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Mobile operating system

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Share of worldwide 2011 Q2 smartphone sales to end users by operating system, according to Gartner.[1]

A mobile operating system, also known as a mobile OS, mobile software platform or a handheld operating system, is the operating system that controls a mobile device or information appliance—similar in principle to an operating system such as Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux distributions that controls a desktop computer or laptop. However, they are currently somewhat simpler, and deal more with the wireless versions of broadband and local connectivity, mobile multimedia formats, and different input methods.

Typical examples of devices running a mobile operating system are smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers and information appliances, or what are sometimes referred to as smart devices, which may also include embedded systems, or other mobile devices and wireless devices.


History

The increasing importance of mobile devices has triggered intense competition amongst software giants such as Google, Microsoft, and Apple, as well as mobile industry leaders Nokia, Research In Motion (RIM), and Palm, in a bid to capture the largest market share pre-emptively.[2]

With the release of the iPhone in 2007, Apple significantly disrupted the mobile industry and effectively ushered in a new era of smartphone operating systems that focus on user experience and rely on touch-based interaction. In November 2007,Google formed the Open Handset Alliance with 79 other hardware, software, and telecom companies to make inroads into the smartphone market through its new Android operating system.[3] Though its reception was mainly positive from the media and public, the release of Android created a rift between Apple and Google, eventually leading to the resignation of Google's ex-CEO, Eric Schmidt, from Apple's board of directors.[4]

Since the launch of both Apple's iOS and Google's Android, the smartphone market has exploded in popularity and in May 2010, accounted for more than 17.3% of all mobile phones sold.[5] This has led to greater consumer awareness of the various mobile operating systems, with telecoms and manufacturers regularly advertising the advantages of their OS. As of January 2011, Google holds 33.3% of the smartphone market worldwide, demonstrating amazing growth for Android which held only 4.7% a year earlier. Nokia, Apple, RIM, and Microsoft hold 31%, 16.2%, 14.6%, and 3.1% respectively.[6]

Market projection

Mobile platforms are in the nascent stage and any projection regarding market growth is hard to make at the present time. However, a clear trend is the surging growth of mobile operating systems which are developed for smart devices, rather than for feature phones. As of February 2011, Nokia has announced a partnership with Microsoft which effectively ends the development of Symbian OS, the most popular feature phone OS, by the end of 2011 in favor of Windows Phone.

It is noteworthy that Intel is taking the initiative to focus on portable devices other than mobile phones. They are Mobile Internet Devices (MID) and Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC). Meantime, Palm abandoned its plan to develop Foleo, which was to be a companion device for a smartphone.

Mobile navigation

Canalys has estimated that in 2009 the installed base of smartphones with integrated GPS was 163 million units worldwide, of which Nokia accounted for more than half (51%), having shipped cumulatively 83 million GPS devices. On January 22, 2010, Nokia released a free version of Ovi Maps in an effort to increase its number of users.

Smartphone operating systems

Operating systems that can be found on smartphones include Google's Android, Apple's iOS, RIM's BlackBerry OS, Microsoft's Windows Phone, Linux, HP's webOS, Samsung's Bada, Nokia's MeeGo among many others. Android, Bada, webOS and Maemo are built on top of Linux, and iOS is derived from the BSD and NeXTSTEP operating systems, which are all related to Unix.

Common software platforms

The most common operating systems (OS) used in smartphones are:

Android from Google Inc. [7] (open source, Apache)
Android was developed by a small startup company that was purchased by Google Inc., and Google continues to update the software. Android is an open source, Linux-derived OS backed by Google, along with major hardware and software developers (such as Intel, HTC, ARM, Samsung, Motorola and eBay, to name a few), that form the Open Handset Alliance.[8] Released on November 5th 2007, the OS has a following among programmers.[9] There have been seven releases of Android- Android 1.0, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3. All are nicknamed after a dessert item like Cupcake (1.5) or Frozen Yogurt (2.2). Most major mobile service providers carry an Android device. Since the HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1) was introduced, there has been an explosion in the number of devices that carry Android OS. From Q2 of 2009 to the second quarter of 2010, Android's worldwide market share rose 850% from 1.8% to 17.2%.
BlackBerry OS from RIM (closed source, proprietary)
This OS is focused on easy operation and was originally designed for business. Recently it has seen a surge in third-party applications and has been improved to offer full multimedia support. Currently Blackberry's App World has over 15,000 downloadable applications. RIM's future strategy will focus on the newly acquired QNX, having already launched the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet running a version of QNX and expecting the first QNX smartphones in early 2012. [10]
File:Palm-pre-webos-lg.png
The Palm Pre running HP (formerly Palm) webOS. HP purchased Palm in 2010.
iOS from Apple Inc. [7] (closed source, proprietary)
The Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad all use an operating system called iOS, which is derived from Mac OS X. Third party applications were not officially supported until the release of iOS 2.0 on July 11th 2008. Before this, "jailbreaking" allowed third party applications to be installed, and this method is still available. Currently all iOS devices are developed by Apple and manufactured by Foxconn or another of Apple's partners.
Symbian OS from the Symbian Foundation [7] (open public license)
Symbian has the largest share in most markets worldwide, but lags behind other companies in the relatively small but highly visible North American market.[11] This matches the success of Nokia in all markets except Japan. In Japan Symbian is strong due to a relationship with NTT DoCoMo, with only one of the 44 Symbian handsets released in Japan coming from Nokia.[12] It has been used by many major handset manufacturers, including BenQ, Fujitsu, LG, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony Ericsson. Current Symbian-based devices are being made by Fujitsu, Nokia, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony Ericsson. Prior to 2009 Symbian supported multiple user interfaces, i.e. UIQ from UIQ Technologies, S60 from Nokia, and MOAP from NTT DOCOMO. As part of the formation of the Symbian OS in 2009 these three UIs were merged into a single OS which is now fully open source. Recently, though shipments of Symbian devices have increased, the operating system's worldwide market share has declined from over 50% to just over 40% from 2009 to 2010. Nokia handed the development of Symbian to Accenture, which will continue to support the OS until 2016.[13][14]
Windows Phone from Microsoft (closed source, proprietary)
On February 15th, 2010, Microsoft unveiled its next-generation mobile OS, Windows Phone 7. The new mobile OS includes a completely new over-hauled UI inspired by Microsoft's "Metro Design Language". It includes full integration of Microsoft services such as Windows Live, Zune, Xbox Live and Bing, but also integrates with many other non-Microsoft services such as Facebook and Google accounts. The new software platform has received some positive reception from the technology press.[15][16][17]
The Apple iPad tablet computer uses a version of iOS.
webOS from HP (certain parts open sourced)
webOS is a proprietary mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel, initially developed by Palm, which was later acquired by HP. HP released two phones (the Veer and the Pre 3) and a tablet (the TouchPad) running webOS in 2011 before being discontinued.

