Windows Mobile vs Android

Which Mobile OS you Like

  • Windows Mobile

    Votes: 87 36.0%
  • IOS

    Votes: 31 12.8%
  • Android

    Votes: 166 68.6%
  • Meego

    Votes: 10 4.1%

  • Total voters
    242
No, not quite. Android has kernel level protections against that, actually. That is one of the major differences between Android's kernel and upstream Linux kernel. If you write an app that fires up a while(true) thread, it will actually only run when the screen is on. When you turn off the screen and nothing has a wakelock (requires a permission to get), the kernel force suspends *everything*. Doesn't matter if a thread was running or not, it gets suspended (just like closing the lid on your laptop, actually)

But I don't think there's anything dramatically different here than Windows Phone or iOS when the screen is off the behavior is going to be the same. It's when the device is on that's different.

Now yes, a particularly bad application can grab a wakelock and then spin loop your device to death, but that more or less requires malicious intent and is not going to happen with even a particularly bad developer. Although if that is your goal you could do the same on iOS and WP7, as well. Pretend you are doing music streaming or something and just play nothing but silent music. You've just prevented the device from sleeping and will quickly kill the battery. Heck, do it from a remote server and really maximize battery drain by keeping the cell radio active.

But then that's where app curation comes into play and there's no way that Android apps are better curated than iOS or Windows Phone, its by design really.

Android is more flexible, open and less restrictive at not only at the OS level but in app distribution and that simply adds more flakiness. There's just trade offs here like anything in life.
 
But I don't think there's anything dramatically different here than Windows Phone or iOS when the screen is off the behavior is going to be the same. It's when the device is on that's different.

Pretty much, yes. But battery usage when the screen is on is a totally different story, and often the CPU is going to be active anyway, as is the GPU. Moreover things like the screen draw more power than the CPU.

Multitasking really isn't hurting battery life much at all. It does, however, add complexity and requires solving some tricky problems - which is why iOS and WP7 just don't bother. They instead opt to provide something that solves the obvious use case (streaming music), and presumably will offer something more flexible and powerful later.

But then that's where app curation comes into play and there's no way that Android apps are better curated than iOS or Windows Phone, its by design really.

The curation won't stop a truly motivated developer. It would be trivial to just not trigger the battery draining path until well after the app has been approved, either through a server bit flip or just a date check. Android deals with the blundering fool from draining battery, nobody handles the motivated developer from draining battery. Android will, however, at least allow you to figure out which app is responsible, and that allows the community to - in theory - police itself.
 
Multitasking really isn't hurting battery life much at all.

Multiples apps using resources unconstrained most DEFINITELY hurts battery life and I've seen too many Android users drain their phones faster than some of my Windows tablets to think that Android's solution is the ideal. An OS can only so far if programs just run and suck up all the power they want without some management of the programs and those programs being designed to minimize their resource utilization.


The curation won't stop a truly motivated developer. It would be trivial to just not trigger the battery draining path until well after the app has been approved, either through a server bit flip or just a date check. Android deals with the blundering fool from draining battery, nobody handles the motivated developer from draining battery. Android will, however, at least allow you to figure out which app is responsible, and that allows the community to - in theory - police itself.

And the point of a simple to use device is that one shouldn't have to debug their phone, a task that I see a lot of Android users do. I was hacking Windows Mobile phones long before iOS and Android. I simply decided I'd rather not spent the time on a 4" screen when I've jot way more fun devices to deal with.

Apple has proven without a doubt that simplicity sells. Even someone like me that's got more complex toys than most doesn't want everything in their lives to be a science project. No curation isn't perfect but it is an excellent way to weed out trouble without having to stay up to date with every app.
 
Multiples apps using resources unconstrained most DEFINITELY hurts battery life and I've seen too many Android users drain their phones faster than some of my Windows tablets to think that Android's solution is the ideal. An OS can only so far if programs just run and suck up all the power they want without some management of the programs and those programs being designed to minimize their resource utilization.

Phones are not tablets. :p

And it only takes one app to kill the battery. It doesn't matter if you multitask or not, a battery draining bug will kill the battery. Multitasking itself is not the problem. As you've already said, it's a rogue app that is the problem - a problem you seem to think is solved through curation. Therefore, you should be able to do multitasking + curation without any trouble. And if you curate your apps on Android, that certainly seems to be true.

