Mobile Operating Systems

In the ever-expanding market of Smartphones, Apple’s iPhone is certainly the most well-known and recognisable throughout the world. While some of its success can be attributed to its stylish design and a fair amount of media hype, the most important factor is undoubtedly what it actually does, and just as importantly, how it does it. In an era when mobile phones can perform many of the essential functions of a computer – such as browsing the internet, checking email and accessing media such as music, pictures and videos – an attractive and user-friendly operating system is of upmost importance to manufacturers. Apple’s iPhone OS has certainly proved to be popular.

Android OS

'Android' is an open-source operating system aiming to provide competition to Apple’s iPhone. Development was begun by a small company called Android Inc., who were soon bought by Google. The development of Android is now led by a group of businesses, including Google, who work under the name Open Handset Alliance, and aim to challenge big hitters such as Apple, Microsoft and Nokia by releasing rival, open-source software.

The first Smartphone to feature Android was the HTC Dream – also known as the T-Mobile G1 – released in October 2008. Today, there are a substantial number of Smartphones using Android on the market, released by several major companies such as Motorola, LG, Samsung and Sony Eriksson. Currently, the best-selling Android-based Smartphone is the Motorola Droid, sales of which reached 1 million even quicker than the original iPhone. Despite this positive start, any device still has a long way to go to rival the sales of all the various versions of the iPhone series. In January 2010, HTC released the first ever Google-designed phone, called the Nexus One, which runs the latest version of Android.

Due to its open-source design, Android is more open and customisable than any Apple device. Apps can be downloaded from 3rd party sources as well as from the official App store, and the system supports Flash Player, something Apple devices have controversially always lacked.

In response to the popularity of Apple’s iPad, there are also rumours of Google designing a rival tablet computer, which would run a version of Android. Whether this particular rumour is true or not, it is almost certain that there will be rival tablets created that will run a version of Android, whether Google-designed or not.

There is no doubt that competition within the Smartphone operating system market is healthy for companies; however there seems to be little doubt that, for now, Apple’s iPhone OS continues to raise the bar higher than any other system. Android’s open-source nature will make it more popular amongst those who enjoy more technological freedom, but whether it can exhibit the same appeal to a more general consumer audience remains to be seen.

Windows Phone 7

While not open-source like Android, Microsoft announced plans to release a new operating system; Windows Phone 7. Scheduled for release later in 2010, Windows Phone 7 will feature full integration with Zune media players and Xbox Live gaming accounts, bringing all of Microsoft’s services together in one place for the first time. A ‘Start screen’ will display ‘tiles’ rather than traditional icons, which will simultaneously display photos, contacts, and other features, as well as SMS and Outlook email inboxes.

Due to the integration of Outlook and Microsoft Office programs, the Windows Phone series are undoubtedly well suited to those who use their phone for work and business purposes. However, there is still a long way to go before Smartphones running a Windows Phone operating system can dominate the market in the same way that Windows-based PCs dominate the personal computer market.

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