Confused wht to bus Android or Applle? thizzz post help you: Android vs Apple iOS head-to-head review

Android KitKat 4.4 and iOS 7 have been doing battle for close to a year - and the next iterations are expected to be released in September.

Currently used by 21 per cent of the Google userbase, KitKat 4.4 is the second most popular version of Android behind Jelly Bean, which is still found on over 50 per cent of Android devices. This is because upgrade cycles are carrier and manufacturer dependant. On the other hand, iOS 7 is active on 91 per cent of Apple devices as the firm pushes out the latest software update directly to devices.

We tested the popular mobile operating systems on flagship phones - the iPhone 5s and Nexus 5 - to see which is best.

There were 10 categories which we compared in total. So read on or jump to the relevant categories on the right to find out which OS is best for business.

User experience

Pfeiffer Report released in September 2013 rates iOS significantly better than Android on cognitive load and user friction.

User Interface

Apple redesigned the interface for iOS 7. The glossy icons, skeuomorphic textures and cluttered looking built-in apps have been replaced with simple, colourful vector-based icons and minimalist designs.

For example, the Notes app no longer looks like a virtual notepad with lined paper - it's just black text on white, although the notes do have a subtle paper-like look to them. This doesn’t mean there’s no visual flourish - iOS 7 uses more translucency and animations.

Most changes to iOS 7 are cosmetic and the OS is as easy to use as ever. If you find animations too distracting, they can be switched off. There are some downsides. The font is thinner and lighter than before which some will find hard to read. An option to bold text in the Settings app compensates for this, and we recommend activating this.

Apple's redesign brings a minimalist style and adds in core features such as the Control Centre (right)

Apple has added a 'Control Centre', which contains shortcuts to commonly used features such as Wi-Fi, volume and the camera app. This is brought up by swiping upwards from the bottom of the screen.

Some features are now hidden away. For example, the shortcut key for typing domain names appears to be missing from the keyboard, but has been merged with the full stop key. You need to press and hold it to access the domain name shortcuts. The Spotlight search feature is no longer accessed by swiping left from the first home screen. Instead you can swipe down from the middle of any home screen.

Although there have been some interface changes in Android 4.4, KitKat looks like its predecessors (without any manufacturer interface overlays). The interface has a lighter colour scheme due to a toning down of the black and blue debuted in 3.0 Honeycomb and 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and due to a greater use of transparency. The status bar at the top of the home screen and the button bar at the bottom are transparent, for example.

Android's drop down notification/settings menus remain merged in KitKat and it's easy to switch between them.

Android's homescreens are customisable and the drop down menus can switch between notifications and settings

KitKat marks the debut of a handful of features. The new Hangouts app replaces the old Messaging text app, but it feels rushed. The cluttered interface can be confusing and the app doesn’t thread SMS and Google Hangout messages from the same contact together. It can be replaced with an SMS app of your own choice.

We're not fans of Google's Hangouts app

You can do a Google search for business numbers within the phone app, but it’s not too smart - searching for ‘curry’ lists nearby electronic stores rather than Indian restaurants. The phone app also attempts to fetch the name of businesses that ring you and display their name as the caller ID with varying degrees of success.

A feature tailored for the larger phablets from Samsung and HTC is one-handed zoom. Tapping the screen, holding down on the tap and then swiping up or down zooms in or out in both Google Maps and Chrome.

KitKat’s autocorrect feature is more convenient to use than iOS’. Placing the text caret in a word brings up a bar just above the keyboard with autocorrect suggestions. This is easier to reach than the bubbles that pop up above the word in iOS.

Scrolling and zooming in both operating systems is smooth. Google has made a number of modifications to Android and the flagship Nexus 5 uses a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor. Performance of KitKat on mid-range devices remain to be seen. iOS is buttery smooth on flagship devices, but there are widespread reports of iPhone 4 and 4S devices struggling to run the redesigned operating system. This has been attributed to the use of animations, which can be switched off - but for the best experience you're going to want at least an iPhone 5.