Other software platforms

GridOS from Fusion Garage [18]
GridOS was built using open source code from the Android kernel[19]. It is used as the operating system of the Grid 4 mobile phone and Grid 10 tablet, which are due to start shipping September 15th 2011.
QNX from RIM [7] (closed source, proprietary)
QNX is a commercial Unix-like real-time operating system, aimed primarily at the embedded systems market. The product was originally developed by Canadian company, QNX Software Systems, which was later acquired by BlackBerry-producer Research In Motion.
MeeGo from non-profit organization The Linux Foundation (open source, GPL)
At the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Nokia and Intel both unveiled 'MeeGo' a brand new mobile operating system which would combine the best of Moblin and the best of Maemo to create a truly open-sourced experience for users across all devices. As of 2011, Nokia has announced that it will no longer be pursuing MeeGo and will instead adopt Windows Phone 7 as its primary mobile OS. Nokia announced the Nokia N9 on June 21, 2011 at the Nokia Connection event [20] in Singapore. The phone is presumed to become available to the public in September 2011. LG announced its support for the platform. [21]
bada from Samsung Electronics (closed source, proprietary)
This is a mobile operating system being developed by Samsung Electronics. Samsung claims that bada will rapidly replace its proprietary feature phone platform, converting feature phones to smartphones.The name 'bada' is derived from 바다, the Korean word for ocean or sea. The first device to run bada is called 'Wave' and was unveiled to the public at Mobile World Congress 2010. The Wave is a fully touchscreen phone running the new mobile operating system. With the phone, Samsung also released an app store, called Samsung Apps, to the public. It has close to 3000[22] mobile applications.
Samsung has said that they don't see Bada as a smartphone operating system, but as an OS with a kernel configurable architecture, which allows the use of either a proprietary real-time operating system, or the Linux kernel. Though Samsung plans to install bada on many phones, the company still has a large lineup of Android phones.
Linux based operating system (open source, GPL) [7]
Linux is strongest in China where it is used by Motorola, and in Japan, used by DoCoMo.[23][24] Rather than being an OS in its own right, Linux is used as a basis for a number of different operating systems developed by several vendors, including Android, GridOS, B2G, LiMo, Maemo, MeeGo, Openmoko and Qt Extended, which are mostly incompatible.[25][26] PalmSource (now Access) is moving towards an interface running on Linux.[27] Another software platform based on Linux is being developed by Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic, Samsung, and Vodafone.[28]
Brew from Qualcomm
Brew is used by a some mobile phone manufacturers and mobile networks, however most often the end-user does not know this since mobile phones running Brew most often lack any Brew branding. Brew runs in the background with the custom "skins" of the mobile phone manufacturer or operator on-top. Brew is used by Sprint Nextel, metroPCS, U.S. Cellular and Verizon in the US and by the Three network in much of Europe, the UK and Australia on many mobile phones produced especially for their network. Manufacturers such as Huawei, INQ Mobile, Amoi, and Samsung Mobile amongst others use Brew in some of their mobile phones and it is featured in Three UK phones such as the 3 Skypephone, INQ1 and Huawei u7510 (3 Touch). Two of HTC's mobile phones use Brew's successor Brew MP.

Historical software platforms

Maemo from Nokia (open source, GPL)
Maemo is a software platform developed by Nokia for smartphones and Internet Tablets. It is based on the Debian operating system.
Maemo is mostly based on open source code, and has been developed by Maemo Devices within Nokia in collaboration with many open source projects such as the Linux kernel, Debian and GNOME.
Maemo is based on Debian GNU/Linux and draws much of its GUI, frameworks and libraries from the GNOME project. It uses the Matchbox window manager and the GTK-based Hildon as its GUI and application framework.
Windows Mobile from Microsoft[7][29] (closed source, proprietary)
The Windows CE operating system and Windows Mobile middleware are widely spread in Asia. The two improved variants of this operating system, Windows Mobile 6 Professional (for touch screen devices) and Windows Mobile 6 Standard, were unveiled in February 2007. It has been criticized for having a user interface which is not optimized for touch input by fingers; instead, it is more usable with a stylus. However, unlike iPhone OS, it does support both touch screen and physical keyboard configurations.
Windows Mobile's market share has sharply declined in recent years to just 5% in Q2 of 2010.[30] Microsoft is phasing out the Windows Mobile OS to specialized markets and is instead focusing on it's new operating system and software platform, Windows Phone.
Palm OS/Garnet OS from Access Co. (closed source, proprietary)
webOS was introduced by Palm in January 2009 as the successor to Palm OS with Web 2.0 technologies, open architecture, and multitasking capabilities.

