Mobile Operating Systems Comparison

While the size, features, and price determines what mobile device or smartphone users opt for, the operating system (the piece of software that controls everything from what you see on display to the communications) remains a very important factor that the mobile device user must consider before making a purchase. There are numerous types of mobile operating systems. The top ones are Palm, Google Android, Blackberry, Symbian, Windows Phone 7 series, and the iPhone OS (which is a mobile version of Mac OSX).

Android operating system

Android is the second most popular smartphone platform. This operating system runs on several smartphones, particularly the Google Nexus One Smartphone which became available in January 2010 and is being manufactured by the Taiwanese company, HTC. With the Robot logo, android was originally manufactured by a company called Android Corporation which Google bought in July 2005. In November 2007, the Open Handset Alliance, which is made up of over 50 software and hardware manufacturers, was inaugurated with the aim of developing a better open standard for mobile devices. The Open Handset Alliance is made up of Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, Vodafone Group, Nvidia, Motorola, Intel, Google, Toshiba, HTC, and many more.

Google Android is powered by the Linux Kernel. Android has since undergone a lot of changes to fix bugs and add new features. Android OS looks great to the eye. Also, features such as multi-touch and the ability to support a far greater number of media formats than any other Mobile OS makes it irresistible for consumers and hardware manufacturers alike.

iPhone OS

iPhone OS, manufactured by Apple Inc., is the mobile phone version of Mac OSX. One unique feature that makes iPhone OS stand out is that all the interaction with the phone can be conducted through the touch screen. iPhone OS comes with several applications, both third party and included applications. One setback of iPhone OS is in the area of Multi Media Messaging (MMS) : one can only view MMS messages on a web application.

Palm

The palm OS is a mobile operating system that was designed by Palm, Inc., in 1996. It was initially designed for PDAs, however, later versions have been designed for smartphones and other mobile devices. It offers a unique touchscreen that is easy to use.

Blackberry

Blackberry is no doubt the most popular smartphone of the corporate world. Like some other mobile OS's, it has popular features that include a built-in keyboard and a thumbwheel control that is easy to use. It can synchronize well with your PC. With Blackberry OS, email messages automatically appear on the screen as you receive them instead of having to open them manually. There are thousands of third-party applications available for Blackberry. One bad side is that it limits one to viewing MS Office documents only.

Windows Phone 7 series

Microsoft is wrestling to remain relevant in the world of mobile operating systems which is why they had to abandon Windows Mobile for a completely New Windows Operating system for PDAs and Smartphones. Windows Mobile is dead but WP7 would only be widely available before the end of 2010. It has almost everything you can ever ask for in a smartphone. However, no current Windows Mobile software can run on WP7.

Symbian

Symbian is a mobile OS that is very popular outside the United States. Symbian is an operating system for smartphones and mobile devices designed by Symbian Ltd. Nokia acquired Symbian Software Limited in 2008. Symbian OS was made available in 2010 as open source software. Devices running on Symbian OS make up the largest percentage of smartphone sales worldwide.

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-By Dominic

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