Mobile Operating Systems
INTRODUCTION
Over the past decade, smartphones have taken the world by storm and recently, tablets have entered into the arena as well. These mobile devices are having a significant impact on our lives and are in fact redefining the way we access information and communicate with others. This is due to not only the hardware but the specialized software that these devices run and most importantly, their operating systems.
Just like a PC can run different operating systems (like Windows, Linux, BSD etc.) or different versions of the same operating system (like Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 etc.), most smartphones can also run different versions of the operating system they were made for and in exceptional cases, they might even be able to run operating systems they weren’t made for. They can be classified in the following manner.
1. Manufacturer-built proprietary operating systems
• Apple iOS
• RIM BlackBerry OS
• HP WebOS
• Bada from Samsung Electronics
2. Third party proprietary operating systems
• Microsoft Windows Phone 7
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 3. Free & open source operating systems
• Android
• MeeGo
• Symbian
Let’s now take a look at some popular operating systems
1. Apple iOS
Apple 's iPhone OS was originally developed for use on its iPhone devices. Now, the mobile operating system is referred to as iOS and is supported on a number of Apple devices including the iPhone, iPad, iPad 2 and iPod Touch. The iOS mobile operating system is available only on Apple 's own manufactured devices as the company does not license the OS for third-party hardware. Apple iOS is derived from Apple 's Mac OS X operating system.
Pros Cons
• Excellent UI
• The largest number of applications available, exceeding all others combined
• Apple validates applications
• Consistent UI
Over the past decade, smartphones have taken the world by storm and recently, tablets have entered into the arena as well. These mobile devices are having a significant impact on our lives and are in fact redefining the way we access information and communicate with others. This is due to not only the hardware but the specialized software that these devices run and most importantly, their operating systems.
Just like a PC can run different operating systems (like Windows, Linux, BSD etc.) or different versions of the same operating system (like Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 etc.), most smartphones can also run different versions of the operating system they were made for and in exceptional cases, they might even be able to run operating systems they weren’t made for. They can be classified in the following manner.
1. Manufacturer-built proprietary operating systems
• Apple iOS
• RIM BlackBerry OS
• HP WebOS
• Bada from Samsung Electronics
2. Third party proprietary operating systems
• Microsoft Windows Phone 7
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 3. Free & open source operating systems
• Android
• MeeGo
• Symbian
Let’s now take a look at some popular operating systems
1. Apple iOS
Apple 's iPhone OS was originally developed for use on its iPhone devices. Now, the mobile operating system is referred to as iOS and is supported on a number of Apple devices including the iPhone, iPad, iPad 2 and iPod Touch. The iOS mobile operating system is available only on Apple 's own manufactured devices as the company does not license the OS for third-party hardware. Apple iOS is derived from Apple 's Mac OS X operating system.
Pros Cons
• Excellent UI
• The largest number of applications available, exceeding all others combined
• Apple validates applications
• Consistent UI