The Google Nexus 10 is the newest tablet computer introduced by Google in collaboration with Samsung. Moving on from Nexus 7 that was introduced through ASUS, Nexus 10 moves over to the Samsung Nexus series line of consumer devices, implementing the Android operating system and built by original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners. The tablet holds significant amount of features that distinguishes itself from other Android tablets available in the market today. It is available with 16 GB and 32 GB for $399 and $499 respectively. The tablet is expected to garner high sales with Christmas fast approaching.

Nexus 10 has 2,560 x 1,600 resolution that is very similar to 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. Containing more resolution compared to normal 1080p HDTV for just $400 is a great addition for many users. The best about Nexus 10′s display is that almost all the apps natively support the higher resolution. In terms of contrast, sometimes the black appears purple in color. But other colors are distributed properly around the display. But for those consumers who consider screen resolution an important aspect, it is advised to note that the battery life has taken a hit as it lasts close to seven and half hours. Most of the other tablets available in the market gives more than 8 hours backup.

With its curvature design on the sides, the tablet is comfortable to hold in any angle. The tablet is relatively light compared to other 10-inch tablets out there in the market, mainly due to the plastic back sticky soft-touch coating that is still lacking compared to the smooth feel introduced in Asus TF700 and Apple iPad through aluminium coating. The commendable feature however is its pair of front-facing speakers. There are several tablets that come with weak speakers placed in back of the device. There is two physical controls, a volume rocker and a power or lock button on top edge of the Nexus 10. Also there is a 6-pin connector and micro-HDMI port.

If you dint know, the Nexus 10 has 1.7GHz A15 processor paired with 2GB of RAM and a Mali T604 GPU.

Connectivity:
Apple iPhone 5 has a gyroscope which is not found in Razr Maxx HD. And Apple’s handset is way faster in terms of upload speed at 5.76 MBits per second compared to Motorola’s device which uploads at 5.67 MBits per second. Also when it comes to download speed iPhone 5 is unmatchable at 100 MBits per second versus Razr Maxx HD which downloads at 14.4 MBits per second.

Camera:
iPhone 5 can create panoramas in-camera. There are features like built-in HDR mode, manual white balance, touch AF, back-illuminated sensor, dedicated camera button, manual ISO and CMOS sensor for better image quality. None of these above mentioned features are found in Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD.

Physical Features:
iPhone 5 is way thinner, lighter, narrower and has less body volume for that comfortable grip compared to Razr Maxx HD. And there is dual microphone and its also shorter than Motorola’s HD device.

Recording:
In terms of recording iPhone 5 again stands tall as it has three microphones to filter out background noises and improves sound quality better than just one or two microphones.

Storage:
The best version of iPhone 5 comes with 64 GB storage as against Razr Maxx HD which offers just 1 GB of internal storage.

CPU:
Apple iPhone 5 uses smaller semiconductor of 32 nm process which is advanced compared to 45 nm used in Motorola’s handset.

Pixel Density:
And finally with 326 ppi iPhone 5 scores over Motorola’s device which offers just 312 ppi pixel density for that crisper looking texts on the screen.

Apple iPhone 5, the smartphone that intrigued both consumers and observers, has been finally unveiled and is now available for pre-orders. Users across the world can’t wait to get their hands on the ultimate device of the year. Eagerly anticipating for new iPhones each year is nothing new. But the wait is worth as every release is full of surprises. Believe or not, the iPhone 5 craze has caught up with near frenzy as fans around the globe have already pre-ordered 2 million handsets within 24 hours. This is twice that of iPhone 4S in the same period of time. Without doubt iPhone 5 will surely be the best bet this holiday season in US, but it will have to compete with the immensely popular Samsung Galaxy S3 in both features and specifications.

Locking down two of the powerful brands with their flagship devices is like pitting two humongous bulls against each other. And each has their own weakness and strength. Until we bring out the fully functional review, here is a look at what each devices has in store against each other.

8 Things Apple iPhone 5 Holds Against Samsung Galaxy S3:

Three Microphones:

The new iPhone 5 has three microphones. There is one microphone in the front, the other can be found at the bottom and the third one on the back of the device. Simply speaking all these three microphones will help users filter out background noises and improves sound quality compared to just one or two found in other smartphones. In Galaxy S3, one microphone is found on top of the device while the second is located below the home button. It is to be noted that microphone malfunction has been a major source of concern among Galaxy S3 users of late.

