Android features iPhone fans will want

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Android gives smartphone makers the opportunity to add a little extra to the experience of the OS on their devices, to try to make them stand out from other Android handsets ? and even from Apple's iPhone. Here is a look at some of the features smartphone companies have contributed, that may prompt a little bit of green-eyed envy.

A Google patent revealed last week describes a gesture that not only unlocks a smartphone but also performs a command ? meaning people could unlock and place a phone call all with one swipe. Google is keeping quiet about whether this will end up in Android, but HTC already offers something very similar in Android phones using its latest version of Sense.

In Sense, users can drag the virtual ring on the lock screen around one of four apps and instantly get taken to that function, whether it be the camera, calendar, or Angry Birds. It first debuted on the HTC Sensation 4G.

Apple already owns a slide-to-unlock patent ? it's at the heart of infringement suits against Samsung and Motorola Mobility ? but it lacks the extra functionality of completing another command.

Image credit: Bonnie Cha/CNET News

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