Gartner: Android on ARM "more snappy" than Windows 7 on Atom
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Jun 15th 2009 7:41AM
posted Jun 15th 2009 7:41AM
Of course, Windows 7 scales much better than Vista and as a full-blown desktop OS gives users a lot of flexibility as long as the netbook's chipset is up to the task. Then again, if you're looking for a purpose-built, fanless 10-inch ultra-portable with integrated WWAN data and FireFox browser that costs less than $200 and plays 25 days of music or 10-hours of 1080p video off a single charge, well then a smartbook might be the device for you. We'll see which carrier is brave enough to sell 'em come October.When Android did work, we found that the user interface was very snappy on relatively low-performance ARM processors, more so than Windows 7 on Atom.
as long as its android and not that windows ce crap im in.
Sponsored in part by Snappiness™ Get yours today!
Windows CE is actually wonderful for devices.
You can make Windows "snappier" by turning down the default delays on showing menus etc. For instance the default on the Start menu is 400 ms, nearly half a second of delay between clicking and showing the menu, purposely built into Windows. Change the registry setting to 40ms and it too is snappy.
So, am I the only one that finds it funny you are pointing to performance benefits "when it did work"?
+1
I suppose this can be forgiven slightly when it's not purpose built for a smartbook, whereas win7 is purpose built for all types of computer?
Exactly what I thought. Interesting that they only chose to report on the snappiness and just disregarded the suggestion that it's apparently quite a hassle to get Android to work.
And Window Mobile also more snappier on ARM than Window 7...who cares!
Media making news out of no news.
No. You're not the only one who noticed that. lol
"When this car works... it will get you to the supermarket faster than that other car. Oh, but when it doesn't... you'll just have to walk." lol
No thanks. Leave Android on smartphones PLEASE.... A Windows 7 netbook (with multitouch) would be ideal.
God forbid consumers should be given a choice! We should just have Windows 7 on everything!!!
All most poeple use netbooks for is browsing the web and email and Android can do that fine. You may not want an Android computer but I don't see why you need to PLEAD for them not to make one. If you don't want one simply don't buy one.
Gartner - Microsoft ain't paying us for studies so we are going to trash them.
More like Microsoft ain't paying us to say positive things about them, so we'll just speak the truth!
Gartner is made of the biggest bunch of idiots I've ever seen in the analyst field (which is a field of idiots by itself).
the purpose of a netbook is for a convenient and surf-anywhere concept, as long as an OS can provide a friendly interface it is good to go. the big plus would be free and longer battery life. Android is free, but we have yet to know the battery performance on this OS yet.
Wow an os meant for embedded devices is faster than Windows 7 on a relatively low specced processor, WHOD HAVE THOUGHT IT!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah - Win 7 does a hell lot more than Android, starting with a much more graphically complex UI. It's really a *huge* surprise that it taxes hardware more than a, in comparison, simplistic OS/UI...
Can you really compare the two?
Apparently, yes.
Manufacturers of ARM CPU netbooks need to look somewhere for an OS. So far, on the Atom platform, people much prefer Windows XP to custom Linux builds (and of course to Vista). Windows for ARM is not a possibility, so it's natural to turn to something like Android, which has the backing of Google.
The main point here (whether or not it matters in the end) is that MS has been having serious problems scaling their OS (which is the reason Vista was such a disaster, the reason they lied about minimum system requirements on behalf of Intel, etc.). If Windows 7 doesn't perform well on Atom netbooks and there's a much cheaper alternative that has a decent OS and a decent browser with a decent selection of applications, then that's kind of significant.
I'm still waiting for Android to have much of a selling point outside of phones, so we'll see what happens.
Directly, no you can't. But you could compare them if you compare Android on ARM to Android on Atom then compare Android on Atom to Windows on Atom.
Symbian and Atom would be the fastest. Yes, it's possible.
I think I'd prefer a setup that runs all my applications (including my business apps) slightly slower than one that doesn't run them at all.
I think you mistake who these netbooks are aimed at! They are aimed at the mass market where people are not as tech savvy as the people who write on this website..
The mass market wants low cost machines that do everything (this will be the only computer for most homes) in a way they know. As the mass market knows Windows, that is what they want hence why so many Linux based EEE PC's were returned in exchange for the XP version.
The mass market can take the performance hit that comes with Windows over Android, Linux etc.. They are a patient bunch unlike the minority (us)!
I personally have an IBM X31 with Windows 7 Ultimate RC on it and it performs beautifully so I am sure the cut down versions of Windows 7 will perform well on most netbooks.
Shoot me down for saying this if you want but here is my prediction
We never see Android on a Netbook that sells well.