Faster Uploads/Downloads:

The newer the device the faster they behave. Sample this, Samsung Galaxy S3 was just launched in May and iPhone 5 in September. iPhone 5 has faster upload rates at 5.76 MBits per second compared to Galaxy S3′s 3 MBits per second. And Apple’s device sizeably offers faster downloads at 100 MBits per second compared to 21 MBits per second offered by Galaxy S3′s International model.

Camera Advantages:

The minimal amount of time cameras need to take a snap without having to focus is a great advantage. Here iPhone 5 with lesser shutter lag at 0.24 seconds holds small advantage over Galaxy S3 which takes 0.35 seconds. There is a dedicated camera button found in iPhone 5 which is not the case with Galaxy S3. And another significant point to be noted is iPhone 5 takes less startup time compared to Galaxy S3.

Scores Dimensionally:

Apple iPhone 5 has lesser body volume, it is thinner, weighs lighter, is distinctly narrower and is shorter than Galaxy S3, making it very comfortable to hold.

Wider Aperture:

With 8 percent wider aperture than Galaxy S3′S f/2.6, iPhone 5 with f/2.4 aperture brings in more light eliminating the blur by accounting to faster shutter speed. In simple words, while taking snaps one can focus on the subject more and wider the aperture, this helps in blurring the background.

Direct Updates From OS Vendor:

Since Apple produces both OS and hardware for their devices, updates are directly provided which is not the case with Galaxy S3.

More Apps:

The iPhone 5 has significant advantage of having more apps compared to its Android counterpart.

Higher Pixel Density:

With 326 ppi pixel density iPhone 5 scores over Galaxy S3′s 313 ppi.

5 Things Samsung Galaxy S3 Holds Against Apple iPhone 5:

Connectivity:

Samsung Galaxy S3 has microSD slot, HDMI output, NFC option and DLNA for streaming videos & movies to other devices over-the-air. These features are not found in iPhone 5.

Camera Advantages:

The secondary camera in Galaxy S3 has more megapixel than iPhone 5. And there is a serial shot mode in Galaxy S3 to shoot multiple pictures in a row which is not found on Apple’s new handset. With manual focus and longer exposure that allows taking shots in the night, Galaxy S3 holds slight advantage over iPhone 5. Moreover, Samsung’s device offers faster shutter speed compared to iPhone 5.

Faster Processor:

Samsung Galaxy S3 with four cores (quad-core) and 1.4 GHz CPU clock speed surely is a power house when compared to iPhone 5 which offers 2 cores (dual-core) and has 1 GHz clock speed. However, in reality A6 processor found on iPhone 5, during benchmarks test posted by Geekbench, revealed that Galaxy S3′s score of 1588 was bettered by A6′s at 1601.

Power Advantages:

As for battery, Galaxy S3 has 2100 mAh compared to 1418 mAh battery. Also Samsung handsets’ batteries can be removed and replaced. This is not a possibility in iPhone 5. Also Galaxy S3 can be charged via standard USB cable.

Display:

Galaxy S3 has 4.8-inch 720 x 1280 pixel display whereas iPhone 5 offers 4-inch 640 x 1136 pixel display.

Samsung has been maintaining its competitive edge in the market for smartphones with the Galaxy S3 that is estimated to bring 30m sales before 2012 ends. Joining Samsung in the race will be Nokia that has stored up many surprises of its own, especially in terms of features and specifications. The latest Nokia Lumia 920 is packed with a lot of innovation when compared with Samsung’s latest flagship device.

The Nokia Lumia 920 which was shown off in New York last week has curious onlookers flock in favor of the Finnish giant this time around. The Lumia line is fast becoming a sensation and is expected to resurrect Nokia that lost its number one spot to both Samsung and Apple in market share. Nokia’s flagship Lumia 920 for the Windows Phone 8 platform is vastly catching up with Android and iOS, as Nokia and Microsoft have integrated quite many features that are crowd favorites found in both Android phones and iPhones.

Considering Nokia’s latest handset and Samsung’s flagship device, both features different operating system. The Galaxy S3 depends on Android which is expected to be upgraded to Jelly Bean operating system soon while Lumia 920 has Windows Phone 8. Both Android 4.1 and Windows Phone 8 has their set of advantages in many aspects.

