Debate #6 - Android vs iOS vs Blackberry vs Windows - Which is the best mobile OS for the future?

@rajni-E46Rlm • Jul 20, 2014

No response !

Are you guyz on for the debate?
#-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#, #-Link-Snipped-#

Satya Swaroop Dash

@satya-swaroop-YDeBJM • Jul 20, 2014

For now and for the future I think that Apple iOS is the best.

As I had covered in an article earlier Android suffers from issues because different manufacturers use the OS on different hardware configurations and this in turn forces the OS to be unstable. Plus Android being an open arena, we sometimes find malicious apps sneaking into people’s smartphones. In addition to that most Android smartphone owners get either late or no access to updated versions of the OS. Surely you might point out the name Cyanogen Mod now, but think about It for a second. Do you really want some third party made modded OS on your precious smartphone?

The next contender, Windows Phone is still in its nascent stage and even though it promises upgrades for its recent lineup we are unsure about the future. Customisation of the OS is still a far cry and many popular apps and games are still missing from the scene. At its launch, it tried to entice developers by giving out promotional stuff for apps and in this rush devs some time uploaded crappy apps on the Windows Phone Store. Its maker Microsoft will not allow apps like Gmail on the platform because it is trying to push its Outlook service. In the future too the company will continue pushing its apps and leaving you out of useful stuff.

Blackberry is not even in the running to be the smartphone OS of the future. Its recent touchscreen revamp has failed badly. I mean, selling a phone for Rs. 18K which initially cost Rs. 41K shows the despair condition they are in. The phones running Blackberry OS have gone weirder too, have you checked the Blackberry Passport yet?

Apple manages to solve all the above problems. You seldom find malicious apps because of two reasons. First the SDK costs money and second is Apple’s stringent checks. As I had pointed out in the Android One article, Apple makes software for a single piece of hardware and there is very less to go wrong. Apple always delivers the updated OS to the products that are being sold in the market and the colourful iOS 7 gives you ample customisation options.

Rahul Naraniya

@rahul-naraniya-8Qz704 • Jul 20, 2014

if we talk about feature no doubt ios is the best.. if we talk at larger scale i mean for india then what matters most is the price. a common man can afford android or windows. if i give my personal opinion them i'm using both this os based fone. what i found is android is batter than windows on feature nd user friendliness basis but windows is also working hard to reach at that level and i believe soon it will be giving tough competition to android. and now if we talk about ios nd blackberry then clearly ios is the best... i dont think that blackberry is even in the competition.

Rajni Jain

@rajni-E46Rlm • Jul 20, 2014

Official Moderation:
It's 9:00 PM, and we are concluding the debate thread for contest.

We had low participation today, however that will not stop us adding valuable points to this thread later on.

Keep the ball rolling...

Anoop Mathew

@anoop-FRTf1L • Jul 20, 2014

Sorry Guys, I was waiting for this time, but at the right moment I got carried away at work. Not my day today. 😔

Anyways, coming to the topic:

It is really not possible to tell which OS will win.

If you look closely, all OS keep 'improving' on the terms of actually 'copying' traits from its rivals. This is true for all OS. But the most talked about OS is ios due to it's highly developed framework and 'low-hanging' capabilities.

The first preference for a human being in this era is to 'wish' for ios makers (aka Apple) to grow the balls to produce low cost product that a commoner can buy. To feel that the majority of the masses is neglected is an issue that Apple should consider when they kickstart their ventures with huge price-tags that slaughter the innocent.

Android on this note has give the common man his 'daily-bread'. We don't care if the bread is not cooked well, or needs some seasoning, it's still f**king eatable right? Listen to this Apple.

Blackberry. Old story. Similar to Orkut. Now lost it's game.

Windows. Still the hero among PC users, but still has failed to make an impact in Phone users. Android rocks when it comes to ease of use. And now Apple which has 'copied' the likes of Android can also boast the same. But hey, someone stole Apple's idea of the smartphone first right?

