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Who has the best multitasking implementation?

Who's multitasking implementation do you like best?

  • Apple iOS

    Votes: 115 50.9%

  • Palm WebOS

    Votes: 82 36.3%

  • Google Android

    Votes: 29 12.8%
  • Total voters
    226
iOS is the best for current mobile phones

WebOS and android's multitasking are lazy solutions for mobile devices They just take existing multitasking from desktop OS. Apple's solution is well thought for current mobile device. Apple could have the "real multitasking" just like webos or android if apple is lazy. Apple's solution is actually a lot more complicate then regular users think. It is more stable and saves battery. iOS has the best multitasking for mobile device.

How ever, we will see iOS allow more real multitasking when hardware of mobile device improving and apply less limition.
 
wreckshop said:
50% of the people who voted in the poll said iOS has the best version of multitasking.... and the vast majority of times it doesnt even work!! talk about homerism /smh
Click to expand...

I couldn't vote because Windows Mobile isn't on it. I don't care about the UI, I don't care about the underpowered hardware, all I care about for this discussion is multitasking and I always thought WinMo had it down pat. It's still a magnitude better than that on the iPhone if only because it's pre-emptive, no cooperative. If WinMo's UI didn't suck and the CPU was able to keep up with anything, it would probably still rule the smartphone world. Oh well, onward and upward.

BTW, someone on this site has a sig that reads something like "If you have to use a task manager, it's a fail". A task manager like that on the bottom of the new iPhone system that I find myself having to use all the time so things update properly? It made me laugh.
 
Didn't vote, as I have not experienced any of these OSs. I still have a standard mobile phone :eek:
 
Yeah, I went with webos. Palm has the best mobile os, apple just has all the perks. Like more apps, and itunes functionality. Not to mention a better phone. The pre hardware kinda sucks.
 
Isn't this a personal choice? So who is to say which one is "better"?

wreckshop said:
50% of the people who voted in the poll said iOS has the best version of multitasking.... and the vast majority of times it doesnt even work!! talk about homerism /smh
Click to expand...
Wow you pulled that right out of your ass huh bub..... I have never had an issues with ios multi tasking so exactly where did you get your data that "the vast majority of times it doesn't work"? Talk about ignorant.
 
michaelz said:
WebOS and android's multitasking are lazy solutions for mobile devices They just take existing multitasking from desktop OS. Apple's solution is well thought for current mobile device. Apple could have the "real multitasking" just like webos or android if apple is lazy. Apple's solution is actually a lot more complicate then regular users think. It is more stable and saves battery. iOS has the best multitasking for mobile device.

How ever, we will see iOS allow more real multitasking when hardware of mobile device improving and apply less limition.
Click to expand...
This is nonsense.

There are really 2 pieces to the OPs question:

1. Who has the best task switching mechanism

2. Which multitasking methodology manages background tasks most effectively

As far as task switching, Web OS is superior in my opinion because you can view the active applications in context (not just see the icons of which tasks are running). None of the other mobile OSes out there give you that level of visibility. In fact, there are jailbreak apps that mimic this functionality today.

As far as multitasking methodology, the most flexible ones are those which do not require developer interaction and rely on the intelligence of the OS to manage application resources. However, the question is whether users or the manufacturer should decide on whether they can accept the impact of true multitasking as it pertains to CPU and battery life.

Regardless of how Apple wants to spin it, there is very little true multitasking on ios4 unless you jailbreak. So in my mind Apple can't even be considered in this poll.
 
I hate the iPhone MT.

1. There is no way to tell what is running in the background. Using the app System, I can see what is running, but there is no way to differentiate this in the system tray. Some things are running in the background, while others are not. Perhaps they should have a glow around them.

2. It takes too long to turn them off. Perhaps a flick down, rather than holding the icons down until they jiggle.

3. Apps don't give you the option to allow it to run as a background process (running or not). For example, I got the free LED Torch Flashlight app the other day, well, after using it, its listed as a background process, since there is a LEDTorchFlashlig process is in the background after using the light. I'm sorry, but what function would this give me? None. Apps should not remove the option of multitasking from the user. If I want it not to be a process after using it, it should be my option to set this from the app.
 
Full of Win said:
1. There is no way to tell what is running in the background... there is no way to differentiate this in the system tray...

2. It takes too long to turn them off....

3. Apps don't give you the option to allow it to run as a background process...
Click to expand...

1. If you can't tell if something is running in the background, it isn't.

2. You don't have to (you aren't turning them off anyways).

3. You don't have to worry about it, it's automatic.

You seem to be stuck in the classic model of multitasking, where you consciously manage apps. You explicitly chose which apps to close and which to run in the background in the "system tray" (aka the Multitasking bar). This isn't the system Apple uses, so it's obvious why you hate it.

In Apple's system, you don't manage apps. The OS terminates apps and handles background tasks so you don't need to think about it. You don't need to track what is running in the background. You don't need the multitasking bar to only keep track of open apps so you know which to close. You don't need to tell an app to close or run as a background process.