Common Features in Both the OS:
If Windows Phone 8 is considered, it has pseudo multi-tasking compared to true multi-tasking provided in Jelly Bean. Both the OS support multiple devices but as Windows Phone 8 borrows many features found in desktop operating system, the OS acts as one single OS to rule both mobile technology like tablets and smartphones alike. Presently, iOS and Android keeps OS of tablets and smartphones separate from desktop computing machines. Common features found in Windows Phone 8 and Jelly Bean are integrated internet calling, ability to take screen shots, in-app purchase, native music tagging, native photo sharing, unique assortment of games, their own browsers, 3D maps, turn-by-turn navigation, digital wallet support, respective default search engines, voice recognition features that have ability to launch apps, tablet support, over-the-air updates, hardware acceleration, book store, NFC and video calls over 3G & 4G.

Features Dedicated to Windows Phone 8 When Compared to Jelly Bean:
Windows Phone 8 has Xbox-branded services, Linkedln and Windows Live integration throughout the OS apart from Twitter and Facebook, two of which are found in Jelly Bean. There is offline reading lists option, Internet Explorer 10 browser, native ticketing system, Bing search engine, home screen consists of tiles and smaller/ icon-esque tiles, Office Mobile, “Tellme” voice assistant, Wi-Fi syncing option, full device encryption, SkyDrive Cloud support, 1,00,000 plus apps, toast and banner notifications system, FindMyPhone service and native automobile integration.

Features Dedicated to Jelly Bean When Compared to Windows Phone 8:
Jelly Bean has Google Play support, browser tab syncing, Google Chrome, default search engine as Google, home screen consists of icons and widgets, Google Docs, Google Now voice assistant, exclusive cloud supporting features like Google Sync & Google Drive, 6,00,000 plus apps, expandable & actionable notifications system and magazine subscription.

Nokia Lumia 920 Advantages Over Samsung Galaxy S3:
Nokia Lumia 920 has 28nm semiconductor which is 30 percent less than Galaxy S3′s 40nm architecture, faster uploads, faster download options when base model is considered but may vary in LTE devices, slightly shorter, has built-in optical image stabilization, 23 percent wider aperture, direct updates by OS vendor, 7 percent higher screen resolution, higher pixel density, has branded lens, touch AF, 9 percent bigger camera with Pureview support, has dedicated camera button and two-stage shutter.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Advantages Over Nokia Lumia 920:
With Jelly Bean, there is more apps support, plays Adobe flash, more megapixel in secondary camera, has serial shot mode, built-in HDR mode, bigger display, faster CPU clock speed, newer Bluetooth version, microSD slot, DLNA support to stream videos and movies to other devices over-the-air, HDMI output, more battery power, removable battery, less body volume, dual microphone, the device is bit narrower, thinner and significantly lighter.

Comparing Galaxy S3 and Lumia 920:

If for Apple it was iPhone that brought tremendous success over the past five years, for Samsung it was the Galaxy line devices. It is now the turn of Nokia which has its Lumia series flying off the shelves in America and across the world. The latest sensation-making Nokia Lumia 920 has many advantages over Apple iPhone 4S in terms of the operating system as well as technical specifications.

The Nokia Lumia 900 and 800 series is catching up on the high-end phone market as reports reveal that Nokia hit 1 million sales for its Lumia line up to January 26 2012, 2 million sales for first quarter of 2012 and 4 million for the second quarter of 2012.

However, iPhone 4S sales could soon soar as the device is expected to soon be upgraded to iOS 6. That should not worry Nokia fans as the Lumia 920 comes with Windows Phone 8 operating system and brings forth new features and functionality that aims to improve user experience.

The pricing of Nokia Lumia 920 is yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile, reports inform that AT&T would release the phone on November 2, just four days after Microsoft is expected to launch the Windows Phone 8. An executive at an eastern European telecom operator told Reuters that Lumia 920 would be released in the second half of November.

Speaking of both the devices’ operating system, iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8 holds their own ground in many aspects. Windows Phone 8 uses Windows NT kernel architecture that is commonly used in desktop operating systems like Windows 7 and Windows 8. In fact transitions to core components from Windows 8 include kernel, file system, drivers, network stack, security components, media and graphics support. Both iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8 has many things in common although the levels may vary.

Just to enumarate a few, both the OS offers pseudo multi-tasking, high level security features, advanced calling features, Twitter & Facebook integration, their own music store & gaming center, in-app purchasing option, native photo sharing, offline reading lists, 3D maps, turn-by-turn navigation, native ticketing system, productivity suite, personal voice assistant, Wi-Fi syncing, tablet support, over-the-air updates, cloud storage support, hardware acceleration, “Find My Phone Service” feature, native automobile integration, screenshot ability, book store and video calling over 3G and 4G.