Future software platforms

Boot 2 Gecko[31] from non-profit organization Mozilla Foundation (open source, GPL)
According to Ars Technica, "Mozilla says that B2G is motivated by a desire to demonstrate that the standards-based open Web has the potential to be a competitive alternative to the existing single-vendor application development stacks offered by the dominant mobile operating systems."[32]
Aliyun OS from Alibaba/AliCloud (cloud based)
AliCloud's operating system revolves around the idea of bringing cloud functionality to the mobile platform. According to the company, Aliyun will feature cloud-based e-mail, Web search, weather updates, and GPS navigation tools. In addition, the operating system will synchronize and store call data, text messages, and photos in the cloud for access across other devices, including PCs. Alibaba says it will offer customers 100GB of storage at launch. the operating system would allow users to access applications from the Web, rather than download apps to their devices. [33]

Smartphone operating systems' market share

Table showing most of the current mobile operating systems for smartphones, PDAs and netbooks in 2010



Source Year Symbian Android RIM iOS Microsoft Other OSs
Gartner [34] 2011 Q1 27.4% 36.0% 12.9% 16.8% 3.6% 3.3%
Gartner [35] 2010 37.6% 22.7% 16.0% 15.7% 4.2% 3.8%
Gartner [35][36] 2009 46.9% 3.9% 19.9% 14.4% 8.7% 6.1%
Gartner [36][37] 2008 52.4% 0.5% 16.6% 8.2% 11.8% 10.5%
Gartner [37] 2007 63.5% N/A 9.6% 2.7% 12.0% 12.1%

Smartphone OS comparison

Only the latest versions are shown in this table, even though old versions may still be marketed.