And the point of a simple to use device is that one shouldn't have to debug their phone, a task that I see a lot of Android users do. I was hacking Windows Mobile phones long before iOS and Android. I simply decided I'd rather not spent the time on a 4" screen when I've jot way more fun devices to deal with.

Apple has proven without a doubt that simplicity sells. Even someone like me that's got more complex toys than most doesn't want everything in their lives to be a science project. No curation isn't perfect but it is an excellent way to weed out trouble without having to stay up to date with every app.

Really? Apple has proven that? Android is outselling iPhone, or have you forgotten? And you certainly don't have to debug an Android phone either. You can if you want to, but you don't have to. If you did it wouldn't be the dominate market share. Android isn't just for geeks and nerds.
 
Multitasking itself is not the problem. As you've already said, it's a rogue app that is the problem - a problem you seem to think is solved through curation. Therefore, you should be able to do multitasking + curation without any trouble. And if you curate your apps on Android, that certainly seems to be true.

All I am saying is that the more a device uses compute resources the more power it uses. Multi-tasking makes it much easier for processes to use those resources. But sure one single threaded app could do more damage. And no curation doesn't solve the problem of more processes using more power, how could it? Again there's tradeoffs, iOs and Windows Phone simply have more constraints about the the numbers and nature of background processes and yes it helps. I only mention tablets because I have a buddy with the first Thunderbolt and the LTE radio simply destroys the battery on that thing, I just find it amazing that an x86 pure tablet with a USB 4G modem can stream video over 4G twice as long as a phone. Of course the battery is much larger but then once it again it goes to the point of just how precious battery life is on phones with all the power they can suck up.

Really? Apple has proven that? Android is outselling iPhone, or have you forgotten? And you certainly don't have to debug an Android phone either. You can if you want to, but you don't have to. If you did it wouldn't be the dominate market share. Android isn't just for geeks and nerds.

The iPhone is the single best selling phone device by far and is iconic because of its simplicity and is indeed the model of both Android and Windows Phone devices in terms of what the basic nature of smart phone is. My point about Android phones is that everyone that I know well with one always seems to have weird shit happen. Been their and done what with Windows Mobile though it wasn't constant or anything. I've simply not experienced any real quirkiness with the Windows Phones that I and the wife have. Not it's not perfect and there have been apps that didn't work properly but the base phone stuff, just solid as a rock.
 
All I am saying is that the more a device uses compute resources the more power it uses. Multi-tasking makes it much easier for processes to use those resources. But sure one single threaded app could do more damage. And no curation doesn't solve the problem of more processes using more power, how could it? Again there's tradeoffs, iOs and Windows Phone simply have more constraints about the the numbers and nature of background processes and yes it helps. I only mention tablets because I have a buddy with the first Thunderbolt and the LTE radio simply destroys the battery on that thing, I just find it amazing that an x86 pure tablet with a USB 4G modem can stream video over 4G twice as long as a phone. Of course the battery is much larger but then once it again it goes to the point of just how precious battery life is on phones with all the power they can suck up.



The iPhone is the single best selling phone device by far and is iconic because of its simplicity and is indeed the model of both Android and Windows Phone devices in terms of what the basic nature of smart phone is. My point about Android phones is that everyone that I know well with one always seems to have weird shit happen. Been their and done what with Windows Mobile though it wasn't constant or anything. I've simply not experienced any real quirkiness with the Windows Phones that I and the wife have. Not it's not perfect and there have been apps that didn't work properly but the base phone stuff, just solid as a rock.

Nokia would beg to differ with you (they got 39% of the world wide market)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_mobile_phones

they have 7 out of the 10 all time best selling handsets
 
What is your openion on latest Nokia Maps used with WP7 compared to Google Maps? With N900 and N9 it still uses 5 yr old maps. So if I want to use those OVI maps in GPS Navigation. Its hard to find new places.

I live in Indiana so there's not a whole lot that's new :p. Seriously though It rarely does me wrong, but I guess I'm the only guy out there that actually loved Bing's navigation...which worked superbly. The ability to quick scroll a list of turns and look at the map while doing it, and it jumped point to point, was perfect, something I didn't get out of drive. The look-ahead style is what I missed in stock android.

The only major downside is the ubiquitous use of Bing as a search, because Bing finds stuff as well as an Alzheimer's victim.

The Lumia 800 feels super solid in hand, and if it comes with great reviews, I'll be 'trading up' to a 900 when available for sure.
 
again, Samsung would disagree with you......