Windows Phone 8 exclusively offers features such as Linkedln and Windows Live integration, native music tagging, digital wallet support, full device encryption and NFC support which are not found in iOS 6.

Additionally, Lumia 920 comes in yellow, red and grey colors apart from white and black colors, the two colors found in iPhone 4S.

Getting to the technical specifications, Nokia Lumia 920 holds more advantages over Apple iPhone 4S. Here is a look at 10 reasons how Nokia’s latest sensation overshadows Apple iPhone 4S.

Faster CPU Clock Speed:
The Lumia 920 has significantly faster processor speed clocking at 1.5 GHz compared to iPhone 4S which offers 0.8 GHz of CPU clock speed.

Smaller Semiconductor:
Nokia’s smartphone uses 37 percent smaller semiconductor (28nm) and newer CPU as against iPhone 4S which uses 45nm architecture.

Bigger Camera:
Nokia Lumia 920 uses 8.7-megapixel camera while iPhone 4S only offers 8-megapixel camera. Also Nokia’s handset has dedicated camera button which lets users take snapshots with ease; two stage shutter allowing professional shots; and touch AF feature that is not found in iPhone 4S.

Bigger Screen Offers Higher Resolution and Pixel Density:
With 4.5-inch display 1280 x 768 resolution and pixel density of 332 ppi, Lumia beats iPhone 4S’s 3.5-inch 960 x 640 resolution display and 326 ppi pixel density.

Lens:
Nokia’s device has branded lens support and built-in optical image stabilization which is not the case with iPhone 4S.

More RAM Memory:
There is 1 GB RAM support in Lumia 920 compared to iPhone 4S which offers 0.5 GB RAM support.

Flexible Charging Options:
There is wireless charging found in Nokia’s handset which means the phone can be charged without any plugs and wires similar to electric shavers or toothbrushes. And Nokia’s device can be charged with standard USB cable. This cannot be done with iPhone 4S.

More Battery:
Apple iPhone 4S 1418 mAh battery offer lesser capacity to that of 2000 mAh found in Nokia Lumia 920.

NFC:
There is NFC support in Nokia’s device whereas iPhone 4S doesn’t have such feature.

Faster Downloads:
Nokia’s device offers faster downloads at 42 MB per second while iPhone 4S gives 14.4 MB per second. This is only possible due to the LTE network support found in Nokia Lumia 920.

The latest Nikon D4 camera is one big, fast and super tough instrument that would hardly show any sign of damage. The camera features 16-megapixel full frame sensor, a redesigned 51-point focus system and a burst mode of 10 frames per second found. The D4 is a must have for aspiring sports and wildlife photographers.

The powerhouse camera’s weather sealed lens have a rubber gasket at the lens mounting end which seals the gap between the lens and mount in order to prevent any water or dust from accidentally entering in and spoiling the sensor.

There is 3.2-inch LCD screen and a multi-directional joystick that can be assigned to do a slew of things. And a similar stick can be found on the grip for quick shooting in portrait mode.

It appears that users have to use two hand coordination for changing certain settings. To explain, users will have to use one hand to press the corresponding button and the other to spin the dial that would change the value, which can be sometime annoying but manageable.

Nikon boasts of D4′s novel focusing system, which throws a whopping 51 points that not only works in lower light but also is apt for smaller apertures in those same conditions. Even on extreme low light, the camera offered remarkably clean shots.

The AF chip along with 91,000 pixel sensor are dedicated to the task of ensuring the photos are accurately metered and white balanced during a photo shoot. Even despite the crazy, constantly changing lights, the exposure values were within the range of what is considered to be a good exposure along with focus being spot on. The camera shoots real fast and image quality is awesome. It offers full HD video recording. The ISO numbers got bumped up from 800 to 8000 at times.

With regard to specifications, the D4 has 16.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, EXPEED 3 image processor, ISO range from 100 to 12800 and max video resolution standing at 1920 x 1080. It’s features, performance and build quality offers maximum value for every penny spent. Nikon D4 is priced close to $5999.

The latest buzz on Motorola’s edge-to-edge display smartphone and HTC’s 5-inch device takes a mysterious turn as one promises a revolution in making while other was pictured in the wild respectively.