Feature iOS Android webOS Windows Mobile Windows Phone 7 BlackBerry OS Symbian Maemo MeeGo bada
Company Apple Open Handset Alliance (Google) HP/Palm, Inc Microsoft Microsoft RIM Symbian Foundation Nokia Linux Foundation Samsung
Current Version 4.2.10 (CDMA Verizon iPhone), 4.3.5 (All other iOS devices) 2.3.4 (Phones) 3.2 (Tablets) 2.1.2 (Phones) 3.0.2 (Tablet) 6.5.3 7.10.7720.0 6.0.0 9.5 5.0 1.1.2 1.2
OS Family Mac OS X/Unix-like Linux Linux Windows CE 5.2 Windows CE 7 Mobile OS Mobile OS Linux Linux Proprietary RTOS or Linux
Supported CPU Architecture ARM ARM, MIPS, Power Architecture, x86 ARM ARM ARM ARM ARM ARM ARM, x86 ARM
Programmed in C, C++, Objective-C C, C++, Java C C++ Many, .NET (Silverlight/XNA) Java C++ C/C++ C++ C++
License Proprietary EULA except for open source components Free and open source prior to version 3 and closed source from version 3[38] Free and open source except closed source modules Proprietary Proprietary Proprietary Eclipse Public License Free and open source except closed source components Free and open source Proprietary
Public issues list No, But there is an unofficial tracker[39] Yes[40] No No No, but there is a unofficial collection[41] No Not anymore[42] Yes[43] Yes[44] No
Package manager iTunes APK App Catalog (Official) Preware (3rd party homebrew) Windows Mobile Device Center/ActiveSync Zune Software Blackberry Desktop Manager Nokia Ovi Suite dpkg+apt-get rpm+yum+zypper ?
Wireless system updates 5+[45] Yes Yes ? ? Yes[46] Yes[47] Yes[48] ? No
Multi-user No[49] No[50] No[51] No No No No No No[52] No
Per application runtime modifiable permissions Location access[53]; Notifications in 5+ No[54], but possible with 3rd party firmwares[55] No[56] ? No[57] Yes[58] ? ? ? ?
Non english languages support Yes Limited[59] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Limited (Search is not diacritical mark insensitive)
Underlining spell checker Yes[60] No[61] Yes ? Yes[62] Yes Yes Yes ? No
Keeps browser state on shutdown or crash Yes Limited[63] No No Yes ? ? Yes ? Limited (Browser does not keep windows open)
Search multiple internal applications at once Yes Yes Yes Yes No[64] Yes Yes Yes ? Yes
Core applications missing search Bookmarks[65] Calendar[66] (but HTC Sense Calendar has search)
Search all fields of internal objects iOS will not search Contacts notes field[67] Only search Contacts name field but not any other field[68] Yes Yes Contacts are only search by name[69] Limited on most models[70] Yes Yes ? Only searches contacts by name
Proxy server Yes 3.1+[71] but only global, not per connection[72] No[73] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes ? Yes
On-device encryption Yes[74] No[75] No Yes[76] No[77] Yes[78] ? Yes ? No
Cloud encrypted storage No, data stored on iCloud is accessible by Apple[79] No, data is accessible by Google and US Intelligence Agencies[80] ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Sync to Cloud communication encryption Yes[81] 2.3.4+[82] ? ? 7.10.7720.0+[83] Yes[84] ? Yes, with 3rd party apps ? ?
Desktop Sync Yes No[85] but often provided in manufacturer software[86] 3rd party software only[87] Yes No[88][89] Yes Yes Yes[90] Yes Yes
Local Full backup Yes[91] No[92], but possible with rooted devices and 3rd party software[93] Limited official backup. Full backup via homebrew[94] Yes No[95] Yes[96] Yes ? ? No[97]
Core Data missing Sync Bookmarks[98], SMSs and Settings[92]
cut, copy, and paste Yes[99] Yes[100] Yes Yes Yes[101][102] Yes Yes Yes ? Yes[103]
undo Yes[104] No[105] Limited Yes (via Ctrl+Z using default keyboard No No No Yes ? No
Phone number linking to dialer Yes Some Devices[106] Yes Yes (but not in browser) Yes Yes Yes Yes ? Yes (but not in browser)
Default Web Browser/Engine Webkit Webkit Webkit Trident Trident Webkit Webkit Gecko Webkit Webkit
Browser Find on Page 4.2+[107] 1.5+[108] ? ? Removed in Mango update[109] Yes[110] Yes ? ? ?
Browser Save Audio/Video No Yes, but only links, not embedded media Yes ? No Yes (embedded media not supported) ? ? ? ?
Browser Save Page 5+[111] No[112] No ? No Yes[113] Yes ? ? ?
Browser Text Reflow No[114] Yes No[115] ? No Yes[116] No ? ? No
Browser file upload No[117] 2.2+[118] ? ? Yes Yes Yes ? ? Yes
Browser form navigation Yes, prev,next and done buttons[119] Yes, next button[120] ? ? No[121] ? ? ? ? ?
Official Application Store App Store Android Market App Catalog Windows Marketplace for Mobile Windows Phone Marketplace App World Symbian Horizon,Ovi store maemo.org,Ovi store ? Samsung Apps
Non-discriminatory Stores Apple discriminates based on country[122] and own Apple policies[123] ? Discriminates by country[124]. Can be circumvented via homebrew[125] ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Unified Inbox Yes No[126] Yes Yes 7.10.7720.0+[127] Yes Yes ? ? Yes
Email Sync protocols supported POP3, IMAP, MAPI POP3, IMAP, MAPI POP3, IMAP, MAPI POP3, IMAP, MAPI POP3, IMAP, MAPI BES, BIS, Push e-mail POP3, IMAP POP3, IMAP, Exchange POP3, IMAP POP3, IMAP
Non-intrusive Notifications 5+[128] Yes[129] Yes ? Yes[130] Yes[131] With future Symbian Belle update[132] Yes[133] Yes[134] ?
Push Notifications Yes (Apple Push Notification Service) Yes[135] Yes ? Yes[136] Yes Yes 2+[137]
End-to-end Encrypted Push Notifications Not possible, Apple must have access to notifications cleartext[138] Possible, notifications are handled by the application that can decrypt it[135] ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Custom Ringtones Yes Yes Yes Yes 7.10.7720.0+[139] Yes Yes Yes, with 3rd party apps[140] ? Yes
Offline Voice Commands Yes[141] No[142] Yes (in version 2.1 or higher) Yes, Microsoft Voice Command Yes Yes Yes Yes
Voice Recognition 5+[143] Yes[144] Yes (in version 2.1 or higher) Yes Yes[145][146] Yes Yes Yes
Sound Recorder Limited (Not voice controlled) Very Limited (Doesn't work in background[147] and not voice controlled) 3rd party apps available ? 3rd party and Very Limited (Doesn't work in background and not voice controlled) Very Limited (Doesn't work in background and not voice controlled) Yes Yes, with 3rd party apps[148] ? ?