Galaxy S II, 44 million sold
Apple iPhone 4, 28 million sold
(2011 figures)

Those numbers don't seem right. I thought Apple sold 17 million iPhone 4 units in Q3 2011 alone, but maybe that was a total number of iPhones including the iPhone 3.
 
Nokia is 3rd in global smartphones.

Unless you factor in all types of mobile phones, Nokia's a tough giant to beat. With WP7 and S40 (+Smarterphone) coming up in Nokia's smartphone portfolio, I think it'll be able to climb back to the top. Still, it would be much appreciated if you provided a link for your statement ;)
 
These sorts of polls should be prefaced with "out of those people who have actually used all OSs for an extended period...".
 
again, Samsung would disagree with you......

Galaxy S II, 44 million sold
Apple iPhone 4, 28 million sold
(2011 figures)

Samsung combined the sales of the S with the S II to reach that number, and either way it's still an estimate because the only announce what they have sold to resellers, not to consumers.
 
I had a sister-in-law who was new to smart phones so I suggested the HTC Trophy on Verizon. She switched to a Droid II because she couldn't figure out how to use Windows Phone which I have to say I almost can it believe. I got my wife a Trophy also and she loves it and thinks it's easy to use. Oh well, different strokes for different folks.
 
I owned a Moto Droid 1 for 1.75 years (unless VZW let me upgrade) and I used to love rooting/tweaking/flashing/etc all the time. But then after a while, I got really tired of it and the problems that came along with it. I got tired of "having" to constantly fix issue and reflash ROMs like a mad man. I just wanted things to work.

Therefore I upgraded to an iPhone 4. It's simple to use, to tweaking/hacking necessary and it does everything I need plus some right out of the box. I've used iTunes maybe once on my iPhone but everything else is accessed via Cloud (Dropbox, Rdio, etc). Maybe the best phone I've ever owned and I only had to pay $100 compared to $200+ for it.

Android OS seems really scattered to me. Sure it's a geek's dream OS (like Linux) and for those who love to tweak and fix things all the time. Hundreds of phones with a hundred different versions = disaster to me. And it seems like once an Android phone has been out for 6 months, it's up to the community to maintain updates and such; the manufacturer abandons it. Just my 2 cents.

I haven't used WP7 for my personal phone before so I can't comment on it.
 
Android OS seems really scattered to me. Sure it's a geek's dream OS (like Linux) and for those who love to tweak and fix things all the time. Hundreds of phones with a hundred different versions = disaster to me. And it seems like once an Android phone has been out for 6 months, it's up to the community to maintain updates and such; the manufacturer abandons it. Just my 2 cents.

That's the Windows model for the PC and worked out just fine there. A robust OS that runs on everything from a toaster to an x86 machine.
 
And it had it's growing pains too. Hell, it still has it's problems now. It's going to get even more hairy when companies decide to take Android's code and develop a OS fork.

Every situation has it's pros and it's cons, but the Durr, it worked for Windows, response is a cop out and won't always be a reasonable response.
 
And it had it's growing pains too. Hell, it still has it's problems now. It's going to get even more hairy when companies decide to take Android's code and develop a OS fork.

Amazon did this for the Kindle fire. As a result, a lot of things do not function the way people would expect...
 
That's the Windows model for the PC and worked out just fine there. A robust OS that runs on everything from a toaster to an x86 machine.

That's probably because with a PC you potentially can put more input into the OS because of the hardwares available (keyboard, etc...). Android, which you compared to the Windows model on PC, is typically run on a smartphone. Obvious input method would be a finger or two. To be honest (and ironically), Android's much better off being a desktop or tablet OS with the way things are laid out, though the market isn't being too friendly on such approach.
 
Amazon did this for the Kindle fire. As a result, a lot of things do not function the way people would expect...

For what it's worth the Kindle Fire isn't a fork, it's Gingerbread + a skin.

I used windows phone 7 for 6 months and android for years. I have used meego when i had my hd2 and sold iphones @ att

OK, so maybe one person. Although if you've been using a WP7 phone for the last 6 months then you aren't really able to judge Android anymore as your experiences will be out of date ;)
 
OK, so maybe one person. Although if you've been using a WP7 phone for the last 6 months then you aren't really able to judge Android anymore as your experiences will be out of date ;)

Doesn't stop people from making comments about Windows Phone who've never touched it or never used Mango.
 