Anonymous sources told Bloomberg and Businessweek that Motorola’s new smartphone will not have bezels which implies that it will not have buttons on display of the screen as the entire front of the device will be used as the display and it will run on Android operating system. It is not confirmed if it is Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean. And the handset would feature Verizon’s LTE support.

The latest information on the new device entering the US market goes hand in hand with another rumor about Intel and Motorola planning to unveil a smartphone with Intel Medfield mobile processor. Intel’s event is scheduled on September 11 to 13. Although reports are indicating about Motorola Droid Razr HD being granted FCC approval, there is another device that could have close resemblance – Droid Razr M. Hence speculation is rife that any of these devices can spot edge-to-edge display or it can be entirely a different device altogether.

Meanwhile, press photos of both devices have leaked hours before its announcement today. Motorola Razr HD and Razr M images suggest they don’t feature the supposed edge-to-edge display. This means the device can be expected to be unveiled at the September 18 event to take place in UK.

As for the specifications, Motorola Droid Razr HD will sport 1280 x 720p display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 4G LTE, 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and 1GB of RAM.

Details on HTC’s mystery device is also widely speculated with leaked images. The handset will supposedly be a 5-inch smartphone looking similar to HTC EVO 4G LTE. Some believe it to be HTC One X+. AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint has got their hands on large screen smartphones from HTC in the form of HTC One X, One S and EVO 4G LTE while Verizon has not introduced any HTC device above 4.3-inch range. And rumor mills inform that the device is heading to Verizon network as well. In fact HTC has scheduled an event on September 19. Tech blogs are repeatedly suggesting the event is to unveil three HTC Windows Phone 8 devices with 4.3-inch screen. We will get to know more only during the different events scheduled for HTC and Motorola.

Samsung’s Android-based smartphones and tablets in the past have considerably multiplied its market share. Now, the Korean giant has come out with an innovative camera with the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera which was unveiled at the IFA conference in Berlin is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and has close similarities with Galaxy S III-based camera.

“As we increasingly articulate our experiences through pictures and videos the Galaxy Camera has been created to lead the way in this new era of visual communication,” says JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.

The new device features Wi-Fi, quad-band HSPA+ 3G or 4G mobile data network support for easy image sharing and there is 16.3-megapxiel BSI CMOS image sensor and 23 mm wide angle view.

Samsung Galaxy Camera in fact offers Optical Image Stabilization and supports 3200 ISO sensitivity. For users intending to take professional looking photos, there is Smart Pro mode while the Photo Wizard allows use of 35 photo editing features on the go.

The photo editing allows for tweaks in terms of brightness or contrast, crop shots, fix redeye, adding clipart, text and Instagram style frames.

Not just that, users can even upload images directly to Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and email them to friends through web access using the Jelly Bean OS. One potentially significant benefit is that the camera allows to automatically upload new images to the cloud as soon the photo is shot.

The new gadget offers touch screen interface with 4.77-inch Super LCD screen, 1080p full HD recording at 30 frames per second, 1650mAh battery, and has HDMI 1.4 output for HDTV connection. Other features include Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/GLONASS for geotagging photos and microSD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Weighing in at 305 g, Samsung’s Galaxy Camera sure takes photo shooting to new levels. The device is priced at £399 and will go on sale in UK next month.

After the tremendous success of tablets, manufactures are now eyeing on sales of mini tablets that come with a host of appealing features. While the Android version with 7-inch range has already made its presence felt, it will be Apple that will now enter the fray with iPad mini.

The real turnaround in 7-inch tablet sector took place with the launch of Amazon Kindle Fire. Until then many tech gurus including Steve Jobs had questioned the very existence of mini tablets compared to its 10-inch counterparts. Although Microsoft first took the effort to bring out tablet PC in 2000, it was Apple who made the revolutionary cut with the launch of Apple iPad, presently the market leader and biggest shareholder in tablet PC world. HP and Samsung had a brief stay but failed to catch up with iPad’s success. However, it was Amazon Kindle Fire which turned the tables as not many were able to cash in on the success it did in the mini tablet market.

There are different form factors of tablets like slate PCs, booklet (the dual-touchscreen tablet), convertible (with attached keyboards) and hybrid that share the features of both slate and convertibles. But nothing has clicked like the slate PC format which is evidently clear with the large sales figures.

