Talk:Mobile operating system

Smartphone market Q1 2008

There is a mistake in the smartphone market in Q1 2008 as the sum does not add up to 100 in this quarter but is only 87.7%. There is 12.3% missing. Where do they go to? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Umaluagr (talk • contribs) 09:43, 8 March 2012 (UTC)

Untitled

Desktop computers mostly rely on three major operating systems, inclduing Windows, Mac OS and Linuz(Linux). Mobile computing, curently focused on multimedia phones, will see more treelike branching into emerging segments. Big corporatins and small start-ups as well are striving to carve out the best possible share of the mobile market, which is expanding but is confronted with technological limitations, including battery life, battery safety and the growing legal bans on the use of mobile handsets at the wheel, particularly when driving. Legal bans on the use of handsets by pedestrians are likely to grow globally. Out of the global total of mobile handsets in use, Internet-enabled handsets account for 10% as of the end dof 2007, which is another bottleneck lying ahead of 'mobile platform' developers and apps developers. Technological insights are mission critical to head off costly mobile format wars, and it was about time we had to pay attention to vehicular dashtop mobile equipment to harness vehicle traffic for environmental protection purposes as well as resouces-saving benefits. Chmyr (talk) 20:19, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Renamed from "Mobile platform" to "Mobile operating system".

Hi, there Chmyr : )

Nice job getting this page started!

The term "platform" can be used to refer a device's hardware, operating system, software, or all three together. And given that there's a separate article called "Mobile device", It seemed that the term "operating system" would be more specific to the subject of this article.

Btw, I temporarily named the article "Handheld operating system", which was a mistake.

InternetMeme (talk) 12:51, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

Other mobile operating systems not currently listed.

Mobilinux GPE Nucleus RTOS OpenZaurus OPIE user interface

InternetMeme (talk) 16:30, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

Android?

Is there any reason why android is not listed under "linux"? 129.105.14.237 (talk) 21:18, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

"Cult following among programmers eager to develop apps for its flexible, Open Source, back end." "Android promises to give developers access to every aspect of the phone's operation." "This lends many to foresee the promise of further growth for the Android platform" Is this android ad or what? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.101.194.216 (talk) 21:09, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

(I wish that these pages were more forum like) Linux is just the kernel and this page is about full OSs--Immunmotbluescreen (talk) 21:02, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

Out of date information

Can someone please provide more up-to-date information on the market share of individual operating systems? Q3 2008 is now a bit too old in my opinion. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.171.149.72 (talk) 05:25, 14 June 2009 (UTC)

As is Q2 2009 now... —Preceding unsigned comment added by PerthMod (talk • contribs) 01:03, 7 March 2010 (UTC)

Q2 2010 data now available [here]. I've not got time at the moment (or skills!) to do it MikesPlant (talk) 18:35, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

Broken link on source No. 9 - http://www.symbian.com/about/overview/ownership/ownership.html

Requirements

I think the article should expand more on the specific requirements for mobile Operating systems. Now too much emphasis is given to market share discussions. Andries (talk) 09:00, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

Suggest moving the table to another wikipedia page: Mobile_operating_system_comparison —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cenora (talk • contribs) 21:05, 16 June 2010 (UTC)

Operating systems feature comparison cleaning

An inquiry into the "Voice Recognition" on Android. Although the app is cloud based and requires a data connection, is it not still a part of Android. It is also available from the Android SDK, and comes preinstalled on many phones.

I recently added "official SDK plattform(s) and didn't put a reference to every source because the table becomes harder to edit that way.

IMO some feature comparison lacks importance like the Skype, Facebook and OpenVPN. I'm to afraid to remove them myself though. Anyone else agrees on that these should be removed? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Immunmotbluescreen (talk • contribs) 11:31, 20 August 2010 (UTC) --Immunmotbluescreen (talk) 21:01, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I agree. Also I don't think so much emphasis should be made on features that can be added trough processes such as "jailbreaking". If I made a comparison between cars (let say price, max speed, engine power, wheels, transmission, etc.), and car X is limited to 250 km/h, I don't care if some people successfully remove the limit. For the average user, 250 km/h is the maximum speed of the car and that should be in the table. In one word let's keep the comparison table simple and clean. --zorxd (talk) 20:29, 14 December 2010 (UTC)

Feature like OpenVPN, ssh, Remote Frame Buffer protocols, are important, as the article speak about a "Mobile Operating System" (was "Mobile Platform"), something that control a communication device, more than a simple telephone or a computer like device. A such device should support as most as possible standard communication protocols, so remain always connected with other people, computers and networks. Efa (talk) 21:26, 16 January 2011 (UTC)
About the removing of features that could be added trough "jailbreaking", I'm in favour to removal, or at least in a separate table--Efa (talk) 19:34, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

Also agree, surely features that are not "intrinsic" to the OS should not be mentioned. They are irrelevant in this context.

