Windows Vs. Android: The Tablet OS Face-Off

By Field Technologies magazine

In May, DRS Technologies introduced two new 7” tablet computers – the ARMOR X7et and the ARMOR X7ad. The X7 products are thin, lightweight tablets that DRS says it introduced based on customer requests. What’s interesting about the 7” tablets is that you can choose between either the Android OS or the enterprise-friendly Microsoft Windows platform. Recently, Field Technologies spoke with Chris Wright, VP, InfoMobility at DRS Technologies (manufacturer of ARMOR Rugged Mobile Solutions) about the company’s decision to offer both operating systems and for some advice on how companies should select between the two.

Field Technologies: Why did ARMOR decide to create both a Windows version and Android version of its new product?

ARMOR: The Android market is still a nascent market for enterprise applications. Microsoft’s Widows still represents the larger market of established workforce applications and solutions that will migrate to tablets for mobility. However, we expect that Android based devices and Android applications will represent a growth market for our products. Initially, this growth is expected in smaller businesses whereas larger enterprises will remain with the Microsoft platform.  The decision to add the Android platform is also in response to customer feedback and interest. And so, we have introduced the ARMOR X7ad Android tablet and ARMOR X7et Windows tablet, which are more lightweight versions of our highly-successful ARMOR X7 compact rugged tablet form factor, launched last year.