At Apple's annual developers conference this year, Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iOS software, introduced a slew of new features for its latest mobile OS.
At WWDC, Apple introduced its newest iOS 6.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)
Among them are updates to the virtual personal assistant/voice command software, Siri, integration with a handful of automotive manufacturers, message replies for incoming calls, and the ability to FaceTime over a cellular network.
While it's nice to see that iOS 6 will boast 200 new features compared to the previous iteration, some have been long overdue. Integrated Facebook photo sharing and turn-by-turn navigation have been available on other mobile operating systems for some time now. Here, we take a look at the new features of iOS 6 and see whether or not these services have already existed on other platforms. To make for a cleaner comparison, we chose the latest version of all three OS'.
| Feature | iOS 6 | Android 4.0 | Windows Phone 7.5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch native apps | Yes | S-Voice, third-party | Yes |
| Launch third-party apps | Yes | S-Voice | Yes |
| Automotive integration | Yes | Yes, Car Home | No |
| Facebook integration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Message replies for incoming calls | Yes | Varies by device | No |
| Native call reminders | Yes | No | No |
| Video calling over celullar network | Yes | Third-party apps | Third-party apps |
| Offline reading of webpages | Yes | Third-party apps | Third-party apps |
| Natively share photo streams | Yes | Galaxy S III only | No |
| Natively store and access tickets | Yes | No | No |
| Turn-by-turn naviation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 3D mapping | Yes | Coming | No |
| Info about nearby businesses | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Drilling down the details
Sometimes, breaking down what each OS offers depends on what devices you're looking at. The Samsung Galaxy S III, which is slated to come out in the following weeks, promises a voice assistant known as S-Voice.
Similar to Apple's Siri, S-Voice reaches beyond what Google's Voice Actions can do. It can launch apps (both native and third-party ones), schedule events, and fetch weather info.
Microsoft's voice action software, Tellme, isn't as complex as S-Voice or Siri, but it can launch applications as well.
Likewise, Apple's Photo Stream feature, which does exactly what it sounds, is similar to the
Galaxy S III's Share Shot. Both services let you share photo streams instantaneously with your friends.
Keep in mind that only a few devices are equipped with Android 4.0, so devices with Gingerbread or earlier will not have the features described above. However, it's easy to see how Google's mobile OS has forced Apple's hand into incorporating some highly demanded features. Windows Phone, on the other hand, has a long ways to go compared to both OS'.
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