Deleted some categories but 79.151.154.146 undid it. Anyone agree with him/her? These are the categories which I removed and reasons why I did it:

1. Public issues list - Not a real feature just a way to get rid of bugs.
2. Phone number linking to dialer - Refers to some kind of number recognition I think. Maybe we should keep this but the table gets out of hand
3. Browser text reflow - web-browser comparison
4. Call Recorder - Isn't this a software thing?
5. Picture corp -||-(same as above symbol, dont know if it is international)
6. Video trim -||-
7. Sound trim -||-
8. integrated hardware keyboard - Sounds like hardware to me.
9. videoconference camera -||-
10. Can share images via Bluetooth with all mobile. Refers to bluethooth file transfer. Could be kept but renamed in that case. (removed by TheWikiAuthor?)

I also moved Facebook IM and Skype to a separate table but I suggest we delete them. If you could come up with some arguments why these should be kept we could end this edit war.Immunmotbluescreen (talk) 22:08, 13 February 2011 (UTC)

In my honest opinion we should not censor any information. But you guys have the last word. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.218.251.72 (talk) 23:09, 13 February 2011 (UTC)

I want to know about all features. Why would you remove features from the comparison? Immunmotbluescreen, Do you have a hidden agenda? Do you work for a phone manufacturer? (Yes, I want to know if the phone has Skype support and call recoding is not allowed in USA so some phones have this limited) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.235.227.10 (talk) 07:59, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

@87.218.251.72 - It's not about censoring information. We should aim to create the best article possible.

@195.235.227.10 k, I see your point but isn't call recording is just software? At least in Symbian² it is. This is an OS comparison, I don't think that should be included at all. Quality over quantity. As for Skype can you at least agree on moving it to a separate table?

The problem is that some operating systems like iOS and Android prevent call recording even for 3rd party software. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.9.174.35 (talk) 17:49, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

k, would have been easier to understand if it was written in the table. But I won't delete it any more Immunmotbluescreen (talk) 21:49, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

Can I delete those categories which you didn't mention?Immunmotbluescreen (talk) 08:42, 16 February 2011 (UTC)

No, information should not be removed or censored. There are people that care about those. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.9.174.35 (talk) 17:47, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

Then they can use phonearena or something. This article is about operating systems. There is no way that we could make this page cover every application aspect so we should not even try.Immunmotbluescreen (talk) 21:49, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

These features are important to people if not they would not be implemented on the operating system. Please, do not remove content. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.30.231.205 (talk) 23:33, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

Having the Issues list publicly available allows people to know if the issue is already know and allow people to decide what phone to buy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.30.231.205 (talk) 23:37, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

If you do not want to contribute to wikipedia you do not have to. But, please, do not remove other people content. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.19.254.188 (talk) 22:03, 21 February 2011 (UTC)

Facebook IM and Skype are NOT operating system features. They are just apps. Illegal Operation (talk) 17:58, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

I agree with you, but I do not like removing useful feature comparisons. I really do not care much about those apps but I care about censorship. If anyone else also cares about these features, please revert Illegal Operation (talk) edit. I will support you.

I love Windows Live Messenger and I know others live Google Voice, but that doesn't mean they belong on the table. Illegal Operation (talk) 18:16, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

Removals of July 27, 2011

Some of my suggestions for removal last time was not that well thought out, but this time I'm 100% that they don't belong here. I took the liberty of removing them(let the edit war begin) and here are my explanations:

1. Multi-user - According to the wikipage it is linked to "Multi-user is a term that defines an operating system or application software that allows concurrent (simultaneous) access by multiple users of a computer." Why on earth should anyone want to have this feature in their handheld? Even if it referred to multiple user account it would still be a pointless feature on a handheld device, may it be tablet or phone
2. Non english languages support - Translations to major languages are standard and if "Search is not diacritical mark insensitive" does not really matter enough to make it suitable for this table
3. Turn off shutter sound - seriously?
4. Videoconference front video camera - Hardware
5. Video out - Hardware?

