Apple iOS 5 vs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) | iOS 5 vs Android 4.0 Features and Performance | iOS 5.0.1 Update | iOS 5.0.1 vs Android 4.0
The latest release of Apple’s mobile operation system is iOS 5. Released in October 2011, iOS 5 meant for all versions of iPad, 3rd and 4th generations of iPod touch and iPhone 4S, 4 and 3S. iOS 5.0.1 is latest update, which includes some improvements and bug fixes. The Android version designed to be used on both phones and tables was officially released in October 2011 alongside the announcement of Galaxy Nexus. This version of Android is also known as ‘Ice cream sandwich’. Following is a review on these latest versions of the two most famous mobile operating systems in the market.
iOS 5
The mobile operating system by Apple Inc. (known for its amazing finish) has been released for the 5th iteration. Released in October 2011, iOS 5 meant for all versions of iPad, 3rd and 4th generations of iPod touch and iPhone 4S, 4 and 3S.
Though many expected significant UI changes to iOS 5, it remains more or less similar to the previous version in terms of the overall look and feel.
However, the notifications have been improved, and an all-new “Notifications Centre” has been introduced. Users can either ignore or respond to notifications. Users can browse through the list of notifications by up and down swiping. If the user decides to interact, he will be taken to the relevant application. This implementation of ‘Notifications’ has a big resemblance to how ‘Notifications are implemented in Android. A useful widget included in the Notifications section is the weather widget which is location aware and will update the user on current weather update. The new notifications appear in a non obtrusive manner. These notifications will appear briefly at the top of the screen. The lock screen will also display notifications and users can act on them by simply unlocking the screen.
The iMessage available in iOS 5 enables users to reduce messaging costs. It allows users to send text messages between iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices via Wi-Fi and 3G. Since iMessage is built into messaging, it allows users to send text, images, video, as well as locations. Group messaging is also enabled with iMessage and users can relax about security of the content that they share since these messages are encrypted. If the intended recipient supports iMessage, the contact will be coloured in blue, if not the contact will be coloured in green. This enables users to know if the phone is using data package or their phone connection to send the message.
Siri; the voice assistant made available in iOS 5 long with iPhone 4S is the biggest innovative feature of the platform. ‘Siri’ is an interactive assistant capable of doing many tasks for the phone user. The uniqueness of ‘Siri’ is the ability to behave based on context and appears less robotic than other assistants in the market. The downside of this amazing feature on iOS 5 is that it’s only supported by iPhone 4S. Read more on Siri at our review here.
iCloud is another innovative feature of the iOS 5. iCloud is a cloud based service which enables users to sync content between many Apple devices without effort. Contents are synchronised between many devices almost instantaneously. In combination with iCloud, iOS 5 enables users to install updates and software without the help of the PC. iOS 5 devices can now sync over Wi-Fi if iTunes is open in the desktop.
The camera application also has received few upgrades with iOS 5 release. The camera app can be opened from the lock screen. The application provides many features such as grid lines, pinch-to-zoom, and tap focus to compose a quality snap shot. Photos can be taken by pressing the volume up button (Hardware Button) in the device. Improved enhancements to photo s are also available with iOS 5.Users can edit, crop, auto enhance and remove red eye of the photos taken as iCloud will send a copy of the photo to iPad as soon as the photo is taken.
The browsing experience on iOS 5 is another area improved by this iteration of iOS. Tabbed browsing is available for iPad users for the first time. Users can open a total of 9 tabs at one time. Reading list is another feature available with iOS 5 which enable users to keep track of what they are reading.
In addition to the main feature upgrades mentioned above iOS 5 has introduced new multi tasking gestures to the platform. ‘Air play’ mirroring, reminders App, Newsstand and Twitter integration are other areas of improvement on iOS 5. iOS 5 appears to be more polished and refined with a new bundle of enhancements. This version of the OS seems stable in many previous versions of Apple hardware it is intended for, as well.