There are plenty of differences between iOS and Android remaining from previous versions. Android still keeps all its apps in a separate apps drawer, with only your chosen apps showing up on the home screens. Copy and paste is less fiddly in iOS than Android but neither is perfect. One iOS feature we miss in Android is the ability to tap the status bar to jump back to the top of a webpage or document.

WINNER: Tie. It’s a tight call. Apple's redesign means iOS looks great and the OS has added feature such as the Control Centre. Even though some of the new KitKat features are rough-around-the-edges, its notifications system is ahead and you have the option to use widgets.

iPhone 6: Release date, rumours, features and news

The iPhone 5S has been available for a solid nine months now, meaning it's well and truly time to turn our eyes towards what Apple has up its sleeve. The iPhone 5S comes touting a fingerprint sensor for added security and convenience, a retooled camera module, new colour scheme and its most advanced processor yet – so what can we expected from its follow up, the iPhone 6?

iPhone 6 release date

Our money's on September 19th for the 4.7-iniPhone 6 release, with the 5.5-in version expected to ship slightly later. Apple's said to have put in an order for 80-million iPhone 6s already, and manufacturing should be well under way.

Apple might be gearing up to drop not one, not two, but four different iPhone 6 versions, according to a report by GSMarena.

The article makes reference to screen-protector retailer Xtremeguard, a site that lists display covers for the 4.7- and 5.5-in iPhone 6 models as well as two iPhone 6C equivalents.

UPDATE: Pre-orders have been opened up for the iPhone 6 in luxury gold and platinum coats courtesy of Brikk, marking up at around £5000. The ritzy handsets are tipped for a September/October release, which falls in line with current speculation.

Unless Apple dramatically changes course from its release schedule, we’re unlikely to see the iPhone 6 arrive on the scene until September 2014. We're expecting that Apple will drop the iPhone 5C, replacing it as an alternative to the normal iPhone with a slightly larger phabet. It was suggested that Apple could be launching two phablets, but battery problems are said to have delayed the largest 5.5-inch iPhone 6 until 2015.

It's looking increasingly likely September will be the date, thanks to Apple boss Tim Cook confirming Apple's new products will be arriving soon.

Apple iPhone 6 screen size

We got a good look at a purported iPhone 6 sapphire screen earlier this month. Measuring 4.7-in, the crystal display appeared impervious to vlogger Marcus Brownlee's attempts to stab, scratch, and snap the rugged component.

Brownlee goes all out on the iPhone 6 screen

Taiwanese pop star Jimmy Lin's been at it again, and has dropped a new pic of what looks like the 5.5-inch iPhone 6. Check it out here.

Lin'leaked iPhone 6 phablet

Apple's iPhone 6 will launch with a larger screen, that much is certain. How large though is where things start getting a hazey with the web seemingly split between Apple launch two sizes of iPhone or just one.

Throwing its lot in with the notion that Apple will launch just one new handset is this leaked iPhone 6 schematic which shows what appears to be not only a new design for the iPhone but also a single 5-inch display, contradicting previous reports.

As with any and all Apple-based rumour it's important to take what you've just seen with a large mountain of salt, there's no way of proving that this schematic is real.

That said, 9to5 Mac claimed to have gotten hold of an image showing an as yet unverified image of the iPhone 6 chasis sporting a thinner body and what could be a larger 5-inch display.

The image is blurry to be honest and while CTech have certainly had some legitimate leaks in the past there's no telling whether this is actually an iPhone 6 image or just an early prototype from Apple.

If it does prove to be real then it means that the new iPhone would have a significantly smaller body measuring in at around 6.5mm thin.

Recent reports from the Wall Street Journal have indicated that Apple is experimenting with screens ranging from 4.5- to 6-inches. Apple had to be dragged kicking and screaming from its classic 3.5-inch handset to the iPhone 5 and 5S’ 5-inch screen, but speculation suggests it is willing to push closer to the 5-inch screens offered by some of its Android rivals.

According to MacRumors, one analyst has suggested that Apple could be looking to implement a 4.8-inch Retina+ IGZO screen made by Sharp, which will make the iPhone 6 display thinner, brighter and much clearer – boasting better than HD resolutions.