--Immunmotbluescreen (talk) 17:58, 27 July 2011 (UTC)

I completely agree with all of the proposed deletions and I think "Media Player Fine Scrubbing" as it seems extremely specific to iOS. Other mobile OS's have a similar feature, though it wouldn't qualify as "fine scrubbing". I think it's the same thing as having a category called "Retina Display support", which is a vendor specific proprietary marketing term. WinampLlama (talk) 04:15, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

Please, do not censor contents. As you can see from the references there are people that care about them. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.158.109.42 (talk) 18:13, 27 July 2011 (UTC)

I could think of lots of other topics and find reference to them. For example: Used by the current President of the United States of America. However that doesn't make it less stupid to include. Despite that the references don't say anything about the relevance, the sources mentioned are just hyperlinks to some support forum or to Apple's marketing brochures. They're not really any quality stuff. You have to explain why multi-user is a feature important enough since it will imo NEVER happen and none of them have it included.--Immunmotbluescreen (talk) 07:19, 28 July 2011 (UTC)

About the Multi-user requirement: Some people buy a tablet and want to be able to be used by many people like their partner or children so they want to have separate data, like contacts, messages, bookmarks, ... Please understand that while you may not have a requirement there are other people that may have it. Please feel free to ask about any other requirement you do not understand yet. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.87.130.27 (talk) 08:42, 29 July 2011 (UTC)

What does "Example" mean? (Push Notifications and Voice Recognition features)

Yes, what exactly does "Example" mean? PXUmais == Talk 22:14, 12 February 2011 (UTC)

I do not know what does "Example" mean. If you do not make it clear I will remove it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.218.250.230 (talk) 22:56, 11 February 2011 (UTC)

I have replaced all "Example" with proper references —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.9.174.35 (talk) 18:06, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

Jailbreaking

I feel that there is some bias towards iOS by mentioning that a particular feature can be provided only if it is jailbroken. For example, SSH is not officially enabled on the iphone, it can only be activated by jailbreaking the device, which obviously voids the warranty. Likewise with tethering. If we are comparing mobile operating systems, then we should only take in to account the official features provided by the OS, not custom mods or hacks.

As long as it is clearly stated as "jailbreak" I do not see any problem.

Another example, the table says that video trimming is available on iOS, but not Android. Whilst this is true, video trimming can be enabled by installing 3rd-party apps or custom roms. Why can't that be mentioned in the video trim row, whilst SSH is mentioned as possible in the iOS section? Hypon888 (talk) 12:12, 18 April 2011 (UTC)

If you add a reference to the third party application that provides the feature you can include it, but mark it as "3rd party"

Feature Multitasking

I want to replace the Multitasking feature with a set of user visible features, since Multitasking is an internal implementation detail.

iOS Multitasking is said to be limited but, for example, Android cannot record audio in the background while iOS can.

I am going to add such features just bellow the current Multitasking feature and when most know use cases are covered I will remove the Multitasking feature.

If you guys know user visible features that are currently included in Multitasking, do not hesitate to add them. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.218.250.144 (talk) 16:41, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

You got reverted? Anyway don't you think that's a bit detailed for a table? That seems imo to belong on the OS wikipage. --Immunmotbluescreen (talk) 16:56, 27 July 2011 (UTC)

I still could not find a good list of user visible features to replace multitasking so it can stay as it is. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.158.109.42 (talk) 17:09, 27 July 2011 (UTC)

The renaming some of features in the table

I feel that some of the features in the "Smartphone OS comparison" table should be renamed if you won't allow me to remove them(see Operating systems feature comparison cleaning down below)

Non english languages support - What exactly is meant by this? This name is very cryptic and languages are often written with a capital letter (eg English)

There are other languages spoken and written other than English like Spanish, Japanese, ... Some operating systems have poor support for languages with non ASCII characters.

Search multiple internal applications at once - Refers to a lack of the ability to search trough both emails, installed application and contacts. Could be replaced with universal search?

Universal search seems like searching the Internet. The current text seems much unambiguous.

Wireless firmware updates - Replace with Wireless system updates? Less specific than firmware thus more useful.

Yes, it seems much more generic.

Package Manger Only exists within Linux and Unix? Consider renaming?--Immunmotbluescreen (talk) 19:41, 5 July 2011 (UTC)

I do not know a better name. Do you know one?

Stricter multitasking requirements

Currently iOS and Android are listed as a "Yes" for multitasking while Windows Phone is listed as "Tombstoning" even though all three work almost the same. As far as I know, webOS and QNX (blackberry) are the only mobile OS's with true multitasking, meaning they can run multiple apps at once and switch between them at any time without closing the current application (for all apps, not just music). iOS and Android can only run one active app at a time (excluding a few rare expections such as music player).

In my opinion, this should be the break down:

• Yes: The OS can run multiple apps. Each app still runs even if it isn't the active app. This MUST apply to all apps, not just music.
• Limited: The OS can run multiple apps. Apps may or may not run if they aren't the active app.
• No: The OS cannot run multiple apps.

