably priced a lot higher than they are on their competitor's
respective markets. £2.29 for Angry Birds! F**k off!
Lack of
expandable memory
Like iOS
Windows Phone does not yet support expandable memory via Micro SD
cards however unlike iOS Windows Phone fails to provide anything higher than
16GB internal memory. This proves a major downside especially if like me, you
are a complete and utter media whore when it comes to your mobile device. There
are rumours that this will change with a an update later in the year which is
also said to allow Windows Phone to support dual core devices but until that
happens you'll just have to make do with the limited space on offer.
Infancy
Windows
Phone 7 is still relatively new when compared to Android and iOS meaning that
there are still aspects of its overall design that will need refining over
time. I won't go in to these now but be warned, if you're coming from a device
where you are used to doing things a certain way, you may be surprised to find
that there is no supported alternative on a Windows Phone.
Now this is
something Samsung clearly knows how to pull of as they managed it splendidly
with the Galaxy Nexus. As we all know a nexus device represents an Android
clean slate, a device free from manufacturer meddling and running Google’s latest
OS as envisioned and that’s exactly what the Galaxy Nexus was through and
through. Even it’s beautifully monolithic design (a feat which in my eyes surpasses
even the iPhone 4’s) with its lack of conventional buttons and its smooth,
sleek chassis spoke volumes about the phone’s design philosophy. This is why I
place the Galaxy Nexus above the SIII and on par with the One X. 
