Multitasking in Android 3.0 as Compared to Playbook & iPad

Google seems to be very busy as far as Android 3.0 is concerned, and this version is developed, designed and devoted to a larger extent for Tablets alone. Just two days ago, Google launched the Android 3.0 Software Development Kit (SDK) named ‘Honeycomb’ for developers. We already know a bit or more about the latest version of Android like – “Android 3.0 has software-based navigation instead of physical buttons, tabbed web browsing, big-screen Google apps and developer tools for creating modular, panel based apps that work on tablets or phones“.
But a more startling fact can be seen in some of the teaser videos released by Google and Motorola’s Xoom announcement at CES, which focus on the functioning of Android 3.0’s multitasking. What these videos say is what I will quote and here goes - ”As users launch applications to handle various tasks, they can use the Recent Apps list in the System Bar to see the tasks underway and quickly jump from one application context to another. To help users rapidly identify the task associated with each app, the list shows a snapshot of its actual state when the user last viewed it“.
Let us dig deeper and know what this actually infers into, by looking at how other OS player operate -
RIM’s PlayBook

The feature of Multitasking with RIM’s PlayBook has been one of its trademark features and very popular, besides its swipe-based user interface feature. In case you want to load a movie, download a game and log on to a website all at once, nothing is going to stop you from doing so; since users can in fact view all of these happen at one shot. All three things will be visible side-by-side from PlayBook’s main menu.
Apple’s iPad

It is a completely different or in fact a reverse-picture when it comes to multitasking with Apple’s iPad. Unlike PlayBook, an iPad does not serve you with an all-at-one-shot option. When you navigate away from one function, the application freezes and does not allow for viewing another application or function side-by-side. Users only need to guess if the download, loading, etc. that could be happening at the background. Though, certain number of apps do exist in Apple which tap a specific set of multitasking tools, for instance background downloads of video or photos, yet several other apps don’t have this luxury. A user can only know what is happening behind the scenes, by checking on individual apps one after the other.

Now, Android 3.0

It seems that Android has a piece of both worlds, but there is more imitation of iPad than PlayBook as far as Android 3.0’s multitasking feature is concerned. The third version of Android lets apps function in the backdrop which will not be visible to the user. A look-through for the recent list of apps in Android’s system bar shall portray only the earlier states of all the apps that are open and not what they’re presently doing.
A more likeable approach amongst all three without much doubt is the one that RIM’s PlayBook operates with. It is easy, simple and most importantly hassle-free. Having said that, we still haven’t seen the real Android 3.0 in full action as yet, so let us just hold on to our horses before passing the verdict.

Posted in: Android