For now, as all the mobile OSs listed are either "Yes" or "tombstoning" (though many of the yes's should be tombstoning). I've switched everything except for webOS (and QNX if it were listed) to "Limited".

WinampLlama (talk) 04:45, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

This page is not about implementation details, but about user visible features. Could you please let us know what user visible feature is possible in webOS but not in other OS? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.127.207.152 (talk) 08:21, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

Or is just webOS the fastest battery drainer out there? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.127.207.152 (talk) 08:23, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

It's very user visible. You can download a file, load up google maps and do a search and send a text message all at the same time and switch between them with a swipe. This marketing video explains it better. Cards in webOS are the essentially the same thing as windows in desktop OSs where each card (app) can process at the same time and you switch between them by simply tapping on a different card. Other platforms put the app to sleep (for the vast majority of apps) when it's not the active app so on other platforms (except QNX) you would have to go back to the home screen, open the app, do whatever it is you're trying to do, go back to the homescreen, open the next one, etc. I believe iOS and WP7 are adopting this feature in future updates and it may be possible on android with homebrew. Also, a few of the existing items in the table are definitely not user visible e.g. GPU Accelerated UI, Programmed in, and OS family. WinampLlama (talk) 21:50, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

Also, multitasking is defined as "a method where multiple tasks, also known as processes, share common processing resources such as a CPU." Putting an app to sleep and not sharing processing resources with it is not multitasking. WinampLlama (talk) 21:56, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

Here is an example: iOS cannot run multiple full applications (thus limited multitasking) at the same time. "On the other hand, iOS4 lets apps keep certain features running in the background (but not full apps; for example, you'll be able continue a Skype call or keep listening to your Pandora station while using another app, but the full app isn't running)..." - PC World WinampLlama (talk) 22:26, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

With Android I am able to download a file while using other applications. And with Android and iOS I am able to switch applications without going to the home screen. Please, could you let us know about something user visible only possible in webOS but not possible on other OS? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.137.153.245 (talk) 18:17, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

Is webOS able to play a movie in half of the screen while I browse email on the other half of the screen? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.137.153.245 (talk) 19:24, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

Now that HP has killed the Touchpad project, it seems like Windows 8 will be the only OS that will support true multitasking by being able to see and use more than one application at the same time. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.137.153.245 (talk) 21:28, 30 August 2011 (UTC)

webOS 3.x does support email and video in one window at the same time (up to 5 widgets) through a third party app. webOS software is still supported and updated by HP, only the hardware part has been killed. (This isn't verifiable at all, but if you're curious, according to rumor, HP is looking to license/sell webOS to some hardware OEM i.e. HTC). Anyway, this is the type of multitasking I'm talking about (on iOS): [1]. I think it would be helpful to have a distinction between this type of multitasking, where you can have multiple apps open and switch between them quickly, versus the other type, where you can have tasks open in the background but only one truly active app. What do you think? WinampLlama (talk) 04:36, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

But it seems like you cannot run two native webOS apps at the same time (only a native app and the rest must be widgets). I think we should document user visible features (not internal implementation details) If as a user you can make a distinction between multitasking of different OSes. As a user, I do not see any difference between the multitasking provided by iOS, Android or webOS. We should make perfectly clear what a user can and cannot do in each operating system. User visible features are like VoIP calling while using another app. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.24.186.1 (talk) 07:40, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

As far as I know, Symbian can do full multitasking~, not just limited. Andries (talk) 06:48, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

Comparison: First version where a feature appeared

It seems WinampLlama (talk) does not understand the 5+ notation to specify the first version a feature appeared or is going to appear. I prefer the 5+ notation (rather than "Yes (in version 5 or higher)") because it is shorter. I have seen this notation in other Wikipedia pages like Comparison of JavaScript frameworks. I am going to revert his change if nobody disagrees. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.137.153.245 (talk) 17:28, 17 August 2011 (UTC)

Android is and will continue to be Open Source.

Few days ago I made an IP edit to clarify that as it currently stands Android is and will continue to be open source, except for the version 3 Honeycomb. The pages, prior to my edit, said: "Free and open source prior to version 3 and closed source from version 3" implying that Android from version 3 onwards will no longer be open source. Google has multiple times reaffirmed its commitment to maintain Android as an open source project under Apache licence. For example, this is the official Android blog post that says: "Finally, we continue to be an open source platform and will continue releasing source code when it is ready. As I write this the Android team is still hard at work to bring all the new Honeycomb features to phones. As soon as this work is completed, we’ll publish the code. This temporary delay does not represent a change in strategy. We remain firmly committed to providing Android as an open source platform across many device types."