So there you have it, all we know about the one-size-fits-all theory. Now onto the possibility that actually Apple will actually unveil two new handsets in different sizes.

The latest rumour about a larger iPhone 6 comes from Sonny Dickson – the same guy that gave us a sneak peak of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C ahead of their launch.

The leaked case suggests Apple will be unveiling a 4.7-inch iPhone 6, with slimmer body and newly positioned power button.

The case size reveals that the iPhone 6 could be thinner than the current model and even thinner than the Google Nexus 5.

In March Chinese analyst Sun Changxu told Chinese-language website QQ Techthat Apple will launch the follow up to its flagship smartphone in two large screen sizes.

As well as the addition of larger screen sizes, the company could also move forward the launch date of the phone, according to Sun.

According to Sun, the iPhone 6 will come with a 4.7-inch screen, with a display resolution of 1,136 by 640 pixels. The company would then launch a larger 5.5-inch model shortly afterwards. That's looking increasingly unlikely due to the rumoured issues with the larger model's battery.

He said the company is likely to use the Worldwide Developers Conference in June to launch the handsets.

However, a leaked image that showed up on Chinese forum WeiPhone appeared to show a display for an iPhone 6 model lined up against an iPhone 5S and an iPhone 4S.

Of course, this could be a fake image created by someone who has tampered with and refitted the glass. Or it could be a prototype display that Apple has ordered from Chinese suppliers.

Apple iPhone 6 Price

According to one analyst, Apple has been negotiating with US networks to raise the price they pay for the iPhone 6 by $100 (£60). It is currently unclear if Apple is trying to do the same with UK networks.

The information came to light in Jefferies analyst Peter Misek’s latest investors note, which was released on Monday.

According to Misek, despite an increase in competition from cheaper smartphones, the move could benefit Apple.

“The possibility may at first seem farfetched in light of investor concerns regarding possible carrier subsidy and handset price cuts due to smartphone saturation and lack of differentiation,” Misek said in the note.

“But we think this general lack of differentiation could be the reason why Apple may be able to get a price increase. Carriers realise that the iPhone 6 will likely be the only headline-worthy high-end phone launched this year and that they will lose [subscribers] if they do not offer it.”

Of course, the big question is who will foot the increased bill? According to the analysts, it is extremely unlikely gadget fans will bear the full brunt.

According to Misek’s colleagues at Jefferies, networks in the US are simply not in the position to refuse Apple’s demands. As Mike McCormack and Jerry Dellis commented, networks risk losing customers if they refuse to the new, higher price.

Google Bets Big on HTML 5: News from Google I/O

“Never underestimate the web,” says Google VP of Engineering Vic Gundotra in his keynote at Google I/O this morning. He goes on to tell the story of a meeting he remembers when he was VP of Platform Evangelism at Microsoft five years ago. “We believed that web apps would never rival desktop apps. There was this small company called Keyhole, which made this most fantastic geo-visualization software for Windows. This was the kind of software we always used to prove to ourselves that there were things that could never be done on the web.” A few months later, Google acquired Keyhole, and shortly thereafter released Google Maps with satellite view.

“We knew then that the web had won,” he said. “What was once thought impossible is now commonplace.”

Google doesn’t want to repeat that mistake, and as a result, he said, “we’re betting big on HTML 5.”

Vic pointed out that the rate of browser innovation is accelerating, with new browser releases nearly every other month. The slide below, from early in Vic’s talk, shows the progress towards the level of UI functionality found in desktop apps through adoption of HTML 5 features in browsers. This looks like one of Clayton Christensen’s classic “disruptive innovation vs sustaining innovation” graphs. It’s also fascinating to see how mobile browsers are in the forefront of the innovation.