So we're all even.

Which still makes me wonder?

Why was Samsung's Tizen omitted from the debate? And Ubuntu, and the new Firefox OS. Don't they have a role in the future.

What I think?:

The future should be more about synchronization of devices. Electronic gadgets at home should all sync and coordinate. And I think Samsung's Tizen has got that vision. I wouldn't mind switching from Android to Tizen, because Samsung is an Electronics brand and they know the electronics gameplay better. Apple and the other don't have much into hardware sector to stand-out in the competition. For this, to Tizen I toast, hoping it can bridge the gap between devices at home - exemplifying the mobile way to manage your home.

Root

@root-g5VEZZ • Jul 22, 2014

I am a BlackBerry 10 user , who is so amazed by "Blackberry dead" comments everywhere. I think whenever I hear this in Bushism - "one can't misunderestimate ignorance". It is like "authentic" statements about commercial use of dark energy.

Having said that , let me look at what the OP is asking for.

"There are many parameters that are important to rate them and using them a mobile OS can be deemed as best. Few of the parameters are looks, Features, Ease of Use, Applications store, Customizations and Support."

Looks - I would say IOS is simple. Android is plain, Blackberry is elegant, and Windows is rich.

Features : - This is what confuses me. What do you mean by that? IOS is easy to use and get the things done without any hassles. It is the common Joe's dream. Applications for everyone and more.Since is is locked down pretty well, we can trust it like a Fiat Palio car. Solid to a fault. But battery life? Ah...! SD card support?

Android :- is not very behind in those aspects. But don't talk about security, eh! Plenty of applications including shiploads of crap-ware. Looks like latest iterations somehow gives decent backup. Heavy set 'specs' that will provide more than customer delight to our common Ram - multi core processors, lot of memory, acres of screen real estate etc. . Oh, I can't forget custom ROMs available in XDA and other places.

Blackberry 10 :- (Go ahead, shoot the messenger) My favorite. It is a pure delight to operate. it is like a smart hybrid car if you ask me. Not heavy 'specs', not trillions of applications ( but there is a promise for more and some recipe for "apps?" question raisers in the forms of Android 4.2 something runtime included in the OS). BlackBerry hub, and other security and productivity features are the best in the hands of a person who actually knows what he wants from a smartphone.

I don't have much experience with Windows phone. So can't really comment on that.

I am looking eagerly at Jolla Sailfish and Firefox OS though. However how I wish for a return of Palm OS.

PS: This is my first post here in forum. Sorry , if I am breaking any etiquette or traditions.

Anoop Mathew

@anoop-FRTf1L • Jul 23, 2014

Root
I am a BlackBerry 10 user , who is so amazed by "Blackberry dead" comments everywhere. I think whenever I hear this in Bushism - "one can't misunderestimate ignorance". It is like "authentic" statements about commercial use of dark energy.

Having said that , let me look at what the OP is asking for.

"There are many parameters that are important to rate them and using them a mobile OS can be deemed as best. Few of the parameters are looks, Features, Ease of Use, Applications store, Customizations and Support."

Looks - I would say IOS is simple. Android is plain, Blackberry is elegant, and Windows is rich.

Features : - This is what confuses me. What do you mean by that? IOS is easy to use and get the things done without any hassles. It is the common Joe's dream. Applications for everyone and more.Since is is locked down pretty well, we can trust it like a Fiat Palio car. Solid to a fault. But battery life? Ah...! SD card support?

Android :- is not very behind in those aspects. But don't talk about security, eh! Plenty of applications including shiploads of crap-ware. Looks like latest iterations somehow gives decent backup. Heavy set 'specs' that will provide more than customer delight to our common Ram - multi core processors, lot of memory, acres of screen real estate etc. . Oh, I can't forget custom ROMs available in XDA and other places.