The trend now seems to be slowly shifting from Apple iPad after the Amazon Kindle fire became a popular media consumption device for it being portable and lighter for reading texts, watching movies, listening to musics and most importantly for easy access of e-books. But Amazon Kindle Fire just stuck with its customized Android OS which limited its usage but still worked wonders. Seemingly sensing an opportunity of bringing in all those Android goodies to a 7-inch version, Google in collaboration with Asus introduced Google Nexus 7 with a fresh and powerful operating system in the form of Jelly Bean through which users can do more than what they could with Amazon Kindle’s customized UI.

Apparently the young generation prefer smaller tablets for easier consumption. All the more media publications around the globe are leaning towards smaller versions to expand their base dramatically with ebooks and digital magazines. Not that this cant be done on a 10-inch version. The truth is it is inevitable for Apple not to enter the 7-inch tablet segment. If sources are to be believed, Apple iPad mini is expected to be announced at a special event in October.

Besides iPad mini, this holiday season will see the influx of two other major tablets which are Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire 2.

Meanwhile, here is a look at some of the rumors surrounding the upcoming Apple iPad mini:

Specifications:
Apple iPad mini is expected to come with almost 40 percent larger form factor than currently available 7-inch tablets. The available rumors and reports suggest a tablet size in between 7-inch to 8-inch range. Reports by Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal suggest 7.85-inch display with 1024 x 768 pixels resolution. KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo suggest that iPad mini will be an extremely thin slate and is going to be supported by GF Ditto or GF2 touch screen technology. The analyst also informs that the new iPad mini will have 5-megapixel camera and HD front facing camera with iSight solution similar to iPad 3.

Bloomberg has cited several sources suggesting that AU Optronics and LG Display will produce the iPad mini’s display along with TPK Holding and Foxconn-owned Yeh Cheng Technology that will assemble the units. And it is a widely known fact that Apple has implemented Retina display on 9.7-inch version of iPad and MacBook Pro. Hence the probability of iPad mini coming with 1536 x 2048 pixels cannot be ruled out. But if price factor is considered and Apple plans to capture $199 range tablet market then 1024 x 768 pixels is the best bet.

John Gruber, an Apple enthusiast and writer, while comparing Google Nexus 7, estimates that the new iPad mini could feature a 200 × 135 x 7.2 mm dimension. Also Macro Arment, the Instapaper developer has identified two new iPad device codes in his logs as “iPad2,5″ and “iPad2,6″, which according to Arment is the long rumored iPad mini which is based on iPad 2 hardware. And the images spotted on 9toMac suggest that the tablet is expected to look like a bigger iPod Touch rather than the present versions of iPad.

Other features expected to come along with mini appears to be similar to iPad 2. Some of them are dual-core A5 processor, 32nm architecture, iPhone’s low-power LTE chip, 512 MB RAM and 16/32/64 GB of internal storage. And iOS 6 operating system’s major modifications in terms of 3D mapping technology would be a major boost along with slew of additional features discovered during beta stages of the mobile OS. With loyal consumers keeping up with iTunes, App Store and iCloud services, iPad mini is surely expected to pull consumers to its shores from Amazon Kindle Fire. Last but not least, rumors also point to a 9-pin connector instead of a 30-pin connector like the one found on iPhones, iPads and iPods.

Price:
Observers suggest that the iPad mini could be priced between $250 and $300. However, with Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire 2 in line, a closely competitive pricing of $199 cannot be ruled out. Even if iPad mini is priced slightly higher than $199, Apple’s marketing and promotion efforts will ensure the money keeps rolling in.

Launch:
According to reports, Apple may follow suit Samsung by launching devices individually on different occasions. Rumors suggest Apple may announce a new version of its iPhone on September 12 while iPad mini would be unveiled in October.

Mobile operating systems have become increasingly popular with smartphone productions around the world. It combines the experience of touchscreen, Wi-Fi access, interactive UI, widgets, camera app and other hordes of applications that make mobile OS platform akin to an inevitable friend.

Among all the current platforms, Android by Google, iOS by Apple, Windows Phone by Microsoft, Symbian by Nokia and BlackBerry OS by RIM remains the top available in major smartphones in the market today. However, it is Android, iOS and Windows Phone that are flourishing to be the the big players even as Symbian and BlackBerry are slowly losing grounds in the US market.

