Bangalore: Windows 8 debuted recently, and most reviews are raving about how good it is. Microsoft, in fact, even announced that the OS had made more than 1 million downloads in the first 24 the OS’ test version was released.

One report even stated that Microsoft could leapfrog Apple with Windows 8, but how does the OS compare against Android?

Well according to a report on Wired.com, the customer preview beats the best that iOS and Android have to offer for now. Here are 5 ways Windows 8 beats iOS and Android:

1. The Picture Password: The picture password feature has been talked about since Windows developer preview and the test version of Windows 8 has made it open to everybody to try out. This alternative system unlocking option is easy, convenient and a lot more fun to use compared to the other options traditionally used, according to Wired’s review of the Windows 8.

People had their doubts about its efficacy in keeping password thefts at bay, but Microsoft detailed how this method is actually better, in a blog post, saying “the use of three gestures provides a significant number of unique gesture combinations and a similar security promise to a password of 5 or 6 randomly chosen characters. Additionally, using three gestures ensures a Picture Password that is easy to remember and quick to use.”

The same blog post also explained how this method could be even more secure than the traditional PIN-based security measures.  “If the user is free to use any combination of taps, circles, and lines, then the total number of permutations is, where n is the length of the picture password, and m is the number of points of interest.” (We’ll leave you to do the math). “Assuming the average image has 10 points of interest, and a gesture sequence length of 3, there are 8 million possible combinations, making the prospect of guessing the correct sequence within 5 tries fairly remote,” the blog post said.

 A report on Ars technica had Amol Sarwate, research manager at security management vendor Qualys, back Microsoft’s claim, saying “Based on your gestures, the circles you draw, the size of the circle, the direction of the circle, the lines that you draw on the screen, the machine creates a password which is virtually impossible to crack.”