Apple iOS4.3 vs Android 3.0
If you're looking to join the tablet revolution this year you'll have plenty of choice when it comes to hardware, with all the major mobile manufacturers planning high profile tablet releases. However software options for your shiny new slate won't be quite as diverse. Thankfully that needn't be too much of a hindrance owing to the fact that the major contenders have all put out stellar software!
This time around we've take two of the main contenders for the tablet OS crown, Apple's iOS and Google's Android 3.0 and placed them under the microscope to see how they stack up against each other, and more importantly, to see how much they have to offer you, the customer.
When Apple's iOS (formally iPhone OS) hit the scene back in 2007, it amazed people with its genuine simplicity and minimal good looks. Roll the clock forward 4 years and it's still winning fans with every new revision.
In its most recent form, iOS 4.3, the operating system has expanded on all of its key tenets, incorporating new and exciting features into the software that are immediately accessible to users of all levels of experience, after all, there's no point making all the good stuff impossibly hard to use, is there?
In addition to the usual, reliable and eminently usable OS, version 4.3 brings new and advanced camera effects (if you're using an iPhone that is), improved eye-candy and an overhauled soft QWERTY keyboard, allowing users to get the most out of their typing experience when working on longer documents and e-mails.
Version 4.3 also allows it's amazing AirPlay functionality to be harnessed by third-party developers, so you can expect a host of new and exciting apps to allow you to maximise your multimedia experience by streaming content to your Apple TV or iMac. As well high-profile additions like the aforementioned AirPlay improvements, you'll also find your device's security and stability beefed up thanks to a number of behind-the-scenes bug fixes and improvements.
If iOS 4.3 personifies the mantra 'If it aint broke, don't fix it' then Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) represents a far more pragmatic approach to perfecting a tablet OS.
Google has kept the basics of its hugely popular Android OS intact, but users of this latest iteration will find a richly re-designed user interface sitting atop its open source core. This new look interface boasts a number of refinements, intended to make the software super tablet-friendly, such as a new 'system bar' which sits at the bottom of your home-screen, bringing you alerts and other important notifications and a new 3D style interface, allowing you to flick between windows with ease and generally interact with the OS in a far more fluid manner.
Honeycomb also brings with a tablet specific Gmail app and new, improved on-screen keyboard with which to make use of it, so you needn't be daunted by the thought of typing that long e-mail at home or attacking an essay from the comfort of your sofa or armchair.
It's tough to separate these two great mobile platforms when comparing basic functionality. Both offer amazingly immersive user experiences, tons of apps and unparalleled internet browsing, but only Google's baby allows you to view the World Wide Web as it was intended to be seen, Flash and all.
It's worth taking into account that Google's overhauled Android software offers slightly more bang for your buck too, owing to the number of devices that run the software, allowing you to choose a tablet that suits your budget.
Apple's impending iPad 2 will almost certainly bring with it a host of new invention and development, allowing the OS to catch up with the obvious leaps and bounds that Android has taken in recent months, but for now Google's platform is the standout performer of the two, offering more choice, new, advanced features and support for diverse hardware.
Don't get us wrong, iOS is and has always been brilliant, but Google have raised the bar with Android 3.0 'Honeycomb' and we wholeheartedly recommend their latest firmware.