Lately Microsoft has been renewing their rivalry with Apple with a few new Windows 8 ads. The ads show the things that a Windows 8 tablet can do that an iPad can’t. They really do a good job of emphasizing the benefits of choosing Windows 8, and it got us thinking about the same thing for Windows Phone. What things can you do with a Windows Phone device that you can’t with an iPhone? Let’s find out.

8. NFC

There are people who say that NFC won’t become popular until the iPhone has it. Until that day arrives the only devices that you can find with NFC capability are Windows Phones and Android phones. NFC stands for near field communication, and it allows users to transfer information or data by being near a NFC tag. We will see a lot more of it in the future.

7. Wireless Charging

Much like NFC, wireless charging has yet to really take off. There are a handful of devices with wireless charging built-in, and most of them have “Lumia” in their names. Wireless charging allows you to charge your phone by placing it on a charging plate instead of plugging it in. It’s very handy, and hopefully soon will become a standard feature.

6. Variety

If there is one thing to differentiate the latest generation of Windows Phone devices from the past generations it’s variety. With Windows Phone 7 the devices were boring second-hand Android phones, but with Windows Phone 8 we have a wide variety of shapes and colors to choose from. If you like color and having a unique looking phone Windows Phone has something to offer.

5. Microsoft Office

One of the luxuries of having something made by Microsoft is you get access to great mobile Office apps. Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote are all available if you get a Windows Phone device. If you need to have easy access to your Office files on the go there is no better choice than Windows Phone.

4. Kids Corner

If you have kids they most likely love to mess around and play games on your phone. That’s fine until they accidentally send an email to your boss. With Windows Phone 8 you can choose what apps your kid uses. This is a really great feature for parents, and it’s something iPhone users can only dream about.

3. Custom Home Screen

With the iPhone users are very limited to what they can personalize. They can reorganize app icons, put them in folders, change the wallpaper, and that’s about it. With Windows Phone you can reorganize tiles, re-size them, or remove them entirely from the Start screen. You can even change the color to fit your mood. You will never confuse your Windows Phone with someone else’s.

2. Lockscreen

The iPhone lockscreen is not very useful. In Windows Phone 8 apps can take over your lockscreen and provide useful information, recent photos, weather, or a wide variety of different things. It’s a new level of customization that is only possible with Windows Phone. The iPhone just shows notifications. We have that too.

1. Live Tiles

The number one feature that iPhone users do not have is Live Tiles. Those beautiful little (or big) tiles that show real-time information, recent updates, scores, weather, photos, notifications, and much more. iOS icons do absolutely nothing. Glance and go information is always at your fingertips with Windows Phone. You don’t get lost going in and out of apps just to see what’s happening.

—

How’d we do? Is there anything else you love that the iPhone can’t do? What about things the iPhone can do that you wish you could do?