My edit has since been reverted by another IP and I will proceed to revert the edit which undid my addition. If anyone has any problems with this change, please discuss it here before making any edits. Thanks. --Melmann^(talk) 15:49, 7 September 2011 (UTC)

It's hard to communicate succinctly the current state of Android's licence. The most recent version (3.x) is not open source, and it never will be. The next major version is planned to be open source, but it's not out yet, and details regarding it are close to non-existent (unlike iOS 5.0, where the feature set has been extensively detailed and multiple beta versions have been released). It's not even been officially announced that the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android will have a version number of 4.0. If the text weren't so long, I'd suggest something like this: "Versions prior to 3.0 are free and open source. 3.x versions are closed source. Versions post 3.x are planned to be free and open source." Maybe that could be summed up like so: "1.0-2.x: Free and open source; 3.0: Closed source; 4.0+: Planned to be free and open source." This is admittedly making an assumption that Ice Cream Sandwich is going to have a version number of 4.0, but this assumption is already being made on the Android (operating system) page. Opinions? (Lun Esex (talk) 02:20, 8 September 2011 (UTC))

I think we can keep user:Melmann (User talk:Melmann) change as it is objective and we do not want to bother any contributor. When the next Android version is released make the statement more clear. If, at that time, Android 3 is open sourced but the next version is kept closed source, then we should make clear that Android current version is closed source but past versions are open source. Wikipedia do not like keeping speculations, so, maybe we should never put something like Android will always be open source. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.22.76.254 (talk) 10:52, 8 September 2011 (UTC)

It has been stated explicitly by Andy Rubin at Google that Android 3.x versions (Honeycomb) would not be released as open source. The next version of Android that is planned to be open source is Ice Cream Sandwich. See: Holly, Russel. "From I/O 2011 – Confirmed: Honeycomb source will never exist on its own". geek.com. Retrieved 11 May 2011. What is speculative is the version number for Ice Cream Sandwich, and the supposition that Android will always continue to be open source (prior to v3.0 it could have easily been claimed that Android would always be open source, yet v3.0 is closed source!). The fact that the most recent version of Android is closed source means that the current status of the project as it is now is closed source, but it is planned to be returned to an open source status. Thus its current state is difficult to communicate succinctly. Here is a slight modification of my previous suggestion for Android's licensing text, removing the "4.0+" version number speculation: "1.0-2.x: Free and open source; 3.x: Closed source; Post-3.x: Planned to be free and open source." This can include appropriate references for the status of the 3.x release and the plans for the post-3.x release (Ice Cream Sandwich). (Lun Esex (talk) 23:39, 8 September 2011 (UTC))

Android 4.0 SDK has been released. Do you guys know where the source code is available? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.137.148.94 (talk) 05:56, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

This discussion can be archived as Android 3 and 4 source code was released. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.137.175.250 (talk) 08:55, 4 December 2011 (UTC)

Separation of the Comparison to a new page

Some people have intended to remove features from the comparison stating that the page is too long. Maybe to prevent features from being removed from the comparison we should split the comparison to Comparison of mobile operating systems (like it was done with pages like Comparison of operating systems or Comparison of operating system kernels). This will prevent the page from "growing too much" and will also make the comparison easier to find. If you guys agree and can create the page any of you should split the comparison to a new page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.22.76.77 (talk) 12:30, 8 September 2011 (UTC)

I completely agree. As is the table takes up about half the page. I think it's grown at least 5 rows since the last time I saw it and I'm sure the trend will continue. The light green for yes and light red for no on the pages you linked looks good; That should be added as well. WinampLlama (talk) 01:43, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

So, anyone that can create pages, please, move the table. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.24.186.1 (talk) 07:50, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

How about adding information of supported OpenGL version(s)? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.153.158.254 (talk) 14:07, 26 March 2012 (UTC)

Amazon's Kindle Fire

Amazon just introduced their new Kindle Fire device. While this device runs on Google Android 2.3, its relation to that OS is roughly equivalent to the relation between various Linux-based mobile operating systems (Android itself included) and the Linux kernel at their cores. A large number of features that Google has added to Android are not currently available on the Kindle Fire, and are likely to never be available, with many of them having been replaced by Amazon. Additionally the Kindle Fire will almost certainly never run Android 3.x Honeycomb or subsequent releases like Ice Cream Sandwich, since those are mainly adding features that Amazon would be replacing anyway. Amazon will instead probably continue to develop their own version of the OS based on Android 2.3. Applications for the Kindle Fire will be available through Amazon's Android Appstore, but they will need to be modifed to be able to run on the device, and indications point to it not being able to run stock Android apps out of the box. With all that in mind, should there be a new entry made that is specific to the Kindle Fire OS, as a fork of Android? Lun Esex (talk) 04:42, 30 September 2011 (UTC)

I am currently keeping Android forks like TouchWiz or HTC Sense in the same column as they only seem to add features. But as you say Kindle File will remove many features as it is designed to be a cash machine for Amazon. Maybe we can try to keep it in the same column and say the feature is present on Android but not on Kindle Fire. What features do you know removed or added to the Kindle Fire?