Call Recorder Prevented by OS restrictions Prevented by OS restrictions[149], but possible with 3rd party firmware[150] No Yes[151] No No[152] Yes Yes, with 3rd party apps[153] ? ?
On device picture info (including Exif data) Only location[154] Only date and location, but there are 3rd party apps[155] Yes ? No ? Yes, but not full Exif ? ? ?
On device picture categorization 5+[156] No[157] No ? No[158] Yes, photos can be renamed and searched Yes, albums and tags[159] ? ? ?
Turn off shutter sound In silent mode[160] In silent mode[161] In silent mode ? 7.10.7720.0+[162] ? ? ? ? ?
Picture crop 5+[163] Yes via 3rd party apps ? No ? Yes Yes ? Yes
Video trim Yes No[164] Yes ? No ? Yes[165] ? ? Yes
Sound trim Yes No[166] No ? No sound recorder ? ? ? ? ?
Tethering Bluetooth, USB (carrier dependent), Personal Hotspot (Wi-Fi Tethering) (carrier dependent, iPhone 4s since iOS 4.2.5/4.3, or with 3rd party software and "jailbreak") Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot, USB, Bluetooth Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot (officially AT&T and Verizon Wireless only). USB, Bluetooth, and Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot via homebrew[167] USB, Bluetooth, Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot (with 3rd party software) Not officially, supported through homebrew[168][169] USB, Bluetooth, Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot USB, Bluetooth, Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot (with 3rd party software microUSB, Bluetooth, Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot microUSB, Bluetooth 3.0, Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot
USB On-The-Go No[170] 3.1+[171] No ? No ? Yes[172] ? ? ?
Interchangeable external memory cards No Yes No Yes No[173] Yes[174] Yes Yes Yes Yes
Text/Document Support Microsoft Office[175][176][177], iWork, PDF, Images, TXT/RTF, VCF Microsoft Office, PDF Microsoft Office Mobile, PDF Microsoft Office Mobile, PDF Microsoft Office, PDF Microsoft Office Mobile, PDF,djvu text files, PDF, HTML, Multiple office formats with free 3rd party software Read only: text files, PDF, HTML, Multiple office formats
Audio Playback AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV AAC LC/LTP 3GPP, HE-AACv1 (AAC+), HE-AACv2 (enhanced AAC+), AMR-NB, AMR-WB, MP3 (Mono/Stereo 8-320 kbit/s constant or variable bit-rate, MIDI (MIDI Type 0 and 1. DLS Version 1 and 2., Ogg Vorbis, PCM/WAVE (8- and 16-bit linear PCM (rates up to limit of hardware), WAVE [178] MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR, QCELP, WAV MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WAV, WMA pro, AMR-NB, MIDI MP3, WAVE, WMA, AAC+, MIDI, AMR, eAAC+, FlAC, OGG All All (some require optional debian packages) MP3, AAC, WMA, M4A, XMF, 3GA, MMF, MIDI, WAV, AMR [179]
Video Playback H.264 AVC, MPEG-4, M-JPEG H.263, H.264 AVC, MPEG-4 SP, DivX, XviD, VP8 [178] MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 H.263, H.264, WMV, MPEG4, MPEG4@ HD 720p 30fps, DivX, XviD MP4, WMV, H.263, H.264, DivX, WMV, XviD, 3gp H.263, H.264, WMV, MPEG4, MPEG4@ HD 720p 30fps, MKV, DivX, XviD All (some require optional debian packages) WMV, ASF, MP4, 3GP, AVI [179]
Media Player Fine Scrubbing Yes[180] No[181], but there are 3rd party apps[182] No ? 7.10.7720.0+[183] ? ? ? ? ?
Media Player Double Speed Playing Only Audio Podcasts[184] No[185], but possible with 3rd party software[186] ? ? No ? ? ? ? ?
Turn-by-turn GPS 3rd Party software Google Maps Navigation (will not work with limited phone coverage[187] as it only downloads a 10-mile radius[188]) or 3rd Party software Carrier software, 3rd Party Software 3rd Party Software 3rd Party software[189] and 7.10.7720.0+[190] 3rd Party Software 3rd Party Software, free global Nokia Ovi Maps 3rd Party Software, Nokia Ovi Maps Samsung LBS (Route 66)
Video out Up to 720p via HDMI[191] or VGA[192], 576p/480p via component[193] or composite[194] 1080p on select devices No Play To[195] None Nokia AV Out (PAL/NTSC), HDMI Nokia AV Out (PAL/NTSC) DLNA
Multitasking Yes[196] Yes Yes Yes Tombstoning[197] Yes Yes Yes Yes 2+[137]
Desktop interactive widgets No Yes Yes via homebrew Yes Yes (through "live tiles") No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Bluetooth keyboard Yes[198] No[199], but there is 3rd party software[200] Yes (in version 2.0 or higher) Yes No[201] Yes Yes Yes, with plugins ? ?
Videoconference front video camera Yes[202] (iPhone 4, iPod touch 4th generation, iPad 2; can connect to Macs with webcams) Yes (Hardware Currently Available on Some Models) Yes (Pre3 and TouchPad only) No ? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Bluetooth file transfer No[203] Yes[204] Yes via homebrew Yes No[168] Yes Yes Yes Yes ?
Voice over IP 3rd Party (like Skype) Yes (SIP)[205] or 3rd Party (like Skype) Yes[206] 3rd party (like fring) 7.10.7720.0+[207] 3rd party[208] Yes (SIP) or 3rd Party (like Skype) Yes (SIP)[209] ? No[210]
SSH[clarification needed] Jailbreaking Required and OpenSSH Installed (free from Cydia Application) Yes Yes via homebrew No No Yes ? Yes Yes ?
OpenVPN ? No, but possible with 3rd party firmware[211] Yes Remote Desktop ? Yes Yes (3rd Party Software) Yes Yes ?
WPA PEAP Yes[212] Yes[213] Yes[214] ? Yes[215] ? ? ? ? ?
Remote Frame Buffer ? Yes[216] Yes via homebrew[217] ? ? ? ? Yes Yes ?
Screenshot Yes[218] On select devices[219] or Root required and 3rd-party apps[220][221] Yes Yes[222] 7.10.7720.0+[223] Possible through homebrew or SDK.[224][225] Yes (3rd Party Software) Yes[226] Yes ? Yes
GPU Accelerated GUI Yes 3.0+[227] Partially (in Enyo apps) No Yes[228] ? Yes Yes ? ?
Official SDK platform(s) Mac OS X Multiplatform[229] Multiplatform Windows Windows Windows Windows/Multiplatform (Qt) GNU/Linux[230] GNU/Linux Windows
Extra cost to develop Free ($99/year to distribute on App Store[231]) Free ($25 once to offer it on the Android Market[232]) Free [233] Free Free ($99/year to offer it on the Windows Phone Marketplace[234]) ? Free (1€ once to offer it in the Ovi Store[235] Free Free ?
Feature iOS Android webOS Windows Mobile Windows Phone 7 BlackBerry OS Symbian Maemo MeeGo bada

