Windows Phone 8.1 or Android L : The Ultimate OS War.

Both Microsoft and Google have brought big updates to their mobile operating system to strengthen their market. In this article we will be focusing on Microsoft's latest mobile OS Windows Phone 8.1 and Google's Android L.

Both the operating systems have enjoyed quite some attention and users are excited and buzzing around to know which one is better or which one is catching up.

How do Android L and Windows Phone 8.1 compare? Which one is better? What are similarities between them? are some of the questions that every user is eager to know. So without wasting some more time (giggle :p) lets start with what these two amazing operating systems offer.

User Interface and Customization  

Both these OS provide a completely different User Interface. Android L have a home screen with apps shortcuts, widgets, folders that can be completely customized. A user can pick between static or live wallpaper, add widgets, shortcuts as per their liking or even use a third party theme to completely change how your Android smart phones looks.

Now talking about Windows Phone 8.1, the operating system has a unique UI with the neat and clean tiles organised all over the screen. The Windows Phone allows you to change the size of the tiles or completely remove a tile from the home screen. In place of widgets in Android you have live tiles that updates very minute (In WP 8.1 update 1) to give you latest information/notifications like weather, mails, messages etc. You can select between white and black theme and also set wallpapers which appears behind the live tiles(tiles which are transparent). They just look gorgeous and completely changes your WP look.

Notification Center/ Action Center

Both Android L and Windows Phone 8.1 have a similar approach to the notifications. Just swipe from the top to access the notification bar or say the action center(in WP) to see all your recent notifications. There you see all your mails, messages, updates available and everything else the OS thinks you should have a look on. Both let us dismiss a notification with a swipe to left while a tap to trigger the respective app. 

Yes, Android L is more mature in this department while Windows Phone is new to it. Android L pushes non important notifications to the bottom while high priority ones on the top. It also allows users to reply to texts, mails from the notification bar without opening the respective app. What's not cool is that in Android L we don't have a way to clear all notifications at once while Windows Phone 8.1 allow us to do so. WP 8.1 has a more clean and well organised action center with more functioning expected in the future updates.

Google Now and the Cortana

If you are not aware of these, both are the names of the personal digital assistant which you get on Android L and Windows Phone 8.1 operating system respectively. 

Android's virtual assistant is an intelligent tool that attempts to provide relevant information at the right time. It does that by analyzing the user's search habits and integrating them with the Android's core apps and other services.

In Windows Phone 8.1 Microsoft have introduced Cortana, your very own personal digital assistant that responds to natural languages like Google Now. Cortana sounds more natural and is much more interactive with users and have a good sense of humor too. It also provides you with relevant information from all your mails, texts and applications you have on your phone. It does almost everything and I consider it much better than Google Now. Microsoft is still working on it and improving it to make it even more better.   

What to Expect?

Windows Phone is catching up, once regarded as the underdog in the smartphone arena is now much more bolder, better and more functional and should give some worry to other platforms to look after. It has reached this state by adopting a number of features from its competitors, and improving on them. At the same time, Windows Phone 8.1 does not stray away from the platform's roots. It is still that simple to use and minimalist OS that adds some welcome variety in a market dominated by Android and iOS. 

Yes its true that we can’t consider WP 8.1 superior to Android L. We'd rather call it different. It isn't as customizable as Android, but it has a unique, modern look. It isn't as functional as Android, but all that it does, it does it well. There are still areas to improve.

Those were some of the features (not all) that both these amazing mobile OS provides.

Personally, I love Windows Phone. i love the flipping of live tiles, the new action center and well organised apps on your homescreen.

What’s your preference. What are those features you consider best on either of the platform. Do comment :)

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