Society has actually transitioned into a post-PC period. More people are selecting mobile platforms to carry out a variety of jobs than before. This year, there are an approximated 1.5 billion mobile phones on earth. These phones are capable of mobile banking, social media and obviously, the unavoidable game of Candy Crush Saga among other things.
In addition to a host of performance apps, all these platforms have ended up being excellent video gaming options. Almost daily, typical individuals with little to no programming experience are developing best-selling mobile games. You can discover more about developing your own profitable games in Introduction to Mobile Game Development.
There is a great deal of hype when it comes to which mobile OS is the best. It’s obvious that Apple started the mobile smartphone motion and genuinely opened the gates for a full migration away from the PC. In the last few years, however, Apple has actually been compelled to step aside as the appeal of the Android OS has actually truly entered its own and taken the world by storm.
In fact, existing price quotes report that the Android OS commands around a 73 % market share in the mobile OS arena. Regardless of the increasing appeal of Android, is it the best choice for you?
Microsoft has been a PC powerhouse for many years, however the success of the company has never genuinely broadened into the mobile OS market (not for lack of attempting however). Even prior to iOS and Android stormed onto the scene, Windows was unsuccessfully competing versus the similarity BlackBerry and Palm OS.
In spite of the discovered history of the mobile Windows OS, the company transformed the concept of cross-platform compatibility with the release of Windows Phone 8 late last year. Coming on the heels of the official Windows 8 PC release, the new mobile platform is created to offer users a seamless transition from the desktop environment.
In addition to releasing lots of solid phone models manufactured by HTC and Nokia (mainly), Microsoft also presented a new line of tablets including the updated software. In theory, a user can access their crucial files anywhere thanks to the cross-platform capabilities of Windows 8.
Thanks to cloud computing, the majority of mobile users have options for accessing important files on the go. That said, Windows has a benefit. It’s obvious that the majority of business environments rely on Microsoft Office items for everyday operations and the Microsoft marketing group has certainly capitalized on this reality since its release.
If you want an excellent overview of using this unique platform, have a look at the Windows 8 for Dummies Training Video. Although this course focuses mostly on the desktop version of Windows 8, the mobile version is extremely comparable and the interoperability between mobile and desktop variations is one of Windows 8’s strengths.
New Features
Whether its thanks to a cloud solution such as Office 365 or conventional remote access policies, users with a Windows OS device have instantaneous access to crucial files. If Microsoft did anything right in Windows Phone 8 it was the smooth integration with existing Microsoft products.
Other new features include quad core processor support, Data Sense (data use monitoring), an improved keyboard and an effective electronic camera app. Out of the box the platform boasts as numerous features as either iOS or Android. As constantly, nevertheless, the success is in the application.
There are a couple of problems with the Windows OS consisting of the absence of a devoted developer community and dull social media integration. Microsoft has merely failed to create any real confidence in these items from a development standpoint. With less than a 5 % market share worldwide, it becomes tough to encourage a development team to step away from iOS or Android; even for a moment.
Social media integration fails to meet the expectations that have been set by competitive platforms; although Microsoft did do a good job of enhancing the general social experience with improvements to its proprietary products. One such improvement is called “Rooms”– an app thats permits you to share calendars, photo albums and group message talks with other users included because Room.
Sadly, users are not generally quick to embrace exclusive solutions such as Rooms rapidly. The preference seems to be for cross-platform suitable solutions; ones that quickly adjust to users that alter phones with regularity (a group that is progressively substantial in numbers).
User Experience
The new Windows OS design is based upon “Tiles.” These Tiles are adjustable and include information about everything from local weather condition to social media signals to text messaging. Although not as advanced as the widget system used in Android, these tiles do upgrade in real time and supply helpful, at-a-glance information.
For novice smartphone users, the user interface is extremely easy to use (particularly due to the Tiles); albeit not extremely instinctive. For example, a typical smartphone user might comprehend the principle of swiping from side to side to access the Settings choice, but a newbie might not. Provided, every smartphone has a discovering curve, however iOS definitely vanquishes Windows in regards to ease-of-use across all skill levels.
Establishing an email account can be challenging too. While integration with Outlook and other Microsoft solutions is seamless, users may have difficulty doing something as easy as establishing a POP3 email account. Where Apple has successfully “trapped” users in their world, Microsoft has much to find out as far as creating a full mobile user experience within its own Microsoft-inspired world.
Overall, Windows does a great job of offering an alternative solution to Android or iOS. The user interface is reasonably simple to use and the discovering curve is rather shallow when compared with Android. Sadly, the platform just hasn’t had adequate time to attract a strong development community and even a refined interface (after all, it took Android practically four years to truly nail it).
Developer Experience
Developing for Windows 8 needs a number of software tools from Microsoft. Thankfully, these tools are totally free for individual use by downloading the Express version. If you are establishing for Windows Phone 8, you must download Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows Phone. Also, Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows 8 ought to be made use of for creating standard desktop apps for Windows 8 x86-based machines.
Development tools are easily offered, so what’s the catch? There just aren’t sufficient users to produce a need for innovative development. For the most part, Windows Phone is an afterthought for most developers since with just 5 % market share worldwide, there isn’t a really strong earnings capacity in the Windows Store.
That should not prevent any individual from establishing Windows 8 apps; however, since there is still room for Microsoft to take a bigger piece of the mobile device pie if they continue to improve the OS. It had not been till about 2 years ago that Android truly became a strong competitor for Apple. Prior to that, Android was a great idea with lots of bug and disparities. Could Windows Phone 8 have a similar fate in years to come?
Windows does provide a very protected solution for corporate people using company possessions on-the-go. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies are popping up all over business America and Microsoft has aimed to profit from the increased requirement for security with Windows Phone 8. As a developer, it’s perfectly affordable to assume that this mobile OS will end up being more crucial in the coming years as security threats remain to enhance.
Positioning yourself as a Windows app security master now might prove to be a profitable position in the near future. This is an essential consideration when competitors in between Apple and Android developers has actually never ever been fiercer.
Who Windows is Ideal For
Windows is an ideal solution for many individuals. Although these devices are less likely to bring in the tech-oriented crowd, this had not been constantly the case. As the mobile platform continues to grow, anticipate more tech-savvy users to accept the OS in addition to the millions of average users that currently have.
The Windows platform works well for corporate staff members that rely heavily on Office 365 to total work assignments far from the workplace. It is also an excellent option for anybody who just recently moved successfully to the Windows 8 PC solution. Even amateur smartphone users with experience using Windows 8 will feel right at home with the Metro UI (Tile) interface.
Finally, the Windows OS is best for customers that do not need the current and biggest gizmo however do need consistent performance, strong battery life and perfect integration with existing Microsoft items.
Summary
The point of laying out all these platforms is to show that each OS provides a slightly different take on the smartphone experience. Does any single mobile OS fulfill the demands of every possible user? Never … that’s why selecting the correct operating system for your requirements is an individual decision.
Windows is a strong selection when you desire a phone that “simply works.” The platform is strong and the devices adequately perform essential elements inherent to all mobile platforms such as phone calls, SMS, email and social networks updates. The level of modification available on either Android or Apple is not offered and lots of users will become frustrated with the absence of integration with other popular platforms.
Despite which platform you choose for your next smartphone (or development project), remember that each platform is good– but a true solution comes from comprehending your needs as they associate with the functionality provided by your option.