Blackberry 10 :- (Go ahead, shoot the messenger) My favorite. It is a pure delight to operate. it is like a smart hybrid car if you ask me. Not heavy 'specs', not trillions of applications ( but there is a promise for more and some recipe for "apps?" question raisers in the forms of Android 4.2 something runtime included in the OS). BlackBerry hub, and other security and productivity features are the best in the hands of a person who actually knows what he wants from a smartphone.

I don't have much experience with Windows phone. So can't really comment on that.

I am looking eagerly at Jolla Sailfish and Firefox OS though. However how I wish for a return of Palm OS.

PS: This is my first post here in forum. Sorry , if I am breaking any etiquette or traditions.

If Blackberry was so elegant, why did they fail miserably to keep their company steady? How can you revive them, or the Nokia line-ups again from the ashes (or similar situation)?

P.S.: First post being a Debate this big, keep it up, and look for other topics. There's a sea of debatable knowledge in this forum worth hunting.

Enjoy

Root

@root-g5VEZZ • Jul 23, 2014

Anoop Mathew
If Blackberry was so elegant, why did they fail miserably to keep their company steady? How can you revive them, or the Nokia line-ups again from the ashes (or similar situation)?

Well, ain't that a question(s) 😀 ? Reasons as bullets follow. ( They are my opinions, okey. I could be wrong)

Why, insane pricing ofcourse. Launching an 'only dual core' phone ( Z10, Q10, Q5, Z30 etc) in a ultra cost sensitive market that driven purely by low cost mobiles and insanely 'speck'ed androids was the suicidal mistake.
Targeting enterprise customers who are slow to adapt change by introducing a new untested range of products ( BlackBerry 10 does not support BIS, Does not support BES at that time, instead of launching a QWERTY / Full touch combo , they launched only the full touch) clearly and presently alienated system administrators and CIOs like vegetarians in Afghanistan.
Not much apps at the time of launch. Old android runtime included in early versions of BB10 royally foxtrotted the few remaining BlackBerry lovers who attempted to demonstrate "it runs android too". Poor sods, eh!
Non existent advertising.

Having said that it does not mean that BB 10 phones are less elegant. To whoever I showed my Q10 ( earlier) and Z30 ( current phone) absolutely sucked their teeth in disbelief - " is that a BlackBerry". Heck, I could convert at least 8-10 of my friends from Android and Windows. Remember, however good your product is, no customer will buy it if they don't know about it.

I have no intention of hijacking this thread, so (very reluctantly) stopping my rant here. Though the temptation to go on is enormous!

Anoop Mathew
P.S.: First post being a Debate this big, keep it up, and look for other topics. There's a sea of debatable knowledge in this forum worth hunting.

Enjoy

Willco, Saar. BTW, Mallu here, too 😉.

Anoop Mathew

@anoop-FRTf1L • Jul 23, 2014

Root
Well, ain't that a question(s) 😀 ? Reasons as bullets follow. ( They are my opinions, okey. I could be wrong)

Why, insane pricing ofcourse. Launching an 'only dual core' phone ( Z10, Q10, Q5, Z30 etc) in a ultra cost sensitive market that driven purely by low cost mobiles and insanely 'speck'ed androids was the suicidal mistake.

Targeting enterprise customers who are slow to adapt change by introducing a new untested range of products ( BlackBerry 10 does not support BIS, Does not support BES at that time, instead of launching a QWERTY / Full touch combo , they launched only the full touch) clearly and presently alienated system administrators and CIOs like vegetarians in Afghanistan.

Not much apps at the time of launch. Old android runtime included in early versions of BB10 royally foxtrotted the few remaining BlackBerry lovers who attempted to demonstrate "it runs android too". Poor sods, eh!

Non existent advertising.

Having said that it does not mean that BB 10 phones are less elegant. To whoever I showed my Q10 ( earlier) and Z30 ( current phone) absolutely sucked their teeth in disbelief - " is that a BlackBerry". Heck, I could convert at least 8-10 of my friends from Android and Windows. Remember, however good your product is, no customer will buy it if they don't know about it.

