Android and Windows
I have often been asked the difference between an Android and a Windows Phone, some even ask which is better "Android or Windows Phone". I put up this to enlighten those who need to know and those who find it difficult in making a choice of what to go for.
Android is an open source, free, Linux-based operating
system for smartphones and tablets.
The term "open source" refers to something
that can be modified because its design is publicly accessible.
In other words,
Open source software is software whose
source code is available for modification or enhancement by anyone.
The system was designed and developed by Android Inc.,
which was funded and later purchased by Google in 2005.
Windows Phone on the other hand is a series of
proprietary software developed and marketed by Microsoft Corporation. Windows
Phone is a closed-sourced, which means that it is solely developed by the
company and protected by copyright. The company offers a bunch of new features
compared to the older Windows Mobile OS.
We all know, smartphones
was not this popular some few years back and its influx and presence has really
enhanced the way we communicate.
Before then, Windows
palm pilots or pocket PCs ruled the market and popular for many businessmen
keeping appointments and phone numbers in one place.
Then, there was the influx of the Android in 2007, and many believed its arrival will not stand the
test of time. There were several changes that were made that changed the way it
was run and has brought us to point where we are now and becoming a popular OS (Operating
System) in the market today.
Windows recently launched the Windows 8 Mobile systems
and is also currently a popular OS among Nokia fans.
Android and Windows Mobile are two different operating
systems that run on phones, smartphones and tablets.
We now have many manufacturers running Android on their
phones as a result of the benefit of Android being an open source. Developers
can develop content, apps and games for Android which is available on the
Google Play. These enable developers showcase their talent and skills with
quite a number of free apps and games, making Android popular for consumers.
Another popular feature of Android is the number
of apps and the Google Play. Google Play, formerly known as the Android Market
is an application distribution platform, where developers publish applications
for the many Android users.
The applications are also developed by an open community
and many of them are free for downloading through Google Play. Android is also
popular because of constant and frequents updates that are available by Google. The last Google update was the Android 4.4 "KitKat" and Google recently released Android 5.0 Lollipop currently available on Nexus 9
on the 15th of October 2014.
The Windows Store is limited as there only a few number of apps. The company has yet to populate the store with the number of apps that is available on Apple Market or Google Play.
In Summary Here are the differences/similarities.
|
|
Android
|
Windows Phone
|
|
Company/
Developer
|
Google
|
Microsoft
|
|
Programmed
in
|
Java,
C, C++
|
C,
C++
|
|
OS
family
|
Unix-like
|
Windows
|
|
Initial
release
|
September
23, 2008
|
October
21, 2010
|
|
Supported
platforms
|
ARM, MIPS, x86, I.MX
|
x86
|
|
License
|
Apache
License 2.0
Linux
kernel patches under GNU GPL v2
|
Commercial
proprietary software
|
|
Default
user interface
|
Graphical
(Multi-touch)
|
Graphical
(Metro UI)
|
|
Working
state
|
Current
|
Current
|
|
Source
model
|
Open
source software
|
Closed-source
|
|
Updates
|
Updates
are provided by different parties in the consortium.
|
Updates
are only done by Microsoft.
|
|
Applications
|
Applications
are created by an open community of developers.
|
Applications
are created by tie up companies and Microsoft.
|
|
Touch
style
|
Capacitive
technology
|
Capacitive
technology
|
|
Offers
native support for
|
Google
Sync for Gmail, Contacts, and Google Calendar.
|
Mail,
Exchange, Outlook Contacts, Calendar, Windows Market, etc.
|
|
Number
of applications
|
Over
700,000 applications
|
Limited
number of applications.
|
|
Language
support
|
Multiple
language support
|
Multiple
language support
|
Reference and thanks to: http://www.differencebetween.info