Try it, it's liberating.
 
As others have stated. Apple's implemtation isn't multitasking but faux-multitaking.

Apps have to be written for it and only a handful if APIs will run in the background

Androids is my choice. All apps can run multitasking and androids implementation is such that it does not impact the battery much. Unlike what Jobs stated about full multitasking killing your battery which is patently false. My battery is same as my old 3GS
 
I like iOS' in theory. The problem is only a few of my many many apps have yet to implement any of the multitasking APIs.
 
In a world where battery life wasn't a concern at all (consistently tethered, I dunno, either way it's not realistic) Palm's implementation is fantastic and the best.

But, unfortunately battery life does matter. I can "practically" multi-task all my apps on iOS with little to no visible impact on battery life or performance. That's why iOS is the best.
 
I like apple's simply because they have push and local notifications. I don't believe any other system has that. With palm's os, yes an app can run in the background but if you want to get alerted you have to switch to the app versus apple's which can give you a notification that system is going on.
 
I went with WebOS on this one. I used backgrounder with Pro switcher on 3.1.2 and thought it was pretty sweet.

Criticisms to Jobs:

1. It's not clear to most users just hwwhat is running and what is not. GPS, for exmaple. We've had many threads regarding why an iPhone has lost 50% charge overnight due to a GPS application running that users forget they left running.

2. Moving the UI up for the MT tray up is still not something I'm keen on. Not so much for usability sake but more I just don't dig it.

3. Swiping through 1x4 bar of icons is far slower than just going through the traditional homescreen, where you could see 16 icons allowing for quicker access to apps. It's only better if switching between two or three apps.

4. No preview of the state the application is in, instead the user has to open and find out. I prefer the Palm preview window you see when swiping between open apps. You now where the app is and not blindly tapping.

5. Closing apps (for what it's worth) is a very slow affair. This holding down until they jiggle makes for a nice demo but lord it'sfar slower than just swiping up. Which you couldn't do anyway as the icon is so small.

Think that's it but if I think of more then I'll update.
 
alee said:
This is nonsense.

There are really 2 pieces to the OPs question:

1. Who has the best task switching mechanism

2. Which multitasking methodology manages background tasks most effectively

As far as task switching, Web OS is superior in my opinion because you can view the active applications in context (not just see the icons of which tasks are running). None of the other mobile OSes out there give you that level of visibility. In fact, there are jailbreak apps that mimic this functionality today.

As far as multitasking methodology, the most flexible ones are those which do not require developer interaction and rely on the intelligence of the OS to manage application resources. However, the question is whether users or the manufacturer should decide on whether they can accept the impact of true multitasking as it pertains to CPU and battery life.

Regardless of how Apple wants to spin it, there is very little true multitasking on ios4 unless you jailbreak. So in my mind Apple can't even be considered in this poll.
Click to expand...
You are 100% correct that guy shouldn't have even posted that foolishness. I've seen better solutions through jailbreaking.
 
BigOrangeSU said:
I like apple's simply because they have push and local notifications. I don't believe any other system has that. With palm's os, yes an app can run in the background but if you want to get alerted you have to switch to the app versus apple's which can give you a notification that system is going on.
Click to expand...
They actually got that from Blackberry, which is arguably one of the most efficient with battery life. It relies on Blackberry's BES, BIS and push API to do the heavy lifting and to keep persistent connections. When pushes come in, they trigger the red LED and a notification in the inbox (which is where all the notifications come in). Task switching was started with a dedicated button on the left of the BB, which brings up a row of icons of running apps.

In fact the BB notification system and task management worked in conjunction with cases and holsters as well. If you receive a notification and you pull your phone out of a compatible sleeve or holster, it will open up directly in the app with the notification. In the case of email, it would open up to the most recent email received.

The BB system had a lot of weird idiosyncrasies, but used with a compatible case, the push and task management system worked together brilliantly. You never thought about running tasks. Miss that system enormously.
 
alee said:
This is nonsense.

There are really 2 pieces to the OPs question:

1. Who has the best task switching mechanism

2. Which multitasking methodology manages background tasks most effectively

As far as task switching, Web OS is superior in my opinion because you can view the active applications in context (not just see the icons of which tasks are running). None of the other mobile OSes out there give you that level of visibility. In fact, there are jailbreak apps that mimic this functionality today.

As far as multitasking methodology, the most flexible ones are those which do not require developer interaction and rely on the intelligence of the OS to manage application resources. However, the question is whether users or the manufacturer should decide on whether they can accept the impact of true multitasking as it pertains to CPU and battery life.

Regardless of how Apple wants to spin it, there is very little true multitasking on ios4 unless you jailbreak. So in my mind Apple can't even be considered in this poll.
Click to expand...

Yeah but those JB apps that copy web OS are battery murderers.
 
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