Google Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) vs. Apple’s iOS 5 : hands-on showdown!

 

“One OS that you could soon see in your kitchen.” Yes, folks! Google seeks to upgrade its Honeycomb tablet products including Gingerbread smartphone software to form one lip-smacking Ice Cream Sandwich. We can now see where the “sandwich” name came from, eh?


Anyway, it will be a common OS that runs everywhere from teeny weeny Android smartphones to 10-inch slates plus – intelligently become accustomed to every form factor with stuff such as a resizable status bar. In the meantime, let us weed out few admirable additions that were deep-rooted during Google’s I/O 2011 keynote – while we also evaluate the likes of Apple‘s iOS which is still measured as the biggest player in the market today.

 

Certainly, the OS is the heart and soul of every tablet or a smartphone out there, and better yet the top feature of a smartphone. As we tackle these major contenders (Apple and Google) considering market share and general functionality, the disadvantages and advantages of both platforms seem pretty obvious.
Even though we still can’t corroborate which phones would run on Android‘s Ice Cream Sandwich software and which ones won’t, perhaps the only confirmation we have so far is for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus that should be sold on Verizon Wireless in the U.S.


But before we even talk about Galaxy Nexus vs iPhone 4S, our attention should be focused mostly on Android 4.0 vs iOS 5. To our surprise, Android’s 4.0 is still considered as the most vibrant upgrade yet – that will definitely battle it out against Apple’s iOS 5.


Notification System



 On top of the pack is the Apple’s iOS 5, where Apple avers the new notification system of the iOS 5, seen on iPhone 4S and various compatible Apple devices. The new compelling notification system can deliver what Apple calls “less intrusive” updates such as Facebook notification, Twitter and e-mail notifications.
Apple tweaked the OS’ lock screen and home screen to notification updates while it runsapps.  Like Android, on an iOS 5-powered device, users are afforded access to the notification listing by dropping the screen’s notification bar downwards; they can also tap to read, or stop a notification. Users can also adjust the notification settings from third-party app through opting in via the settings.


As for Google’s update, the new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a Galaxy Nexus user (including future Android gadgets that will have Android 4.0) the notification list can be accessed on home screen, lock screen or as a running application. To obtain the notification list, users just need to drag from the notification bar downwards and discard by dragging (left or right) and also read notification by tapping.


According to Matias Duarte, Google’s director of Android Operating System and User Experience, “from the beginning, Android has been designed to put you in control. In Ice Cream Sandwich, notifications are better than ever.” Duarte further said, “in Ice Cream Sandwich, we’re also introducing a music player control in notification, so you can pause or skip tracks without ever leaving an application just by pulling down the notification.”


And Google, which also owns Gmail, experience on notification for the e-mail service is apparently better with ICS compared to other Android versions and Apple’s iOS.


Web and Data Speeds



The iPhone 4S could boast of fancy new dual-antenna system including the  knack to clock 14.4 Mbps (theoretically) on AT&T, however it’s pants down when compared with Android 4.0 phones. For instance, the AT&T iPhone 4S brings speeds as high as 5.3 Mbps although averaging at 2.2 Mbps. As for the T-Mobile Galaxy SII it clocks (12.6 Mbps) faster.
Touching on web page load, there’s a huge real-world disparity, too. The iPhone 4S takes an average of 10sec to load several mobile websites (regardless of the network) compared to about half of that on Android 4.0 phones.  And everything that involves data in iPhone 4S, will mean more patience compared to Android 4.0 phone, whether it’s updating your Facebook news feed or streaming YouTube videos.


What about Messaging?


Glad you asked! According to Google, its new messaging app of Ice Cream Sandwich is upgraded too, and with the inclusion of the People App’s API, users will experience easy access on contact list with added details like from Gmail, Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and various supported social networking sites.

 

On the other end, Apple’s iOS 5 also features a new iMessage app that brings some fresh functionality such as delivery, reading receipts in real-time, together with sync and Messages.app integration – sort of like the desktop iChat, the ability to visualize new messages or see when a person is typing.


Find my Friends vs Face Unlock


On both fronts, two new features to take note of:


Apple’s Find my Friends and Android’s Face Unlock





 Apple’s “Find my Friends app” is apparently a service that lets iPhone users selectively share location on a defined period of time, either to their family members or friends. But who doesn’t know this is just to find other iPhone users OR who else would you need to locate, anyway?


Persistent location sharing is obviously a growing trend; I bet you’ve seen Google’s Latitude, Glypmse including start-ups such as Geoloqi andEchoEcho. Apple here seems to be ‘So 2000-and-Late!’
In the meantime, Android’s new “Face Unlock app” lets users unlock their phones a lot easier than a simple patterned drag or pre-set pin. But for the hard to please, there’s an option to make you feel boldly futuristic, and downright preposterous. Face lock, the facial identification security app, has at last arrived to the Android’s App Store. The lock app functions fairly much as you’d guess: you just need to set a static image of your face as a code, then the front-facing camera will coincide to your mug and Whalaa, you can gain access to your gadget.


Built-in Camera application


Android has improved some worth notable features on camera app, such as cool landscape mode that’s easy to sew together a huge image and take still-motion photography. There’s also tap to focus on anything.
Both Android and Apple have employed enhanced built-in camera application. Apple’s iOS5 includes superior built-in editing tools, such as the red-eye reduction, camera shutter support (volume up button), touch to focus, flip, cropping, and photo enhancements.


Finally, secret weapons you should watch!


Siri


Siri is an incredible voice-controlled assistant from iPhone 4S that will assist you from everything including sending messages to scheduling appointments. Other brags include iTunes; Google only provides a break up of Apple’s content. Then, importantly there’s iCloud, which does a good job compared to Google – that is, maintain all of your content in sync across several devices. Last of all, is the iPhone’s enormous number of offered accessories. Housing a lone standard connector eases things on add-ons makers.


Android, on the other hand, brags plenty of exceptional strengths as well. Besides offering 4G speeds, you can only find freeGPS navigation built in on Android. And only Android powered phones support NFC, where mobile payments would be carried out and even more momentum will be realized, thanks to Ice Cream Sandwich. The beam feature will also let you share all kinds of info with a tap.


Bottom Line


As you can see this head to head doesn’t really materialize to be a decisive win for any of the operating systems. But it really boils down to what you value mainly in a device. If its user-friendliness and better apps you’re looking for—in addition to smooth performance and a great camera—the iPhone 4S can’t be matched… but as long as you can stand 3G speeds.


On the other hand, the fact that Android phones provide 4G shouldn’t be disregarded. It speeds up just about everything you do. The Ice Cream Sandwich also integrates with numerous social networks—and you’ll also experience a broader range of design options, including customizing your interface to desired content. And if you need the option of a larger screen, Android 4.0 rides high.