I have no intention of hijacking this thread, so (very reluctantly) stopping my rant here. Though the temptation to go on is enormous!

Willco, Saar. BTW, Mallu here, too 😉.

Can't blame you for trying to market a BB in this era. Not your fault.

P.S. Good to know. Meet #-Link-Snipped-#, another mallu here.

Root

@root-g5VEZZ • Jul 23, 2014

Anoop Mathew
Not your fault.

Lol..! I like that. Especially when literally translated to Malayalam 😁.

It is not about BlackBerry and this age. I am a fan of Tinkerbell. Got hold of a Palm pixi plus and still using it after doing some R&D and tweaks. Till last year I had a Sony Ericsson M600i as a spare phone with just to shock my android wielding friends . My main camera phone is a Nokia Pureview 808 with a CFW. Had a LG Optimus P 990 and used it as a testbed for a couple of hundreds of CFW's from CyanogenMod and XDA. So, for me merely using a phone unmolested is a cardinal sin.

With that kind of dark reputation I have, it is not at all difficult to convert some of my friends to BlackBerry 10. Especially the latest OS is nothing short of amazing, when the question is to get things done.

Sarathkumar Chandrasekaran

@sarathkumar-FEGRPw • Jul 23, 2014

Here are my points to the Table:

I always like Apple for its solid looks which are simple but effective design which makes it my pick for the criteria of "Looks".
When i think about security of my personal details or mails or messages, I prefer BB for its high end encryption and security.
Ease of use: Definitely Android steals it from other competitors with its easiest user interface and navigation.(Other competitors always give a fancy name which confuses users and make them search for the basic needs.)
Customization: Android wins the race due to the fact that it was the only open source OS among quoted OS in this debate. It give the freedom for developers to bring on what they want.
Support- Apple IOS leads the pack with its timely support and updates.
App store: definitely, Android App market because of the fact that DEvelopers always want to stay alive- Hence they must develop app for the MASS to survive which in turn floods Android market with lots of apps.
Hope there are more OS choices for users

Santhosh M

@santhosh-m-75aqqB • Jul 24, 2014

For me, It always Android... Basically I'm a Mechanical engineer... I don't have a deep knowledge in all these OS stuff... But up to me Android is always the best and will be forever....

Karthikeyan jaisankar

@karthikeyan-jaisankar-ePFRw7 • Aug 17, 2014

A mobile which can be brought up by affordable price even middle class people can get then we can say itz ANDROID!!!There are lot of OS phones available in the market,like BADA OS,IOS,etc.Nowadays automobile company using apps to park the car and various sensors using and devolping with phones.according to me APPLE,
its secure,CLASS,professional,etc but there will be restriction or something which we should follow for the mobile. ANDROID will be the best choice forever 😀

Akanksha Gupta

@akanksha-2THIXf • Aug 17, 2014

apple ios is the best , blackberry is mostly encrypted that is not everyone can use it and android as far as concern small children knows it how to operate and its also cheap , well i think the best remains the best that is apple ios but if we see it as wat is cheap nd good then its android

Gollapinni Karthik Sharma

@gollapinni-karthik-sharma-EgBEXm • Aug 17, 2014

Every OS has its own flaws. No OS is the best.
At every point of time the same OS gets bore for everyone.
Never used Apple but saw my friends using but never liked apple or apple products. I am not a huge fan of Apple by default.

Apple is secure and fast processing. The only advanntage of using Apple is the OS is built as per the hard ware. Because even on Iphone 4 the new Apple OS runs like a beast.

Android is popular used one. Because of its open source. And its cheap and easily available. But problem is the hardware. It is not built on based on the hardware. So the OS runs slow and lags in the processing on phones.

Windows is the slowly growing up. Because windows is similar like Apple OS. Even on 512Mb Ram it runs like a beast for cheaper phones. Its smooth and not a lot of apps are available.