A complete list won't be available until the Kindle Fire is actually available in the market. It's clearly a radical departure from Android, though. Much moreso than TouchWiz, HTC Sense, MotoBlur, etc. It's also not just a skin like those are, on top of an Android version with all the basic functions and apps from that version underneath. On the Kindle Fire ALL of the stock Android apps from Google have been left out or replaced by Amazon's versions. I think it would be unwieldy to try to lump it together with Android. Lun Esex (talk) 08:40, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

Sense, TouchWiz, etc are called "Launcher" (same as Go Launcher Ex, Launcher Pro, etc), the Kindle Fire one is similar to custom rom/firmware, Amazon block the android market and use their own market, but however it is still Android, just a modification version. i prefer calling it Custom Rom than a new OS.--A tumiwa (talk) 04:39, 20 November 2011 (UTC)

Far too much jargon

My problem with the article is that it makes too many assumptions about the readers understanding of architectures, operating systems, licence agreements, etc. Particularly the comparison section. I've tried to add some links for better context, but much more needs to be done. Not everyone is familiar with these things. --EvenGreenerFish (talk) 01:54, 5 October 2011 (UTC)

Yes, some people only wants some features on their mobile device but for the most exigent people we list all demanded features. As you say they should just be linked so people can investigate further. They also can read the references to gain insight. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.137.148.94 (talk) 20:57, 5 October 2011 (UTC)

Search in multiple applications at once

Lprd2007 (talk) states that Windows Phone can search at multiple applications at once (aka Universal Search). I do not see the feature and the references provided state it is not available. Could you explain why you say so? Maybe you can provide a better reference or video showing this feature. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.137.175.250 (talk) 16:51, 1 December 2011 (UTC)

Source for market share for 2012 Q1

What is the source for market share for 2012 Q1? Both given references don't mention numbers and they can't as they are from February. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.73.65.46 (talk) 17:56, 11 April 2012 (UTC)

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Talke bage

To access my accounting m.google android Sumsung Galaxy S II GT-19001G instull free apps in mNetwoikIPV4 in Hormuud.net Somalia Mugadishu update date Instull Complaite 01/08/2012-01/12/2913 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.78.72.7 (talk) 18:51, 1 August 2012 (UTC)

Current market share and outlook

The predictions made by IDC are obsolete as they do not match current market share. I am going to remove current IDC predictions until there are updated predictions, if no one disagrees. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.137.182.208 (talk) 12:43, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

Non English languages support Android

Android has advanced language support (Asian, Arabic and Hebrew and 'weird' characters. The given references are out of date. See for example the Internationalization part: http://www.android.com/about/jelly-bean/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by PieterDeBruijn (talk • contribs) 08:12, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

Just have a look at the first issue to see that Android internal search continues to not be diacritical mark insensitive unlike iOS. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.151.153.156 (talk) 11:14, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

Those issues have been dealt with, but the ticket has not yet been closed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by PieterDeBruijn (talk • contribs) 08:46, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

I would like to mark Android as having non English language support, but we need an official reference that says this has been fixed. I know Android developers do not care too much about the issue tracker, but Wikipedia needs to be referenced. Maybe Android developers just need a week or two to mark these issues as resolved. Another possibility would be making a video showing these issues have been fixed and using that as reference. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.137.171.135 (talk) 07:29, 28 August 2012 (UTC)

Flagged comparison for neutrality.

Didn't go through the history, but some edits aren't completely true regarding Windows Phone or Android. Also, a few green boxes on Apple's side should be pink as quite a few things require you purchasing a specific item for the particular function. Also, Android's SDK comes with most modern languages built into it, It's the carriers that take out languages from ROMS. Nothing too major, just needs updating is all. It's not completely untrue information listed, It's just a little passive aggressive. :) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.181.188.136 (talk) 02:15, 28 August 2012 (UTC)

Could you discuss here the specific issues you have? Otherwise I will have to remove the flag you added. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.137.171.135 (talk) 07:13, 28 August 2012 (UTC)

Issue as stated above mine,

• Android does support offline voice commands as stated http://www.usemydroid.com/android-voice-commands/,

I do not see anything in the provided reference stating that voice commands work offline and the referenced issue is still open.

