The past month of June witnessed the unveiling of two of
the most vibrant mobile operating systems developed by the two technical giants
of the Silicon Valley, namely Apple Inc. and Google. While Apple set ablaze
the proceedings at the WWDC 2014 with its latest version iOS8, Google followed
up with the new, improved and revamped version of Android, the Android L. Instead
of precisely comparing both mobile operating systems with each other, we are
generalising a verdict according to the levels of productivity they provide
in the given sections.
Before going further at the feature comparison let's have
a quick look at the Availability:
As per sources of the companies, both iOS8 and Android L will
be released for the users this autumn, i.e. in September or October. Currently,
these mobile operating systems are available in beta; while Apple’s iOS8
beta version can be downloaded by joining the Apple’s developer program
at a cost of 99$ , Android L on the other hand, as per its open source nature,
can be downloaded for free.
Since there have been numerous amendments and introduction of various new tweaks
in both Android L and iOS8, it’s time to compare the Features.
Notifications
The Android L comes with the feature of enhanced notifications
that will be visible over the locked screen. Although you can manage the content
shown according to your privacy measures, the phone will also prioritize the
order of notifications according to the accuracy of actions towards a particular
app.
The notifications in iOS8 have also been made more interactive;
you can reply to a text, re-tweet, like Facebook statuses, snooze your alarm,
all without even leaving the current application you’re working on.
Lock Screen
Android L brings about a new lock screen to the devices through
which you would be able to see the notification. You can access the camera by
swiping left, swipe right to launch the dialler and swipe up to unlock.
The lock screen in iOS8 remains unchanged and looks similar
to the one in iOS7.
Developer Features
Google has added several new tools that would lead to the
enhancement of the overall credibility of Android L. Apple Inc. which is known
for maintaining its privacy when it comes to developing tools has also opened
up a bit, giving iOS developers some scope for development. The Extensibility
feature will provide iOS apps with the ability to intermingle with each other.
That would facilitate user like never before. Now, by using ‘Action Extensions’,
the Bing Translate feature can be incorporated into Safari so that the users
can use the capabilities of both apps simultaneously. Google has introduced
new features in Android L such as direct links to apps from Google Search; this
feature was available for limited Android developers but is now available for
the entire lot.
Beta versions of both these mobile operating systems are available
for developers, which can lead to the creation of immense possibilities for
the development of new tools.
Widgets
Apple has finally introduced widgets which are termed as ‘Todays
Extensions’ that can be placed in the ‘Today’ view in iOS8’s
Notification Centre. iOS users seem to be quite excited about this addition
as the inclusion of widgets similar to those in Android had always been a hot
topic.
Handoff
Handoff is another new feature in iOS8 that is going to facilitate
the iDevice users at the next level. Under this feature each and every device
will be interconnected to each other in order to enhance ease of functionality.
If you’re taking a call over your iPhone and have a sudden urge to use
the OS X (Yosemite) on your Mac, you can easily switch your call over to it
and even back to the iPhone. This is not limited to just calls, when typing
mails you get options to continue over various devices; you can see all your
iPhone Messages as well.
Such features are available in Android L too, although third-party
apps are required for the execution, which is not as seamless as Apples’s
Handoff feature. If you happen to own a Chromebook then there can be a performance
boost as Android L will automatically unlock your laptop if your smartphone
or tablet is in the vicinity, the notifications will appear on both, the laptop
and your mobile device.
Battery Life
The exact boost that both Android L and iOS8 will provide
to the battery life is not known yet. Although there is one major factor that
Google had discussed at the I/O 2014, the Project Volta. It is being claimed
that Project Volta will lead to an increase in thebattery backup of the Nexus
5 by 90 minutes. As for iOS8 there hasn’t been any modification that enhances
battery saving.
Both Android L and iOS8 have employed a series of changes
in their respective platforms but without any doubts it can be said that the
features introduced in iOS8 will prove to be a game changer in terms of user
experience.