Blackberry I never used nor heard many people using. All I know its very secure and good but boring to use.

At the end all the OS becomes boring and lag time will decrease slowly at end.

Slowly the upcoming OS like firefox, Jelly Os will become popular. Although it will take time but they will soon. And the new custom Os which Xiaomi, Ausu, and Oppo are offering will be better. Because they are customized too well than the other brands. Android is better as its easily customization but hardware should also be kept in the mind. Windows is also better compared as its really beautiful. Just the updates and changes are bit slow in windows but the new market is for other OS. Linux based OS mobiles are really beautiful. So for all this Android is the base. So this makes things easily available. Just the user interface and ways to represent them must be interesting with many attractive features. Apple is trying its best but still it sticks to the old one. Even Android is the same. It will be better if Android changes its looks and all.

Abhishek Rawal

@abhishek-fg9tRh • Aug 17, 2014

Gollapinni Karthik Sharma
Android is popular used one. Because of its open source. And its cheap and easily available. But problem is the hardware. It is not built on based on the hardware. So the OS runs slow and lags in the processing on phones.

You kidding, right ? Do you even know how much Kernel devs invest in optimizing it ? Just because Kernel includes driver code for all the manufacturers, it doesn't mean it's not build on 'based of hardware'. If a person can really read the kernel source code of any device, he/she will realize that only specific hardware driver code is in the source.
And yeah any sane person after using anything >JB will be able to tell that it's not slow, nor it lags.

My choice : Anything that is opensource - Android AOSP, Firefox OS, Ubuntu Touch, Jolla Sailfish, Tizen, I rep for each & everything that keeps the code open for public.

Gollapinni Karthik Sharma

@gollapinni-karthik-sharma-EgBEXm • Aug 18, 2014

Abhishek Rawal
You kidding, right ? Do you even know how much Kernel devs invest in optimizing it ? Just because Kernel includes driver code for all the manufacturers, it doesn't mean it's not build on 'based of hardware'. If a person can really read the kernel source code of any device, he/she will realize that only specific hardware driver code is in the source.
And yeah any sane person after using anything >JB will be able to tell that it's not slow, nor it lags.

My choice : Anything that is opensource - Android AOSP, Firefox OS, Ubuntu Touch, Jolla Sailfish, Tizen, I rep for each & everything that keeps the code open for public.

No I am not kidding. This is what makes the difference between IOS and other phones. See there are phones less than 10k which offer 4.4.2. What is the difference between 40k phone and 10k phone. Both run on 4.4.2 only right its the hardware which makes the OS runs fast. I used around 4 phones till now and I could my self see the lag in the phones. Low to medium phones. Ios does not hang or stucks or lags. That is where apple takes the chances but as its costly it has back drop.

Use a windows mobile.. it even runs fast on 512Mb. Android uses 2Gb Ram and yet it has lags in speed. I am not a apple fan but its a fact that it has good speed. They invest much in optimizing but why do the lag comes still?
I get the point of saying they will relaize for specific hardware when they read the code. But what makes IOS different from Android. It uses more GPU and space and makes the process slow. On the other hand windows os is smooth and fast.

Abhishek Rawal

@abhishek-fg9tRh • Aug 18, 2014

Boy! You're mixing Kernel code optimization with Hardware (Low/Mid/High). So, it's pretty much useless in debating.

But hey, Pick Apple's 5S or whatever & pick any Android device at same price range running on Stock Android(Nexus 5, Moto X). Now, it's you who have compare!

Gollapinni Karthik Sharma
I used around 4 phones till now and I could my self see the lag in the phones.

Which 4 devices ? Name it please.

Gollapinni Karthik Sharma

@gollapinni-karthik-sharma-EgBEXm • Aug 18, 2014

Abhishek Rawal
Boy! You're mixing Kernel code optimization with Hardware (Low/Mid/High). So, it's pretty much useless in debating.

