Just as
computer shoppers often decide between a Windows PC, Mac and Chromebook, you’ve got a choice to make when looking for a new smartphone: Apple’s iOS, Android, Windows, and BlackBerry.
While
there are many similarities, each operating system has a different look and
feel. App selection could vary greatly. And so can the price and form factor.
The
following is a closer look at the features of each major platform.
iOS
Out of
all of the phones available, iPhone which runs Apple’s iOS operating system is probably the easiest to use. If you’re not very tech savvy, this one is for you.
Simply
tap an icon to launch an app (program) and swipe left or right on the screen to
see additional apps. Swipe down to search for something or swipe up to access
settings, like screen brightness and volume.
Press and
hold the circle button to talk to Siri, a voice-activated personal assistant.
That
circular Home button on iPhone can also read your unique fingerprint. Called
Touch ID, this feature makes it easy to log into your phone, purchase apps and
media (such as music), and even use your iPhone to shop at supporting retailers
via the Apple Pay mobile payment service.
iPhone
also works with iTunes, which you might be using to manage media on your
computer, and iCloud, used to back-up your important files and wirelessly
synchronize content between multiple devices. Apple’s AirPlay lets you wirelessly stream between supported devices,
such as your iPhone sending photos and videos to your Apple TV box, which is
connected to your TV.
Apple’s App Store has more than 1.4 million downloads, many of which are
free or close to it. Almost everything you download for iPhone will work on
iPad and iPod touch, too.
Apple’s iPad Air 2 (9.7 inches) and iPad mini 3 (7.9 inches) are the
most popular tablets on the market, with a similar look and feel to iPhone. The
larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro is due out soon, as well.
Android
The
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Choice is
good, but it can also be overwhelming. How do you know which phone will best
suit your needs?
While
there are only two new iPhones to choose from, there are literally many dozens
of Android-powered devices, which give you a lot of choice.
That is,
only Apple makes iPhone and iPad, but Google’s Android platform is an open and freely distributed one, meaning
multiple companies create phones and tablets based on the world’s most popular operating system.
Perhaps
you want a large-screen Samsung “phablet” (half phone, half tablet) or a compact LG phone? What about a
waterproof Sony model? All of these companies make Android phones, as well as
HTC, Motorola, Acer, Asus, Huawei, OnePlus, Kyocera, ZTE, Alcatel, Sonim, and
Google itself (branded as Nexus phones). Heck, even BlackBerry now makes an
Android phone, called Priv.
Amazon’s Kindle devices are built on Android, too.
Because
Android is from Google, the mobile operating system has a number of integrated
Google services already preloaded, such as Gmail , Chrome , Google Maps , and
YouTube , to name a few. Like iTunes, Google also lets you download and/or
stream media to your devices, such as music, TV shows, movies, games, ebooks,
magazines, and so on.
The
clever Google Now feature lets you talk to your phone like a personal
assistant, but with your permission it also learns your patterns, such as
leaving the home every day at 7:30am for work, and will alert you to traffic on
your route and other contextually relevant information.
Android
is great for those who like to multitask. For example, you can split your
screen into two apps – like a video playing on
top and your email open on the bottom – or you might opt for a
picture-in-picture option, such as browsing the web but have a TV show playing
in a small window (iPad finally added this with iOS 9, but not iPhone). While
purely optional, the operating system is also ideal for those who like to
tinker with the phone or tablet’s interface, layout and app
selection.
Unlike
iPhone and iPad, most Android devices let you expand the storage by popping in
a microSD memory card (though Samsung recently abandoned this feature).
At more
than 1.5 million downloads, the Google Play store has the most apps out of any
mobile operating system -- but really, it’s splitting hairs, as Apple isn’t far behind.
Android-based
tablets come in a range of sizes, prices, and models to choose from.
Windows
While
they might not have the market share of Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android – combined, these two make up nearly 97 percent of all smartphone
platforms (IDC, Aug 2015) – Microsoft and BlackBerry
are still in the game, as well.
Now
called Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft’s new phone platform will
roll out to existing Windows 8.1 devices in December, for free, plus a pair of
new Windows 10 Mobile-powered phones -- the Lumia 950 and supersized Lumia 950
XL -- will debut before that.
Optimized
for smaller screens than laptops, desktops and tablets, the free upgrade will
boast a similar look and feel to other Windows 10 devices, including a
customizable Start screen, familiar apps like a full version of Microsoft Office
(Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more), multimedia folders (Photos, Music,
Videos), and a Microsoft Edge web browser.
Windows
10 users can benefit from smooth synchronization with all Windows 10 Mobile
devices, and documents can also be synched via the OneDrive cloud services
between hardware.
BlackBerry
Finally,
BlackBerry 10-powered devices have a few unique features.
Geared
more towards the on-the-go worker bee, BlackBerry devices were built with
security in mind with more IT policies than
all other platforms -- along with a physical keyboard (on most models) ideal
for typing quickly, comfortably and accurately. Many simply prefer a
physical
QWERTY keyboard over a “soft” (virtual) one on a touchscreen.
BlackBerry
devices still offer the best battery out of all four platforms – up to 30 hours on the BlackBerry Passport. It also has the
loudest and clearest speakerphone out of all the phones available today, if
that matters to you.