See also

References

  1. ^ "Gartner Says Sales of Mobile Devices in Second Quarter of 2011 Grew 16.5 Percent Year-on-Year; Smartphone Sales Grew 74 Percent". Gartner. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  2. ^ Can Mac OS X succeed as a mobile OS? 2007-01-22
  3. ^ Google Enters the Wireless World
  4. ^ Breakin' up is hard to do: Schmidt leaves Apple board
  5. ^ Mobile market up, smartphones up, Android and iPhone way up
  6. ^ Android tops everyone in 2010 market share; 2011 may be different
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales Grew 35 Percent in Third Quarter 2010; Smartphone Sales Increased 96 Percent". Gartner, Inc. 2010-11-10. Table 2. Retrieved 2011-02-21.
  8. ^ http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/oha_members.html
  9. ^ http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/146450/developers_praise_android_at_google_io.html?tk=rl_noinform
  10. ^ http://www.bgr.com/2011/08/08/rims-first-qnx-phone-revealed-blackberry-colt-to-launch-in-q1-2012/
  11. ^ North American Market
  12. ^ Symbian Facts
  13. ^ http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2080712/nokia-confirms-accenture-support-symbian-2016
  14. ^ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/18/symbian_anna/
  15. ^ http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/15/windows-phone-7-series-is-official-and-microsoft-is-playing-to/
  16. ^ http://gizmodo.com/5471805/windows-phone-7-series-everything-is-different-now
  17. ^ http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/02/15/windows-phone-7-series-our-take/
  18. ^ http://www.fusiongarage.com
  19. ^ http://www.fusiongarage.com/grid-os/about
  20. ^ http://conversations.nokia.com/2011/06/21/introducing-the-nokia-n9-all-it-takes-is-a-swipe/
  21. ^ http://gigaom.com/mobile/meego-not-dead-yet-as-lg-continues-the-charge/
  22. ^ Samsung s8530 Wave II review
  23. ^ Shipping Linux-based Phones at Technology News Daily
  24. ^ Microsoft Excluded from DoCoMo at The Register
  25. ^ Incompatibility in Mobile Linux at OS News
  26. ^ Search Mobile Computing
  27. ^ Running on Linux
  28. ^ Motorola Press Release on Partnership on Linux
  29. ^ "CEO Ballmer Reportedly Says Microsoft 'Screwed Up' with Windows Mobile". eWeek. 28 September 2009.
  30. ^ [1]
  31. ^ https://wiki.mozilla.org/B2G
  32. ^ http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2011/07/mozilla-eyes-mobile-os-landscape-with-new-boot-to-gecko-project.ars
  33. ^ http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20084745-17/alibaba-os-powered-handset-launching-this-month/
  34. ^ "Gartner: Android leads, Windows Phone lags in Q1". Gartner, Inc. 2011-05-19. Table 2. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
  35. ^ a b "Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Device Sales to End Users Reached 1.6 Billion Units in 2010; Smartphone Sales Grew 72 Percent in 2010". Gartner, Inc. 2011-02-09. Table 2. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  36. ^ a b "Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales to End Users Grew 8 Per Cent in Fourth Quarter 2009; Market Remained Flat in 2009". Gartner, Inc. 2010-02-23. Table 2. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  37. ^ a b "Gartner Says Worldwide Smartphone Sales Reached Its Lowest Growth Rate With 3.7 Per Cent Increase in Fourth Quarter of 2008". Gartner, Inc. 2009-03-11. Table 4. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  38. ^ Google withholds Android 3 source
  39. ^ PleaseFixTheiPhone
  40. ^ Android Issues Tracker
  41. ^ The WP7 list of BUGS' Thread (or design inconsistencies) NoDo fixed almost None!
  42. ^ Symbian Foundation is completing its transition to a licensing body
  43. ^ Maemo Issues Tracker
  44. ^ MeeGo Issues Tracker
  45. ^ iOS5 Features PC Free
  46. ^ BlackBerry Wireless Update
  47. ^ Updating the Firmware on your Symbian Phone: Two Methods Explained and Compared
  48. ^ N900 - Wireless Updating in Maemo 5
  49. ^ Does the iPad support multiple users?
  50. ^ Android Issue 15030: Multi user support
  51. ^ PreCentral Forums > webOS tablets > HP TouchPad > Multiple Users on Touchpad?
  52. ^ MeeGo Feature 2682 - Add multiuser support
  53. ^ iOS 4 New Features: New Location Services settings
  54. ^ Android Issue 3778: Feature request: Application permissions should be individually grantable by the user
  55. ^ [2]
  56. ^ Mobile Application Security : WebOS Security - Permissions and User Controls
  57. ^ Zune Marketplace requires user-confirmed permissions, similar to Android
  58. ^ BlackBerry 101 - Application permissions
  59. ^ Android Issue 3732: Search Improve contact search Android Issue 3393: No Unicode support on SMS sending Android Issue 9199: SQLite3 Unicode Case not working (only ASCII case works) (include ICU support)
  60. ^ iOS 4 features: Spell-check and text replace
  61. ^ Android Issue 10332: Retrospective spell checking on all input fields as an OS feature (input device agnostic)
  62. ^ http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/20/windows-phone-7-review/
  63. ^ Android Issue 8880: Keep open URLs/windows on shutdown or crash
  64. ^ Bonnie Cha (27 October 2010). "Top 5 things I dislike about Windows Phone 7". CNET.
  65. ^ iPhone 3.0 spotlight - bookmarks?
  66. ^ Android Issue 2518: Calendar app has no search.
  67. ^ iOS will not search Contacts notes field
