iPhone OS vs Android 2.1 vs WebOS: The Best?

So, out of Android, WebOS and iPhone OS which would you have on your phone? Chances are you haven’t tried all of them – but from the hype, come on, you must rather have one over the other.

I’d guess you would opt for the iPhone OS, which is excellent for the amount of apps available and is the only mass marketed viewable through television promotion OS. You know what I mean, the ‘Theres an app for just about anything’ job.

Having used all three, I’d like to kick off by giving my two cents on what I think is the best OS numbered 1-3.

1. WebOS

Just as seamless as the iPhone OS, and far more customisable, WebOS is the best OS on any smart phone in the world. Palm has come up with something brilliant here, and its smashes both Android 2.1 and iPhone OS into the ground.

It multi tasks very well, and the overall functionallty this OS brings to a phone, as well as contributing to an amazing user experience,  is why it is number one.

Although only available on Palm devices, which so far haven’t used WebOS to its full potential (on a 3.7 inch screen for example) I would still choose a Pre over the iPhone because of WebOS. Improvements that could be made include a bigger screen and a much higher number of apps available.

WebOS, you deserve to be first.

2. iPhone OS

With over 100,000 apps, it is absoloutely obvious to everybody in the world that Apple has come up trumps with the iPhone OS. Developers flocked to work with Apple, and in return they (well some, the guy who sits at home for example) became very rich within a week.

Yet through all its success, I am not going to talk about the usability of the OS, as its been blogged and reviewed to death – and so i’m rather going to rant on a little about why this OS is second.

iPhone OS does not lag, it does not stop and it just keeps going. It is a real trooper in terms of seamlessness. Yet through everything it is too basic to come first. What would be brilliant is a drag down top menu with notifications, and a hold down pixel area of the screen which zooms out when pressed so you can see each page of apps. Those OS updates could quite possibly stop people from harrassing the iPhone for being so simple.

Another reason iPhone OS is second is because I do not feel that the OS lives up to its hype. Sure there are looooads of apps, tens of thousands in fact, but that doesn’t entirely justify the lack of communication from Apple and the total lack of any consumerative listening on their behalf. It would be nice for once for Apple to think ‘hey, you know what? These guys are right, a zoom out tab menu would be awesome’ – but sadly, as of yet, there is not even a hint of this.

3. Android 2.1

The reason I headed this as 2.1 is because that is the latest update, and i’ve actually tested it via the Nexus One.

I actually waited to do this post until after the Nexus came out, as I was really hoping that two OS’s were going to be out that were a direct alternative to the iPhone OS. And I am pleased to say that I was not disapointed with the latest Android update.

Prettier, more functional and highly more capable than previous versions of Android, 2.1 is a huge leap forward. It is hugely fast when it comes to going in and out of applications such as the Google Sky Map, and web page rendering is pretty slick.

However, although completely customisable and user friendly, along with very pretty, Android 2.1 is still behind WebOS because it is still prone to the occasional lag.

Because of all the hype of the Nexus my excitement got all built up, and because of this when it arrived it got smashed back down to earth. This though I am sure is just a Hardware issue. The next line up of HTC’s should have 2.1 on them – and they should include sense UI, and so hopefully, just hopefully, I can nudge Android up to second spot over the next 6 months.