Multitasking Face-Off: iPhone vs Android vs WebOS

Multitasking

When it comes to multitasking, Apple claimed at their iPhone OS 4 unveiling that “we weren’t first to the party, but we’re gonna be the best.” But is iPhone’s new multitasking feature really the best way to do multitasking? Check out these video demos of multitasking on iPhone OS 4, Android and Palm WebOS to decide for yourself who does multitasking better:

iPhone OS 4 Multitasking

Android Multitasking

Palm WebOS Multitasking

iPhone Jailbreak Multitasking Solutions

There are also some multitasking solutions that you can use if you jailbreak your iPhone, including:

Multifl0w

ProSwitcher

What Do You Think?

Is Apple’s iPhone OS 4 multitasking really the best? Which multitasking solution do you prefer? I would love to hear your opinion in the comments.

iPad vs iPhone

iPad vs iPhone

Apple today introduced the iPad, a device CEO Steve Jobs heralds as the middle-ground between a laptop and a smartphone. Based on the announcements so far, it looks like the iPad is a lot like a giant iPhone, minus the phone.

Here is a comparison of the iPad vs the iPhone. I will update this page as new details become available.

iPad vs iPhone: How do they compare?

Display: The iPad has a 9.7-inch (diagonal) Multi-Touch display, compared to iPhone’s 3.5-inch screen.

iPad Display

Apps: The iPad will run iPhone apps from the App Store, but Apple has also debuted a Software Development Kit for iPad-specific apps.

Typing: Just like iPhone, the iPad features a virtual keyboard. Steve Jobs demonstrated the keyboard by placing the iPad on his lap and typing. Jobs says the keyboard is “a dream to type on,” but I have my doubts. Imagine typing a long document with no physical keyboard. If you own an iPhone, you know how challenging this would be. Luckily, Apple is also introducing a keyboard dock for the iPad.

iPad Keyboard

Multitasking: The iPad does not support multitasking — running multiple apps at once — and neither does the iPhone. There is some speculation that Apple will introduce multitasking for iPhone soon.

Camera: Unfortunately, the iPad does NOT have a camera, while the iPhone has a camera, and the iPhone 3GS has a video camera.

Flash: Unbelievably, iPad does not have Flash support, and neither does iPhone.

Speed: The iPad sports a 1 GHZ processor, compared to iPhone’s 600 MHZ.

eBooks: Apple has introduced an eBook store for the iPad called… you guessed it… iBooks. iBooks will be available on both the iPad and iPhone via the App Store. You will presumably also be able to use the Kindle app for iPhone on the iPad. Could the iPad be a Kindle killer?

iPad iBooks

iWork: Jobs said he always wanted to include iWork, Apple’s Microsoft Office-equivalent, on the iPhone, but it just wasn’t practical. iWork is present on the iPad, though not on the iPhone.

iPad iWork

Capacity: The iPad will be available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities. iPhone is currently available in 16GB and 32GB.

Wi-Fi: Both the iPad and the iPhone can pick up a Wi-Fi signal.

3G: iPad will be available with 3G, though you can also get an iPad without 3G for a lower price. The iPad’s 3G signal will be provided by AT&T, though unlike the iPhone, a contract will not be required and you can cancel any time.

Price:

The iPad pricing is as follows:

iPad Price

iPhone price varies depending on whether you buy the 3G or 3GS and whether you are starting a new contract with AT&T or upgrading. See the Apple Store for details.

iPad Video Demo

Check out Apple’s video demo of the iPad:

iPad vs iPhone: What do you think?

Is the iPad a revolution in computing? Or is iPhone good enough? Let me know what you think of Apple’s new iPad in the comments.

XKCD “iPhone or Droid” Comic Takes a Jab at iPhone

XKCD, the online “webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language” has taken a jab at the iPhone in today’s comic “iPhone or Droid.”

Click to enlarge:
XKCD Comic: Droid vs iPhone

“iPhone or Droid” XKCD comic

Girl: Well, it depends what you want. The iPhone wins on speed and polish, but the droid has that gorgeous screen and physical keyboard.

Boy: What if I want something more than the pale facsimile of fulfilment brought by a parade of ever-fancier toys? To spend my life restlessly producing instead of sedately consuming? Is there an app for that?

Girl: Yeah, on both. Wait, no, looks like it was rejected from the iPhone store.

Boy: Droid it is, then.

The comic knocks the iPhone, calling it a flashy device for media-hungry children, while the Droid is presented as the more pragmatic choice with its “gorgeous screen and physical keyboard.” I got a kick out of the allusion to Apple’s ridiculous App Store approval process.

This comic arrives in the middle of the saga between iPhone and Droid, Verizon’s popular new Google Android phone. So what do you think? iPhone or Droid?

P.S. Don’t forget to visit the “iPhone or Droid” comic on the XKCD site and hover your mouse over the image to see the hidden message.

Android vs. iPhone: Will the Google Phone be an iPhone Killer?

Android Phone

Update: This article was written over three years ago. Since then, Google’s Android Army has gained tremendous marketshare and placed enormous pressure on Apple’s iPhone.

Google last week unveiled Android, an extremely versatile open-source mobile phone platform that will be freely available to all handset makers under what CEO Eric Schmidt calls “one of the most liberal licenses in the world.” Will Android change the mobile landscape as much as iPhone did, and if so, how will iPhone suffer — or benefit — because of it?

Read more

iPod Touch vs. iPhone

Update (Apr 11, 2011): This post has been updated to reflect the most current information on iPod Touch vs iPhone.

iPod Touch vs iPhone

Decisions, decisions: Should you get an iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 or iPod Touch, a near-replica of the iPhone that works in generally the same way but has fewer features?

I own the iPhone 4, but I’ve done some research on both the iPod Touch and the iPhone for this feature comparison.

See how the iPod Touch compares to the iPhone in my iPod touch vs. iPhone overview:

Read more

200 iPhone Patents: Invention vs. Innovation

The fact is, the iPhone features very little in terms of new technology. What makes Apple’s iPhone remarkable, rather, is the way in which already-existing inventions are combined to create a unique, user-friendly experience.

So why is Apple applying for 200 patents on the iPhone, a device which most would argue is an innovation, not an invention? Steven Wellman at InformationWeek points out:

Apple didn’t invent the MP3 player; they just innovated it and made it mainstream. Ditto with the Mac and graphical user interfaces. Apple is incredibly good at making technology chic, easy, and, most importantly, fun-to-use.

Wellman sums up two viewpoints on the issue: while some say that patents on innovations are unneccessary because the “rewards of the market — i.e. strong product sales” are reason enough to innovate, others argue that “both inventors and innovators need patents to give them a profit incentive to invent or innovate.” (emphasis mine)

Do you think companies have a right to patent their innovations, even if the technology isn’t technically new?