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iOS 5.01 Release: November 2011 |
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Improvements and Bug Fixes 1. Fixes for bug affecting battery life 2. Fixes bug affecting Documents in the iCloud 3. Multi-tasking gestures for iPad (1st Gen iPad) 4. Improved Voice Recognition for Australian users |
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iOS 5 Release: 12 October 2011 |
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New Features and Improvements 1. Notification Center – with the new Notification Centre now you can get all your alerts (including new email, texts, friend requests, etc.) in one place without any interruptions to what you are doing. The swype down notification bar appears briefly at the top of the screen for a new alert and disppears quickly. – All alerts in one place – No more interruptions – Swype down from the top of any screen to enter Notification Center – Customize to see what you want – Active lock screen – notifications display in the lock screen for easy access with one swype 2. iMessage – it is a new messaging service – Send unlimited text messages to iOS devices – Send text, photos, videos, locations and contacts to any iOS device – Send group messaging – Track messages with delivery and read (optional) receipt – See the other party typing – Encrypted text message – Switch between iOS devices while chating 3. Newsstand – read all your news and magazines from one place. Customize Newsstand with your newspaper and magazine subscriptions – Browse stores right from Newsstand – When you subscribe it appears in the newsstand – Folder for easy access to favorite publications 4. Reminders – organize yourself with to-do lists – To-do list with due date, location etc. – View list by date – Set time based or location based reminder alert – Location reminder: get alert when you near the set location – Reminders work with iCal, Outlook and iCloud, so that it auto update change to all your iDevices and callendar 5. Twitter integration – system wide integration – Single sign in – Tweet directly from browser, photo app, camera app, YouTube, Map – Reply to friend in the contact by start typing name – Share your location 6. Enhanced Camera features – Instant access to Camera app: access it right from the lock screen – Pinch to Zoom gestures – Single tap focus – Focus/Exposure locks with touch and hold – Grid lines ti help compose a shot – Volume up button to capture the photo – Photo stream via iCloud to other iDevices 7. Enhanced Photo features – on screen editing and organize in photo album from Photo apps itself – Edit / Crop photo from Photo apps – Add photos to album – iCloud automatically push photos to your other iDevices 8. Improved Safari browser (5.1) – displays only what you like to read from the web page – Removes ads and other clutters – Add to reading list – Tweet from browser – Update reading list in all your iDevices via iCloud – Tabbed browsing – Performance improvement 9. PC Free activation – no more need for PC: activate your device wirelessly and do more with your Photo and Camara apps right from the screen – OTA software upgrades – On screen camera apps – Do more on screen like on screen photo editing – Back up and restore via iCloud 10. Enhanced Game Center – more features added – Post your profile picture – New friend recommendations – Find new games right from Games Center – Get on the spot overall achievement score 11. Wi-Fi Sync – wirelessly sync your iDevice to your Mac or PC vis shared Wi-Fi connection – Auto sync and iTunes back up when connected to power source – Purchases from iTunes appear in all your iDevices 12. Enhanced mail features – Format text – Create indents in the text of your message – Drag to rearrange names in the address field – Flag important messages – Add/Delete mailbox folders on your device – Search mails – Free email account with iCloud that will be updated in all your iDevices 13. Additional Calendar features – Year/Weekly view -Tap to create new event – Drag to edit date and duration – Add/rename/delete calendars directly from your device -View attachment right from calendar app – Calendar sync/share via iCloud 14. Multitasking gestures for iPad 2 – Multi finger gestures – New moves and short cuts like swipe up for multi tasking bar 15. AirPlay Mirroring – Support for video mirroring 16. Innovative new features for differently abled people – Work with specialized hardware accessories for differently abled – LED Flash and custom vibration to indicate incoming call – Custom element labeling 17. Support iClouds – iCloud wirelessly pushes files across multiple devices managed together |
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Compatible Devices: iPad2, iPad, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPad Touch 3rd and 4th generation
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Android 4.0
The Android version designed to be used on both phones and tables was officially released in October 2011 alongside the announcement of Galaxy Nexus. Android 4.0 also known as “Ice cream sandwich” combines the features of both Android 2.3(Gingerbread) and Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).
The biggest improvement of Android 4.0 is the user interface enhancement. Further confirming the commitment to more user friendly mobile operating system, Android 4.0 comes with a new typeface called ‘Roboto’ which is more suitable for high resolution screens. The virtual buttons in the Systems bar (Similar to Honeycomb) allows users to navigate back, to Home and to recent applications. The folders in the home screen allow users to organize applications by category simply by drag and drop. The widgets have been designed to be re sizable and allow users to view content using the widget without launching the application.