While the entire HTML 5 standard is years or more from adoption, there are many powerful features available in browsers today. In fact, five key next-generation features are already available in the latest (sometimes experimental) browser builds from Firefox, Opera, Safari, and Google Chrome. (Microsoft has announced that it will support HTML 5, and as Vic noted, “We eagerly await evidence of that.”) Here’s Vic’s HTML 5 scorecard:

1. The canvas element provides a straightforward and powerful way to draw arbitrary graphics on a web page using Javascript. Sample applications demoed at the show include a simple drawing area and a simple game. But to see the real power of the Canvas element, take a look at Mozilla’s BeSpin. Bespin is an extensible code editor with an interface so rich that it’s hard to believe it was written entirely in Javascript and HTML.

1. The video element aims to make it as easy to embed video on a web page as it is to embed images today. No plugins, no mismatched codecs. See for example, this simple video editor running in Safari. And check out the page source for this YouTube demo. (As a special bonus, the video is demonstrating the power of O3D, an open source 3D rendering API for the browser.)

1. The geolocation APIs make location, whether generated via GPS, cell-tower triangulation or wi-fi databases (what Skyhook calls hybrid positioning) available to any HTML 5-compatible browser-based app. At the conference, Google shows off your current location to any Google map, and announces the availability of Google Latitude for the iPhone. (It will be available shortly after Apple releases OS 3.) What’s really impressive about Latitude on the phone is that it’s a web app, with all the platform independence that implies, not a platform-dependent phone application.

1. AppCache and Database make it easy to build offline apps. The killer demo is one that Vic first showed at Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco a few months ago: offline gmail on an Android phone. But Vic also shows off a simple “stickies” app running in Safari. (I love the language that Vic uses: “You can even store the application itself offline and rehydrate it on demand.”)
   

1. Web workers is a mechanism for spinning off background threads to do processing that would otherwise slow the browser to a crawl. For a convincing demo, take a look at a web page calculating primes without web workers. As the demo says, “Click ‘Go!’ to hose your browser.” Then check out the version with web workers. Primes start appearing, with no hit to browser performance. Even more impressive is a demo of video motion tracking, using Javascript in the browser.

During his keynote, Vic was joined on stage by Jay Sullivan, VP of Mobile at Mozilla and Michael Abbot, the SVP in charge of application software and services at Palm. Both showed their own commitment to working with HTML 5. Jay expressed Mozilla’s commitment to keeping the web open: “Anything should be hackable; anything should be scriptable. We need to get out of plugin prison.” Javascript rendering in Firefox 3.5 is 10x faster than in Firefox 2, with support for video, offline storage, web workers, and geolocation.

Michael showed how Palm’s WebOS relies on HTML 5. “You as a developer don’t need to leave your prior knowledge at the door to develop for the phone.” He demonstrates the power of CSS transformations to provide UI effects; he shows how the calendar app is drawn with Canvas, how bookmarks and history are kept in an HTML 5 database. Michael emphasized the importance of standardization, but also suggested that we need new extensions to HTML 5, for example, to support events from the accelerometer in the phone. Palm has had to run out ahead of the standards in this area.

If you’re like me, you had no idea there was so much HTML 5 already in play. When I checked in with my editors at O’Reilly, the general consensus was that HTML 5 isn’t going to be ready till 2010. Sitepoint, another leading publisher on web technology, recently sent out a poll to their experts and came to the same conclusion. Yet Google, Mozilla, and Palm gave us all a big whack upside the head this morning. As Shakespeare said, “The hot blood leaps over the cold decree.” The technology is here even if the standards committees haven’t caught up. Developers are taking notice of these new features, and aren’t waiting for formal approval. That’s as it should be. As Dave Clark described the philosophy of the IETF with regard to internet standardization, “We reject: kings, presidents, and voting. We believe in: rough consensus and running code.”

Support by four major browsers adds up to “rough consensus” in my book. We’re seeing running code at Google I/O, and I’d imagine the 4000 developers in attendance will soon be producing a lot more. So I think we’re off to the races. As Vic said to me in an interview yesterday morning, “The web has not seen this level of transformation, this level of acceleration, in the past ten years.”

Vic ends the HTML 5 portion of his keynote with hints of an announcement tomorrow: “Don’t be late for the keynote tomorrow morning.”