Android Vs. Windows: Which Is Better For Data Capture?

By Pedro Pereira

VARs and software developers have operating system choices, but which is best?

In the contest for market share in the mobile operating system space, Microsoft and Google have taken distinctly different routes in adding functionality for such tasks as data capture and bar coding. Google’s open-source approach allows hardware vendors flexibility in adding features and functions, while Microsoft has decided to make the process more restrictive with the release of Windows 8.

As such, each vendor has its supporters and detractors among data-capture hardware vendors — who are engaged in their own race for market dominance. Handheld device manufacturer Datalogic, for instance, has yet to release an Android device, even though the company has experimented with Google’s operating system for a couple of years and plans to release Android products soon, says Tom Burke, Datalogic vice president of mobile product marketing.