The latest offering of Android is Jelly Bean while iOS 6 is going to make it pretty overwhelming for Apple users. And Windows Phone 8 is expected to catch up soon in days to come. With hardware manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, Motorola, Nokia, Sony and Apple pushing forward their respective OS to different devices, the competitive level will open an influx of smartphones to choose from in near future. But Apple seems to have found the right balance with its eco system while Samsung seems to be treading along the thin line with different platforms. Without question, Android and Windows Phone seems to be the favourite pick for other vendors besides Apple whose consumers are content with iOS operating system.

However, here is a look at how iOS 6, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Windows Phone 8 differ from each other.

Kernel:
Jelly Bean uses Linux kernel 3.1.10 which mainly focuses on improving the user interface for good functionality and performance based on project butter for touch anticipation, triple buffering and extended vsync timing, for that fluid and smooth UI running of the device. The iOS 6 uses Darwin kernel 13 instead of 12 which is one version ahead of OS X Mountain Lion. And Windows Phone 8 uses Windows NT kernel which is used in major desktop operating systems like Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. Switching to NT core means the OS will include the same file system (NTFS) and most of the elements and support which the desktop operating system contains. Its like a mini Windows running on top of smaller frame of smartphone, hence users who are used to desktop like functionality may find Windows Phone 8 more friendly in usage with little tweaks made according to the needs of smartphone consumers.

Multitasking:
The iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8 implements pseudo multi-tasking. That implies that users can see and interact with one application even as several applications run in the background whereas true multitasking in Jelly Bean allows users to see and interact with two or more running applications but can only interact with them one at a time. The major difference between true and pseudo multi-tasking is that the latter sometimes causes the devices to run out of memory and uses virtual memory which in turn makes the devices run sluggishly.

Hardware Support:
The iOS 6 is supported in iPhone, iPad and iPod touch but Jelly Bean and Windows Phone 8 is supported on varied range of devices.

Security:
The newly launched Jelly Bean is considered to be the safest bet compared to its preceding versions. The Android 4.1 uses address space layout randomization (ASLR) protection, which randomizes the memory locations for the library, stack, heap and other OS data structures.And it also implements data execution prevention (DEP) where hackers would find it difficult to locate malicious code in the device memory. And Jelly Bean also has protection against information leakage, buffer overflows and additional memory vulnerabilities. Meanwhile if iOS platform is considered, it has featured ASLR and DEP much before Android and uses code signing technology which prevents unauthorized applications from running on a device by requiring a valid digital signature which is still missing in Android OS. Speaking of Windows Phone 8, the new OS codenamed Apollo has borrowed core components from Windows 8 which includes security components. That implies ASLR and DEP features are making it difficult for attackers to determine where core functions reside in memory and DEP prevents buffer overflow attacks from working on files or in storage areas that are specifically intended to hold data.

Social Media Integration:
Both iOS 6 and Android Jelly Bean has Twitter and Facebook integration but Windows Phone 8 goes one step ahead as it not only has both Twitter and Facebook integration but also Linkedln and Windows Live support.

Offline Reading Lists:
Both iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8 features offline reading list while Jelly Bean misses out on this feature.

Music tagging and Ticketing System:
iOS 6 does not offer music tagging but has its own ticketing system. Android 4.1 is just the opposite with no ticketing system but has music tagging. And Windows Phone 8 has both of these features.

Syncing:
There is browser tab syncing option in iOS and Jelly Bean while Microsoft’s mobile OS doesn’t support the feature. Except for Android’s latest OS, both iOS and Windows mobile OS has Wi-Fi syncing option.

Voice Recognition:
All the three mobile OS has voice recognition features to launch apps but Jelly Bean is the only OS which has offline voice recognition support. Apple uses Siri, Jelly Bean sports Google Now while Windows Phone 8 has Tellme as its voice recognition feature.

Games:
Apple’s OS has many popular releases under its belt while Jelly Bean follows in close. Microsoft’s OS offers a completely different set of games that are found in both these versions but with limited popular releases. But apart from Jelly Bean both iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8 enjoy’s their own social gaming centers like Game Center and Xbox LIVE respectively.

Full Device Encryption:
Windows Phone 8 is the only OS which supports full device encryption which is not the case with the other two.

Cloud Storage:
Jelly Bean enjoys the support of Google Sync and Google Drive compared to iOS 6 which supports iCloud and Windows Phone 8 with SkyDrive.

Screenshots:
Android and Apple’s latest OS has the ability to take screenshot whereas Windows Phone 8 doesn’t.