That is only a problem if your use for the netbook, or in this case, sub netbook is to run your business applications on a tiny screen on a tiny device. It is not the same for everybody. I admit, I wouldn't have much use for such a device either. But I know several people who would be delighted with one.
But look at it in a slightly different way. Think of it as an android smart phone with a built in keyboard that you can use with more than your thumbs, and a bigger screen that you can use for more stuff that would be just too fiddly for use on a phone. . Doesn't have to be Windows compatible, doesn't have to have a huge software library, although the Android phone apps should be ok on this.
It's just one class of devices in a whole palette of options. It's ok if they don't all do the same things. Diversity is good. And there will be many many people who just want light note taking and surfing abilities with a little bit of PIM and a few casual games thrown in. I can see a lot of potential for such things.
That's fine John but the point of the article was that Gartner were recommending Android-based netbooks to businesses purely based on performance. I was just pointing out that that's not a great reason to recommend a solution to businesses.
Shocking really, that a mobile os running on chips it was designed for, would be snappier than a multi purpose, big fat system on crippled netbook-class silicon.
How bout "formula 1 cars go better on closed, wide circuits, than VW wagons on rally trails".
Don't worry, when they finally get the last of the DOS code removed from W7, it will run just as fast as Android.
There hasn't been any "DOS code" in Windows since version Windows 2000...Me was the last one that was using a DOS foundation.
Actually I've ignored any 9x flavor, so since Windows NT 3.5, DOS is no more..
How to compare an orange to a window.
Ummm duh. Android has virtually no features out of the box and even then a good file browser is few and far between. All android is, is a framework. It doesn't even have network share browsing capability.
This whole discussion of smartbooks - it doesn't remind anyone of the Palm Foleo? If the Foleo was a load of fail then I don't see why smartbooks would be any different even if the modem is built-in to the smartbooks instead of being tethered.
The main concept problem of the Foleo was it was tied to a Palm smartphone to work properly and cost afair $600+, limitations that those upcoming smartbooks don't have.
But still, I think that smartbook manufacturers will have a hard time convincing people to buy their devices considering that Linux netbooks haven't been much of a success despite lower prices than their Windows counterparts, and smartbooks are even more different from what people are used to (=Windows)
Shhhhh L. Don't upset the tard. You have no idea how they will react. Prob spaz out on you and start throwing their feces around.
To be honest, I'm wondering why you'd want Windows on a device like a Netbook (er, anyone know what the current dictionary definition is for a "Smartbook"?). Give it WiFi and cellular network connectivity and access to cloud-based applications like Google Docs and you're golden. I can see the point of Windows on desktops and laptops where you have quite a lot of computing resources to throw around but on something as pokey as a Netbook you might as well let web applications do the heavy lifting. All that needs to be addressed are any privacy and availability concerns.
1080p video on a 10" screen? What's the point....
the point is that if it has hdmi out you can plug it into a tv and have an easy way to transport and play hd videos. the other point is that if someone has a large library of hd videos they won't have to take the time to reencode them in a lesser resolution to take them somewhere.
and in other news, Oranges grow on different trees than Apples.
that's why people like xp on atom machines better!
Android on a netbook? Might as well use Linux ... no thanx ... windows 7 tears it up on my Dell Mini ... why would a want a o/s with such limited features like Android or Linux?
Windows 7 Starter is going to be on every netbook by the end of 2009 ... let me rephrase that ... "every netbook that people will actually buy and want."
Although i'm sure Palm is going to scale Web o/s to a netbook so who knows .... Palm got it's geek cred back and is now #2 in "mindshare" behind the iCrapPhone. Their Web O/S netbook will probably be a minor sucess. But Android? not going to happen.
Hmm.. that was stupid, we all know at least one netbook with Android (and release date in 2009), let me rephrase that; at least one netbook with Android.
this is not fair
android should be compared with windows mobile not windows 7
Looks like the market finds Android in smartbooks as a viable solution to the MS problem in netbooks. I'm all for it.
quote:
"Looks like the market finds Android in smartbooks as a viable solution to the MS problem in netbooks. I'm all for it."
MS problem? What MS problem?
This problem?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/22/microsoft-publishes-maximum-windows-7-netbooks-specs/
Android is a dead O/S. Attempts to port it to mainstream Netbooks or devices will fail... unless they learn to handle it differently than Linux and until Google starts supporting it on devices.
Android-based smartbooks/netbooks are likely to be VERY popular with mobile operators, because they will be able to generate revenue from:
1. data contracts.
2. phone calls & SMS/MMS.
3. app purchases (e.g. operators get a cut from Android Market app sales).
4. value-added apps & services that leverage the capabilities of these "smartphone-like" devices.
Much like smartphones, Android-based smartbooks/netbooks are likely to usher in the era of inexpensive/free computing devices, in exchange for always-on, wireless data subscriptions.
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