There are several changes and improvements from Windows 7 to Windows 8 on computers, tablets and smartphones. Windows 8 has allowed these three classifications of devices to sync with each other and even allows one another to use features that are normally exclusive to just one type.

Early feedback about the major shift to Windows 8 from Windows 7 resulted in both positive and negative comments with the given time span of this new Windows in the market.

Tech experts said that one of the best points of Windows 8 is its speed compared to Windows 7 and with its new touch feature. Unlike the old OS, Windows 8 has made unnecessary background processes that take much more memory which made the touch-friendly menu system responsive and lag free, plus the influence of new Intel Core processors available with devices running Windows 8. Unfortunately, a lot of other things are needed to be improved to match up with the services and applications offered by iOS and Android.

When it comes to mobile devices and tablet computers, three operating system marks differently from each other even with their new versions:

Applications

iOS has more than 600,000 of applications which includes 225,000 for iPad in this count. For Androids, there are more or less 600,000 and most of it run in tablets, although the low-range Android devices can view many of the applications in the Android market but unable to install them due to specification restrictions. Windows Phone has at least 100,000 applications available for download, but for tablet it is still not sure how many can be used. Right now, Android has more free applications which can be downloaded no matter which device type ismused for trial purpose before being purchased if the user wants the paid version.

Mapping

Apple has now its own map service like Google and Microsoft. The map application has traffic updates, points of interest, and turn by turn navigation.

The Google Maps in Android devices offers 3D buildings, search combinations, places, turn by turn navigations, Street View, and offline caching.

Windows uses Bing maps which offer terrific NAVTEQ maps, turn by turn navigation as well, 3D buildings, offline caching, and dynamic routing for public transit.

The cons about the three mapping services are still the user's location. Not all countries and cities are supported with equally information or services in the map applications.

Browser Sync

The iCloud Tabs are new in iOS 6 which unify the browsing across all iOS and OS X devices.

Chrome Beta on Android allows tab syncing with desktop. Right now, there are more Chrome users using desktop than mobile which will make this feature fully maximised in the future.

Windows 8 allows the syncing of data using SkyDrive, which includes information within the browser history. However, the devices should all be Windows 8 active to sync perfectly with each other.

Voice Commands

The much-vaunted Siri in iOS isn't that amazing, but actually works. Not only it can dictate texts and emails, schedule calendar events, and set times, Siri can also pull data from more sources like sports scores, movie times, and dinner reservations in different useful ways. It could also interface with car audio and navigation systems with iOS 6.

Google Android OS has made an improvement with its speech recognition feature, making it to voice search and dictation across the entire OS. It will have built-in speech recognizer in all of its future devices. The voice recognition input can be also used even while the user is offline.

In Windows Phone, the voice commands allow the user to place calls, send texts, search the web, and launch application from the device. It is not as deep as the Google and iOS technology but still available for use.

Media Streaming

The iOS has AirPlay which has been one of the easier and intuitive implementations of media streaming. The user can push music from the computer or iOS device to AirPlay capable speakers, AirPort Express routers, and Apple TV. And if the user is streaming for a computer, the user can push it to multiple AirPlay devices.

In Android, Nexus Q has been introduced to provide its own streaming standard among Android-based devices. The hubs will be able to take audio and video streams, and output them out to televisions and speakers. It could also be used to link hubs altogether for more robust multizone streaming.

The Windows Phone will have SmartGlass to serve as its media streaming portal to the Xbox. The application simplifies and visualises the process of pushing content back and forth between the Xbox and Windows 8 devices. Another effect is the capability of beam content to the device while watching TV.

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