WINDROID

Windows Phone 8 vs Android’s 4.2 Jelly Bean OS: Which is Best for 2013?

With the number of great new smartphones available and still newer ones slated for release throughout 2013, it can be difficult to choose your next device. For many users, the operating system that powers the phone is certainly a deciding factor. However, many consumers are uneducated about the variety of features that smartphone platforms have to offer. To that end, it is important to do your homework before you set out to buy a new phone. Two of the most popular smartphone platforms on the market are Windows Phone 8 and Android’s Jelly Bean. Comparing the two can help you to make a more educated purchase in the end.
Android Jelly Bean Advantages
Android is an open type of system that is generally a Linux based platform, and the 4.1 and 4.2 Jelly Bean versions are no exception. One of the biggest advantages this Android version has going for it, and that Android in general holds, is that it is extremely and very easily customizable. Each smartphone that runs on the operating system comes with a specific user interface that is generally easy to use and allows you to customize the look of your device with a variety of skins or themes, wallpapers and the ability to create widgets based on the apps you have on your phone.
The notification bar on the Jelly Bean operating system has also been redesigned so that it is more noticeable and attractive. You no longer need to swipe over the top bar to bring the screen down, which is what longtime Android users have had to do. In addition, Jelly Bean has support for more languages in its keyboard. Some of the newest supported languages include Arabic, Hindi and Persian.
Google Now is included in Android’s Jelly Bean powered smartphones. This app is generally like the Siri voice assistant feature that has appeared in Apple devices since the iPhone 4S. It does everything Siri does and more.
Windows Phone 8 Advantages
Windows Phone 8 has advantages as well. The user interface is simple and clean and boasts a great metro look that includes live tiles and the ability to customize your home screen with apps of your choice and making them the size of your choice from small, medium and large. Windows Phone 8 is easy to use and a refreshing change from the other, older operating systems found in smartphones.
Another advantage Windows Phone 8 holds over Android’s Jelly Bean is that phones that run on it consume considerably less battery power. In general, Windows Phone provides enough juice to last the user all day and sometimes into the next. This is largely due to the fact that it is easy to close apps that are running in the background and the phones run on a dual-core processor instead of quad-core processors that have to work twice as hard.
While the Windows Phone Store still has a great ways to go before it can compete in terms of the number of apps available – it currently has 125,000 while Android’s Google Play is home to 650,000 – all of the most essential apps are already available. Apps like Facebook, Skype, WhatsApp Messenger, Evernote and Angry Birds are all in the Windows Phone Store.
Windows Phone 8 also integrates its People Hub with the most popular social networking websites and email hosts. The integration is quite gorgeous and installation of apps such as Facebook, for instance, are not necessary as it is already built into the phones. All of your updates are updated on the home screen, which is something that cannot be done in Jelly Bean.
In the end, knowing what your priorities are in a smartphone tend to be deciding factors in which platform is right for you.