Seriously? Show me something that says Apple's is offline. BETTER YET, the reference for Apple's green box doesn't say anything about it working offline as well. http://atmac.org/iphone-voice-commands-cheat-sheet .

• iCalendar import by design is a biased comparison as it is an Apple product,

You are confused. iCalendar is a standard while iCal is an Apple product. Please read these Wikipedia pages.

Just did. Fancy that. "iCalendar is used and supported by a large number of products, including Google Calendar" Guess what syncs with Google Calendar? Thanks for giving Android a green box.

• Non English languages support in android is actually wider than Apple's http://www.talkandroid.com/22956-android-2-3-gingerbread-doubles-language-support-from-2-2-froyo/ & http://developer.android.com/about/versions/jelly-bean.html compared to Apple http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html in Gingerbread alone it supports 57 compared to Apple's 50. Jellybean added even more.

Maybe we can add the number of languages supported for each mobile operating system in the comparison. But this one is trying to express how well supported are "supported" languages.

• Guest mode refers to a version of iOS that isn't even released yet and therefore can change Same with turn-by-turn navigation,

That is why the version number is included. So people do not get confused.

Again, it's not released to the public and that feature can still be taken out. We don't put information on Window's Wiki about Windows 9. It's all unconfirmed until it's in your hands.

• Compares Bluetooth keyboard but no comparison of Bluetooth Mice which Android supports.

You can add that to the comparison. I am not preventing you.

• USB keyboard support isn't. It's just a exploit found through using the connector kit and an warning message appears upon connecting a keyboard, also while Apple makes the kit it is a secondary purchase from the first party. Some android devices ship with full size USB ports that natively support USB keyboards. Support for apple claim http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57401068-285/secrets-of-the-ipad-camera-connection-kit/ support for android claim http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshiba_Thrive — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.181.188.136 (talk) 19:56, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

But we are talking about the operating system, not any device in particular. In most Android devices you need the USB adapter anyway.

And to ALL Apple devices you need an adapter. See how the seesaw tilts the other way?

• No comparison of game controller devices

You can add that to the comparison. I am not preventing you. (please remember this a comparison of mobile operating systems not actual devices)

Agreed. It is. There for comparing features here, champ. Not all game controllers.

• Wireless video/audio streaming to set top boxes/TVs/speaker gives Android a light pink box while Record video with voice while calling gives android a green box with limited devices. They either need to be both light red or both green,

This comparison is about mobile operating systems. Some manufacturers make inferior hardware that prevent "Record video with voice while calling" but Android itself fully supports it. While "Wireless video/audio streaming to set top boxes/TVs/speaker" is not part of Android and just some manufacturers add the software in their phones.

I was nice enough to include links with proof here for you. Can't do the same?

• Android supports Unified Inbox with both its default Email app as well as Gmail that comes in every Android build,

That is exactly why there is no unified inbox. There are two separate email applications.

And? You can't download another? Or another? "Like O-m-g I has like 4 email applications." Your relevance? It's built in. It has a unified inbox. If I install http://itunes.apple.com/app/sparrow/id492573565?ls=1&mt=8 on my iPhone apparently it loses it's unified inbox according to you.

• File upload for Android was marked yellow for big file transfer. Hoever this was reported on a Froyo build (As listed in their supported document link) and has since been fixed.

The issue is still open and it still breaks on Android 4. You can try yourself if you own an Android device.

Again, proof buddy. I pointed out most of the proof that already stands is dated. There isn't a thing on that included reference that says anything about it occurring in 4.0

Please come back a little more prepared next time.

If I had more than 15 minutes I can find you more if you'd like, Things will be marked yellow for Android based on old versions of the build but things that aren't even available in iOS yet are marked green. Seems biased. Also, marking things as lacking in Android is an unfair comparison as Android is the only one with an actual issue tracker. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.181.188.136 (talk) 19:33, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

If a new Android version implements the feature please change it (adding a proper reference). Features are marked with the operating system version so people do not get confused.

