If you are a smartphone owner or even if you are planning to buy a new phone or if you are just interested in mobile topic, you should know that the market of mobile phones is dominated by two major groups of phones – Android (68.1%) and iOS (16.9%) phones. However, since 2000 there has been another player who is trying hard to catch up with the two giants. Yes, I’m talking about Windows Mobile/Windows Phone 7/Window Mobile 8 platforms (let me call the line of Microsoft mobile OSes just Windows Mobile I this article, as they are parts of one line). Today its share isn’t as big as it deserves. It is only about 3.5%. But, according to the latest held researches by IDC ( IDC ), this platform has the highest year-over-year growth (about 115.3%). Just for illustration, iOS phones have just about 27.5% growth.

So why do people start to prefer Windows Mobile phones to Android or iOS ones? Let’s have a look at some specs that cause it.

Multitasking

It is Android OS that is praised for providing the best multitasking, e.g. running several applications at the same time. However, it is rarely mentioned that Windows Mobile system has the same feature as well. Besides, its possibilities is much better as there is a special system that allows changing memory allocations among the applications run and it also has the function of auto shut down if there is not enough memory for running a current project. Android doesn’t have it.

Windows Mobile is often blamed for not closing down the apps if the user leaves it, but the fact is that Android system works in the same way.

Apple has a different understanding of multitasking.

“Multitasking in iOS allows you to switch instantly between apps and to resume an app. When you return to an app, you can pick up right where you left off. Multitasking doesn’t slow down the performance of the foreground app or drain battery life unnecessarily.”

As you can see the system closes down the apps but allows phone owners to resume them fast using recently used apps menu. And this feature has been introduced only in recent iPhone models, starting with iPhone 3GS.

Application installation

Windows Mobile phones have the function of app installation directly to your SD card, while Android installs everything on system memory and later you may transfer it to the card. But if you don’t do it, your memory will soon get full and you won’t be able to install there anything.

Apps available

Some people say that it is necessary to choose Android or iOS phone just because the number of apps for them is bigger. Yes, to some extent it is true. But even today Windows Mobile phones are provided with the whole range of apps for different spheres. Like mailing, chatting, social media apps, business apps and other. How many apps do you install and use? Besides, the market of WM apps is expanding very quickly. Windows Mobile Development has one of the highest speeds of development.

Computer desktop integration

It is becoming a very important feature of smartphone and tablets. It is the very function for those your use their mobile devices as business tools and they need to transfer and sync the great amount of data with their laptops.
And Windows Mobile is becoming a leader in it, especially when the new Windows 8 OS (that will be run both on tablets and smartphones) will be released. After this, the users won’t need any third-party software to connect their devices directly to the pcs.

Pricing

It is one of the decisive factors in phone choosing. Apple’s prices are too high for most people while Android and Windows Mobile phones suggest almost the same functions for a lower price.

I won’t compare different hardware solutions of different Android, iOS and Windows Mobile based phones as there is such a wide range of them. But the only thing is known for sure – the specs of Windows Mobile smartphones don’t differ a lot from the most advanced models of Google and Apple devices.

So what do you think, has Windows Mobile a chance to become a leader in the smartphone operation system market?

Author Bio
Katerina Merzlova, a copywriter from Intellectsoft (www.intellectsoft.co.uk), a mobile app development company. I like to read about everything mobile and to write some good reviews of newly released apps. If you want to find out more about our activity, read our blog.