Multitasking is one of the strong features in Android. In Android 4.0 (Ice cream Sandwich) the recent apps button allows users switch between recent applications easily. The systems bar shows a list of recent applications and have thumbnails of applications, users may instantly access an application by tapping the thumbnail. The notifications are also enhanced in Android 4.0 (Ice cream Sandwich). In smaller screens notifications will appear at the top of the screen and in bigger screens notifications will appear in the System bar. Users can also dismiss individual notifications.
Voice input has also been improved in Android 4.0 (Ice cream Sandwich). The new voice input engine gives an ‘open microphone’ experience and allows users to give voice commands any time. It allows users to compose messages by dictation. Users may dictate the message continuously and if any errors are available they will be highlighted in gray.
The lock screen comes packed with improvements and innovation. On Android 4.0 users can do many actions while the screen is locked. It is possible to answer a call, see notifications and browse through music if the user is listening to music. The innovative feature added to the lock screen would be ‘Face Unlock’. With Android 4.0 users can now keep their face in front of the screen and unlock their phones adding an even more personalized experience.
The new People application on Android 4.0 (Ice cream Sandwich) allows users to search for contacts, their images across multiple social networking platforms. Users own contact details can be stored as ‘Me’ so that information can be shared easily.
The camera capabilities are another area much enhanced in Android 4.0. Image capturing is enhanced with continuous focus, zero shutter lag exposure and decreased shot-to-shot speed. After capturing images users can edit them on the phone with the available image editing software. While recording video users can take full HD images simply by tapping the screen as well. Another introducing feature on the camera application is the single-motion panorama mode for larger screens. Features such as face detection, tap to focus are also onboard Android 4.0. With “Live Effects”, users can add interesting changes to captured video and video chat. Live Effects enables changing the background to any available or custom image on captured video and for video chat.
Android 4.0 is the mobile operating system which takes Android platform to the future. There for it is no surprise that the new operating system has focused on the NFC capabilities of future Android smart phones and tablets. “Android Beem” is a NFC based sharing application which allows two NFC enabled devices to share images, contacts, music, video and applications.
Android 4.0, also known as Ice cream Sandwich comes to the market with many interesting innovative features packed. However, the most important and noteworthy enhancement would be the upgrade the user interface has received to give it a much needed finishing touch. With fast passed release cycles, many previous Android versions seemed a little rough around the edges.
Introducing Android 4.0 on Galaxy Nexus
What is the difference between iOS 5 and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)?
The iOS 5 is the latest version of the proprietary mobile operating system by Apple. Android 4.0 is the latest version of the free and open source mobile operating system by Google and Open Handset alliance. The main difference between iOS 5 and Android 4.0 is that, iOS 5 is a proprietary mobile operating system, and Android 4.0 is a free and open source operating system. Released in October 2011 iOS 5 is tightly coupled with the hardware. iOS 5 meant for all versions of iPad, 3rd and 4th generations of iPod touch and iPhone 4S, 4 and 3S. Android 4.0 was initially released with Galaxy Nexus, but the OS is not tightly coupled with hardware.
Though many expected iOS 5 to have many UI enhancements than the predecessor, the UI did not have any significant changes. On the other hand, Android 4.0 user interface is much enhanced than its predecessor. Both Android 4.0 and iOS 5 can be used on both tablet devices as well as smart phones.
With the 5th iteration of iOS, the notifications are improved to look similar to that of Android platform. Now on both platforms, notifications are displayed on top of the screen; users can browse through notifications and by clicking a notification, users can access the relevant application.
iOS 5 includes a messaging application called, iMessage which allows users to send and receive messages using Wi-Fi and 3G. However, this messaging application requires the contacts also to have iMessage installed in their respective iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. Similar 3rd party messaging applications are available for Android platform, as well. However, as Android 4.0 was released very recently the compatibility of these applications on Android 4.0 is questionable. However, it’s important to note that an application is not available with Android 4.0.
One of the most innovative features available on iOS 5 is the voice assistant named ‘Siri’. ‘Siri’ is an interactive assistant capable of doing many tasks for the phone user. The uniqueness of ‘Siri’ is the ability to behave based on context and appears less robotic than other assistants in the market. The application is cloud based and retrieves responses from severs at Apple. Similar 3rd party applications are available for android platform, but a native application is not available with Android 4.0. However, voice input has been improved in Android 4.0.The new voice input engine available in android 4.0 gives an ‘open microphone’ experience and allows users to give voice commands any time. Application developers can make use of the capabilities included in Android 4.0 and develop feature rich applications similar to ‘Siri’. Similar applications to ‘Siri’ available in Android market are ‘Vlingo’ and ‘Iris’. While ‘Iris’ is still in the alpha release, ‘Vlingo’ is available for devices with Android 2.1 and above.