I would get the Windows phone if you don't care much about apps. I had my Windows phone for about a month and I like it, it's nice and quick, but I miss Google Navigation from my Android phone. Windows have one, but it wasn't as good in my opinion.
 
I would get the Windows phone if you don't care much about apps. I had my Windows phone for about a month and I like it, it's nice and quick, but I miss Google Navigation from my Android phone. Windows have one, but it wasn't as good in my opinion.

There are a number of pretty good navigation apps for Windows Phone, like Tech Auto.
 
For what it's worth the Kindle Fire isn't a fork, it's Gingerbread + a skin.



OK, so maybe one person. Although if you've been using a WP7 phone for the last 6 months then you aren't really able to judge Android anymore as your experiences will be out of date ;)

I got tired of waiting for my 2.1 eclair to get updated to 2.2 ...... nothing ruins me off a phone platform like knowing you wont be getting any updates on your new phone, and yes i know its up to the carriers and manufactures, not google.
 
Is the battery bug resolved with it? How does it feel when you are unable to do skype video calling due to lack of Front Facing Camera?

Pretty sure that's what the most recent firmware update fixed.

And I don't know about him, but I've had phones with a front-facing camera before, and I never once enabled it. I don't miss it on my Samsung Focus one bit, and I probably still wont use it on a Lumia 900 (when I get one).
 
It's really quite pathetic the way people fight over their favorite phone manufacturer. The Apple people are the most pathetic though, since their honor depends on the performance of Apple.These people need to get a life most of all.
 
I currently stuck with a windows phone HTC Arrive 7.5. every day I miss my androids. The windows user interface is nice. It looks slick and appears snappy, but testing it against my android phone -- android always finished first launching apps, searching for things and so on -- but on windows it looked more elegant.

1.) biggest gripe of windows phone - extremely limited application and no 3rd party support for customizations.
2.) no USB or mobile hotspot tethering
3.) default search is bing -- worthless
4.) this might be more of a gripe with htc arrive then windows OS, but no matter what im doing i frequently bump the search button, it closes what im working on and brings up bing. makes me rage.
5.) no menu button, makes it really hard to make setting changes in varios applications even when there is a settings menu on the touch screen its options are extremely limited
6.) requires MS Zune to do major updates
7.) no citrix app ?? wtf, this is suppose to be a business phone?
 
I currently stuck with a windows phone HTC Arrive 7.5. every day I miss my androids. The windows user interface is nice. It looks slick and appears snappy, but testing it against my android phone -- android always finished first launching apps, searching for things and so on -- but on windows it looked more elegant.

I have an Arrive and like it but it's only a 1GHz, it's responsive but not super fast. Try something like a Titan, you'll be shocked how much faster it is than the Arrive. But most of the apps I launch on even my Arrive outside of games do open almost instantly.


1.) biggest gripe of windows phone - extremely limited application and no 3rd party support for customizations.

Yes, Windows phone isn't about customization but the app library is growing pretty quickly. It is well behind iOS and Android in total app count but it is currently at 62000 now in only 15 months, not shabby and I think that with Apollo it's only going to get much better. In any case the app is slowly but surely becoming less and less of an issue.

2.) no USB or mobile hotspot tethering

Not on the Arrive but Windows Phone 7.5 does support mobile hotspots now.

3.) default search is bing -- worthless

Fairly subjective, Bing search works great for me and there are Google search apps.

4.) this might be more of a gripe with htc arrive then windows OS, but no matter what im doing i frequently bump the search button, it closes what im working on and brings up bing. makes me rage.

Yeah, the buttons on the Arrive do have this problem, other phones like the Titan are better.

5.) no menu button, makes it really hard to make setting changes in varios applications even when there is a settings menu on the touch screen its options are extremely limited

Not sure what the gripe is here.

6.) requires MS Zune to do major updates

True. Not that one will do this very often however.

7.) no citrix app ?? wtf, this is suppose to be a business phone?

True. Apollo will be needed to fix these gaps but I would expect that with Apollo's Windows 8 kernel the business aspects of Windows Phone will be very good.
 
2.) no USB or mobile hotspot tethering
That's a problem specific to the HTC Arrive. Windows Phone 7 can do both those things on phones that have the hardware to support them.

My Samsung Focus can tether using USB and supports being a mobile wifi hotspot, for example.
 
Back
Top