--User 2.137.171.135-- Did this conversation look ANYWHERE finished? Don't remove the flag, brah. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.181.188.136 (talk) 14:47, 31 August 2012 (UTC)

IDC

What would that be?Frohfroh (talk) 20:37, 21 September 2012 (UTC)

Dates in the article

In several places the article could be improved by adding dates. For example in the Dead OS section, the date a phone was last manufactured, and date work stops on the project are important. UrbanTerrorist (talk) 05:48, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

Data Source

Suggest adding the Communities Dominate Brands site to your data list. The operator publishes the best industry reports I've seen. UrbanTerrorist (talk) 05:51, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

should have waited a day - he's just posted updated mobile sales data. UrbanTerrorist (talk) 15:31, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

Market share predictions should be removed

Market share predictions should be removed because they are too speculative. See WP:Crystalball. Andries (talk) 10:16, 18 November 2012 (UTC)

What market share predictions are you talking about? Quote the specific text. UrbanTerrorist (talk) 18:12, 18 November 2012 (UTC)

All market share numbers are speculative. OK, IDC releases some numbers, relevant to this article, there is no reason to suppress. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Smartmo (talk • contribs) 22:15, 21 November 2012 (UTC)

Please don't publish prediction from small local research company or personal opinions. Use only global and trustworthy researches like IDC or Gartner. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Smartmo (talk • contribs) 09:06, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

IDC prediction for 2012 are very accurate, e.g. predicted high grow of Android devices to 61%, and current market share (including Q3 results) really increased actually to 67% (but including Q4 sales will slightly drop due to iP5 sales), or predict high drop of RIM devices to 6%, and really dropped actually to 5%. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Smartmo (talk • contribs) 09:19, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

Android continues growing (now at 75% market share) and Windows Phone is decreasing (now 2% market share) while IDC said they would continue growing. That is why IDC had to dial back their predictions.

We should not keep predictions from research companies like IDC that are not accurate. Bernstein Research is predicting quite well. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.137.187.15 (talk) 09:47, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

Android not have 75% market share in year 2012, you are wrong. Android have 75% in Q3 2012, not in whole year 2012, it is big difference. In order to have in 2012 75%, in Q4 must be approximately 93% of market share, it is impossible. Moreover Android have strong Q3 due to SGSIII introduction, but Q4 will be stronger iOS due to iP5 introduction. Currently Android have 67% in year 2012 (Q1 to Q3), and will go slightly down after Q4, it is about percentage share, absolute sales will grow sure. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Smartmo (talk • contribs) 20:26, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

There are some numbers: Android currently(Q1-Q3) have 67% thanks very good Q3 sales, IDC predict 61% for whole year 2012, my personal opinion is about 64%

iOS currently (Q1-Q3) have 18% but main sales of new iPhone will be in Q4, IDC predict 20,5% for whole year 2012, my personal opinion is about 20%

WP currently (Q1-Q3) have 2,5% due to weak Q3, but main sales of new WP8 will be in Q4 and Q1, IDC predict 5,2% for whole year 2012, my personal opinion is about 4,5%

RIM currently (Q1-Q3) have 5%, and main sales of new BB10 will not be in this year, IDC predict 6% for whole year 2012, my personal opinion is about 4%

Either you stop putting your failed predictions or we will have to remove all your predictions altogether as Andries (talk) suggested. See WP:Crystalball. --Davidkmartin (talk) 22:03, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

This is not failed predictions and it is not my predictions, please stop lie, it is predictions by IDC, it is FACT. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Smartmo (talk • contribs) 12:34, 23 November 2012 (UTC)

In article are not personal predictions or rumors (like opinions form Bernstein and Tirias) related to WP:Crystalball, there is only official published information by IDC, it is fact, and there not reason to suppress this FACT, that IDC released this information in past (WP:Crystalball:" ... we do and should have articles about notable ... credible research that embody predictions..." IDC research is credible research). — Preceding unsigned comment added by Smartmo (talk • contribs) 12:48, 23 November 2012 (UTC)

The problem is that you cannot just keep some analyst failed predictions while removing predictions of other analysts whose predictions are being held. You also cannot make up charts to suit only one analyst failed predictions. -Davidkmartin (talk) 09:53, 24 November 2012 (UTC)

Which predictions failed? Maybe only your personal. IDC never dialed back our prediction, as you lied, IDC confirm this prediction today. Please go home Android FAN. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.30.64.34 (talk) 20:03, 4 December 2012 (UTC)

Please, do not remove other analysts predictions that you do not like. Discuss it fist here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.151.152.20 (talk) 09:25, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

Please, DO NOT insert lies (IDC never dial back our predictions), personal opinion (of Jim McGregor), or uninteresting local, not credible, outdated and unsourced prediction (Bernstein Research’s Pierre Ferragu). DO NOT DELETE actual and credible IDC sources. If you want add more prediction, please discuss it first here. I don't see any discussion about this your sources on this page! Do not lecture others when you yourself do not do it.

Archiving old Discussion Threads

The "Talk" page is a mess. I suggest installing automatic archiving. If you want me to do so, ask. UrbanTerrorist (talk) 18:50, 18 November 2012 (UTC)