Both iOS 5 and Android 4.0 allows users to store/backup the device content in a cloud based service. iCloud is a cloud based service which enables users to sync content between many Apple devices without effort. Content is synchronised between many devices almost instantaneously. The instant synchronization facility is not available with the cloud based service available with Android 4.0.
The lock screen on Android many actions such as to answer a call, see notifications and browse through music if the user is listening to music while the screen is locked. The lock screen on Android 4.0 also allows unlocking by face recognition. Similar features are not available on iOS 5. While the screen is locked on iOS 5, users can answer calls, see notifications and open camera application.
The camera applications in both iOS 5 and Android 4.0 have been improved. On iOS 5, the camera application provides many features such as grid lines, pinch-to-zoom, and tap focus to compose a quality snap shot. Both iOS 5 and Android 4.0 allows users to edit, crop and auto the taken photos. On iOS 5, iCloud will send a copy of the photo to iPad as soon as the photo is taken. In Android 4.0, Image capturing is enhanced with continuous focus, zero shutter lag exposure and decreased shot-to-shot speed. With “Live Effects”, users can add interesting changes to captured video and video chat on Android 4.0.
Android 4.0 has a content sharing application called “Android Beem”, which works on NFC technology, to allow users to transfer files, images and video among devices. A similar application is not available on iOS 5.
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A Brief Comparison of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) Vs. iOS 5 • The iOS 5 is the latest version of the proprietary mobile operating system by Apple. Android 4.0 is the latest version of the free and open source mobile operating system by Google and Open Handset alliance • The main difference between iOS 5 and Android 4.0 is that, iOS 5 is a proprietary mobile operating system, and Android 4.0 is a free and open source operating system • Released in October 2011, iOS 5 is tightly coupled with the hardware, but Android 4.0 was initially released with Galaxy Nexus, but the OS is not tightly coupled with hardware • iOS 5 does not have any significant changes to UI than its predecessor. Android 4.0 user interface is much enhanced than its predecessor • Both Android 4.0 and iOS 5 can be used on both tablet devices as well as smart phones • In iOS 5, the notifications are improved to look similar to that of Android platform • iOS 5 includes a messaging application called iMessage, which allows users to send and receive messages using Wi-Fi and 3G. Similar 3rd party messaging applications are available for Android platform • iOS 5 includes a voice assistant named ‘Siri’, capable of doing many tasks for the phone user. Similar 3rd party applications are available for android platform, but a native application is not available with Android 4.0 • Similar applications to ‘Siri’ available in Android market are ‘Vlingo’ and ‘Iris’. While ‘Iris’ is still in the alpha release, ‘Vlingo’ is available for devices with Android 2.1 and above • Both iOS 5 and Android 4.0 allows users to store/backup the device content in a cloud based service • iCloud is a cloud based service on iOS 5, which enables users to sync content between many Apple devices without effort; the instant synchronization facility is not available with the cloud based service available with Android 4.0 • The lock screen on Android many actions such as to answer a call, see notifications and browse through music if the user is listening to music while the screen is locked • The lock screen on Android 4.0 also allows unlocking by face recognition and a similar feature are not available on iOS 5 • While the screen is locked on iOS 5, users can answer calls, see notifications and open camera application • The camera applications in both iOS 5 and Android 4.0 have been improved • On iOS 5, the camera application provides many features such as grid lines, pinch-to-zoom, and tap focus to compose a quality snap shot • Both iOS 5 and Android 4.0 allows users to edit, crop and auto the photos taken • In Android 4.0, Image capturing is enhanced with continuous focus, zero shutter lag exposure and decreased shot-to-shot speed • With “Live Effects”, users can add interesting changes to captured video and video chat on Android 4.0 • Android 4.0 has a content sharing application called “Android Beem”, which works on NFC technology to allow users to transfer files, images and video among devices. A similar application is not available on iOS 5
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Related Link: Difference Between Apple iOS and Android OS