But hey, Pick Apple's 5S or whatever & pick any Android device at same price range running on Stock Android(Nexus 5, Moto X). Now, it's you who have compare!

Which 4 devices ? Name it please.

I am mixing in sense. I am talking only in perspective of Hardware and your talking only in perspective of the code optimization. We both are debating on two different tracks, eventually.

Galaxy Nexus 3, LG Optimus 2X, HTC One X+, Samsung S3... These phones I used. Now using Acer Liquid E2 duo. After a month will use Mi3.

Ah! Now I get it. Sorry I should I say the manufacturing company. See if you use stock android with on google products it runs the same way. I was speaking in General of Android phones. Because google, motorolo companies are two which run on stock android. But rest all run on the manufacturing companies modified Os. Which makes the phone run slow. Not including nexus or motoX in this. I am talking only about the other manufacturing companies indeed. I find all these slow compared to the google or moto products or apple products.

Abhishek Rawal

@abhishek-fg9tRh • Aug 18, 2014

#-Link-Snipped-# I don't blame you for the poor Android experience you suffered. Samsung, HTC, LG - all uses their Custom launchers,which are bloat - resource hungry & buggy. Pick any Google Play version of the device & you'll see how smooth they work. I don't usually trust companies like Acer, Micromaxx,etc. 'cuz I don't even know whether they have any work-force who optimizes kernel code as per hardware or they just compile the kernel source & build a ROM, who knows ?

Now you could pick those 4 devices again, root 'em, install AOSP or CyanogenMod that is based on AOSP & you'll see how awesome it works. All we need is Kernel source tree from manufacturers for that device for active development.

I even don't understand why people tag Android as 'Cheap device', if a 7K,15K,20K device can outperform 45K device, then what's really wrong in that ? We want cheaper devices, right ? not the one which breaks your bank balance.

Gollapinni Karthik Sharma

@gollapinni-karthik-sharma-EgBEXm • Aug 18, 2014

#-Link-Snipped-# : Yeah I havent tried much of the google play versions.

Neither I know about these companies about the kernel code optimization of these companies. I got the phone in offer along with the laptop. So I choose it.
Yes I did root all my phones except Acer. And I installed many OS expect the pure stock android. Tried many OS to be frank, from XDA developers. Even the cyanogenmod also. I did many experiments to clock the speed etc and all. Ended up screwing all phones very badly. So now I stopped now for the rooting part. I understand your point of the pure kernel source tree.

See my tag of cheap was not that it is less cost or something. My meaning was its easily available for the products. Na there is nothing wrong in it. Its actually a very good change to get good product of quality in a less price. To be frank Android is not cheap the products which run Android are available at less cost. Yeah that's why I choose Mi3 to a low price for now.

I have a personal experience. So just asking it out. Don't you think Android consumes more power than other OS's.

Abhishek Rawal

@abhishek-fg9tRh • Aug 18, 2014

Gollapinni Karthik Sharma
I have a personal experience. So just asking it out. Don't you think Android consumes more power than other OS's.

Yup it does, but check this out : #-Link-Snipped-#
Battery ran 1.5d, isn't that enough ?

Gollapinni Karthik Sharma

@gollapinni-karthik-sharma-EgBEXm • Aug 18, 2014

Yeah it should be fine then. L has a lot improvement for battery. Great.

Abhishek Rawal

@abhishek-fg9tRh • Aug 18, 2014

Gollapinni Karthik Sharma
Yeah it should be fine then. L has a lot improvement for battery. Great.

Yup, but the pic which I have linked above is not of L. It's 4.4.4.

Gollapinni Karthik Sharma

@gollapinni-karthik-sharma-EgBEXm • Aug 18, 2014

Yeah. I was speaking in general regarding L.

Debate #6 - Android vs iOS vs Blackberry vs Windows - Which is the best mobile OS for the future?

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