Android market introduction has provided changes in the scene of applications in mobile devices. One of the strengths of android is multitasking. Multitasking in android has various advantages. For instance, in using android, the user is able to get notifications in the background. This means that the user of android can at the same time have multiple programs running and when messages arrive, the notifications are delivered in real time (Turoczy, 2008). Further, when using android, the applications that the user can not see are suspended. This provides the advantage that these applications can be restarted or even restores and to the user they will look no different.
Unlike in other mobile operating systems multitasking for example apple where the user has a chance to view all open apps, android allows the user to have a look at only the applications that have been recently opened and this is limited to six apps (Perenson, 2010). Android however compares to other mobile operating systems in that apps are suspended once they have been moved into the background. However, the processing in the background for android differs. For android, it is not restricted. This means that the application can run without the interference of the user. However, according to Friedman (2010), this causes some problems in regard to android since the battery is drained fast and thus its life is reduced. The battery in the apply system is not on the other hand drained for example with data calls.
References
Friedman, J. (2010). Android’s Froyo vs. iPhone OS4.0. Fight! Retrieved on April 17, 2011 from: http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2010/05/31/froyo-and-iphone-os4-0-the-os-battle-heats-up/.
Perenson, M.J. (2010). Apple iOS 4 vs. Android Multitasking: Which Approach Is Better for Users? Retrieved on April 17, 2011 from: http://www.pcworld.com/article/199830/apple_ios_4_vs_android_multitasking_which_approach_is_better_for_users.html.
Turoczy, R. (2008). Meebo Takes Advantage of Android Multitasking for IM App. Retrieved on April 17, 2011 from: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/meebo_android_im_multitasking.php.