  68. ^ Android Issue 3732: Only search Contacts name field but not any other field
  69. ^ WP7 on HTC Mozart - Unable to search for additional Contact fields - by design or bug?
  70. ^ Notes search not available in BB Torch
  71. ^ Android Issue 1273: IP Proxy Settings for Wifi Network
  72. ^ Android Issue 4386: Add proxy options for each individual internet connection
  73. ^ webOS Software : No proxy support when using WiFi on Pre
  74. ^ iOS 4: Understanding data protection
  75. ^ Android Issue 3748: Add support for partition/block device encryption Android Issue 11211: Android too insecure - Encryption of the SDcard is crucial
  76. ^ Microsoft Windows Mobile encryption
  77. ^ Galen Gruman (8 November 2010). "Windows Phone 7 lacks on-device encryption". InfoWorld. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  78. ^ BlackBerry Stored Data Security
  79. ^ Does iCloud encrypt files before uploading?
  80. ^ Google Admits Handing over European User Data to US Intelligence Agencies
  81. ^ Apple - iPhone in Business - Integration
  82. ^ Catching AuthTokens in the Wild - The Insecurity of Google's ClientLogin Protocol
  83. ^ http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/windowsphone/archive/2011/05/16/productivity-takes-a-big-step-forward-in-mango.aspx
  84. ^ Standard BlackBerry encryption
  85. ^ Android Issue 66: OpenSync desktop synchronisation support
  86. ^ [3]
  87. ^ Palm needs to develop a Palm Pre desktop sync application.
  88. ^ How to Sync Windows Phone 7 with Outlook
  89. ^ Petition Microsoft to reinstate usb sync for Outlook
  90. ^ Maemo Sync
  91. ^ iTunes: Backing up, updating, and restoring your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch software
  92. ^ a b Android Issue 1106: No way to backup or restore on-device data (sms, most application data, installed apps and settings)
  93. ^ [4]
  94. ^ webOS backup utility in the works
  95. ^ Complete Windows Phone 7 Backup
  96. ^ How to back up the data on a BlackBerry smartphone
  97. ^ Is it possbile to backup phone including apps
  98. ^ Android Issue 2907: Google Bookmarks should be integrated with the browser
  99. ^ Nilay Patel (2009-03-17). "iPhone finally gets copy and paste!". Engadget. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  100. ^ Android Issue 3190: Improve copy-paste in Browser/WebView
  101. ^ Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 'NoDo' update starts rolling out, brings copy / paste and other fun additions
  102. ^ http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/11/copy-and-paste-coming-to-windows-phone-7-in-early-2011/
  103. ^ Does Bada OS have Cut, Copy & Paste?
  104. ^ Phat^Trance (2009-05-23). "iPhone: Undo Typing – Cool feature in iPhone 3.0". dailymobile.
  105. ^ Android Issue 6458: Enhancement: Undo
  106. ^ Android Issue 4575: Phone number linking to dialer
  107. ^ iOS 4.2 features: Find text on Safari web page
  108. ^ Cupcake Adds Camcorder, Touchscreen Keyboard, and More to Android
  109. ^ Is Find on Page feature being removed from IE9 Mango?! - Microsoft Answers
  110. ^ BlackBerry Torch 9800 Smartphone User Guide Version: 6.0
  111. ^ iOS 5 Safari Reader
  112. ^ Android Issue 6399: Save current web page
  113. ^ Save a web page to the main messages application - User Guide - BlackBerry Bold 9700 Smartphone - 5.0
  114. ^ Safari for iOS needs a text size preference and text reflow
  115. ^ Palm, please add Text Reflow to the Web Browser
  116. ^ BlackBerry OS 6 | Download Product Review - Download.com
  117. ^ Uploading files using HTML file input on iphone
  118. ^ Android Issue 2519: Browser should support file uploads (input type="file")
  119. ^ Safari Web Content Guide: Laying Out Forms
  120. ^ How can i switch to next field in web form using Android browser?
  121. ^ Windows Phone 7 - Form Navigation
  122. ^ iphone - How to change the language of the App store (and iTunes)? - Apple - Stack Exchange
  123. ^ Apple Releases Its Rules for App Store Censoring
  124. ^ webOS Billing countries
  125. ^ http://forums.precentral.net/webos-internals/270316-impostah.html
  126. ^ Android Issue 8261: Unified Inbox (Gmail & other mailboxes in 1 place)
  127. ^ http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/24/live-from-microsofts-windows-phone-vip-preview-event/
  128. ^ iOS 5 Notification Center
  129. ^ iOS vs Android vs WebOS: Who's Doing Mobile Notifications Right?
  130. ^ http://www.anandtech.com/print/3982
  131. ^ BlackBerry Is Ahead of the Game in Managing Notifications - Bacon On The Go
  132. ^ Symbian Belle Drop Down Notifications Reminiscent of Samsung’s TouchWiz Notification Menu
  133. ^ Email, SMS, and IM on the N900
  134. ^ Nokia N9 Notifications
  135. ^ a b Android Cloud To Device Messaging
  136. ^ Push Notifications for Windows Phone
  137. ^ a b Samsung Bada 2.0 to get multitasking, push notifications, a new UI and more
  138. ^ Apple Push Notification Service
  139. ^ http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/seven-great-new-features-of-mango-for-windows-phone-7
  140. ^ Maemo Custom ringtones for your contacts
  141. ^ iPhone/iPod Touch Voice Commands Cheat Sheet
  142. ^ Android Issue 11062: Offline voice commands for opening apps, controlling music player, and making calls
  143. ^ iOS 5’s voice recognition app will be called “Assistant” - Rumor
