User experience report praises iOS 7, slams Windows Phone 8 on customisation, OS annoyances

With both the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C announced already, just how good is Apple'due south iOS seven? We've been using it for a short while and nosotros'll admit that information technology doesn't experience half bad, but Pfeiffer Consulting has taken a rather in-depth look at how Apple's new OS ranks against Windows Phone 8, BlackBerry 10 and Google'southward Android (notation the firm used Samsung's implementation of Android over the stock version).

So how does iOS 7 fare against the competition? Quite well, co-ordinate to the written report. It's worth noting that the team looked at software solitary, so forget high-end hardware and the all-time Lumia Windows Phones - nosotros're strictly talking most the software layer. Here'due south what the business firm scored each platform on:

Cognitive load - The difficulty users confront when familiarising themselves to use the operating system spontaneously and intuitively
Efficiency - How efficiently key features and services are integrated for ease of performance
Customization - How many options an operating system provides to allow a user to tailor it to their personal tastes
User experience friction (UEF) - Pfeiffer describes this every bit "the bad stuff, the aspects of a device that can annoy you lot in a petty mode, or, in extreme cases, drive you crazy"

Some of the results aren't adept for Windows Phone 8. For cognitive load, Microsoft came in a articulation second with iOS half dozen, behind iOS vii merely alee of the residual. It'due south a simple UI and we'll agree with the scoring provided. Moving onto efficiency, Windows Telephone was hit hard due to offering "limited notification direction and basic multitasking." We won't disagree at that place as these are some well documented suggestions from consumers.

Customisation is an interesting 1. Windows Phone came in last, by a clear mile, but information technology'due south foreign to have the Bone slated for lack of personalisation. Granted, you tin can't customise the start screen to have a pinkish background and white tiles, but there's the accent on a sleek look, which is achieved by the level of customisation shortly available.

To give the platform a 2/10 simply because you can't place an paradigm as the background is ignoring other areas that are hands customisable. Lockscreen, Live Tiles themselves and the system themes available are ample enough to get cracking while developers ensure their app experiences are unique plenty to describe attending.

Lastly, for user experience friction, Windows Phone came in the concluding spot once again. iOS 7 scored fourteen, while Microsoft came away with 51 (lower is better). The "lack of customisation" is once again brought up. There are numerous niggles with the organization that we've highlighted in the past, which Microsoft needs to address. The arrangement wide volume control, no way to close apps easily, lack of a unified notification middle, "Other" storage issues, astringent bombardment drain and more than all ruin the experience for some.

Wrapping upwards the report, Pfeiffer Consulting rates iOS 7 as the best operating system available for mobile devices. While Windows Phone fared better than Android and Blackberry 10 in some of the tests, it was shot down for lack of basic functionality and limited features (notification center, multitasking controls and more than). Hither'south the overall picture:

Windows Phone eight sitting in last place. Nosotros will agree with some of the niggles pointed out, merely expect frontward to seeing what GDR3 and major Blueish updates both address. Head on over to Pfeiffer and read the full certificate.

Source: Pfeiffer (PDF), via: Annals

The problem for a consumer HoloLens was always the lack of Windows Phone

History catches up

The problem for a consumer HoloLens was ever the lack of Windows Phone

What is the hereafter for Microsoft (and Windows) mixed reality? The latest written report from Business Insider sheds some low-cal, but this all comes back to 1 major problem for Microsoft: No mobile Windows Bone. But what almost a future headset that is cloud-based? Some thoughts on what could happen for Microsoft mixed reality.

Connect your home to the best mesh Wi-Fi router system

What a mesh

Connect your home to the all-time mesh Wi-Fi router organization

For home networking, mesh Wi-Fi systems provide more reliable coverage than a unmarried router. Check out our selection of the best mesh Wi-Fi router systems to ensure yous never bargain with bespeak dead spots again.