BB10 or WP8: Blackberry 10 vs Windows Phone 8 Review

After Android and iOS, third best is BB10 or WP8? view our Blackberry 10 vs Windows Phone 8 comparison and review to know the answer.

Both Microsoft Windows Phone 8 and RIM Blackberry 10 smartphones operating systems have been making whiz in recent months. Microsoft WP8 based Nokia Lumia 920 is already out in the market and with RIM introducing BB10 Phones including Blackberry Z10, the battle for third position on smartphone victory stand is heated up.

In smartphone operating system market Google Android is undoubtedly at number one with a huge margin, followed by Apple iOS at second position. For third position, WP8 phones also have made some reasonable progress under Microsoft Nokia partnership. However, Research In Motion (RIM) is an old war horse too, with fan base both in everyday consumers and in the enterprise sector.

Practically speaking, Microsoft and RIM have the same target audience. So which platform is going to be the greater success, is an important question. Probably all major carriers will support both the platforms, but who will be able to attract the smartphone users?

Blackberry 10 vs Windows Phone 8 Review

There are still Blackberry loyalists out there. Even though the United States has seen many former BB10 users switch to another platform, this isn’t the case in many other markets across the globe. Yet BB10 has following advatanges:

• The Blackberry keyboard is an important feature for some.
• Blackberry originally had a reputation for serious business and an elite vibe that it might be able to use as leverage for gaining new fans or winning back old ones.
• Blackberry will bring its Blackberry Flow approach into the picture, which it touts as a way to improve productivity and brags is a more seamless smartphone experience.
• Blackberry 10 will launch with 100,000 apps, many of which will be targeted towards regional, high quality apps.

Microsoft is heavily promoting integration with other Microsoft products in Windows Phone 8. This includes heavy Office integration that appeals to the enterprise, as well as integration with Windows 8. Here under are the strength of WP8:

• Microsoft has “gamer” appeal with its Xbox Live integration.
• Microsoft’s Live Tile approach is different and fresh.
• Windows Phone 8 allows all sorts of languages to be used for app creation and porting (unlike WP7) and therefore might do better when it comes to attracting big name apps.
• Microsoft has deep pockets for marketing and is already hitting hard with celebrity endorsements.

While the real market competition will unfold in coming day, Let have a look at some of the key areas to see see how they stand up in comparison against each another:

1. Design, Interface and Usability

   If you love live tiles, you’re going to like Windows Phone 8 much more. Windows Phone 8 doesn’t give you much choice otherwise. To me, it’s a toss-up. The vertical scrolling with Windows Phone 8 live tiles is also confusing. With many tiles potentially looking too similar, reading and identifying the right tile may become annoying as well.
   
   With defined pages and positions of live tiles as in BlackBerry 10, the experience becomes simpler and easier to navigate. With BlackBerry 10, only apps that are running are shown as live tiles. The multitasking screen adds live tiles in a simple grid as they run. There are hints that small menus inside the live titles can be used to make live tiles actually useful. Swiping away from the multitasking screen, you can launch closed apps as icons. This configuration provides the best of both worlds.
   
   BlackBerry 10 is like a simpler version of the Android operating system. Where some would find the Android operating system too cluttered and confusing, these same people would feel right at home with BlackBerry 10. The live tiles in Windows Phone 8 are really just Android widgets with stricter design constraints. And the live tiles in BlackBerry 10 can be all that, as well as be a full-fledged app running.
   
   Overall, I believe RIM has the better solution with the BlackBerry 10 user interface when it comes down to practicality and long-term success. If you’re downloading hundreds of apps, you might find that windows 8 becomes either too ridiculous having too many tiles, or the alphabetic list of apps too populated to quickly find the app you’re looking for. With BlackBerry 10, you achieve the right balance of elegance, practicality, and charm to suit you without the overabundance of 90 degree angles.
   
   

2. Blackberry World vs Windows Phone 8 Apps

   A recent trend in the world of businesses is for professionals to use applications on their mobile devices, whether it be smartphones or tablets, to perform corporate tasks. But having a host of them open at once has proved problematic in the past, with each one disappearing when another is opened. However, both RIM and Microsoft have been working hard on this.
   
   RIM has spent the last year providing Alpha BB10 devices to a wide range of developers around the world, with the hope of ensuring apps and tools are ready to go when the devices are launched. The firm has focused much of its efforts on showing developers just how easy it is to move existing applications to the BB10 platform.
   
   BlackBerry devices running BB10 will feature Active Frames, which enables users to quickly access up to eight open applications on one screen, by allowing the minimisation of the tools, which can then be engaged with easily. This is very similar to the Live Tiles present on the Microsoft OS.
   
   

3. BB10 vs WP8 Security

   This area has been a top priority for RIM in the past, with the company often coming out ahead of its competitors in terms of its ability to keep sensitive company data safe. It was also the choice of governments and security employees for a long period of time.
   
   BB10 looks set to improve on security when it is launched later this month. The OS will be a fully-evolved and improved version of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), ActiveSync and BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. One of its key elements is the ability to manage various devices from one single platform, even those created by competitors.
   
   A unified web-based administration console will provide one place to manage all the BlackBerry, iOS and Android devices in operation within an organization.
   
   Microsoft is attempting to meet BlackBerry devices head on in terms of security, introducing some security tricks to help protect data, such as the Secure Boot feature, which makes sure only software signed by authorized certificates can boot up, preventing malware's impact on devices and sensitive information.
   
   With Windows Phone 8, SmartScreen has been applied, which can monitor all network traffic, rather than just that on Internet Explorer, so employees can use Firefox, Chrome or other browsers without the fear of a lack of protection.
   
   

4. Integration

   Microsoft’s Windows is still the most trusted operating system for desktop computers. For every laptop and desktop computer you see, you are pretty sure that it runs on Windows. This is where Microsoft gets their advantage. Although their Windows Phone OS is still new, we are sure that someday, they will dominate the market, especially now that Microsoft is heavily promoting Windows Phone 8’s integration with other Microsoft products. This means Microsoft Office files can run smoothly even on your smartphone. You won’t even notice that they are still two separate operating systems: One for desktop, one for smartphone. Maybe that is why Microsoft removed the Start button on Windows 8 and included a home screen almost identical to Windows Phone 8.
   
   Gamers will love Windows Phone 8 because of the integration of the Xbox Live. There is also a new Live Tile approach on the new platform. Microsoft will also attract more app developers because the operating system allows all languages for app creation, so foreign developers can make apps without dealing with a language barrier.
   
   Microsoft has been heavily promoting the new OS' integration with other Microsoft products. This includes heavy Office integration that will no doubt appeal to a number of businesses, with the ability to use and transfer documents from one device to another.
   
   RIM's BB10 will also cater for other devices, those that were introduced prior to this latest change, which will play well with BlackBerry diehard fans, who have stuck with the manufacturer in recent years. Many of them highlighted the full QWERTY keyboard as a key feature in this decision, something which RIM has taken note of, as it is set to launch a new device, complete with QWERTY keyboard, in the coming months.

It is unlikely that either BB10 or WP8 can outrank Android or iOS at this point, but if they play their cards right, one of these new operating systems could establish itself as a solid third place smartphone operating system champion.

Currently it is unclear which of the two will make a play to become the third-placed OS used by business, behind Android and iOS. The fact that Windows Phone 8 stole a march could be influential, but BlackBerry does have some dyed-in-the-wool fans who will continue to stick with the firm due to the unparalleled mobile device security it offers.

Which new platform are you most interested? Does Windows Phone 8 lure you in or are you more curious about what BB10 can bring to the table?