  144. ^ Google provides a cloud based closed source implementation (Voice Actions for Android) that will only work when online
  145. ^ Microsoft Tellme
  146. ^ Voice Control Speech Interface in Windows Phone (Mango)
  147. ^ Android Issue 14462: Sound Recorder does not work on background
  148. ^ Maemo Recorder
  149. ^ Android Issue 2117: Enhancement: Call Recorder
  150. ^ [5]
  151. ^ Two-Way In Call Recording on Windows Mobile
  152. ^ BlackBerry Forums at CrackBerry.com > Does a Call Recorder exist?
  153. ^ Maemo Recorder
  154. ^ Apple Support Communities > iPhone > Using iPhone > Discussions > Picture date/time stamp
  155. ^ Android Exif Droid
  156. ^ New iOS 5 Albums and Camera Photos Emerge
  157. ^ Android Help Forum : How do I organize photos in the Gallery?
  158. ^ Microsoft Windows Phone - Add or delete albums
  159. ^ How to Organize Photos on N97 & Mini with Tags
  160. ^ Apple Support Communities > iPhone > iPhone Hardware > Discussions > Shutter noise
  161. ^ Android Issue 9854: Cannot disable shutter sound
  162. ^ WP7 Mango To Support SmartDJ, Disabling Camera Shutter Sound
  163. ^ iOS 5 Photo Crop
  164. ^ Android Issue 9507: Basic video editor (at least time trim and split)
  165. ^ Dance Dance Revolution HD Shot and Edited on Nokia N8, showcasing camera capabilities and Video Editing features
  166. ^ Android Issue 14553: Basic sound editor (at least time trim and split)
  167. ^ http://www.webos-internals.org/wiki/Application:FreeTether
  168. ^ a b "Windows Phone 7 OS review: From scratch". GSM Arena. 8 October 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  169. ^ http://wmpoweruser.com/hackstethering-come-to-htc-wp7-handsets-htc-hub-comes-to-all-other-wp7-devices/
  170. ^ Nokia N8 vs iPhone 4 – Ten Things Why Nokia N8 Is Better
  171. ^ Android Issue 738: I hope Android will implement and support the USB host feature
  172. ^ Nokia N8's USB On-The-Go support demoed, lesser phones turned into slaves
  173. ^ Windows Phone 7 Allegedly Breaks MicroSD Cards
  174. ^ How to Install a Media Card into your BlackBerry
  175. ^ Pages 1.4 for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
  176. ^ Numbers 1.4 for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
  177. ^ Keynote 1.4 for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
  178. ^ a b Android Core Media Formats
  179. ^ a b Media: Handling Images, Audio, Video, and Camera
  180. ^ iOS has fine scrubbing
  181. ^ Android Issue 15505: Media player fine scrubbing (swipe to seek)
  182. ^ Meridian Player
  183. ^ http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/windowsphone/archive/2011/06/03/a-tour-of-the-new-music-video-hub.aspx
  184. ^ Listen to podcasts in half the time
  185. ^ Android Issue 1961: MediaPlayer Adjustable SampleRate/Playback Speed support
  186. ^ [6]
  187. ^ Android Issue 4471: Downloadable maps for offline navigation/location
  188. ^ How to download maps data on Google Maps
  189. ^ http://mobilitydigest.com/turn-by-turn-directions-comes-to-windows-phone-via-a-to-b-free/
  190. ^ http://www.wpcentral.com/turn-by-turn-directions-voice-text-bing-audio-vision-all-coming-wp7-mango
  191. ^ Apple Digital AV Adapter
  192. ^ Apple VGA Adapter
  193. ^ Apple Component AV Cable
  194. ^ Apple Composite AV Cable
  195. ^ http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/22/lg-optimus-7-review/
  196. ^ Geek 101: Android and iOS Multitasking Compared
  197. ^ http://blogs.microsoft.co.il/blogs/alex_golesh/archive/2010/07/14/silverlight-for-windows-phone-7-tombstoning.aspx
  198. ^ Finally, Bluetooth keyboard support for the iPhone
  199. ^ Android Issue 1147: RFE: Support for external keyboard, mouse
  200. ^ KeyPro - Bluetooth keyboard manager, 12/09/09
  201. ^ Bluetooth Keyboards On Windows Phone 7
  202. ^ FaceTime
  203. ^ Apple Support Communities > Peripherals > Bluetooth > Discussions > Bluetooth file transfer
  204. ^ Android Issue 1725: Bluetooth File Transfer
  205. ^ [7]
  206. ^ [8]
  207. ^ http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/microsofts-joe-belfiore-confirms-skype-coming-to-windows-phone/
  208. ^ The Best BlackBerry VoIP Apps & Services
  209. ^ Internet Communications Software Update for N800: Development version
  210. ^ bada VoIP applications finally allowed
  211. ^ [9]
  212. ^ [10]
  213. ^ Android Issue 1386: Feature req: support WPA2-Enterprise with EAP extensions
  214. ^ [11]
  215. ^ Wireless EAP-TLS Authentication on Windows Phone 7
  216. ^ [12]
  217. ^ [13]
  218. ^ Screenshot#iOS
  219. ^ [14]
  220. ^ Android Issue 6547: Screen shots
  221. ^ Screenshot-it
  222. ^ How to make Windows Mobile screenshots?
  223. ^ http://itsalltech.com/2011/04/13/microsoft-demoes-next-windows-phone-7-update-updates-on-app-numbers/
  224. ^ Take a screenshot on Windows Phone 7
  225. ^ http://wmpoweruser.com/home-brew-delivers-againscreen-shot-functionality-arrive-on-the-htc-hd7/
  226. ^ Screenshot for Symbian OS
  227. ^ Stewart Mitchell, "Android lets developers work closer to the metal", PC Pro, 11/02/11
  228. ^ http://www.anandtech.com/show/2969/windows-phone-7-series-the-anandtech-guide/13
  229. ^ http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
  230. ^ http://wiki.maemo.org/Documentation/Maemo_5_Final_SDK_Installation#Installing_Maemo_5_SDK_using_GUI_Installer
  231. ^ iOS Developer Program - Apple Developer
  232. ^ [15]
  233. ^ [16]
  234. ^ [17]
  235. ^ [18]